The 2025-2026 American College of Clinical Pharmacy-American Society of Health-System Pharmacists-Virginia Commonwealth University Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellowship is proud to welcome its newest fellow, Laurel Uhomba, Pharm.D.

Entering its 19th year, the 14-month fellowship offers pharmacists an immersive, policy-oriented experience through direct participation in the federal legislative process. By working within the U.S. Congress, AACP and ASHP government affairs offices, each fellow has the opportunity to sharpen skills in legislative evaluation, policy development, research and professional writing, while integrating theoretical knowledge with practical policy experience.

Dr. Uhomba will be joining the program following completion of her PGY2 Community-Based Pharmacy Administration and Leadership Residency at Johns Hopkins Care at Home in Baltimore this summer. With a diverse background in pharmacy and public health, Dr. Uhomba has become a well-established leader in advocating for health care equity. Her educational journey includes earning a Doctor of Pharmacy and a Master of Public Health degree from Samford University, and she is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School.

Throughout her career, Dr. Uhomba has worked to address health care disparities and improve access to care for underserved populations. As a leader within the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), she served as the Chair of the Advocacy and Practice Advancement Work Group within the ASHP Pharmacy Administration and Leadership Residents’ Collaborative. This role helped her refine her advocacy skills, enabling her to lead efforts in health care reform.

Uhomba’s particular areas of interest include addressing the social determinants of health (SDOH) and working to reduce health care inequities. 

“Pharmacy deserts exemplify the intersection of SDOH and access to care, as many communities lack essential pharmacy services,” she said in her application. “Similarly, the 340B Drug Pricing Program is vital for enabling safety-net providers to serve underserved populations. Protecting and optimizing this program is critical to ensuring equitable access to care.”

Her passion for tackling these issues stems from personal experiences growing up as a first-generation Nigerian American, where she saw firsthand the struggle of “navigating a world that wasn’t always accommodating.” Uhomba credits her parents’ strength and determination as immigrants for shaping her drive to lead and serve.

“As immigrants with limited English proficiency, they often relied on me to translate and advocate for them in everyday situations. Whether it was deciphering complex medical paperwork or negotiating utility bills, I learned early on the responsibility of supporting and speaking up for those who could not do so themselves,” Uhomba wrote.

Throughout her career, she has worked to dismantle these barriers, particularly within marginalized communities. Her work with Johns Hopkins has involved improving patient outcomes through the development of a standardized counseling workflow for high-risk, first-fill medications in outpatient pharmacies and ensuring patients receive timely, accurate information that empowers them to make informed decisions about their care.

As a fellow, Dr. Uhomba looks forward to expanding her advocacy work into the national arena.

“This fellowship offers an unparalleled opportunity to drive change at the intersection of health care and policy,” she wrote. “I believe that through this platform, I can create lasting reforms that impact health care access and equity across the nation.”

The fellowship program, directed by VCU School of Pharmacy Associate Professor Kristin Zimmerman, was founded in 2006 under the leadership of Professor Gary R. Matzke. Over the years, it has produced a series of fellows who have gone on to make impacts in the field of health care policy.

For more information about the ACCP-ASHP-VCU Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellowship, visit our website or contact Program Director Kristin Zimmerman at kzimmerman@vcu.edu.