Academic Pharmacy
The News Magazine of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
NOW
Volume 11 2018 Issue 5
At the
Ready The recently launched
campaign will promote the message that pharmacists are fully qualified, capable and willing to positively impact patients’ health. 16
Also in this issue: Reflections From Past NIA Recipients 5 A Collaborative Writing Challenge 9
Pharmacists Help People Live Healthier, Better Lives.
who we are @AACPharmacy
Academic Pharmacy The News Magazine of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
Pharmacists Help People Live Healthier, Better Lives.
1400 Crystal Drive, Suite 300 P Arlington, VA 22202 703-739-2330 P www.aacp.org
NOW
CEO & Publisher
Lucinda L. Maine Editorial Advisor
Lynette R. Bradley-Baker Founded in 1900, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy is the national organization representing the interests of pharmacy education. AACP comprises all accredited colleges and schools of pharmacy, including more than 6,600 faculty, approximately 63,800 students enrolled in professional programs and 4,800 individuals pursuing graduate study.
Editorial Director
Maureen Thielemans Managing Editor
Jane E. Rooney
Letters to the Editor
We welcome your comments. Please submit all letters to the editor to communications@aacp.org.
About Academic Pharmacy Now
Academic Pharmacy Now highlights the work of AACP member pharmacy schools and faculty. The magazine is published as a membership service.
Editorial Assistant
Kyle R. Bagin
Freelance Writer
Athena Ponushis
Change of Address
For address changes, contact LaToya Casteel, Member Services Coordinator, at lcasteel@aacp.org.
Advertising
For advertising information and rates, visit http://go.networkmediapartners.com/aacp-mediakit or contact Tabbetha Marron, AACP Media & Event Sales, at tmarron@networkmediapartners.com Š2018 by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. All rights reserved. Content may not be reprinted without prior written permission. cover photo: Getty Images Photographer/Artist: sturti
Freelance Writer
Emily Jacobs
Communications Advisor
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Art Director
Tricia Gordon Digital Designer
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Academic Pharmacy NOW  2018 Issue 5
Volume 11 2018 Issue 5
@AACPharmacy a look inside
campus connection
5
Career Catalyst Past recipients of AACP’s New Investigator Award reflect on the doors that opened thanks to the research grant.
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Together, We Write Pharmacy faculty representing many disciplines took on a writing challenge that sparked conversations about the process and helped them inspire each other.
community impact
13
New $3.5 Million Grant Will Help Researchers Unravel Racial Disparity in Kidney Transplant Success
16
At the Ready The recently launched
campaign will promote the message that pharmacists are fully qualified, capable and willing to positively impact patients’ health.
The University at Buffalo research study could advance the development of personalized medicine for highrisk kidney transplant patients across the spectrum of adult aging.
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Reaping the Benefits of Research photo: University of Maryland Eastern Shore
AFPE scholarships help close funding gaps for student pharmacists who want to strengthen their clinical skills and participate in faculty-mentored research.
@AACPharmacy
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Invest in Your Leadership Development at INvolve 2019
27
Renew Your Membership Before Benefits Expire The deadline to renew is December 31.
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Save the Date Back by popular demand! Spring Institute 2019: Strategies to Promote a Culture of Well-being Among Students and Faculty
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community note publisher’s impact
Dear Colleagues: American Pharmacists Month is now in the rearview mirror for 2018, but our work to help the American public gain a better understanding of the roles our graduates play in their lives has only just begun. At the November AACP Board of Directors meeting, the lead staff from AACP and our media agency of record shared initial results of just the first three weeks of our national public relations campaign. We achieved millions of impressions with our early paid media efforts! We have additional resources, thanks to our collaborating partners, to expand our activity substantially beginning in early 2019. Pharmacists for Healthier Lives is truly a collaborative campaign with both state and national pharmacy associations on board. We have had fruitful conversations with a number of corporation and foundation leaders and anticipate that several of these will officially join the campaign in the new year. Our current channel partner, PrescribeWellness, has a reach of more than 30 million Americans. They will soon begin sharing our messages with this population of people, most of whom live with chronic conditions. This campaign is but one example of how the talents of our graduates and our faculty positively impact humankind. In this issue we profile other important opportunities to make a difference. Many of you have been motivated to share your work through publications as part of the 2018 #RxWritingChallenge. Still others have been recognized across the decades with funding from the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education and from AACP as a New Investigator Award recipient, an AFPE fellow, or both. As 2018 comes to a close I reflect on 12 months of AACP activity that I believe has and will continue to make a difference in the Academy, the profession and beyond. Your work pushes the boundaries of discovery and professional practice advancement. We aim to provide you the networks and development resources that help to advance your career. Collectively, our impact is growing! Best wishes for the December holidays and a fantastic 2019! Sincerely,
Lucinda L. Maine, Ph.D., R.Ph. CEO and Publisher
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campus connection
Career Catalyst Past recipients of AACP’s New Investigator Award reflect on the doors that opened thanks to the research grant. By Kirsten F. Block, Ph.D.
For more than 30 years, AACP has provided seed funding for promising research faculty across the colleges of pharmacy. Although the grant program has gone by many names, what is currently the New Investigator Award (NIA) has maintained a common objective: to assist early-career pharmacy faculty in the development of an independent research program and provide a foundation for future extramural research funding success by enabling these faculty to generate preliminary data. Over this program’s tenure, the NIA has funded nearly 500 principal investigators across more than 100 colleges and schools of pharmacy. The breadth of research areas funded by the NIA runs the gamut from basic understanding of disease states and drug discovery to medication adherence to understanding and improving student learning experiences. The results of these projects are discussed in numerous journal articles, poster presentations and platform talks. However, because the NIA plays a fundamental role in the career development of its awardees, it would be impossible to reflect on 30 years of research without considering 30 years of career trajectories changed as a result of this program. Five former NIA recipients recently shed light on their experiences before, during and after receiving one of these coveted grant awards. The stories of former NIA recipients inevitably begin similarly. The award was their first as an independent investigator, but in their own words, the impact of that achievement cannot be overlooked. As a 2002 NIA recipient, Dr. Marcia Worley, professor and chair of pharmacy practice and science at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, described her experience receiving this award as a “confidence boost—peer reviewers in my discipline saw the value and scientific rigor of my research project. This was very important to me as a junior investigator.” Moreover, for many recipients, this award may have been one of their first, if not the first ever, grant submitted. Dr. Russell Melchert, dean and professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Missouri–Kansas City
School of Pharmacy and 1996 NIA recipient, described the NIA process as a jolt to his research career. “It helped me learn the entire grant submission process. I had previously submitted applications for predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowship awards, but never had submitted a full grant proposal as a principal investigator. The NIA was my first shot at grant submission, requiring me to go all the way from development of the hypothesis and specific aims through the approval process at the university and actual submission to AACP. Until researchers shepherd a grant all the way through this process, they cannot fully understand all that is required to be successful.”
A First Step in a Long Research Career Research is not necessarily known for taking a linear path, but while it may head in unanticipated directions, the research foundation established through early-career funding can help guide researchers along those many paths. “I received this award right after I earned my Ph.D. degree and started my faculty career,” explained 2005 NIA recipient Dr. Salisa Westrick, professor and head of health outcomes research and policy at Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy. “Building upon my dissertation, the NIAsupported project allowed me to explore an area related to sustainability and abandonment of immunization services. Using the findings of this NIA-supported study, I developed a model which continues to guide me when I plan an implementation research study.” Jennifer Martin, an associate librarian at The University of Arizona Health Sciences Library and primary liaison for the College of Pharmacy, echoed these sentiments about the lasting impact on ongoing research efforts. “This award really provided a foundation for me to build upon and served as a catalyst for my research. It gave me the opportunity to pursue my interest in the information literacy skill levels of pharmacy students and the impact of the embedded librarian model. Since then, I have been building off the work I completed and am utilizing my results to investigate the information-seeking behaviors of pharmacy students, faculty and staff.”
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Over the last six fiscal years, NIA funds accounted for less than 0.05 percent of the total research dollars reported by colleges of pharmacy each year. With a total NIA budget of less than a standard NIH R01 award, the budget allotted to individual awardees is limited. Many applicants and former recipients would argue that the NIA budget should be expanded, given the increasing costs of conducting research. An increase in NIA funding notwithstanding, what exactly does a small pot of seed funding buy an early-career investigator?
[Receiving this award was a] “confidence boost— peer reviewers in my discipline saw the value and scientific rigor of my research project. This was very important to me as a junior investigator.” —Dr. Marcia Worley “It helped me learn the entire grant submission process. I had previously submitted applications for predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowship awards, but never had submitted a full grant proposal as a principal investigator.” —Dr. Russell Melchert
First, there are tangible items that can be purchased that have a larger impact than might be evident. Take the case of Dr. Matthew Metcalf, an assistant professor of medicinal chemistry at MCPHS University School of Pharmacy in Worcester, Massachusetts, and a 2017 NIA recipient. “My institution is education-focused and not research-focused, so the award is a very big deal here,” he said, noting that the items he purchased to conduct his research helped to advance not only his own work but that of his colleagues. “It allowed me to purchase a used ultra-microbalance that I consider essential to doing medicinal chemistry/pharmacological research on new compounds. It is critical that compounds are weighed accurately before testing. Through previous experience, I learned the value of precisely weighing your own compounds out for your pharmacologists. Everyone gets better results as a consequence.” Sometimes a small amount of money can have a substantial impact on a researcher’s network as well. As Melchert described his experience, “perhaps most important to me was that the grant award helped me kick start key collaborations with other investigators on my campus, and eventually helped me solidify a relationship with a mentor. The grant provided courage for me to go out and establish collaborative relationships with a team of researchers. Ultimately, these were faculty with whom I went on to not only submit numerous other grants from NIH R01s to program project grants, but also to gain career mentorship that I still turn to today.”
Expanding the Scope and Impact of Academic Pharmacy Research In the early years of the program, the NIA was funded by the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education (AFPE) and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF), with later support from various pharmaceutical companies. In these years, projects focused on basic, clinical and administrative research. Despite the selection process being overseen by the Academic Sections Coordinating Committee, the precursor to today’s Council of Sections, certain research disciplines that are highly represented within academic pharmacy were notably absent.
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campus connection
Once the NIA was fully funded by AACP in 2010-11, the Council of Sections expanded the NIA to include such sections as Library and Information Science and Experiential Education, disciplines that are integral to how the Academy trains and learns but are typically underrepresented in external research funding. As the first NIA recipient from the Library and Information Science Section, Martin reflected, “Without this award, I may not have been considered for other research opportunities. It was because of this award, for example, that I was able to successfully apply for a grant with a collaborator from another institution. It gave me recognition in the field as a research librarian and pharmacy faculty.” As the number of AACP sections grew, so too did the opportunity to fund new lines of research. After recent awards to Continuing Professional Development, Experiential Education and Library and Information Science, NIA-funded research in 2018 brought the first project from Administrative Services into AACP’s portfolio, and it will surely not be the last. While it is often challenging to compare proposals on such disparate topics as evaluating the use of comics as a patient education medium to assessing team-ready behaviors of student pharmacists in interprofessional settings, the reward to the Academy is clear. “Pharmacy researchers contribute significantly to many areas of healthcare-related research. AACP’s NIAs serve as a catalyst by facilitating our research involvement,” said Westrick. Added Metcalf, “Early career support for researchers in all disciplines is critical for demonstration of new ideas. The NIA allows new faculty the ability to show that when they get funding they can produce significant contributions to the global body of scientific and practice achievement.”
To 500 Funded Researchers and Beyond Looking back at 30 years of the New Investigator Award prompts reflection about what the next 30 years may hold for the grant program. AACP’s current strategic plan includes a goal to expand the academic pharmacy research workforce, particularly through efforts to support innovative and collaborative research. The spirit of the NIA falls squarely within that goal because, as Worley described it, “I think that we need to make sure we are ‘paying it forward’ and mentoring the junior scientists in our disciplines—these folks can be potential research collaborators and colleagues, as well as the future scientists in our disciplines, helping to move science and practice forward.” This principle of paying it forward has helped what originally began as a three-year program blossom into the NIA of today and will certainly help it continue to catalyze research careers. But can the NIA also serve as a model for additional avenues of AACP support?
“Building upon my dissertation, the NIAsupported project allowed me to explore an area related to sustainability and abandonment of immunization services.” —Dr. Salisa Westrick
[This award] “gave me the opportunity to pursue my interest in the information literacy skill levels of pharmacy students and the impact of the embedded librarian model.” —Jennifer Martin
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campus connection
“My institution is educationfocused and not researchfocused, so the award is a very big deal here…It allowed me to purchase a used ultra-microbalance that I consider essential to doing medicinal chemistry/ pharmacological research on new compounds.” —Dr. Matthew Metcalf
When asked to contemplate how the NIA might evolve over the next 10 years, former recipients all hoped to see the program continue with an expanded budget. Mirroring the many directions a research question may lead, there were many different suggested paths for the grant program, such as expanding it to include mid-career researchers. However, with the NIA’s intent being to jumpstart research careers, it is easy to see why Murphy suggested expanding the program to support students, particularly those attending AACP meetings. “When students attend these meetings, they get to see what their professors do, and it will increase their participation in academic pharmacy. This will help students think about academia as a career and attract new faculty members.” Similar to the expansion of eligible disciplines in 2010-11 that paved the way for her grant, Martin noted, “there are several special interest groups that would also benefit from funding opportunities. Perhaps AACP could consider developing other awards that would meet the research needs of various members.” Now that many issues in health research are being tackled by collaborative teams, “AACP might explore another grant mechanism that is interdisciplinary,” suggested Westrick. Indeed, added Melchert, “the romantic Hollywood view of an individual scientist working alone in their lab and hitting a eureka moment on their own with no one around to hear it simply does not happen. In the long run, team science prevails.” With so many possibilities for the evolution of the New Investigator Award, AACP has plenty of work ahead of it. While it is difficult to predict exactly where research will take the profession in the future, AACP will be there to support those paving new paths toward healthier lives. P Kirsten F. Block is associate director of research and graduate programs at AACP.
NIA at a Glance
Year established: 1986 Grant recipients to date: 484* Funds awarded to date: $4,364,955* Maximum budget: $10,000 Grant period: One year Program link: www.aacp.org/resource/new-investigator-award *Totals do not include the anticipated 16 awards (approximately $160,000) to be announced for the current application cycle
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campus connection
Together, We Write Pharmacy faculty representing many disciplines took on a writing challenge that sparked conversations about the process and helped them inspire each other. By Athena Ponushis
As a professor at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, Dr. Kristin Janke has writing to do, but she also has students standing at her door and committee chairs waiting on reports. Janke, director of the Wulling Center for Innovation & Scholarship in Pharmacy Education, has heard other faculty members vent about this same scenario—dividing their attention between the urgency of daily responsibilities and the unrelenting worry of ‘Am I being published enough?’ Mentoring junior faculty and hearing how much they stress while their writing sits really brought the matter into focus for Janke: There’s a lot of pressure and guilt around writing in academic pharmacy, but not a lot of support or conversation about it. That was at the forefront of Janke’s mind as she participated in a writing challenge through the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity that brought people of all disciplines from myriad institutions together to give focused attention to writing. Janke thought, “Why don’t we bring this to pharmacy?” And so, she did.
The #RxWritingChallenge drew more than 1,100 participants from more than 100 schools and organizations across 25 countries to write together this fall. Pharmacy faculty who work in the lab, at the bedside, in practice and in the classroom participated. They wrote about science, practice and education. They wrote 30 minutes a day for 14 days in October. They focused on writing so many words per session, sprinting to finish a project or practicing a writing skill. Pharmacists joined as individuals, using the challenge as a set time to make writing their priority. Faculty members joined with graduate students, modeling good habits as they wrote alongside each other. Authorship teams committed to the challenge together. All were encouraged by daily emails and writing webinars, as they empowered each other on Facebook and sent tweets about their successes. They started outlines, revised drafts, submitted manuscripts, experimented with their writing and found what works for them: a community.
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“I just wanted writing to be something that we could talk about,” Janke said. “It seemed like we were all kind of suffering in silence on our own, trying to trudge through and get the writing done, while hoping it was quality and it was making an impact. But it was this silent work that we did in our offices, alone in front of our computers, and although it was a part of so many people’s job responsibilities, there really wasn’t a community around it and there wasn’t a place to have conversations. I was hoping to open it up and make it be public.”
A Community Emerges Seven journals partnered with the #RxWritingChallenge this fall. Editors showed their support for writers and encouraged a healthy writing process, which ultimately yields quality papers and happy readers. Participants were moved to talk about their struggle, work on their craft and share their work. And Janke’s hope was realized: “There is an emerging community that faculty can choose to be a part of if they are looking for motivation or inspiration to get the writing part of their work done,” she said. “They can tap into this as a resource, this community and these materials and these periods of time when we are collectively writing together.” The #RxWritingChallenge takes place twice a year and so far has been guided by the work of academic writing guru Helen Sword. Stemming from her BASE model, the spring challenge focused on behavioral habits that support successful writing. The fall challenge focused on artisanal habits; the next challenge (set for late March/early April) will focus on social and emotional habits.
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Dr. Kathryn Smith, clinical assistant professor at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, was attracted to the challenge because of the sense of community it fostered. She knew if she wanted to be successful with her writing, she needed to surround herself with others who were dedicating time to writing. She also appreciated the artistry theme. “I’m learning there’s a lot more to being a pharmacist than knowing about drugs,” Smith said. “It’s also about people and relationships. You can know all about every single drug that’s out there but still not be the kindest, most empathetic pharmacist. I’m trying to help my students learn that, and so I appreciate in my writing as a faculty member that I can learn it’s not just follow the right formula and you get published. It’s what kind of story can you tell so other people can learn from your experiences.” Smith keeps a running list of scholarly ideas to write about in a Word document. She has a fairly long list of things to write about, but she dreads the actual sitting down and writing. She would much rather be in the classroom trying something new than writing about it. Collaborating with others has helped her. Faculty members at UF have set Thursday mornings aside for “writing time” to sit in a classroom together and work on anything related to writing. It could be a literature search, or sorting through articles they’ve already found, or writing a proposal or an abstract, or tackling comments from an editor or making data tables.
campus connection
“Having that specific time dedicated in our schedule to writing has been really important for me, even though it’s not my favorite day of the week,” said Smith, who has been more productive as she and her colleagues are changing the conversation around writing at UF. She may not always find pleasure in her writing, but she does in the company, “knowing that I’m not the only one sitting in front of my computer trying to come up with a cool sentence.”
A More Collaborative Approach Janke thinks breaking through the image of isolation can be difficult because many faculty were trained in an era when they were expected to define their personal expertise and find something at which they personally excelled. That training can sometimes get translated into, ‘I need to do this by myself,’ ‘I need to lead this,’ ‘I need to write this,’ ‘It’s mine,’ because that was the traditional approach to academic work, but she sees a shift. Healthcare is becoming more collaborative in all facets, including the delivery of care and research relating to healthcare, and writing is catching up. “Even though it feels like putting words on paper is a solitary activity, it doesn’t have to be,” Janke said. “We’re writing for someone, we are writing for it to eventually be read and we can write with people. We can tap into the social elements of writing. We can also pay attention to the emotional aspects of writing, what do we get caught up on, how do we break through those barriers, the procrastination, the frustration. We can work to manage those emotions so that writing might even be pleasurable.”
Janke writes regularly to keep her research front of mind and advocates for experimenting with the writing process. She has tried co-writing with a colleague on Google Docs while simultaneously talking with her on a video call. They can say, ‘I’m on paragraph two. Can you come up here and help me? I don’t know if I’ve stated this well.’ She finds she’s most productive in the morning when she puts in 30 minutes before she drinks her tea. She works to set reasonable goals for the time she has. And she tries to be patient with herself. “In Helen Sword’s model, she talks about the creativity and the craft of writing, the artistry that is involved…but she also talks about how we need to cultivate patience with ourselves and recognize the growth and mastery in our writing over time,” Janke said. “She talks about developing a lifelong learning around writing, that none of us were born great writers but we’re building skills through the course of our careers and to appreciate that we are all developing as we go.” Smith was able to build her patience during the challenge. Writing the background of a systematic review she’s leading, she found herself reading article after article, but still wrote more than expected. Discussing methods for assessing impact of book/journal clubs for faculty development was productive, as her collaborators were also participating in the challenge. Smith hoped to finish a draft of a discussion for another manuscript. She did not get any words on paper, but she was reminded that writing is also about the brainstorming process and she was able to think about the project and how to present it. “I think people might be hesitant to sign up for the challenge because they aren’t sure what to write about or they don’t know if they can write for 30 minutes a day for two weeks,” she said. “You’re not the only one who feels that way. You’re not the only one who misses a day because of a busy day in clinic or in the classroom. This is just a first step. It’s not, ‘This is a challenge. Can you complete it?’ Take it as an opportunity to learn about writing and develop your writing instead of something you can pass or fail.”
Science and Storytelling Dr. Daniel Malcom, associate editor of the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, saw the #RxWritingChallenge as a chance for journal editors to say in a collective voice: ‘We want this to happen. We want encouragement of the writing process to happen. And we care about storytelling.’ Malcom, who is also associate professor and vice chair of clinical & administrative sciences at Sullivan University
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“We tend to write on our own and then we never see anyone read it, so getting comments from our colleagues along the way and being able to talk with others about the challenges we’re facing energizes and rejuvenates us and keeps us focused on the task at hand.” —Dr. Kristin Janke
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, always goes back to storytelling. Authors are sometimes surprised to hear he’s focused on readability almost as much as science. “When I read a paper, especially for the first time, I’m looking for the story that the author is trying to tell me. No matter what the paper is—it doesn’t matter if it’s describing a research project or if it’s a review article—if there’s not a story, then the reader is going to be left wondering what the point of reading the paper was,” Malcom said. “I think with writers, it’s really critical that you think about the story that you’re telling as you’re writing it, reading it over even in the part of the process when the peer review comes in and you have to go back and change what you wrote. Writers can have a tendency to do exactly what the reviewer wanted them to, rather than taking a suggestion and saying, ‘Well, how does this fit in with my story? What things did the reviewer pick up on that I can use to help readers understand my story better?’” A member of each journal sat on the planning committee for the #RxWritingChallenge, helping to flesh out the themes and find supporting material. They also ran a series of webinars during the challenge, feeding that love of lifelong learning and giving participants tools and places where they could go to learn about writing. “There’s a lot of writing out there,” Malcom said. “Journals are proliferative. We have more pharmacy education journals than we’ve had in the past, more education journals, more medical journals. The statistics don’t lie when it comes to the number of papers that are out there, so editors want to focus on quality.” Healthy writing habits may generate high-quality articles. “The spirit of improving your process, that stretches across the journals,” Malcom said. The daily emails during the challenge, the encouragement on social media, the writing webinars,
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all those little nudges help those who are new to writing and those who have been writing for decades to exercise their talents, improve their process and advance the field. “We are all in this together. We are all trying to improve pharmacy education and we can’t do that alone, so collaborating on paper, encouraging each other to write is a good thing, because improving education is not a competition,” Malcom said. “We are all working together to improve the quality of our educational efforts. It’s really all about quality.” Janke thinks the #RxWritingChallenge made the writing process and the frustrations around writing more visible. She saw academics talking about their writing and dispelling some of the pressure and guilt. Participants said the challenge was the boost that they needed. Schools held writing competitions, welcomed speakers and organized events that brought participants together to be inspired by the collective tapping of keyboards. “Writers become engaged when they can see their audience reacting and responding and they can see the value of the hours that they put into the research and the manuscripts. I think creating more visibility around writing, more dialogue and more support adds to that energy,” Janke said. “We tend to write on our own and then we never see anyone read it, so getting comments from our colleagues along the way and being able to talk with others about the challenges we’re facing energizes and rejuvenates us and keeps us focused on the task at hand.” P Athena Ponushis is a freelance writer based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
community impact
New $3.5 Million Grant Will Help Researchers Unravel Racial Disparity in Kidney Transplant Success The University at Buffalo research study could advance the development of personalized medicine for high-risk kidney transplant patients across the spectrum of adult aging. By Marcene Robinson African-Americans are four times more likely to experience chronic kidney disease and failure than Caucasians. Kidney transplants have more than doubled in recipients above 65 years of age from 2000-08. And the prevalence of end-stage renal disease, or kidney failure, in the United States has continued to increase, particularly among elderly patients and AfricanAmericans. These statistics are according to the National Institutes of Health. Despite knowledge of the disparity, researchers and clinicians are seeking a new understanding of why the age and race gap exists. A new study led by Dr. Kathleen Tornatore, professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, aims to answer these questions by exploring the effects of age, race and sex on immunosuppressive medication and immune responses of renal transplant patients. Funded by a five-year, $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Aging, the study aims to bridge the gap between current, non-specific clinical methods and personalized medicine for high-risk patients.
Personalized Dosing Regimens Could Improve Response The project addresses a prime goal of the UB Clinical and Translational Science Institute to increase research and address health disparities in Western New York. This study will be conducted between Erie County Medical Center and the Clinical and Translational Research Center and utilize core resources available to clinical investigators. The study will recruit more than 200 black and white, male and female kidney transplant recipients of varying ages from the Regional Center of Excellence for Transplantation and Kidney Care at the Erie County Medical
Center. “This study will address the lack of clinical scientific knowledge that combines age, race and sex influences to personalize dosing regimens of immunosuppressive medications after kidney transplant, and may improve patients’ responses contributing to long-term transplant survival,” said Tornatore, also director of the UB Transplantation Immunosuppressive Pharmacology Research Program. The disease—which has no symptoms in its early stages—is responsible for more deaths each year than breast or prostate cancer, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Kidney transplants are the preferred method of treatment over dialysis for kidney
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failure due to its cost efficiency and improved life expectancy of patients, but are less successful among black patients. For the transplant to succeed, patients receive prescription medicine for long-term immunosuppression to prevent their body’s immune system from attacking, or rejecting, the foreign organ. Increased age is a risk for rejection and suggests the need for age-adjusted dosing regimens of immunosuppressive medications, said Tornatore. Survival of the kidney transplant is also poorer in AfricanAmericans than Caucasians, which may be due to a variety of racial and age-related differences. Additional investigators include Dr. Rocco Venuto, professor in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB; Dr. Gregory Wilding, professor and chair of the Department of Biostatistics in the UB School of Public Health and Health Professions; Dr. Donald Mager, professor and vice chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Dr. Kris Attwood, research assistant professor in the Department of Biostatistics and associate director of the Biostatics Shared Resource at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center; Dr. Hans Minderman, assistant professor of oncology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and associate director of the Flow and Image Cytometry Facility at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center; Dr. Donald Yergeau, associate director of genomic technologies of the UB Genomics and Bioinformatics Core; and Dr. Daniel Brazeau, associate professor in the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University. P Reprinted with permission from the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
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Reaping the Benefits of Research AFPE scholarships help close funding gaps for student pharmacists who want to strengthen their clinical skills and participate in faculty-mentored research. By Emily Jacobs
Student pharmacists who pursue advanced degrees can look forward to greater career opportunities, thanks to their increased knowledge and experience. However, not just the students benefit. The rewards of an advanced degree in pharmaceutical sciences also extend to students’ peers and patients.
are adequate. Without a steady source of funding, many students cannot pursue an advanced degree or participate in their desired research projects.
Advanced pharmaceutical degrees may help improve patient outcomes. For example, a doctor of pharmacy degree prepares pharmacists to counsel patients on medication adherence and managing chronic conditions. Graduate students in pharmacy school often participate in research projects that help further healthcare knowledge and benefit large or underserved populations. Pharmacists who participate in research as graduate students can more effectively collaborate with other researchers and clinicians, and may be better able to turn around and communicate those research findings to patients.
The American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education (AFPE), with the help of donors, seeks to alleviate this problem for student pharmacists. For more than 75 years, AFPE has supported pharmaceutical science education through a variety of funding opportunities. AFPE’s Gateway to Research Scholarship program is one such opportunity. Available to students currently enrolled in an ACPE-accredited school of pharmacy, this program helps them understand the importance of research. Recipients can improve their clinical skills and participate in a faculty-mentored research project. Candidates must be recommended by a faculty member, propose a relevant research topic and demonstrate superior academic performance.
Unfortunately, a lack of funding continues to restrict these opportunities for student pharmacists, which puts those future benefits at risk. Students and researchers may face inconsistencies in the funds they do receive, even if the amounts
Five years ago, AFPE brought its Gateway to Research Scholarships back from an extended hiatus. After following the careers of scholarship recipients, AFPE had the data to support the scholarship’s continuation, as well as confirmation
community impact
“Dissemination of research is extremely important. We’re looking at people who will be published in peerreviewed journals and will be sharing their acquired knowledge of research broadly…We’re really looking at putting top scientists in places where they can achieve.” —Ellen Woods
from former recipients. “The benefits were incredible,” said Ellen Woods, AFPE president. “A Pharm.D. may go into clinical practice but doesn’t have the experience of understanding how to explain research to patients or caregivers. Having that mentored research project, they have a full year of working with a very experienced faculty member.”
recipients have attempted to tackle these healthcare issues. Studies have ranged from opioid alternatives to breast cancer research to drug formulations. Following the careers of Gateway recipients, AFPE finds that many who pursue a research track are widely published in peer-reviewed journals and continue to educate other professionals. Some have gone on to receive federal funding to support their AFPE awards about 15 Gateway research. “Dissemination of research scholarships each year from a pool of as is extremely important,” Woods noted. many as 150 applicants. Schools can only “We’re looking at people who will be put forward two applicants each year, published in peer-reviewed journals making the award highly competitive. and will be sharing their acquired Gateway to Research Scholarship knowledge of research broadly.” recipients have the chance to develop skills for their future careers. Students Another potential source of funding learn to establish a hypothesis, develop for advanced pharmacy students is the a cohort and interpret data, all of which new Dr. Paul B. Myrdal Memorial Fund they can use in future research. Even if for Pharmaceutical Education. Myrdal they do not pursue a career in research, was a professor of pharmaceutics scholarship recipients can apply these at the University of Arizona College skills in clinical settings by becoming of Pharmacy before his death from more effective collaborators with colon cancer last May at the age of 50. researchers and physicians. Myrdal’s family established the fund according to his wishes, to support Ensuring Steady Funding AFPE’s Gateway Fellowship and PreAs healthcare advances rapidly, more Doctoral Fellowship. research is needed to examine the In 18 years at the university, Myrdal efficacy and long-term impact of these promoted the idea of classical advancements. Some of the research pharmaceutics as the foundation for projects conducted by scholarship
all drug delivery systems. He helped to mentor pharmaceutical students from high school to the graduate level, including AFPE fellows. As a staunch supporter of research and learning, Myrdal understood the funding challenges for pharmaceutical sciences. Prior to his death, he requested a memorial contribution be given to AFPE to help students like those he had mentored. Although not an AFPE fellow himself, he believed that supporting AFPE was the most effective way to get funding to pharmaceutical science students. These types of funding opportunities can help pharmaceutical graduates gain the knowledge and experience necessary to increase research knowledge and improve patient care. Funding sources often change due to shifting health priorities or political interests. AFPE’s programs seek to fill in those gaps and encourage research in areas that have a proven need. “We’re really looking at putting top scientists in places where they can achieve,” Woods said. P Emily Jacobs is a freelance writer based in Toledo, Ohio.
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photo: (c) ASHP 2018
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At the
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Ready
The recently launched
campaign will promote the message that pharmacists are fully qualified, capable and willing to positively impact patients’ health. By Jane E. Rooney
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Pharmacists are on the patient’s side. They are accessible, knowledgeable and highly educated. They are there to ensure the best solutions and they are a critical part of the healthcare team. These are some of the key messages that AACP hopes to spread with the Pharmacists for Healthier Lives campaign, which launched last month. The campaign’s main objectives are to increase awareness and understanding of the pharmacy profession among the general population and to increase positive attitudes toward pharmacy.
The campaign dovetails with AACP’s Strategic Priority #2: creating a new portrait of pharmacists and pharmacy careers. Specifically, the strategic plan states that “AACP, in collaboration with stakeholders, will raise the profile of pharmacy as an essential healthcare profession. We will achieve recognition for pharmacists as trusted and highly accessible healthcare professionals in both traditional and new settings. And we will increase awareness of the quality and scientific rigor of pharmacy education and training.” AACP worked with the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners to identify partners, including national pharmacy organizations as well as state associations and
photo: (c) ASHP 2018
“Throughout my entire career, what’s been so obvious is that pharmacists’ actual contributions to patients and the healthcare system are so hard to communicate effectively,” said AACP Executive Vice President and CEO Dr. Lucinda L. Maine. The multiyear campaign grew out of a realization that the story of what pharmacists do wasn’t being conveyed clearly to the American public. “As we were putting together AACP’s 2016 Strategic Plan, what was clear is that we have a pipeline problem. We had already begun to do better
targeted messaging to students in middle and high school. We recognized that even in doing that, the general public needed to have a better grasp of what a graduate is capable of doing and where they are doing it. Most people just think of the pharmacy in the corner of a big box store. There is so much more to the story.”
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large companies. “This is not AACP’s campaign alone,” Maine emphasized. “We are certainly willing to assume the responsibility as a lead contributor financially and as the lead coordinating organization. Five other national pharmacy organizations are working with us. We are trying to be really true to this as pharmacy’s campaign.” The National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) is one of those partners, and they are enthusiastic about what the campaign can accomplish. “I think the enhanced awareness that a campaign like this could bring is going to be critical. I believe that the state pharmacy associations are supportive. Many have said that they want their organizations to be a part of it in as large a way as possible,” said NASPA CEO Becky Snead.
One segment of the population that the campaign is specifically targeting is women ages 35-55, many of whom have children and are also helping their own parents navigate their older years and chronic illnesses. “These are the people that need to know the most about medication management and the role of the pharmacist and what it can mean to them personally,” Maine pointed out. These women can also be in a position to influence a child’s thinking about his or her education, which ties back to AACP’s Strategic Priority #1: enriching the applicant pipeline. Other audiences Maine hopes the campaign will reach include caregivers ages 45-65 as well as healthcare providers, especially physicians. “We know that if physicians encourage patients to access pharmacists, they are much more likely to find that to be a credible next step to take.”
photo: (c) ASHP 2018
Maine added, “Excitement from our members gets generated in just acknowledging that pharmacy is finally going to have a public-facing campaign and that we’re cultivating corporate partners, and individual pharmacists will have an opportunity to be spokespeople to get the message out to
the consumer. We want to address the fact that pharmacists truly are the medication use experts. They care. They’re highly accessible. Pharmacists receive an amazing education. They are an important part of the healthcare team.”
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“We feel it is important for patients and caregivers to be aware of the role of pharmacists in improving the use of medications, especially the important work they do in hospitals, health systems and clinics. Improving awareness can also influence payers and other decision makers, expanding their understanding of the value that pharmacists can bring in improving the use of medications.” — Douglas Sheckelhoff
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Finally, the campaign is also aimed at pharmacists themselves. Research conducted prior to the campaign launch found that a sizable portion (33%) of the general public had an extremely favorable perception of pharmacists. Maine noted that pharmacists and student pharmacists were asked what they thought that number would be. Pharmacists weren’t so far off the mark, she said, but student pharmacists were way off, thinking the number was much lower. “We have an opportunity to correct that perception,” Maine said. “Student pharmacists need to correctly appreciate that they are held in high regard.”
Crafting Messages to Change Perceptions AACP engaged the RP3 Agency, a strategic communications firm, early in 2018 to undertake quantitative and qualitative research to determine attitudes about pharmacy and pharmacists, and to pinpoint the campaign’s focus, messaging and media strategy. In April, RP3 conducted 886 online surveys, reaching the general public, pharmacists and student pharmacists. The agency also did on-campus interviews at Howard University and the University of Maryland, including 16 in-depth interviews with students. Respondents included pharmacists who had been in the profession less than 15 years as well as those who had more than 15 years of experience, including some who had a Pharm.D. and others who became pharmacists before that degree was required.
photo: (c) ASHP 2018
“The general public has a high opinion of pharmacists but they did not have a broad view of everything pharmacists do,” noted Dan Sweet, RP3’s director of public relations. “They thought highly of the profession but there is some work to be done in terms of raising their awareness of what pharmacists do.” Two key findings from RP3’s research indicate that there are low levels of knowledge as well as misconceptions about what pharmacists do, and they have low visibility because their work is often behind the scenes. “We can have pharmacists’ voices heard on more issues, such as the opioid crisis, drug pricing and drug shortages,” Sweet added. “We also want the public to understand that pharmacists play an integral role on their healthcare teams.” Based on the interview and survey findings, as well as 25 hours of secondary research, RP3 developed key messages around the desired profile of a pharmacist: someone who is accessible, knowledgeable, highly educated and a critical part of the healthcare team, as
well as passionately helpful, friendly, respected and on the patient’s side. This boils down to the campaign’s core message: Pharmacists are fully qualified, capable and willing to positively impact patients’ health. For Bob Coleman, CEO of the Georgia Pharmacy Association, another campaign partner, this fulfills a great need in the industry to give consumers a much better understanding of the services provided and the role that pharmacists play in the healthcare delivery system. “When I asked people how they define their relationship with their pharmacist, 99 percent said ‘customer.’ No one said ‘patient,’” Coleman said. “This campaign is what’s needed. When I asked the board to fund this, I said this is the beginning step to get the customer to realize that he or she is actually a patient.” The association plans to contribute $100,000 to the campaign over two years. Another targeted demographic is 18-24 year olds, many of whom are making healthcare choices on their own for the first time. “The accessibility issue for them is a key message,” Sweet explained. “We want them thinking of their pharmacist as part of their healthcare team and trusted members they can approach to speak with about wellness issues.” Raising awareness among other healthcare professionals is also a goal; this will help pharmacists be seen as knowledgeable experts regarding policy and guidelines. “It’s crucial that pharmacists play a bigger role at the table.”
Giving Voice to Pharmacists’ Value The campaign seeks to show pharmacists in various healthcare settings (hospitals, community pharmacies, labs, doctors’ offices, academia); portray pharmacists as a critical part of the healthcare patients receive; and increase awareness of what pharmacists do beyond dispensing medications. Creative strategies are still emerging; ideas include highlighting pharmacists’ personal stories, creating walk-up clinics to highlight pharmacists’ accessibility and developing an app that provides real-time advice from pharmacists. The aim is to take pharmacists out from behind the counter and show the value they bring to healthcare and that they are “more than a white coat.” One way these messages will be disseminated is through AACP’s brand ambassadors, “individual members who are wiling to share their stories and expertise through earned media and social media to raise that profile,” Sweet said. “The voices and experiences of those brand ambassadors are crucial to provide real-life, real-world examples.”
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“We do know that relative to some other careers, the typical high school student doesn’t think about pharmacy. We’ve got to get them thinking about pharmacy. We want to ensure that qualified students will consider pharmacy as a rewarding profession.”
photo: (c) ASHP 2018
— Dr. Lucinda L. Maine
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The campaign’s paid media strategy in year one will focus almost exclusively on social media. “There will be a big push on Facebook in October and November through ads and audience targeting to drive interest in the campaign to see what messages are working,” Sweet continued, noting that Facebook offers a potential reach of 2.5 million targeted audience members. “For the first month or two, we’ll mostly be in the testing phase. As we move into the beginning of next year, we’ll focus on more targeted advertising.” An earned media push in the early weeks will get spokespeople in front of audiences (for example, through op-eds, letters and other editorial content on issues such as drug costs and the opioid crisis). AACP and its partners will seek out speaking engagements that provide opportunities to share the campaign’s messages. Partners will also be given a toolkit with materials, including a campaign video, to help raise awareness and spread the word about what pharmacists do.
ASHP Senior Vice President Douglas Sheckelhoff said that in addition to providing financial support, ASHP is supporting the profession-wide effort to educate the public by sharing information on how pharmacists in various
photo: University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Year one funding for the research, creative development and earned and paid media is $500,000, which represents AACP’s initial contribution. Partner organizations that have
contributed funds include NASPA, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. “We were one of the first partners that said yes, we’re in,” said NASPA’s Snead. “The messaging that is created through this campaign can be used by all our state associations to make that drumbeat even louder through all their social media and distribution channels. We know it’s not going to be one and done. It’s a long journey and that’s how you really get the message to resonate with all the audiences you are trying to effect. We are in it for the long haul. We are contributing financially and through participation and development of the campaign, and we’re anxiously awaiting the point when we can disseminate the material and enhance the campaign over the upcoming years. It’s needed because pharmacists are the best-kept secret in healthcare.”
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health-system settings can be represented. “We feel it is media objectives are to raise the profile of pharmacy as an important for patients and caregivers to be aware of the essential healthcare profession; to increase recognition of role of pharmacists in improving the use of medications, pharmacists as trusted and highly accessible professionals; especially the important work they do in hospitals, health to increase awareness of the extensive education that systems and clinics,” he said. “Improving awareness can also pharmacists receive; and to ultimately help enrich the influence payers and other decision makers, expanding their applicant pipeline for pharmacy schools. understanding of the value that pharmacists can bring in “We hope it does have a positive impact on the application improving the use of medications.” pool,” Maine said. “We do know that relative to some other AACP’s Maine said the campaign is also cultivating careers, the typical high school student doesn’t think about corporate partners. “One we’re working with has a digital pharmacy. We’ve got to get them thinking about pharmacy. reach to 50 million people. Another group has signed on We want to ensure that qualified students will consider as a channel partner that has a digital reach to 30 million pharmacy as a rewarding profession.” people. There are a lot of different ways for organizations Maine sees a need for a more proactive level of service to participate,” she added. “Given that this is almost from pharmacists. “This will be more than a 12-month exclusively a digital campaign, our partners are really campaign because it takes longer than that to change critical.” public perception,” she acknowledged. “We hope that by The big push on social media will continue until spring, communicating that pharmacists play a valuable role in when a second phase will begin once RP3 evaluates what the community, we’ll begin to shift consumer expectations messaging is working and measures social media clickin a way that helps accelerate the transformation from through rates and how audiences are engaging with the transactional to patient care and identifying and solving campaign. RP3 will also measure success against the drug-related problems.” P baseline metrics from the opinion influence study. The Jane E. Rooney is managing editor of Academic Pharmacy Now.
Learn More Learn more about the campaign: https://pharmacistsforhealthierlives.org Find the campaign on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PharmacistsForHealthierLives AACP is asking patients and practitioners to use the hashtag #indispensable to share stories about pharmacists who have made a difference in their lives. If you would like to share your perspective about how pharmacists make a difference in patients’ lives, contact communications@aacp.org.
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@AACPharmacy
Invest in Your Leadership Development at INvolve 2019 @AACPharmacy
#INterim19
February 23–26 | Tampa, Florida INvolve 2019 attendees can earn up to 10 hours of CE credit!
Connect with insightful speakers, dynamic microsessions and enlightening peer discussions across four days of collaboration and hands-on learning in Tampa. Return to your school with new strategies to lead and manage change from the AACP INterim Meeting—INvolve 2019! Learn More: www.aacp.org/involve19. Highlights this year:
• 2019 Research Symposium: Engage the Next-Gen Research Workforce Discuss opportunities and challenges in research training with leaders in the field, addressing topics such as engaging students in research projects and strengthening the research pipeline, integrating basic and clinical sciences into pharmacy schools, and the value of research experience for building professional competencies.
• Special INvolve 2019 Kick-off Session: From Awareness to Action to
Innovation: Empowering Leaders Through Inclusive Excellence All attendees are invited to learn how to empower leaders through inclusive excellence in this Saturday afternoon session. Dr. Damon Williams will address the importance of diversity in the new economy and how we can work together to make its promise a reality. Join your colleagues for a special session that’s sure to empower, celebrate and inspire hope in all who attend.
AACP greatly appreciates the support from our meeting sponsors, whose contributions make this event possible: Bronze Sponsors
• Fast-paced Learning Returns
10-minute microsessions will tackle the profession’s most pressing topics, including student leadership, regional campuses and preparing students for corporate cultures.
Register Now to Save $150 by December 12! www.aacp.org/involve19 26
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@AACPharmacy
Renew Your Membership Before Benefits Expire
The deadline to renew is December 31.
AACP made great strides in its suite of member benefits last year and in 2019 we’ll continue to build on the professional momentum. Renew your membership to take advantage of some of our best benefits: • Engage with colleagues in the members-only community, AACP Connect, where you can access
important resources and participate in active discussions to help you be a better practitioner and educator. Since July, more than 500 conversations have started in AACP Connect!
• Learn from your peers who share your needs and challenges by collaborating with AACP’s Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and Sections.
• Stay up-to-date on industry trends with our targeted webinar programming. Last year, AACP hosted more than 30 member Webinars on a variety of pharmacy education topics.
• Save money when you unlock member registration rates to AACP’s flagship meetings, including INvolve 2019, Pharmacy Education 2019 and the Institutes.
• Bolster your career development. Immerse yourself in a year-long leadership experience
through AACP’s Academic Leadership Fellows Program (ALFP) or become a mentor with the Walmart Scholars Program.
• Apply for research funding via the New Investigator Award, or use one of AACP’s grants search directories to view information on NIH and other federal grants in which pharmacy faculty are listed as the primary investigator.
• And much more at www.aacp.org
Renew Your Membership Today: http://bit.ly/AACPMembershipRenewal
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Pharmacists Help People Live Healthier, Better Lives.
1400 Crystal Drive, Suite 300 P Arlington, VA 22202 703-739-2330 P www.aacp.org
Save the Date! Spring Institute 2019
Now’s your second chance to attend the student well-being institute.
Strategies to Promote a Culture of Well-being Among Students and Faculty May 20–22 | Herndon, Va.
As a result of the overwhelming participation and interest, AACP is pleased to host an encore to the successful Fall 2018 Institute, titled Strategies to Promote a Culture of Well-being Among Students and Faculty, on May 20–22, 2019, in Herndon, Virginia. Stress, anxiety and tragedy are disruptive to student learning. Colleges and schools of pharmacy should provide mindful programs to support an environment of well-being for students, and faculty, which will help minimize the impact of these pressures. At the Institute, expert speakers will address student mental health and programs that contribute to dealing with stress in order to facilitate learning. Registration details will be posted in the coming weeks.
Learn more: http://bit.ly/StudentWellBeing
