AACP’s Actions to Move the Academy Forward

In early June, AACP issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to foster an inclusive community, with diversity of thought, background, perspective and experience. Later that month, AACP joined with several national pharmacy organizations in taking a stand and vowing action against racial injustice, and updated that statement in mid-October with collective actions that all co-signing organizations have taken to-date. AACP’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Workgroup, initially formed in January to address the need for regular training for all leaders and staff, was expanded this spring, said Dr. Terri Moore, AACP’s senior director of academic services and one of the workgroup’s leaders.

“The group was given a more expansive charge ‘to provide guidance and strategy recommendations to AACP senior leadership related to organizational priorities and activities that advance our goals in diversity, equity and inclusion throughout our organization, including members, leadership and staff,’” she said. “This charge includes consideration of the steps AACP should take in supporting members’ DEI efforts and implementing the commitment to action communicated to members through the statements. The charge to the workgroup is intended to be long-term and ongoing.”

As staff co-liaison to the AACP Strategic Planning Committee, which began discussions in October, Moore said she anticipates that elements of the 2021–24 strategic plan will include attention to anti-racism efforts and addressing social injustices and inequality. She noted that AACP plans to collect member input as the work of diversity, inclusion, equity and racial justice continues.

AACP Responds to the Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping

AACP expresses serious concerns with the Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping released on September 22, 2020 and the Office of Management and Budget memorandum that, together, limit diversity, racism, and sexism training for federal employees, contractors and grantees. These communications, while vague and difficult to enforce, produce a chilling effect on educational initiatives that are needed in today’s workplaces to address historical and ongoing conscious and unconscious biases against marginalized groups in our society.

AJPE Extends the Deadline for Abstract Submissions for the Theme Issue “Moving from Injustice to Equity: A Time for the Pharmacy Profession to Take Action” to November 2

The American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education is soliciting manuscripts for inclusion in this special theme issue. Manuscripts (reviews, integrative reviews, research articles, qualitative research articles, briefs and commentaries) must have clear and rigorous methods that advance education, research, scholarship, and practice in pharmacy from the following categories and addressing one of the following topics:

Pharmacy Partnering with Communities

• Countering structural racism in health care (eg, understanding and countering mistrust, health policy, advocacy)
• Working with community to improve social justice and health equity
• Intersections of the tenets of social justice/health equity and pharmacy

Our Pharmacy Academic Community

• Ensuring representativeness of our faculty, staff and students in our colleges
• Professional education and preparing our learners for socially responsible health care practitioners
• Supporting a diverse intra-collegiate community, creating wellness and safety via programs and infrastructure

Authors should submit an extended abstract (1000 words) to lwelage@umn.edu using the subject line AJPE Thematic Edition by November 2, 2020. For more details, visit www.ajpe.org.

AJPE created a special collection of articles related to diversity and inclusion, and addressing disparities and inequalities that exist in healthcare and society.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Workshop, Co-hosted by the University of Mississippi

Save the Date: January 20–22, 2021

Expert speakers will provide guidance and strategy recommendations to teams of attendees related to activities that advance diversity, equity and inclusion throughout our Association. This includes consideration of the steps AACP should take in supporting members’ DEI efforts and implementing the commitment to action communicated to members and other organizations with the AACP statements on diversity, racism, inequality and injustice.

Registration opens soon.