A Rising Research Star

What will be your research focus within the NAM fellowship?

So the Academy, often commissioned by the government, puts together groups of experts to look at certain aspects of science that the government needs an answer for. The idea is that I would become involved in one or two studies that are related to my expertise. We are still waiting for a match of where my areas of expertise are going to fit the studies that they have.

Do you have any specific goals for the fellowship?

We have demonstrated during Covid that pharmacies are a key part of access to healthcare and that we can help with many services beyond drug dispensing. And this is probably going to be increasingly important as we’re expected to have a shortage of clinicians in the next few decades. I would like to understand what evidence would be important to generate to support policymaking that expands the role of pharmacists in the provision of clinical services.

How are you working with AACP under this fellowship to advance pharmacy?

I’m an academic and they are the leading organization in pharmacy education, so I would like to join efforts with them and support their current objectives to advance pharmacy education and the profession. We’re going to try to brainstorm how we can use this opportunity that they have gifted us with to try to work on pharmacy education and advancing pharmacy practice.

The pandemic has demonstrated, not only in the U.S., that pharmacists are accessible healthcare providers who are at the forefront of healthcare delivery. The flexibilities associated with the PREP Act have improved access to important services such as immunizations. Surveys show that 70 percent of adults would like those pandemic flexibilities to stay. It is therefore a crucial time for pharmacists and pharmacy organizations to advocate for those flexibilities to stay beyond the pandemic. We also need to leverage the momentum generated by the crucial role that pharmacy has had in the handling of Covid to advocate for the recognition of provider status and for the development of reimbursement models that ensure the financial sustainability of independent pharmacies.

I have recently asked the leaders of pharmacy organizations to let us know if, as researchers, we can contribute to the development of evidence that they believe will be key to advocating on the Hill for these policies, which are of major relevance for health equity.

Have you done anything to celebrate getting the fellowship?

I really like my job, so I often do not celebrate professional achievements—I feel what is worth of celebration is the opportunity that I have every day to work in the field, guiding my own research agenda and generating the next generation of pharmacists. I often tell my students that the beauty lies in the path, not the landmark achievements. The constant pursuit of the next objective can leave you unsatisfied when you achieve those goals you set for yourself, because then it is hard to figure out what is the next thing. I think the approach to satisfaction and personal achievement in academia is to enjoy your job every day. I wish I had realized that in my earlier years as an academic pharmacist.

Emily Jacobs is a freelance writer based in Toledo, Ohio.