Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Emerging stronger than ever in 2021-2022

2022; Elsevier BV; Volume: 62; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.japh.2022.01.022

1544-3450

Juan Carlos Rodrı́guez,

Pharmaceutical studies and practices

The Association Report column in JAPhA reports on activities of APhA’s 3 academies and topics of interest to members of those groups.The APhA Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management (APhA--APPM) is dedicated to assisting members in enhancing the profession of pharmacy, improving medication use, and advancing patient care. Through the APhA–APPM Special Interest Groups (SIGs), the Academy provides members a mechanism to network and support the profession, by addressing emerging issues. To learn more about APhA–APPM and to access a listing of APhA—APPM SIGs, visit https://www.pharmacist.com/apha-academy-pharmacy-practice-and-management.The mission of the APhA Academy of Research and Science (APhA--APRS) is to stimulate the discovery, dissemination, and application of research to improve patient health. Academy members are a source of authoritative information on key scientific issues and work to advance the pharmaceutical sciences and improve the quality of pharmacy practice. Through the 3 APhA--APRS Sections (Clinical Sciences; Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences; and Economic, Social, and Administrative Sciences), the Academy provides a mechanism for experts in all areas of the pharmaceutical sciences to influence APhA’s policymaking process. To learn more about APhA--APRS, visit https://www.pharmacist.com/apha-academy-pharmaceutical-research-and-science.The mission of the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA–ASP) is to be the collective voice of student pharmacists, to provide opportunities for professional growth, to improve patient care, and to envision and advance the future of pharmacy.The Association Report column is written by Officers and members of the respective Academy and coordinated by APhA staff. Suggestions for future content may be sent to Margaret Tomecki, Director, Practice and Science Academies ( [email protected] ). The Association Report column in JAPhA reports on activities of APhA’s 3 academies and topics of interest to members of those groups. The APhA Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management (APhA--APPM) is dedicated to assisting members in enhancing the profession of pharmacy, improving medication use, and advancing patient care. Through the APhA–APPM Special Interest Groups (SIGs), the Academy provides members a mechanism to network and support the profession, by addressing emerging issues. To learn more about APhA–APPM and to access a listing of APhA—APPM SIGs, visit https://www.pharmacist.com/apha-academy-pharmacy-practice-and-management. The mission of the APhA Academy of Research and Science (APhA--APRS) is to stimulate the discovery, dissemination, and application of research to improve patient health. Academy members are a source of authoritative information on key scientific issues and work to advance the pharmaceutical sciences and improve the quality of pharmacy practice. Through the 3 APhA--APRS Sections (Clinical Sciences; Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences; and Economic, Social, and Administrative Sciences), the Academy provides a mechanism for experts in all areas of the pharmaceutical sciences to influence APhA’s policymaking process. To learn more about APhA--APRS, visit https://www.pharmacist.com/apha-academy-pharmaceutical-research-and-science. The mission of the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA–ASP) is to be the collective voice of student pharmacists, to provide opportunities for professional growth, to improve patient care, and to envision and advance the future of pharmacy. The Association Report column is written by Officers and members of the respective Academy and coordinated by APhA staff. Suggestions for future content may be sent to Margaret Tomecki, Director, Practice and Science Academies ( [email protected] ). When the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic first gripped the world in early 2020, none of us could have foreseen the pressure and pain it would cause. Nonetheless, we have persisted. Through months of isolation and finally seeing hope in an unprecedented vaccine rollout, pharmacists and student pharmacists have continuously played an active role in our nation’s public health response. This past year brought its challenges, but the profession continued to showcase its resilience and adaptability. As we continue to navigate this health care and public health crisis, I do not doubt that we will continue to persist and find a way to thrive through the storm. Each new year brings a new beginning, and many of us even resort to creating new year resolutions; however, resolutions are not what makes a new year. Resolutions are a formality. They may be a great place to start setting new goals for oneself, but the real trick is having the resolve and grit to see that goal to fruition. Although we may have thought that 2021 would see the return of pre-COVID normalcy and ultimately having to grasp a different reality, the resilience, perseverance, and grit that student pharmacists have demonstrated are beyond words. Despite, or as a result of, our shared hardships, we are emerging stronger than ever. My American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA–ASP) presidential theme, “Unity in Diversity,” focuses on building relationships, camaraderie, and most importantly, fearlessly connecting with one another and our communities. Our individual experiences afford a unique perspective that ultimately brings us together to make a better whole; moreover, the power of “Unity in Diversity” is evident through student pharmacists’ collective contributions to the profession. One of my favorite quotes happens to come from the children’s movie Kung Fu Panda, yet I think there is much to appreciate from it: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” Although we cannot predict the future or change the past, the present is in our hands. Our Academy and profession are stronger through us, student pharmacists, both present and future. Whereas tomorrow is a mystery, our present secures me in the knowledge that there is much to look forward in growth for the association, profession, and communities through our collective “Unity in Diversity.” The 2021–2022 APhA–ASP National Executive Committee (NEC) was composed of National President Juan Rodriguez, National President-elect Kennedy Erickson, National Members-at-large Neha Nadkarni and Sidrah Alam, and Speaker of the House Brooke Kulusich. The 5 APhA–ASP National Standing Committees—Awards, Communications, International, Member Engagement, and Policy—are composed of appointed student pharmacists and an NEC Liaison. The committee members work throughout the year to develop new ideas, encourage collaboration among chapters, and provide resources to students. The 2021–2022 APhA–ASP Awards Standing Committee was chaired by Maggie Davis and included APhA–ASP NEC Liaison Kennedy Erickson and members Olivia Waters, Vanessa Rivera, and Veronica Guastella. The committee selects 18 Chapter Achievement Awards, 4 Student Leadership Awards, Good Government Student Pharmacist of the Year Award, Outstanding Advisor Award, Outstanding Dean Award, and Linwood F. Tice Friend of APhA–ASP Award. The committee selected the following individual award recipients:•APhA Outstanding Dean Award: Dean Marie Chisholm-Burns, PharmD, University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy•APhA Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award: Jennifer Clutter, West Virginia University School of Pharmacy•APhA Good Government Student Pharmacist of the Year Award: Sripriya Patel, Western University of Health Sciences College of Pharmacy•APhA Student Leadership Awards:○Shirly Ly, University of Florida College of Pharmacy○Rachel Allen, University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy○Ally White, Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy○Miranda Moser, West Virginia University School of Pharmacy The 2021–2022 APhA–ASP Communications Standing Committee was chaired by Katie Noonan and included APhA–ASP NEC Liaison Sidrah Alam and members Shirly Ly, Michelle Chin, Alexis Jones, Zach Krauss, and Stefanie Nguyen. The committee continued to enhance the Academy’s social media presence. They used the APhA–ASP social media pages to highlight the successes of individual and collective members on the chapter level who exemplified the vision of the Academy. This allowed for increased recognition and idea sharing between chapters across the nation. Aligning with “Unity in Diversity,” they developed several new campaigns to celebrate, raise awareness, and educate on diversity, equity, and inclusion among students and schools and colleges of pharmacy. They also sought new ways to engage with members by creating and publishing NAPLEX-style questions to provide academic enrichment. The APhA–ASP Facebook page has more than 20,500 likes, and the Instagram page (@APhAASP) has grown from 8500 followers last year to surpassing more than 10,900 followers. Achieving and surpassing the 10,000-follower status has been a long-time goal for the committee and has opened further avenues of member outreach and engagement. The post reach and engagement of APhA and non-APhA members continued to grow tremendously over the past year because of the strategic efforts of the committee and contributions from leadership at all levels within APhA–ASP. The 2021–2022 APhA–ASP International Standing Committee was chaired by Student Exchange Officer Audrey Wong and included APhA–ASP NEC Liaisons Juan Rodriguez and Kennedy Erickson, International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF) Student Exchange Officer-elect Maria Gonzalez, IPSF National Contact Person Shreya Asher, and IPSF National Project Coordinator Olunife Akinmolayan. The committee—the U.S. representatives to the IPSF—promoted and embodied their theme, “Think Globally, Act Locally.” This was done through collaborating with member organizations of IPSF, promoting a global perspective on pharmacy, encouraging international involvement through IPSF, and being an active member of the Pan American Regional Office. One of the largest projects they had to convert into a virtual format was the Student Exchange Program, as all traveling came to a halt owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. They coordinated a virtual platform for students worldwide to virtually come together and facilitate robust discussions. Furthermore, their platform included guest international pharmacist and student pharmacist speakers to enhance dialogue between attendees. The 2021–2022 APhA–ASP Member Engagement Standing Committee was chaired by Madilyn Eberle and included APhA–ASP NEC Liaison Neha Nadkarni and members Martin Bailey, Megan Byrne, Ji Yoon (Angie) Kim, and Connie Marker. The committee continued to have an impact by providing resources for patient care projects and increasing membership value for all student pharmacists across the country. They worked tirelessly to help conduct the various virtual meetings and training opportunities for chapter leaders and also reviewed and selected the APhA–ASP PharmFlix Video Contest Award nominees. This year, the committee innovated the Career and Professional Development Series, which is a webinar series comprising various subject matter experts in diverse topics to supplement professional member development opportunities. Topics included were the following:•Beyond Health Care: Incorporating Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion in Pharmacy by Jacinda Aadul-Mutakabbir, PharmD•Residency and Fellow Panel, including various hospital resident pharmacists, pharmaceutical industry pharmacist fellows, and pharmacy association management fellows•Virtual Conferencing 101 by Kennedy Erickson and Savannah Cunningham•“I Got the Interview, Now What?” by James Blackmer, PharmD, and Ashley Ramp, PharmD•“Mo’Money, Less Problems” by Brandon Capps, CLU They also assisted in the development of the Chapter Operations Manual, which provides fundamental knowledge that every chapter officer should be aware of to run highly successful chapters. The 2021–2022 APhA–ASP Policy Standing Committee was chaired by Zachary Coleman and included APhA–ASP NEC Liaison Brooke Kulusich and members Julia Miller, Ashlyn Tedder, and Megan Wright. The committee, charged with implementing the passed resolutions at APhA2021, focused on building relationships on the local level, which empowered student pharmacists to bring change to their practice. They undertook new initiatives to simplify the policy development process, as well as revamp the available toolkits to policy vice presidents and student pharmacists from across the country, helping them navigate their way through legislation and regulation. In addition, the committee played a crucial role in the education of student pharmacists on relevant policy issues through the continued development of a policy podcast. Unique policy issues that arose and information/resources provided to student pharmacists included topics on pharmacists’ role in opioid use disorder and pharmacy sustainability. This year, the NEC conducted a virtual Summer Leadership Institute during the third week of August. Sessions included Live Your Why, Leading with Your Strengths, Setting Up for Success, and exploring the Presidential Theme: Unity in Diversity. APhA–ASP webinars have also gained momentum with the continuation and expansion of current programs through 13-chapter officer sessions over 12 days during the month of August for current chapter leaders. Throughout the month of October, we hosted the second annual Career Opportunities Series to help members learn and connect with diverse career opportunities. The series featured phactMI, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill community-based pharmacy residency programs, The Houston Program Health-System Pharmacy Administration residencies, and Launch into your Career through a community-based pharmacy residency program hosted by Bridget Groves, PharmD. The APhA–ASP Midyear Regional Meetings (MRMs) continued to expand sessions and opportunities for student pharmacist attendees. This year, we conducted a single national MRM virtually over the first week of November, reaching more than 1600 members. The MRM’s opening session featured Nimit Jindal, PharmD, on patient advocacy. The second day featured Sam Miller, PharmD, from the Human Rights Campaign presenting Stop the Stigma, which reviewed the pharmacist’s role in caring for patients who are transgender and creating an inclusive environment for all patient populations. The third night featured Erin Albert, PharmD, presenting on Failure is Part of Success, which focused on how failure is part of success and integral for career growth. We also embedded networking sessions before the start of each night of sessions and hosted a leadership interest session for students interested in pursuing national leadership opportunities. MRM also hosted 24 companies and organizations as career opportunity exploration for student pharmacists. Every year, student pharmacists reach even more patients through APhA–ASP’s patient care projects and programs. This past year (2020–2021) was no exception. Together, APhA–ASP chapters across the nation provided health and wellness clinical services to 111,214 patients, educated 595,083 individuals through events and education, referred 1810 patients to their primary care provider, and more than doubled outreach through public relations initiatives to more than 60 million from 30 million individuals! Participation in Operation Diabetes, supported by Rite Aid, allowed student pharmacists to provide diabetes risk screening services to 1688 patients. Recognizing the need and importance of providing patients with vaccinations, Operation Immunization, supported by Walgreens, provided immunizations to 1,286,161 patients across the country, which increased almost 10-fold from 113,391 the previous year. Together, student pharmacists continued to make a difference in their communities and the lives of their patients. Through OTC Medicine Safety—supported by Johnson and Johnson in partnership with Scholastic—student pharmacists specifically target fifth through eighth grade students, as well as their parents, caregivers, and educators, to reach these individuals right as they start to self-medicate. Operation Substance Use Disorders, supported by Walmart, Inc., is an educational and community service program whose goals are to have student pharmacists work with their communities to prevent misuse of prescription medications, break the stigma of substance use disorders, support patients in recovery, and advocate for the profession. The intention is to engage people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. This year was the fourth year of the Women’s Health Campaign, supported by Merck and a partnership with the American Sexual Health Association. The goals of the campaign are to increase student pharmacist awareness of the needs for women’s health education, provide education on the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and increase understanding of the HPV vaccine use, provide education on the pharmacist’s role in reproductive health, and promote the role of pharmacists as a women’s health resource. Although the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic have persisted and limited in-person contact, many chapters through the 2021–2022 year have continued to engage with their communities through APhA–ASP patient care projects. Modified events such as online educational sessions, drive-through vaccination clinics, or hybrid interactions have been a few of the many means student pharmacists have innovated to continue providing patient care. Pharmacists and student pharmacists play an active role as frontline health professionals in ending this pandemic, and their efforts continue to be applauded by leaders and the community at large. Student pharmacists continued to advocate for provider status and other relevant policy topics this year. This year, student pharmacists had the opportunity to attend the 2021 Virtual Congressional Fly-In to advocate for provider status and pharmacy benefits manager reform. Furthermore, student pharmacists were able to engage nationally through various activities planned throughout American Pharmacists Month (APhM) in October. In addition, student pharmacists were able to celebrate APhM by recognizing pharmacists’ continued contributions to ending the COVID-19 pandemic through the new slogan “#YouStandByUsAll.” Chapter members took this celebration to their communities and beyond by using a nationwide social media campaign. This campaign included National Do Something Nice Day, Vaccine Confident Day, World Mental Health Day, Women Pharmacists Day, Breast Cancer Awareness Day, APhA Spirit Day, Pharmacy Technician Day, Service Day, White Coat Selfie Day, and Unity in Diversity Day. Students changed their Facebook profile pictures and cover photos to the APhM logo, used Facebook and Instagram to promote the value of the pharmacist, posted pharmacy facts daily, and used radio and television to reach even more people. Furthermore, student pharmacists had the opportunity to participate in and contribute to the Oath of a Pharmacist revisions conversation. Our collective efforts and contributions resulted in a more inclusive and equitable Oath that was unveiled to the profession in January 2022. Throughout December 2021 and January 2022, the APhA–ASP Resolutions Committee reviewed more than 100 proposed resolutions that passed at MRM and finalized 4 key resolutions to be discussed at APhA2022. Apart from strong relationships with the supporters of our 6 national patient care projects, APhA–ASP continued to collaborate with other organizations. The APhA Foundation provides student pharmacists with scholarships that recognize outstanding academic achievement and involvement in APhA. Recipients of these scholarships are recognized at the APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition. Students continued to support the APhA Foundation through the Student 1953 Society. The accomplishments described in this report are only a snapshot of the year. One cannot quantify the sense of accomplishment despite the obstacles faced, the feeling of having a positive impact on a patient’s life, and the fun in making friends across the nation that one finds by being involved in APhA–ASP. Students have come together to support each other as the pharmacy profession faces challenges. By enhancing virtual communication and increasing the engagement of student pharmacists through social media, the Academy has built upon relationships and supported student pharmacists throughout an extremely challenging year. Facing adversity, student pharmacists have emerged stronger than ever. The accomplishments of APhA–ASP are a result of our collective efforts to not only move the Academy forward but also our profession, colleagues, and communities. Regardless of our future roles, our profession is one, and our home will always be APhA. Together we are stronger because there’s Unity in Diversity. Juan Rodriguez, Student Pharmacist, College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN; 2021–2022 APhA–ASP National President; E-mail: [email protected]