Abdallah.

LANSING — With her election to the Michigan Pharmacists Association Board (MPA) this month, Pharmacist Ghada Abdallah became the first Arab and Muslim woman to serve on that body.

The MPA board is a 16-member, voluntary, nonpartisan, political committee of pharmacy professionals who actively seek to promote good government and public health. The board meets routinely in Lansing to address pharmaceutical issues and push statewide legislative measures.

Abdallah had been affiliated with the organization for years. She said it’s important to have representation from the Arab American community on the body, considering pharmacy is one of the biggest career fields for Arabs in Michigan.

She cited a lack of participation on the board from the Arabs, noting that it only includes one Chaldean pharmacist.

“There are hardly any Arabs involved with this association,” Abdallah said. “I want to push legislative issues that have meaning and impact on our businesses and keep them as relevant as possible.”

Abdallah said Arabs in the pharmacy field tend to run their own independent businesses, a practice that has become difficult in recent years due to healthcare reform and reimbursement issues.

“I want to push some laws that will make it easier for us to do business,” Abdallah said. “It’s not the same as it was before. It’s difficult to open up a pharmacy as a business model.”

Among other issues in pharmacy is prescription drugs hitting the streets.  Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had categorized the current prescription drug overdose problem in the country as an “epidemic.” Studies have found that there’s been an uptick in deaths from prescription opioid pain relievers.

“A pharmacist carries a huge responsibility,” Abdallah said. “The public needs to be ensured you are delivering medication properly and protecting the public from misuse of prescriptions and fraud. All that stuff is important to me.”

Abdallah has been the owner of Park Pharmacy in Grosse Pointe Park since 2006. She also served as the secretary of the Wayne County Pharmacists Association in 2013. She also been involved with the “American Independent Pharmacy” buying group since 2011, serving as the co-director of contracting and director of professional relations and continuing education.

A former Dearborn resident, Abdallah is a graduate of Fordson High School. She began her college education at Henry Ford Community College before majoring in pharmacy at Wayne State University. Before opening up her business, she worked as a pharmacist at both Walgreens and CVS.