AACP Transformation Center

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.

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.

The first programmatic area that is currently being focused on is Community-Based Pharmacy Practice.

ATC Advisory Committee

The AACP Transformation Center (ATC) Advisory Committee will serve as subject matter experts in pharmacy education and practice to guide the work and activities of the AACP Transformation Center. The Committee will assist 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 will be 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. The representatives we are looking for on the advisory committee are outlined below. 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. The 2025-2026 committee list can be found here. 

2025-2026 Initiatives and Programs

• Academia-Community Transformation (ACT) Pharmacy Collaborative Recommitment (See details on the ACT Pharmacy Collaborative below)
  • The ACT Pharmacy Collaborative Task Force invites current member institutions, as well as NEW colleges/schools of pharmacy, to recommit or newly commit to the Collaborative. Participating colleges/schools will now have the opportunity to designate one Primary ACT Champion AND additional ACT Champions as part of their team. This approach will allow for a more holistic view of all faculty/staff who contribute to the Collaborative’s mission to unite, mobilize and amplify transformation efforts.
• 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. Application is now OPEN on the CPSS Program page.
  • Community Pharmacy Practice Transformation Badge Program Cohort 3
    • Join the next cohort 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. Launching Fall 2025.
  • Community Pharmacy Centers of Excellence Convenings
    • 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.
• 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.
• 2025 Advancing Community Pharmacy Institute: Unifying Academia and Practice for Impact (October 29-30-31)
  • Over two and a half days, the institute will spotlight key priorities shaping the future of community pharmacy, including strengthening the culture within community practice, expanding the scope of pharmacist provided patient care services, and equipping participants with advocacy strategies that amplify the voice and value of community pharmacy in healthcare. Participants will have the opportunity to participate in an action-oriented challenge, a national initiative not just to tell stories, but to create them. Learn more and start registering on August 25.
• Medical Billing for Educators Programming Series
  • Medical Billing Workshop 2.0
    • This interactive, one-day workshop is 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. Registration coming Fall 2025.

2024-2025 Initiatives and Programs

• Academia-Community Transformation (ACT) Pharmacy Collaborative Signature Programs (See details on the ACT Pharmacy Collaborative below)
  • Community Pharmacy Practice Transformation Badge Cohort 2
  • Community Pharmacy Centers of Excellence Convenings
• Community Pharmacy Foundation (CPF) Grant-Funded Project: In March 2024, the AACP Transformation Center (ATC) received grant funding through the Community Pharmacy Foundation (CPF) for a project titled “Establishing Measures of Quality for Community-based Pharmacy Practice Experiential Education”, in partnership with the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of South Carolina. The objectives of this project are to define criteria for “high quality” community-based pharmacy experiential education sites, map best practice experiential activities for community-based pharmacy to Curriculum Outcomes and Entrustable Professional Activities (COEPA) standards and create resources to implement adoption of “high quality” community-based pharmacy experiential education criteria for colleges and schools of pharmacy and community-based pharmacy experiential education sites.
• Medical Billing for Educators Programming Series
  • Foundational Language for Teaching Medical Billing in the PharmD Curriculum Webinar (Fall 2024)
    • Prerequisite for the workshop
  • Medical Billing for Pharmacy Educators 1-Day Workshop (Nov. 14, 2024)
    • Goal: Prepare pharmacy faculty to produce graduating pharmacists with an understanding of the basics of medical billing and coding.
• PAIS Community Creation
  • The Pharmacy Academia Implementation Science (PAIS) Community was created to inspire the Pharmacy Academy to cultivate and promote the impact of dissemination and implementation (D&I) science on pharmacy practice. Work is already underway on three out of the group’s four goas including, Goal 1: Creating a D&I Science infrastructure; Goal 2: Enhance professional recognition of D&I scientists across the pharmacy academy and within colleges/schools of pharmacy; and Goal 4: Facilitate D&I research collaborations. The PAIS Leadership Council, made up of seven subject matter experts from diverse institutions, was established in August 2024, and steers the work of this community

Additional ATC Resources