The AACP Transformative Community Service Award is presented annually to one college or school of pharmacy demonstrating a major institutional commitment to addressing unmet community needs through education, practice, and research. This commitment should be demonstrated through the development of exceptional programs that go well beyond the traditional service role of academic pharmacy. The award highlights community service as an important element of the academic mission and recognizes institutions that can serve as examples of social responsiveness in the academic pharmacy community. This award aligns with Accreditation Council for Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) standards and the 2022 Curricular Outcomes and Entrustable Professional Activities (COEPA). The award is totally independent of the type of college/school submitting the application: public, private, small, or large. It demonstrates commitment to a community achieving transformative community service rather than any preconceived status.
The AACP Transformative Community Service Award was renamed by the AACP Board of Directors in August 2026, removing the name Lawrence C. Weaver. The decision was made in accordance with AACP’s Policy on Honors, Awards and Leadership Positions.
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Approach
The award recipient must have a broad-based, continual commitment to community service as reflected in a variety of programs and initiatives that are responsive to community and social needs and that show evidence of a true partnership with the community(ies). The basis of this award is the evidence of the curriculum connectedness to how such service programs are integrated into education, practice models, and the research program that achieves the mission of the college/school in working with the community to address and improve public health. In order to demonstrate the degree and impact of the commitment to community service, schools/colleges of pharmacy are urged to consider the impact on the community as well as on their faculty, staff, current students, alumni, and other pertinent stakeholders. The award is not intended to honor any one specialized service program or individual, but rather to recognize instances where a broad-based collaboration has developed between the nominee and the community served.
The award selection committee is especially interested in programs that are directly linked to the institution’s research endeavor (e.g., community-engaged participatory research) and to the education (didactic & experiential) of pharmacy students, residents, and other post-graduate trainees. The relationship of programs to the 2022 Curricular Outcomes and Entrustable Professional Activities (COEPA), 2023 IPEC Core Competencies, and 2030 Healthy People Framework should also be emphasized.
Community Service Program Criteria
The types of programs appropriate for consideration must include, but are not limited to, the following:
- demonstration of the institution’s mission. vision, and core values as it relates to community engagement (e.g., Office of Community Engagement, Carnegie Community Engagement Classification)
- projects developed and delivered by faculty, students, practitioners, and alumni that are explicitly part of the
institution’s mission;
- innovative, scholarly, evidence-based programs of patient care/service to disadvantaged communities;
- programs of education targeted at increasing the awareness of health profession opportunities to all groups;
- leadership focusing on institutional and community resources to respond to health needs such as prevention and health education, patient care, and social and supportive services;
- curriculum (including didactic, service learning, and/or experiential) that provides students with educational experiences to identify health disparities and work towards their reduction/elimination;
- demonstration of broad-based full-time faculty involvement (e.g., curriculum development/delivery, delivery of patient services);
- programs that address social needs in a health-related context.
Application Package
The nomination package, which can be coordinated and assembled by faculty members involved in community service practice, education, and/or research, is not to exceed 16 pages and should contain the following in the order provided below. A cursory overview of the applications will be performed internally by AACP staff to ensure the applicant has met the requirements and followed directions. If not, the application packet will not be considered for the award and will be returned to the originator.
- A cover letter, on the institution’s letterhead and signed by the pharmacy college/school Dean making the nomination. The letter should include a narrative description (not to exceed six pages) of the nominee’s community programs, including Part 1: a history of the institution’s commitment to programs and the impact on faculty and students; descriptions of the programs and their impact on the institution and the community; how the programs relate to the institutional mission and how they integrate/relate to teaching, service, and research; Part 2: A description of the program(s)and the participation of faculty and students; and a description of how the activities are funded and administered and how they will be advanced and sustained. Part one and two should be distinct in that part two does not provide redundant information to part one.
* Some suggestions for the Part 1 information include answers to the following: What is the history and mission of the college/school? If service is part of that mission how does this program go beyond those expectations? Introduce program: background and why the focus of this program is on this particular population. Programs impact on the institution, college/school and community. Part 2 should not be redundant to Part 1and should describe the program(s) in further detail.
- Support letters (no more than five letters, one page each maximum), including several from community leaders from outside the institution, describing the programs and their impact on the community.
- Evaluation of the impact of the programs on the community(ies) served and on participating faculty and students (maximum two pages).
- A modest selection of news clips from the public press (maximum three pages).
Award
The award consists of a commemorative sculpture honoring the institution’s extraordinary social commitment. Complimentary registration will be provided for 3-5 individuals to attend the AACP Annual Meeting.
Award Program Selection Process
- Individual colleges/schools prepare and submit their application packet, which is judged by an evaluation committee comprised of the five members of the AACP Argus Commission.
- The evaluation committee determines the top finalists.
- Correspondence is sent to the top finalists with proposed virtual site visit days from which to choose during the Fall.
- A virtual review of the three finalists’ programs is conducted by a team of AACP staff reviewers at the end of year 2026.
- The AACP Board of Directors reviews summaries of each program and a site visit report prepared by staff and makes the final selection.
- The commemorative piece and a financial stipend are presented to the one chosen national award winner at the AACP Annual Meeting.
- No college/school of pharmacy can win this award more than once in 5 years.
Notifications/Distribution of Funds
- The one national award winner will be notified in late February/early March.
- A commemorative plaque will be presented to the one national award winner at the AACP Annual Meeting.
- AACP will announce the one national award recipient in AACP-related publications, on the AACP website (www.aacp.org), and in other appropriate publications.
- AACP will arrange for publicity for the one national award recipient at the AACP Annual Meeting.