News & Media

My favorite season of the year is definitely spring. I used to get a bit depressed if on February 2nd the news reported that the groundhog saw his shadow. As I grew wiser (and time flew faster), I realized that no matter what happened that day, the first official day of spring was truly six weeks away.

Dr. Marina Suzuki is pushing for pharmacists to take an increasing role to promote safe use of drugs among patient-athletes. As the Olympic Winter Games take place this month in Beijing, there will be plenty of competition in the 109 medal events. At the same time, there will also be scrutiny regarding anti-doping efforts.

The new center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy leverages clinical and transdisciplinary expertise in the emerging field of psychedelic-assisted therapy. In 2014, the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus became the site of the first Phase 1 clinical trial for psilocybin.

AACP’s new Transformation Center will promote and disseminate innovations in pharmacy practice and education to further optimize patient care. Against the backdrop of a pandemic, pharmacists are taking more active roles in public health. Pharmacy schools are rethinking the reach of education, delivering healthcare to communities that need it.

A mental health education focus area at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy encourages comprehensive patient care. Health experts across the United States are looking for every opportunity to ease an increasing demand for mental health services. Mental health patients can have complex needs and often require the expertise of multiple providers. Minnesota is no exception to this demand.

As pharmacy deserts proliferate, more must be done to examine barriers to access and prepare future pharmacists to address the needs of underserved communities. The term “pharmacy deserts” is popping up with greater frequency as pharmacy closures become more widespread and independent pharmacies struggle to survive in some areas. Even chain drugstores are not immune from the changing healthcare landscape.

As I prepared to compose this final opening letter for Academic Pharmacy Now for 2021, the word “transformation” was top of mind. That is no accident, as AACP celebrated the official launch in November of the Center to Accelerate Pharmacy Practice Transformation and Academic Innovation.

University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy students gain practical knowledge in an immersive biotech work program. Laboratory work and clinical rotations provide crucial hands-on learning for student pharmacists. However, they may not offer an immersive experience that challenges students to apply their knowledge in creative ways. Real-world experience can elude many student pharmacists until well into their pursuit of an advanced degree.

The pandemic’s disruptive effect on healthcare delivery exposed a gap that pharmacists can fill in treating patients with substance use disorder. Disruptions in care due to the pandemic created headaches and delays for many providers and patients.

AACP’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Anti-racism (DEIA) Committee established an advisory panel of members who are subject matter experts to help the association make good on its good intentions. Policies only go so far. Plans must be put into action. If the pharmacy community wants the full benefits of diversity—cultural competency, improved patient outcomes, health equity—schools must help each other on their equity journeys.

The University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences launched the first pharmacy school-based M.S. in clinical and translational therapeutics degree program in the country. More colleges are embracing the need to coordinate medical research training from “bench to bedside” through clinical pharmacy and translational science.

The articles in this issue of Academic Pharmacy Now brought smiles to my pandemic-weary face! They also fortified my appreciation that the priorities emphasized in the 2021–2024 AACP Strategic Plan are spot on and highly significant.