A record-setting Pharmacy Education 2018 showcased an Academy focused on building future leaders in healthcare who are dedicated to helping people live healthier, better lives.
By Kyle R. Bagin
Boston was a fitting host for the 2018 AACP Annual Meeting, as a historic number of attendees gathered to learn, connect and shape the future of the profession. Amid discussions focused on the growth in roles for the pharmacist and an ongoing opioid epidemic, Pharmacy Education 2018 served as the premier space for the Academy to gather its thoughts and find its voice.
Happy at Work
“When we look at the [research], studies all show the same thing—When we are happy, we are more effective in the workplace. We learn happier, better, faster and more.”
During the Opening General Session, best-selling author Dr. Annie McKee shared her insight into the power of purpose, hope and friendship in creating happiness and resultantly, ensuring a healthy and productive workplace. “Work needs to feel like a calling, not a job,” she began.
This progress, however, isn’t achieved without leadership and discipline. “Great leadership starts with personal transformation,” she said. “Outdated myths and mindsets about the meaning of work hold back the development of more great leaders.”
The push to dispel outdated mindsets continued into Monday’s Science Plenary, with keynote speakers Dr. Marjorie Jenkins and Dr. Rebecca Sleeper. “Women’s health is not sex and gender medicine. Sex and gender variables are basic tenants to provide personalized patient care and move toward precision medicine,” Dr. Jenkins began the plenary.
By first presenting a brief regulatory history of women’s inclusion in research activities and clinical trials, the duo quickly proved their point. “It’s amazing that when we talk about evidence-based care and medicine, we sometimes forget the research pipeline may not be applicable to everyone every single time,” Dr. Jenkins stated. Or put more simply, “Without the data, science cannot find the answer.”
Tuesday’s General Session took a further look into the future, as Dr. Bertha Madras, professor of psychobiology at Harvard Medical School, called upon pharmacists to continue their work fighting the ongoing opioid crisis. “Pharmacy has many roles to play,” she stated. “But above all, they are at the intersection of physicians and patients.”
Addressing the Academy specifically, Dr. Madras told the crowd, “You are laying the groundwork for future pharmacists,” and preparing them to face the opioid issue head-on.
