HI Emily!
I personally was given the opportunity to re-author the chapter on Cosmetics in the current US Fundamentals book that published earlier this year. It was a blast. Forced me to really think about what I knew and how I knew it as well as how it could be defended. Many of us all too often tend (as do many humans) to fall back on our "knowledge" without remembering why we remember it or where we originally found it, etc. So it was a huge boost to my professional career as it forced me to really dig into issues that I hadn't fully reviewed for potentially many years. On top of that, Pam was great to work with and really provided a great program and timeline information for use by me in reworking the chapter.
I also consider a lot of what individuals do on the forums as "volunteering" their time and expertise and ideas and opinions to assist others who may be encountering an issue for the first time possibly in a very long career. In fact, one of my comments in another thread got a few of us discussing the idea of the reverse of enforcement discretion or "why me?" issues especially in some of the lesser regulated areas (either due to fewer resources at FDA or to less developed regulation) and what some of the causes of that situation might be.
So overall there are all kinds of possibilities to volunteer within RAPS. I personally welcome opportunities to bring my expertise to others and welcome invitations of all kinds. That doesn't mean that I accept all invites - let's be realistic, my job probably wouldn't like that idea nor would they like me out of the office more than I am in the office. That said I really do encourage all of the membership to become involved somehow...let's be honest - this organization only grows by members' willingness to continue to help it grow.
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Victor Mencarelli
Sr. Manager - Regulatory Affairs
Hain Celestial Group
United States
Original Message:
Sent: 14-Jul-2016 12:33
From: Emily Rapp
Subject: RAPS Volunteering
Hi Everyone!
For those who have been involved (or intend to be involved) with any of the local RAPS' chapters, I wanted to point you to this great resource that I found - the RAPS Volunteer Portal where you can apply for regional/local volunteer activities and receive credit for your participation!
connect.raps.org/participate/volunteeropportunities/...
There are other opportunities, such as authoring items for Regulatory Focus or RAPS publications, where community members could collaborate on topics of expertise. Has anyone volunteered with RAPS before? What was your favorite opportunity and what did you get out of it?
Thanks!
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Emily Rapp RAC
Regulatory Affairs Associate III
Patheon Biologics LLC
Saint Louis MO
United States
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