Council of Deans Volunteer Opportunities

The charges of the 2026-2027 Mentoring Committee are to:

1. Monitor and evaluate the 2026-2027 COD Mentoring Program.
2. Implement the 2027-2028 COD Mentoring Program.
3. Recommend process and any additional changes to the COD Mentoring Program for the 2027-2028 academic year.  

Deliverables:

1. Select the mentors and mentees for the 2027-2028 COD Mentoring Program.
2. Provide a summary report on the 2026-2027 COD Mentoring Program.
3. Provide recommendations for the 2027-2028 COD Mentoring Program.

The charges of the 2026-2027 Nominating Committee are to:

1. Recruit and review candidates for COD Chair-elect (which must be an Assistant/Associate Dean) for the Fall 2027 election.
2. Recruit and review candidates for the COD Representative to the Administrative Board (a 2-year commitment/appointment) for the Fall 2027 election.

Deliverables:

1. Refer a minimum of 2 candidates for the COD Chair-elect position to the AACP Nominating Committee for review and potential slating.
2. Determine the slate for the COD Representative for the Administrative Board position.
   
   

The charges of the 2026-2027 Programming Committee are to:

1. Develop topics and speakers for the COD Networking Sessions at the 2027 AACP Annual Meeting.
2. Provide suggestions to the COD Administrative Board for the informal COD and CEO Deans Informal Networking Sessions held during the 2026-2027 academic year.
3. Liaise with the AACP Workgroup who is working on integrating AACP Interim Meeting programming within AACP Annual Meeting programming.

Deliverables:

1. In collaboration with AACP staff, select the topic(s) and speaker(s) for the COD Networking Sessions held at the 2027 Annual Meeting.
2. In collaboration with the AACP Workgroup who is working on integrating AACP Interim Meeting programming within AACP Meeting programming, determine the COD programs that will transition to the Annual Meeting and those that will transition to virtual COD programming.

The charges of the 2026-2027 Resolutions Committee are to:

1. Solicit and recommend potential resolutions pertinent for current COD and pharmacy academia issues.
2. Review the current Council of Deans (COD) Standing Rules of Procedure and determine any updates that are needed.

Deliverables:

1. Potential resolutions to be discussed and voted on by the COD.
2. Potential revision(s) to the COD Standing Rules of Procedures.

This taskforce continues from the 2025-2026 academic year. A few new members are needed for this taskforce for the 2026-2027 academic year.

AACP Strategic Plan Priority

• Strategic Priority: Outreach and Engagement
  • GOAL 3: Strengthen AACP’s role as a leading voice in pharmacy education advocacy, research, policy, and practice advancement.
• Strategic Priority: Practice
  • GOAL 1: Champion the ongoing transformation and innovation of pharmacy practice.

Taskforce Rationale

A taskforce focused on Standard of Care (SOC) regulation in pharmacy practice is essential for advancing the profession and improving patient care. The SOC regulatory model allows practitioners to practice within their clinical ability, ensuring flexibility in responding to dynamic practice scenarios while safeguarding patient safety. This model contrasts with more rigid regulatory frameworks, such as bright-line rules, which may restrict pharmacists from fully utilizing their training and expertise. The taskforce's role in developing educational programming will help equip deans and faculty with the tools to advocate for SOC regulatory models, demonstrating how such frameworks can enhance practice transformation, expand scope of practice, and align with other healthcare professions like medicine and nursing. Importantly, the taskforce will support advocacy efforts for adopting SOC regulation at the state level, empowering pharmacists to provide broader, more responsive care, especially in times of public health emergencies, as evidenced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, the taskforce's charge to establish a national advocacy agenda will facilitate consistent, nationwide efforts toward state-based legislative reform, promoting a regulatory environment that encourages innovation and expands access to care. By fostering these changes, the taskforce will contribute to the work of the ACT Pharmacy Collaborative, furthering the integration of SOC-based practices across the United States. Furthermore, the taskforce will provide valuable resources for local, state, and regional meetings, ensuring that educators, regulators, and practitioners at all levels can collaborate on advancing pharmacy practice through SOC models. The ability to implement SOC regulation broadly will not only enhance pharmacists' role in patient care but also help address gaps in healthcare access, particularly in underserved and rural areas.

Taskforce Charges & Deliverables 

The task force is responsible for:

1. Developing educational programming on how SOC regulatory models can support practice transformation, expanded scope of practice, and sustainable payment models across all pharmacy practice settings, including community practice, ambulatory care, health systems, and other patient care environments, as well as providing advocacy guidance for advancing SOC regulatory frameworks at the state level.
2. Developing educational templates for C/SOP to assist in defining state-specific goals, stakeholder engagement strategies, and implementation approaches for advancing SOC regulatory models.
3. Creating SOC-related programming resources for use at local, state, and regional meetings hosted by C/SOP to support awareness, education, and stakeholder alignment.
4. Informing and supporting national advocacy efforts related to SOC regulatory models in collaboration with key pharmacy practice organizations and stakeholders, recognizing that successful advancement requires alignment across academia, professional associations, and practice leaders. Engagement with national organizations representing diverse pharmacy practice settings (e.g., community, ambulatory care, health-system, and clinical practice) should be incorporated to ensure a coordinated and broadly representative approach.
   
    

AACP Strategic Plan Priority

• Strategic Priority: Research and Scholarship
  • GOAL 2: Advance research training excellence and bolster the research workforce 

Taskforce Rationale 

A Taskforce on Re-engaging Pharmaceutical Industry in Graduate and Postdoctoral Training will develop templates, structures and pilots that reduce friction and improve ROI for industry to collaborate with academia.

Over the past two decades, engagement of the pharmaceutical industry in graduate and postdoctoral training has declined significantly, driven by concerns over limited return on investment, restrictive intellectual property and publication requirements, slow and complex contracting processes, and cultural misalignment between academia and industry. As a result, opportunities to jointly develop talent, accelerate translation of science, and strengthen the biomedical workforce have been diminished.

At the same time, the environment has shifted. Industry faces increasing pressure to build a highly skilled, job-ready workforce, while academic institutions are being challenged to demonstrate relevance, efficiency, and impact beyond traditional metrics. There is growing recognition that current training models do not fully align with the competencies required in modern drug development and applied research environments.

This Task Force is needed to move beyond historical barriers and redesign a contemporary, value-driven framework for engagement that works for both academia and industry. By clearly defining mutual benefits, reducing structural friction, and identifying scalable partnership models, AACP can play a central role in re-establishing productive collaborations that enhance training, improve workforce readiness, and support innovation.

The goal is not to return to previous models, but to build more flexible, efficient, and mutually beneficial approaches that reflect today’s scientific, economic, and regulatory realities.

Taskforce Charges & Deliverables 

The taskforce is responsible for:

1. Assess the landscape and define the value proposition. Conduct a targeted assessment of current industry engagement in graduate and postdoctoral training, identify key barriers (ROI, IP, contracting, culture), and directly engage industry leaders to define what would make participation worthwhile.
   Deliverable: Summary of barriers, industry expectations, and a clear, evidence-based value proposition for re-engagement.
2. Identify and distill successful models. Curate high-functioning examples and analyze the specific elements that enable success, including governance, funding structures, IP approaches, and partnership design.
   Deliverable: A set of case studies and best practices highlighting replicable features of successful academia-industry partnerships.
3. Develop practical partnership frameworks and tools. Create implementation-ready models for industry-engaged training programs, including flexible IP frameworks, streamlined contracting expectations, and defined roles and benefits for both parties.

Deliverable: Model agreements, term sheets, and templates that reduce friction and accelerate adoption.