Derek Griffing, Pharm.D., MPH, of Cicero, Illinois, has been named the 2012–13 ACCP-ASHP-VCU Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellow. The fellow program, now in its sixth year, provides pharmacists with unique insights into health care policy analysis and development, under the auspices of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Pharmacy in collaboration with the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). The current fellow, Sarah Steinhardt, serves as a health policy fellow for Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

Dr. Griffing earned his Pharm.D. degree from Midwestern University School of Pharmacy in 2010 and his master’s degree in public health with a concentration in health systems and policy from Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, in 2011. He currently practices as an oncology pharmacist at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Dr. Griffing will begin his fellowship on September 1. After a structured orientation to Congress from VCU faculty and the Brookings Institute, he will spend 1 month with the ASHP government affairs and policy team and 1 month with the ACCP government and professional affairs staff. In November, he will begin working as a policy fellow on a congressional committee or with the personal staff of a U.S. senator or representative.

More information about the ACCP-ASHP-VCU Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellow Program is available at http://www.pharmacy.vcu.edu/sub/prospective/postgrad/publicpolicy/default.aspx.