JOHNSON CITY (December 6, 2012) – Loren Madden Kirk, a student at East Tennessee State University’s Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, has been elected to be the Region 3 delegate for the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP).

As the Region 3 representative in the American Pharmacists Association House of Delegates, Kirk will be pivotal in deciding what APhA-ASP policy proposals are discussed and passed on the national level. There are only eight regions in APhA-ASP, and Region 3 encompasses most schools of pharmacy in the Southeast.

A native of Cary, N.C., Kirk is a second-year student at the Gatton College of Pharmacy. APhA-ASP members elected him as a regional delegate at the group’s recent regional meeting in Raleigh, N.C.

“I am honored to have been elected by my fellow student pharmacists and to have the opportunity to represent not only APhA-ASP Region 3, but also ETSU’s Gatton College of Pharmacy as our region’s delegate,” Kirk said. “I am committed to the responsible advancement of our profession and am humbled by the trust placed in me.”

Kirk has been a leader in the APhA-ASP chapter at ETSU. He co-authored the chapter’s proposed resolution that would encourage schools of pharmacy to create and offer career development opportunities specific to personal finance, as many students face significant debt from student loans after graduation. Kirk also initiated the development of an “Absentee Voter Action Guide” that instructed students from every state on how to register to vote, obtain an absentee ballot and explore general information about U.S. elections.

Kirk said he plans to emphasize the importance of effective collaborative communication skills among members, to provide advocacy education materials to APhA-ASP Region 3 schools of pharmacy and to better prepare individuals to advocate for and strengthen the profession of pharmacy in the eyes of the public and health care industry.

Dr. Larry D. Calhoun, dean of the college, lauded Kirk for his leadership.

“Loren represents a group of our students who are passionate about being politically active,” Calhoun said. “They realize that health care professionals cannot sit on the sidelines and expect real, meaningful change to occur. I am proud of Loren’s leadership in this regard.”