As I write this letter, the chaos of the coronavirus pandemic is absorbing virtually all our time and attention. At this point no one knows what the true impact of the virus will be here in the United States or across the world. Certainly there are lessons to glean from those countries that saw the infection earlier than others, but incomplete scientific and public health information—along with too much misinformation—compromises our best efforts to prevent the spread, identify cases in a timely and reliable way and treat those whose health has been seriously affected.

Pharmacy schools are focused on providing accessible healthcare to underserved populations. How do most Americans receive healthcare? The answer used to be fairly straightforward: people would see a physician for checkups, go to the pharmacy for prescriptions and visit the hospital only in the event of an emergency or major procedure such as surgery.

Vaping and e-cigarettes, widely used as a substitute for traditional tobacco cigarettes, made headlines in 2019 in an outbreak of respiratory illness and lung injury across the United States. By Sept. 6, there were more than 450 cases of lung illness potentially associated with e-cigarette use reported nationally, with six related fatalities confirmed.

Talk to academics involved in The National Institute for Pharmaceutical Technology & Education (NIPTE) and they will tell you it’s about striving and thriving in innovation—inside and outside the walls of academia. NIPTE has collaborated with industry, academia and government, particularly the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to identify and help solve the world’s pharmaceutical challenges, which are far-reaching and keep growing.

Dr. Debra Goff, an associate professor of pharmacy practice and science at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy and an infectious disease specialist and clinical pharmacist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, was selected by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be one of 25 global experts who will help healthcare professionals and government leaders in low- and middle-income countries implement antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) plans based on a toolkit WHO published in October 2019.

Schools of pharmacy are moving biomedical technologies from the lab to the market, turning novel discoveries into better health for their communities. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is helping schools do this, awarding grants to connect scientists to investors, which connects to the overall goal of identifying innovative promising technologies and advancing them toward commercialization. Scientists see how to navigate commercialization, while investors find the best ideas for health products.

INsight 2020 provided attendees a chance to recharge with new connections, strategies and perspectives from Puerto Rico. Why is change necessary? What needs to change within an organization to shift its culture? Dr. Noel E. Wilkin, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, professor and research professor at The University of Mississippi, kicked off programming at INsight 2020 by exploring the questions needed to facilitate effective change.

Arlington, Va. — The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy today announced the recipients of its top awards, which recognize three 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 2020, July 18-22, in Long Beach, Calif.

Overview

The latest feature added to AAMS is a short version PDF of the Self Study, which became available in February 2020. The Short Version PDF is offered to make the self-study process easier by providing a condensed document that can be used to review the narrative portions of the self-study.

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