AACP Transformation Center

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Center to Accelerate Pharmacy Practice Transformation and Academic Innovation

In November 2021, AACP launched the Center to Accelerate Pharmacy Practice Transformation and Academic Innovation (AACP Transformation Center), a new unit within AACP’s organizational structure designed to embolden academic pharmacy’s contributions to increase the pace of change in pharmacy education and practice. AACP’s vision is that, in collaboration with its members, our work will create a world of healthy people. Optimization of medication use by integrating the expertise of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists into current and evolving models of care delivery is an essential component, and the AACP Transformation Center (ATC) is central to this vision.

The AACP Transformation Center is a unit within the association that identifies, develops, implements, communicates, and evaluates programs, products and services germane for pharmacy education and pharmacy practice innovation and transformation that can be utilized by pharmacy academia (the Academy) and other collaborators. The ATC will accelerate innovation and transformation at the intersection of pharmacy education and pharmacy practice through leveraging the untapped potential of colleges and schools of pharmacy and collaborators to be a catalyst for change. The intersection of pharmacy education and pharmacy practice transformation includes but is not limited to integral and dramatic changes, shifts from the past, and transitions to meet today’s demands. Innovation in pharmacy education and pharmacy practice includes but is not limited to new and/or unique ideas, processes, methods, products, and resources. Transformation and innovation are often complementary. Advocacy, on an individual, organizational, and/or systemic level, is often an integral aspect to achieve pharmacy education and pharmacy practice transformation.

For questions or more information, please contact Nidhi Gandhi-Patel, Director of Transformation and Academic Initiatives and Miranda Steinkopf, Director of Transformation and Community Building at aacpcenter@aacp.org. 

Mission

The Center to Accelerate Pharmacy Practice Transformation and Academic Innovation, often referred to as the AACP Transformation Center (ATC), accelerates innovation and transformation at the intersection of pharmacy education and pharmacy practice through leveraging the untapped potential of colleges and schools of pharmacy and collaborators to be a catalyst for change.

Goals

Programmatic Focus Areas

The programmatic focus areas of the ATC will embolden the Academy’s contributions to increase the pace of change in pharmacy education and pharmacy practice. Individual person-centered care (e.g., patient, caregiver, and family-centered) and/or population-based care should be an integral part of all programmatic focus areas. It is also important that the programmatic focus areas be intentional, strategic, and relevant for the Academy, the pharmacy profession, and public health.

Currently, the three programmatic focus areas are:

(1) Community-Based Pharmacy Practice

(2) Teaching Digital Health Technologies in Pharmacy Education and Practice 

(3) Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in the Classroom for Teaching and Learning

ATC Advisory Committee

The 2025-2026 AACP Transformation Center (ATC) Advisory Committee serves as subject matter experts in pharmacy education and practice to guide the work and activities of the AACP Transformation Center. The Committee assists with the following charges:

• Recommend and assist in developing partnerships within pharmacy and with external collaborators to support the sustainability of ATC initiatives.
• Provide guidance on new projects and initiatives related to the ATC focus areas, including community-based pharmacy practice.
• Generate ideas and inform future focus areas and initiatives for the ATC.

The Advisory Committee is comprised of individuals from different areas of expertise in pharmacy education and pharmacy practice and various geographic regions. The committee’s work will be conducted through email, online, and quarterly conference calls that occur in the months of January, April, August, and November. In-person meetings may be scheduled on an as-needed basis. This list of representatives may change in the future based on the programmatic focus areas and initiatives of the AACP Transformation Center at that time. 

2025-2026 Initiatives and Programs

• Academia-Community Transformation (ACT) Pharmacy Collaborative
  • This is an operational learning and ACTing collaborative between colleges/schools of pharmacy and community pharmacy practices, including clinically integrated networks of community-based pharmacies. The Collaborative goal is to support the transformation of community-based pharmacy practice from a product-based care model to a community-based pharmacy care delivery model.
• Academia-Community Transformation (ACT) Pharmacy Collaborative Signature Programs
  • Community Pharmacy Student Scholars Program Cohort 2
    • Thanks to our Champion sponsor, CPESN USA and leading sponsor, Walgreens for their generous commitment to the program. This program is designed to inform and inspire students from all backgrounds who are interested in pursuing a career in community pharmacy. Through asynchronous learning modules, mentorship, networking, leadership training and a group poster presentation at the 2026 AACP Annual Meeting, the Community Pharmacy Student Scholars (CPSS) program aims to facilitate a deeper understanding of career paths in community pharmacy.
  • Community Pharmacy Practice Transformation Badge Program Cohort 3
    • This program is designed for participants to gain competencies in community pharmacy practice transformation that can be utilized for teaching, practice, and/or scholarship and build your network of colleagues committed to advancing the pharmacy profession.
  • Community Pharmacy Centers of Excellence
    • The Centers of Excellence are fostering a community of learning to identify, document, and disseminate best practices, approaches, and models of excellence across three pillars: teaching, service/practice, and scholarship/research. A report summarizing the current ACT Community Pharmacy Centers of Excellence and describing effective strategies to enhance teaching, service, scholarship, leadership, and practice is now available. Grant support from the Community Pharmacy Foundation made this report possible.
• AACP Workgroup on Payment for Faculty-Provided Patient Care Services
  • Building on the impactful work of the Council of Deans Payment of Clinical Faculty Services Task Force in 2024-2025, the AACP Board of Directors has established a new, ongoing Workgroup on Payment for Faculty-Provided Patient Care Services. This Workgroup is dedicated to continuing the work of the Task Force to support colleges and schools across the Pharmacy Academy in generating revenue from faculty-provided patience care services by increasing awareness, providing tools and resources, and reducing barriers to implementation.
• PAIS Community Database
  • Implementation science is an underappreciated opportunity in academic pharmacy and a tool to advance curricular and practice transformation within pharmacy. A PAIS Community Database is being created to identify and connect Dissemination and Implementation (D&I) scientists within the Pharmacy Academy, fostering collaboration and guiding the development of training and resources that enhance D&I science in pharmacy. You can sign up here.
• Unite for Impact: A National Collaborative Challenge
  • We invite colleges and schools of pharmacy nationwide to participate in the Unite for Impact: A National Collaborative Challenge, a national initiative not only to tell stories, but to create them. AACP is calling on pharmacy academia, including faculty, administrators, students, and staff, to collaborate with external partners and take bold ACT-ion together to advance community pharmacy practice while showcasing its critical value to the public.
  • The Challenge will run from October 31, 2025, through April 6, 2026, with the following submission categories: culture, practice, and advocacy. All participating colleges/schools will be recognized through AACP’s Multimedia library and receive a certificate for participating. Submitting teams of the top categories will receive recognition from AACP and partner organizations (NASPA, NCPA, ASHP, and APhA). Category winners will also be invited to submit a poster or podium presentation at the 2026 AACP Annual Meeting. Grand prize winners will have a featured presentation at the 2026 AACP Annual Meeting, a dedicated multimedia package, publication support to develop a manuscript or white paper and an invitation to a policy roundtable with other national partners. Collected submissions will be reviewed by AACP staff. Register here to participate in the challenge.
• Medical Billing for Educators Programming Series
  • Medical Billing Workshop 201: This interactive, one-day workshop took place on January 22. This workshop was designed specifically for pharmacy educators and focuses on practical strategies to teach key topics related to medical billing and pharmacist payment, such as pharmacists’ opportunities to provide services and get paid, contracting, and credentialing in outpatient settings. In case you missed it, you can find the workshop recordings and materials on AACP Learn for purchase.

Additional ATC Resources