Kerry Fierke
University of Minnesota
Kerry K. Fierke, Ed.D., has a passion to enhance the leadership skills, talents and abilities of the people around her. She has a Doctor of Education in leadership from St. Mary’s University and is currently an associate professor and associate department head at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy. Earlier in her career, Dr. Fierke was in management at Fortune 100 organizations—Honeywell Inc. and Medtronic—where she focused on marketing, communication and education. In 2006, she became manager of leadership and staff development at a 14,000+ employee health system.
Since 2011, Dr. Fierke has been devoted to providing students with valuable leadership educational experiences that will allow them to grow and further contribute to the pharmacy profession. She has taught leadership content in over 30 courses at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy. She currently teaches pharmacy leadership education to students spanning all four years across the curriculum in five required classes and five electives (she is the co-course director of four). Dr. Fierke is the current course director of the LEA Advanced Practice Pharmacy Experience (APPE) as well as a preceptor. She is co-director of the Leadership Emphasis Area (LEA) and has advised over 150 students.
Dr. Fierke’s scholarship focus includes disseminating valuable outcomes in scholarship of teaching and learning to strengthen pharmacy leadership, education and innovation. The unifying theme of her work is her strive to develop student and professional leaders. She has published over 30 articles and has presented in over 100 venues, both nationally and internationally. Dr. Fierke also created and directed the one-day interprofessional leadership conference, Women Impacting Healthcare (2012-2016), and national virtual symposium (2017-2022).
Presidential Statement
I'm honored and excited to be on the ballot for President-elect. We may have crossed paths throughout our work at AACP; perhaps we have served on a committee together, collaborated on projects, or witnessed each other’s work through our scholarship. If we haven’t met yet, I hope this statement provides you with insight of my leadership style to represent all members of AACP, including students, staff, faculty and universities.
“The significant problems we face today cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” - Albert Einstein
In our current state, we may have difficulty finding solutions to the complex challenges facing pharmacy education. No one of us has the answers. Therefore, it will take diverse experiences, backgrounds, educations and perspectives to overcome the obstacles ahead.
My background may be a bit unique from my esteemed colleagues who have previously held this position. While I am not a pharmacist, I have management experience in Fortune 100 companies and large healthcare systems. One of my strengths is developing strong collaborations, partnerships, and teams. I have been able to contribute my experiences, education, and expertise in leadership to enhance the educational outcomes of students, faculty, and pharmacy practitioners.
My journey into pharmacy education…
The continual improvement of leadership development within the pharmacy profession is my passion. I have taught leadership development in 32 courses at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy [13 required, 19 electives]. I am a co-director of the Leadership Emphasis Area (LEA), a 16-credit sequence of courses and leadership experiences aimed at developing skills in leading change. I am also the director of the LEA APPE and precept students on an academic rotation. My scholarly activities focus on the study of leadership including teaching and learning, interprofessional, and international. This research has led to over 30 peer-reviewed articles and 100 presentations (national and international).
My journey within AACP…
My experiences and connections within the AACP community have been incredibly valuable. I have partnered with pharmacy practitioners and educators across the nation. Early in my AACP tenure, I served in formal elected positions: AACP Leadership SIG (LD SIG) Secretary [2014-2016] and Chair [2017-2020]. I was elected to the inaugural AACP SIG Cabinet Administrative Board Chair [2020-2023].
During this time, the Cabinet brought together SIG leaders with a focus on strengthening strategies and collaborations and developing best practices to improve the member experience.
My journey as a future AACP President-elect…
My focus on the future is trifold: strategy, communication, and engagement.
Designing the future of pharmacy education is an exhilarating challenge for all of us and AACP’s strategic plan includes foundational components we can build upon. As we continually re-assess our future needs, we can create an innovative and unique shared vision to meet the demands of the ever-changing landscape. The best part of strategic work is bringing together an enthusiastic team with diverse talents to imagine the possibilities. Clear, crisp communication is key for process improvement and includes all voices and input to create the best outcomes for our students and members. Together, we must foster engagement to overcome the significant challenges we all face. For example, the recent pandemic combined with decreasing student enrollment in our schools and the need to do more with less, increases the need to offer effective development opportunities for pharmacy educators to feel seen and heard.
Thank you for the chance to share my perspective. I would welcome the opportunity to apply my passion, leadership and collaborative inclusivity to further impact AACP.
Robin Zavod
Midwestern University – Chicago
Robin Zavod, Ph.D., is a professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Midwestern University College of Pharmacy and has been with the college since 1994. She earned a B.S. in biology/chemistry (Bucknell University), M.S./Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry (University of Kansas) and completed a post-doc in organic chemistry (Indiana University).
She has held leadership positions within AACP (Council of Faculties immediate past chair, chair and chair-elect, 2012-2015) and several leadership positions within the chemistry section. She is a fellow of the American Pharmacists Association and has served as APRS basic sciences chair (2013-2014) and Education Committee chair (2013-2014). Within AAPS she has served as the immediate past chair, chair, chair-elect, and vice chair of the DDDI Section (2013-2017); chair of the AAPS Content Advisory Committee (2012-2013); DDDI representative (2009-2012); chair of the AAPS Career Development Committee (2016-2018); and member of the AAPS Publications Committee (2012-2015). Dr. Zavod also participates as an AFPE grant reviewer and as an ACPE Accreditation Site Team member.
Dr. Zavod is an author in several editions of Foye's Principles of Medicinal Chemistry, APhA’s Nutrition in Pharmacy Practice, and Gibaldi’s Drug Delivery Systems. She co-wrote two ASHP publications—Basic Concepts in Medicinal Chemistry (3 editions) and Self-Assessment in Medicinal Chemistry—with Dr. Marc Harrold. She is the editor-in-chief of Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, a monthly publication, and was the founding editor-in-chief of the AAPS’ Introductions to Pharmaceutical Sciences book series.
Presidential Statement
At my first Annual Meeting in 1995, AACP became my “professional home” and the Section of Teachers of Chemistry and several SIGs, my affinity groups. Over the last twenty-eight plus years, I have cherished every opportunity that I had to give back to this organization and its members. Thank you for the distinct honor of being slated for AACP president-elect.
Elected as secretary and then chair (chair-elect, and past chair) of the Section of Teachers of Chemistry in the early 2000s, I began to appreciate the inner workings and AACP infrastructure. I championed our long-standing mentoring program, as well as encouraged joint section programming and cross-disciplinary presentations. These leadership opportunities solidified my internal drive and passion, as I was eager to create and maintain the infrastructure upon which others were successful.
Interested in experiencing higher levels of AACP governance, I pursued additional leadership positions. Though I was slated for Council of Faculties chair-elect on several occasions, it wasn’t until 2012 that I was elected to the Council of Faculties as chair-elect. Working with then AACP president, Peggy Piascik, the Council of Faculty committees and I developed the Distinguished Teaching Scholar and Emerging Teaching Scholar Awards. It remains important to publicly acknowledge both existing, as well as upcoming, outstanding teaching talent within our ranks. During my tenure on the AACP Board of Directors, I gained an even greater appreciation for how our organization champions the development of new education standards, and the role of pharmacy education in the rapidly changing healthcare environment.
I took my inquisitiveness about organizational infrastructure “on the road” and was elected as chair of the basic sciences section within the APhA-APRS, as well as chair of the drug design and discovery interface section within AAPS over the next several years. While serving in these roles, I gained a much fuller awareness for how organizations attract and retain their members. As travel funds declined, meeting members “where they were” meant an investment in asynchronous educational opportunities that extended the traditional reach of their respective Annual Meetings. These roles further strengthened my conviction to enthusiastically pursue activities that promoted member engagement regardless of location, thereby supporting the infrastructure on which faculty development could grow.
In 2008, my infrastructure journey took an important leap when I became the founding editor-in-chief of a, then new, journal, Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning. It was evident that the Academy needed another home for scholarly dissemination, but more importantly, that faculty needed to be met “where they were” in their scholarship trek. It was (and still is) gratifying to be instrumental in the creation, and now expansion and maintenance, of a publishing infrastructure on which our Academy scholars are successful.
From a professional organization perspective, a healthy, balanced governance and policy infrastructure is certainly paramount to the longevity of an organization. This provides the stability necessary for academy growth, especially during challenging times. As the nation has begun to embrace the tenets associated with diversity and inclusion, perhaps our organizational mantra should be, “Meet people as they are and where they are, not who or where you’d like them to be.”
The student cohorts of late have brought with them unique challenges that have tested the limits of faculty understanding and expertise. It is long overdue that we meaningfully meet our students, not only where they are, but more importantly, as they are. This means that we, as an academy, need to reimagine student engagement. If we don’t know who they are, then why should we expect them to trust us and learn with us? If they are not actively engaged with the curriculum, the campus, or the faculty, why should they attend class or return as supportive alumni? Should I be elected to become the next AACP president elect, I would like to put into place an academy-wide effort to learn more deliberately “who our students are” and what they bring to our classrooms and campus relationships. This could be implemented as:
Supporting SAFE Zone training to bring increased LGBTQ+ awareness and ally training. This includes a curricular presence in didactic, simulation, and experiential settings.
Exploring the challenges that a first-generation college student and/or international student faces to better support their academic journey. What are their unique needs in the classroom and experiential settings?
Engaging with neurodiverse students to improve educational accessibility/approachability that translates meaningfully into career-based skills and knowledge acquisition. This includes curricular recognition and inclusion of accessible patient education strategies.
Supporting mental health first-aid training for faculty and staff. Work to destigmatize mental health counseling and to train faculty to feel more competent as front line interventionalists.
I believe that my collective leadership experience has helped me hone the skills required to be an effective trailblazer within AACP. With a big personality and a strong conviction to make a difference, I believe that I have the skills and passion necessary to further propel AACP’s culture of accomplishment. I am drawn to the phrase “Go big or go home.” Let’s harness the considerable talent within the Academy to make an impact on the quality of our engagement with students. This effort has the potential to improve attrition/graduation rates, with the hope that students who feel understood and accepted may become better learners, leaders, and educators as a result. What more could we ask for as an Academy?