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With digital health tools improving patient outcomes and changing the way pharmacists deliver care, pharmacy schools are starting to integrate digital health education into the curriculum to prepare students for rapid advances in technology. As it did with so many facets of our lives, the pandemic altered routines and changed the way patients received medical care in the past year.

The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Institute pushed teams to take a hard look at their schools as they strive to make their campuses better for everyone. History is not history in Mississippi. That’s what Dr. Katie McClendon said as she welcomed nearly 400 attendees to the inaugural Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Institute hosted by AACP and the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. She told the story of James Meredith, the first Black student to enroll at Ole Miss.

The Sustainable Pharmacy Project at VCU’s School of Pharmacy aims to shine a light on the environmental impact of pharmaceuticals. In the process of improving health and saving lives, healthcare providers generate a large amount of waste. Pharmaceuticals account for much of that waste: the chemicals used in laboratories and drug manufacturing, sharps, plastic pill bottles and unused medications, to name a few.

Pharmacy schools are finding creative ways to advocate for the COVID-19 vaccines and to fight falsehoods circulating online. While millions of vaccines are going into arms across the country to prevent the spread of COVID-19, a flurry of misinformation about vaccine efficacy and the disease itself also is spreading.

Arlington, Va. — The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy today announced the recipients of its top awards, which recognize five individuals, one institution and one scholarly paper, for their outstanding contributions made to pharmacy education, research, patient outcomes, community service and publication. Recipients will be honored at AACP’s annual meeting, Pharmacy Education 2021, July 19-22.

Once again, the pages of this issue of Academic Pharmacy Now are filled with testimonials to the many ways our members are not just thinking about how their graduates can fill some of the gaping holes in our healthcare system but are in ACTION addressing those gaps. Articles include programs and curricula addressing the pharmacist in the care of LGBTQ+ and rural Americans.

Pharmacy schools are finding innovative approaches to interprofessional education, collaborating with other health professions to achieve improved patient outcomes. Enter interprofessional education, which helps provide patients with a more coordinated approach to care and more efficient use of resources, he said, noting “the hope is that IPE leads to more satisfaction, more efficiency and healthier outcomes.”

Many pharmacy schools offer rural health concentrations to train student pharmacists to care for underserved populations. In the heart of Appalachia, better, more accessible healthcare is needed for populations beset by higher poverty and disease rates than in other parts of the country.

Funding will support research to create an in vitro/in silico model to accelerate generic drug product development designed for oral cavity administration. Dr. Giovanni Pauletti, Gustavus and Henry Pfeiffer Chair of Pharmaceutical and Administrative Sciences, professor of pharmaceutics and associate dean of graduate studies at the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis (UHSP), has received a $1.2 million contract from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Student pharmacists have the empathy and desire to help LGBTQ+ patients. Many schools are examining their curricula to find ways to broaden their scope. LGBTQ+ people face an array of health disparities. They are at higher risk of having anxiety, depression, mental illness and substance use disorder.

The leaders of 18 pharmacy organizations today issued the following statement following the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the first Emergency use Authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine.