Robert K. Chalmers Distinguished Pharmacy Educator Award

The Robert K. Chalmers Distinguished Pharmacy Educator Award is named for the late Robert K. Chalmers, former AACP president and distinguished educator and recognizes excellence in pharmacy education. The award recognizes an individual’s excellence in pharmacy education and consists of an inscribed Steuben Owl and a $5,000 prize. Please contact Adam Jackson, AACP Manager of Governance, with any questions.

Applications for the Robert K. Chalmers Distinguished Pharmacy Educator Award are due by 11:59 p.m. PST on Monday, December 4, 2023. Visit the application site to begin the submission process.

Eligibility

Nominees must hold a faculty appointment with a primary commitment to an AACP member college or school of pharmacy or be within five years of their full retirement from a faculty appointment.
Nominees must be members of AACP and have shown a commitment to the Association and mission and objectives of pharmacy education. A nominee’s name may not be submitted posthumously.
Nominees will be evaluated based upon contributions in the following areas:
- Instruction including, but not limited to, effectiveness in undergraduate, post baccalaureate, professional and graduate instruction; curriculum development and innovation; special student educational projects; honors and awards for excellence in teaching and invited lectureships; and national educational involvement including active participation in AACP meetings, committees, teachers seminars and national workshops. Among the most important qualities are inspiration, leadership, and quality of contributions and the impact on educational programs and professional growth of individuals,
- Research and Scholarly Activities relative to pharmacy education, which can be documented in terms of publications as well as invited presentations (teacher’s seminar, etc. e.g., curriculum development, evaluation instruments, and pedagogical methods). Quality of publications is of greater importance than quantity, and
- Professional/Public Service and Outreach, including organized educational functions that combine knowledge and/or outreach activities of the school to practitioners and to society at large. Drug-related professional and lay public education should be recognized.
- Impact on Pharmacy Education beyond one’s home institution, including evidence of positive change because of publications or professional involvement; accomplishments of former students and residents; recognition and awards from other educational institutions; and other contributions and activities that have a documented impact on pharmacy education.

AACP's AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS POLICY

Disclosure Required

AACP’s Board of Directors has adopted a policy affirming AACP’s right to grant, defer or decline to grant an honor or award, including a leadership position, to any person. AACP expects all recipients of honors and awards to embody the highest standards of professional and personal ethical behavior, therefore, AACP will not confer any honor, award or leadership position when, in its discretion, there has been a determination or credible question of unethical behavior.

To implement this policy, AACP is instituting a disclosure process for nominees for the Robert K. Chalmers Award. The required disclosure form must be completed, signed and submitted by December 4, 2023 to disclosure@aacp.org.

Nomination Procedure

Nominations may be made by any AACP member and are encouraged from faculty members of colleges and schools of pharmacy and from all segments of the Association (e.g., sections, special interest groups, affiliate members).
The dossier’s contents shall include:
- Cover letter from the nominator summarizing the nominee’s qualifications and commitment to the Association;
- Résumé detailing education, appointments, activities, memberships, awards and honors, and other relevant data;
- Summary of contributions to instruction;
- Summary of contributions of research and scholarly activities relating to pharmacy education (a list of publications is not sufficient);
- Summary of contributions to public/professional service and outreach relating to education;
- Summary of impact of candidate contributions on pharmacy education, and
- An additional three to five letters of support that reflect and are specifically related to the criteria, including those endorsements from individuals outside of the nominee’s home institution (supporting letters should interpret the impact that the nominee has had on his/her field and pharmacy education and provide evidence of contributions to instruction, research/scholarly activities in education, and professional/public service/outreach in education).
The dossier should be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. PST on Monday, December 4, 2023. Materials will then be reviewed by the selection committee once an initial screening is completed.

Questions regarding the nomination or submission process should contact Adam Jackson, AACP Manager of Governance.

Selection Procedure

Dossiers will be screened for completeness by staff upon receipt. If time permits, staff will notify nominators of missing items. Applications that are incomplete at the deadline for submission will not be evaluated.
A Robert K. Chalmers Distinguished Pharmacy Educator Award Committee appointed by the AACP president will conduct peer review of nominations based upon the established criteria for the award.
At the conclusion of the evaluation process, the committee will forward one name to the AACP Board of Directors for ratification at its spring meeting. In addition, the award committee will provide to the Board of Directors a short justification for the selected award recipient. The committee may recommend that the Award not be presented in any given year.