To all our Vermont Pharmacists Association Members,

What a year! It has been my honor to serve a second year as VPA President, and I am very excited to welcome Sandy Rosa as our President for 2023. 2022 was a year of many great conferences, social events, and legislative wins for VPA. If you missed them, check out our Facebook, Instagram, and Website!

As I reflect on 2022 and send this annual President’s letter, I want to firstly, thank all of you for being dedicated pharmacists and technicians and to thank our Board for supporting all of you.

VPA has been around “a long time” and, frankly, the message I want to send is this: It is important that we have a Vermont Pharmacists Association. Without it, I simply don’t think certain legislation would have passed to protect and promote pharmacy practice, I don’t think the pharmacy rules and regulations would be the same, and I don’t think we’d have as much connection with other pharmacists in our state. This would affect EVERYONE in pharmacy - with less connections for job changes, less advocates for you to practice safely, and we wouldn’t have VPA to go to when questions arise! VPA has helped provide so many fun events, such as our Paint and Sip, Walk in the Sculpture Garden, and Board Game night. It has created some fantastic educational events with our Spring and Fall Meetings that connect pharmacists to new topics and one another. VPA also has a rich history of recognizing pharmacists, technicians and friends of pharmacy through awards and student scholarships.

Now for where we are headed….

2023 is going to be one where we will keep doing all those things I have mentioned. And it won’t be easy. Our board members are amazing volunteers that are overworked and tired at times like many of you. So, if there’s one thing I’d like to be different in 2023, it would be this:

MORE engagement. More members on committees or coming to conferences. More of you popping into social events (and bringing your friends and family too!). It is my hope that if the whole pharmacy community, chips in, we can shoulder the burden any few people have to bear, and we all find more joy in our profession.

Our theme for 2023 is MOVING FORxWARD, but it won’t mean anything without more engagement from YOU!

So, here’s where we start. 

• Check our social media and website and pick an event to come to! Stay tuned for info on our Spring Meeting March 19th, as well as a January Social Event and February bonus event!

• Email vpamanager@gmail.com with an idea you have about pharmacy practice. Feel free to ask about committees and board positions too. 

• Ask your co-workers if they have heard of VPA? Would they like to try it out?

Thank you all for allowing me to serve you as President these past 2 years. I can’t wait to see how we MOVE FORxWARD in 2023.

Amy (Yanicak) Stoll, PharmD, MPH, CDCES, BCACP

Vermont Pharmacists Association President 2021-2022

amyyanicak@gmail.com