February is the Michigan Pharmacy Association (MPA) Annual Convention and Exposition (ACE) in Dearborn. This year’s theme is Pathways to Positive Outcomes. The conference offers programs for pharmacists, technicians and students.

As is previous years, WMSHP will be participating in the MPA Leadership Breakfast scheduled Saturday morning during the ACE. The breakfast meeting theme will revolve around membership retention and recruitment. The WMSHP members that will be representing you are Jeff Van Houten, Jesse Hogue and Vicki Sternhagen. Also, there is the MPA house of delegates session at the ACE. WMSHP this year is entitled to four delegates. Your 2004 delegates are Jeff Van Houten, Jesse Hogue, Brad Miller and Jean Lee. The alternative delegate is Vicki Sternhagen. The delegates will identify issues and policies to be considered by the Executive Board, and consider bylaw changes. Please contact any of the above representatives with topics or ideas that you would like discussed at their meetings.

New this year at the MPA ACE meeting is a session that will be conducted by pharmacy students. Each College of Pharmacy will have one student presenting. The student representing Ferris State University is Sheila Duffy. Her presentation is entitled “The Use of Alternative Medicines in Type 2 Diabetic Patients: Panacea, Placebo or Poison?”. Specifically, Sheila will be discussing the affects of chromium and ginseng in type 2 diabetes and providing recommendations for their use in therapy.

I hope to see some of you at the MPA ACE meeting Dearborn and the WMSHP meeting in Kalamazoo this month.