Unite for Impact: A National Collaborative Challenge
Congratulations to the winners of the inaugural Unite for Impact Challenge, a national initiative designed to spark collaboration, innovation, and measurable change in community pharmacy practice. For more on each of the winning projects, and their impact, see our microsite below.
Winners will be recognized and invited to present their projects during Pharmacy Education 2026, AACP’s Annual Meeting in Grapevine, Texas. Following the meeting, all participating teams will also be featured in the Unite for Impact multimedia library, highlighting innovative partnerships, projects, and strategies designed to inspire continued transformation across community pharmacy practice.
About the Challenge
The challenge reflects the profession’s continued commitment to strengthening collaboration between academia and practice while advancing innovative models of patient care and workforce development.
We invited 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 called 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.
Submission Categories
Teams may submit to any one of the three challenge categories:
- Culture – Building strong pipelines, mentorship, and public awareness
- Practice – Expanding pharmacist- provided patient care services
- Advocacy – Engaging policymakers and amplifying pharmacy's voice
Eligible Teams
Each team must include at least: 2 faculty members (at least one must attend the 2025 AACP Advancing Community Pharmacy Institute), 1 practicing community pharmacist (not a full-time faculty member), 2 trainees (student pharmacist, resident, fellow, or graduate student), and 1 external partner. We encourage teams to include multiple partners and perspectives.
Register Your Team
Once you have identified members of your team, register here. The deadline to register your team is Saturday, February 28, 2026.
Timeline & Key Steps
To participate, colleges/schools of pharmacy must follow the steps below.
- Step 1 – Form Your Team and Select Your Submission Category
- Step 2 – Register Your Team
- Step 3 – Develop and Implement Your Project
- Optional – Challenge Check-In: February 19, 2026 - register here.
- Step 4 – Prepare Your Submission Package
- Description of New Collaboration (max 1,500 words)
- Outcomes (patients reached, outcomes achieved, partnerships built, etc.).
- Optional but encouraged: A short video (3 min max) presentation or visuals highlighting the project.
- Impact Statement (max 250 words)
- Supporting Appendices (max 5 pages): data tables, workflows, media, partner letters, etc.
- Step 5 – Submit Final Package by April 6, 2026
- Step 6 – Review & Recognition (April – July 2026)
Participant Materials
All participating teams are encouraged to review the following documents and recording:
Unite for Impact Challenge Overview
Unite for Impact Challenge Participation Guidance
Example Narrative Submission (Practice Category)
Example Narrative Submission (Culture Category)
Example Narrative Submission (Advocacy Category)
Where We Go from Here - Challenge Launch Session Slides
Unite for Impact: A National Collaborative Challenge Check-in Recording (see below)
Unite for Impact: A National Collaborative Challenge Check-in Slides
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Partner Resources
Looking for an external partner and resources? The National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) and National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) have offered their support to teams by request only. Please reach out to aacpcenter@aacp.org to submit your request.
Rubric Categories
- Innovation & Originality
- Collaboration & Partnerships
- Measurable Impact
- Sustainability & Scalability
- Storytelling & Presentation
Questions
For questions, please reach out to aacpcenter@aacp.org
Thank You to Our Partners and Reviewers!
We appreciate the support of the pharmacy community to make this challenge happen.
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Unite for Impact Challenge Submission Review Team
Amie Brooks, PharmD, FCCP, BCACP; American College of Clinical Pharmacy
Allison Hill, PharmD, RPh; American Pharmacists Association
Deanna Tran, PharmD, BCACP, FAPhA, FNAP; American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
Karl Hess, PharmD, MBA; Chapman University School of Pharmacy
Joshua Cahill, PharmD; CVS Health
Sarah Jeneault, RPh; National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations
Maria Cho, PharmD; National Community Pharmacists Association
Charlotte Nazar, PharmD; National Community Pharmacists Association
Misty Stutz, PharmD; Sullivan University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Stefanie Ferreri, BS, PharmD, BCACP, FAPhA, FCCP; University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Michael Hegener, PharmD; University of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy
Marlowe Djuric Kachlic, PharmD, BCACP; University of Chicago Retzky College of Pharmacy
William Doucette, PhD, FAPhA, RPh; University of Iowa College of Pharmacy
Nidhi Gandhi, PharmD, BS; American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
Miranda Steinkopf, PharmD, BCACP; American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
Olunife Akinmolayan, PharmD; American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
