2023 IPA EXECUTIVE INTERNS

The IPA Max W. Eggleston Summer Executive Internship Program is a twelve-week program held each year at IPA Headquarters in Des Moines. The Executive Internship was developed in 1978 to provide student pharmacists with experience in professional association management. In 2023, the Executive Internship program was renamed and expanded to accept two student pharmacist interns, one from each of Iowa’s colleges of pharmacy. Please help us welcome our 2023 Executive Interns!

My name is Stephen Presti, and I am excited to serve as a 2023 Max W. Eggleston Executive Intern in Association Management for the Iowa Pharmacy Association.

I grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin and have been living in Iowa for eight years. I graduated from Coe College in Cedar Rapids with Bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry, Neuroscience, and Spanish. I am currently finishing up my second year at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy. I serve as a student member of the college’s curriculum committee and as the Policy Vice President in our APhA-ASP chapter. Outside of school, I work as a pharmacy intern at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics Specialty Pharmacy, where I complete benefits investigations and contact patients to monitor medication adherence and screen for side effects.

My experiences with the APhA-ASP policy process and IPA’s Pharmacist Day on the Hill have developed my interest in political advocacy for the profession of pharmacy. I hope to share the knowledge and skills I will develop during this internship with my peers to work together to push the profession of pharmacy forward and positively impact the health of our communities.

“ “My name is Kaitlyn Thomas, and I will serve as a 2023 Max W. Eggleston Executive Intern in Association Management for IPA this summer!

I am from the Houston, Texas area, but I am currently residing in Phoenix, Arizona. I am a second-year PharmD student at Drake University with a concentration in Global and Comparative Public Health. I currently intern at the Iowa Capitol building with Representative John Forbes, where I attend meetings to discuss potential bills, review legislative and regulatory documents, and research policy areas in support of the goals of the Democratic Party. Additionally, I serve as the President-elect of the Nu chapter of Lambda Kappa Sigma Pharmacy Fraternity, and I am the Fundraising Chair of the Rho Phi chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.

My goal is to serve as a pharmacist, dedicated to improving the quality of life of marginalized individuals by having my skills and degree translate into a career that affords me the opportunity to work for industry and policy changes in healthcare and prescription drugs. In an attempt to support a humanitarian effort and to pursue my sole purpose in life, I remain committed to providing service in the healthcare profession. Moreover, with social collaboration among pharmacy professors and students alike, I concluded that my love for the profession is as immutable as the overall need. I hope to use the skills gained through this internship to continue advocating for marginalized communities and the pharmacy profession overall.