The 2013–14 Argus Commission assessed the status of academic pharmacy with respect to diversity and inclusion in the broadest sense of these terms and in all elements of the academic mission. Two policy statements were forwarded for adoption by the House of Delegates and seven recommendations were made for a significantly expanded effort in support of our members’ goals in this area.

Academic Affairs Final Reports are published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education.

Academic Affairs Special Report on Entrustable Professional Activities from 2015-16 and 2016–17 Committees

Academic Affairs Final Report 2015–16

The Council on Credentialing in Pharmacy (CCP) is a coalition of pharmacy organizations committed to providing leadership, guidance, public information and coordination for credentialing programs in or relevant to pharmacy. The vision of CCP is that all credentialing programs in pharmacy will meet established standards of quality and contribute to improvement in patient care and the overall public health.

AACP Institutional and Individual Members continuously work with other sectors of pharmacy and health care that provide examples of successful practices. These documents describe successful collaborations involving AACP members in various aspects of education, practice and research.

• Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy Collaborations with Pharmacy Technician Education/Training Programs: The 2014 Professional Affairs Committee solicited information regarding successful collaborative practices between colleges/schools of pharmacy and pharmacy technician education/training programs. Nineteen responses to this inquiry were received and are described.
   
• Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy Collaborations with State Pharmacy Associations and State Boards of Pharmacy: The 2013 Professional Affairs Committee solicited information regarding successful collaborative practices between colleges/schools of pharmacy, state pharmacy associations and state boards of pharmacy. Fourteen responses to this inquiry were received and are described.
   
• Medication Adherence Educators Toolkit: This toolkit identifies teaching strategies to prepare student pharmacists to detect, monitor, and improve medication adherence in pharmacy practice was developed by a special AACP and National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Advisory Committee. The best practices and resources presented in this toolkit have been divided into one of four categories: Assessing Medication Adherence, Improving Medication Adherence Through the Use of Aids, Empowering Patients to Improve Medication Adherence, and Resolving Barriers to Medication Adherence.
   
• Medication Adherence Educators Challenge Submissions Summary: This document summarizes the submissions to the Innovative Medication Adherence Educators Challenge jointly issued by AACP and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA). These educational tools provide information on the medication adherence educational strategies implemented by academic pharmacy. Medication Therapy Management Curricular Strategies: AACP and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) jointly issued a call for best practices for integrating Medication Therapy Management (MTM) into pharmacy school curricula. There is a summary report of submissions and a full report of submissions.
   
• Effective Partnerships to Implement Pharmacists' Services in Team-Based, Patient-Centered Healthcare: The 2011 Professional Affairs Committee solicited information regarding collaborations and programs that colleges and schools of pharmacy have with outside entities that have contributed to the implementation of pharmacist services for team-based, patient-centered care. Information from 13 member institutions describing 23 collaborations were received and are described.
   
• Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy Faculty Retention Initiatives: AACP solicited information from Institutional Members in 2011 regarding initiatives that have been established to retain pharmacy school faculty. Responses from four institutional members with a total of six initiatives were received and are described.
   
• Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy Involvement with Pharmacists Integration in Primary Care Practice: The 2010 Professional Affairs Committee solicited information regarding how colleges and schools of pharmacy have integrated pharmacists into primary care models and/or practices. There were 28 academic pharmacy-affiliated practices received and are described.

What is Pharmaceutical Science?

Pharmaceutical science, defined by the AACP Research and Graduate Affairs Committee, encompasses a broad range of interdisciplinary fields related to drug discovery, optimization, delivery, optimal dosing, as well as health outcomes and policy. Disciplines of pharmaceutical sciences may include, but are not limited to, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutics, pharmacogenetics, pharmacology, biotechnology, pharmacoeconomics, pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacokinetics/clinical pharmacokinetics, clinical pharmacy/ pharmacotherapy, patient safety, regulatory science, health informatics, outcomes, and public health aspects of drug discovery and optimization.

Some common subdisciplines of pharmaceutical science are defined below.

Medicinal Chemistry

Medicinal chemistry is the application of chemical research techniques to the synthesis of pharmaceuticals. During the early stages of medicinal chemistry development, scientists were primarily concerned with the isolation of medicinal agents found in plants. Today, scientists in this field are also equally concerned with the creation of new synthetic drug compounds. Medicinal chemistry is almost always geared toward drug discovery and development.¹

Pharmacology

Pharmacology is the science of drug action on biological systems. It embraces knowledge of the sources, chemical properties, biological effects and therapeutic uses of drugs. Pharmacologists are also involved in molecular modeling of drugs and the use of drugs as tools to dissect aspects of cell function.²

Toxicology

Toxicology is the study of the adverse effects of chemical, physical, or biological agents on living organisms and the ecosystem, including the prevention and amelioration of such adverse effects. Toxicologists are scientists that often work in academic institutions, government, or industry.³

Pharmaceutics

Pharmaceutics is a multidisciplinary science that examines the relationships between drug formulation, delivery, disposition and clinical response. Most graduates are employed in the pharmaceutical industry and academia.⁴

Social Administrative Sciences

The widespread use and dependency on drugs and drug products in today's society, coupled with an increased utilization and application of pharmaceutical services, has created a need for individuals who can study the social, psychosocial, political, legal, historic and economic factors that impinge upon the use, non-use and abuse of drugs. A number of critical factors shaping the health policies in the United States and around the world emphasize the need for increased research concerning the role of pharmaceuticals and the pharmacy practitioner in new and old systems of health care. Social administrative sciences foster the application of behavior-oriented interdisciplinary theories to pharmacy problem solving and pharmacy system development. Positions of responsibility and leadership are available in the pharmaceutical distribution systems of industrial and wholesaling practice, in clinically centered environments, in professional pharmacy organizations, in agencies of government, and in educational institutions.⁵

Clinical Pharmacy and Translational Sciences

The discipline of clinical and translational science encompasses a broad spectrum of research, extending from basic discoveries with implications for human health to community-based epidemiologic and health services studies – and back! The unifying theme is a commitment to apply scientific methodologies to address a health need. As such, clinical and translational research is a multi-dimensional, cross-cutting discipline that encompasses multidisciplinary investigative teams from many different subspecialty areas. Moreover, success in clinical and translational science commonly requires constructive partnerships with industry, granting agencies, public health agencies, and regulatory agencies. Thus, many thousands of individuals in the United States are engaged in, or support, clinical and translational research.⁶

Regulatory Affairs

Regulatory affairs is concerned with the development and enforcement of regulations to ensure the safety and efficacy of healthcare products.⁷

Regulatory Science

Regulatory science assesses the safety, efficacy, quality and performance of products.⁸

Resources:

1. American Chemical Society
2. American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
3. Society of Toxicology
4. University of Washington School of Pharmacy
5. University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy
6. Association for Clinical and Translational Science
7. Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society
8. U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Professional Affairs Final Reports are published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education.

Professional Affairs Final Committee Report 2015-2016 - Priming the Preceptor Pipeline: Collaboration, Resources, and Recognition

Professional Affairs Final Committee Report 2014-2015 - Producing Practice-Ready Pharmacy Graduates in an Era of Value-Based Healthcare

Professional Affairs Committee Final Report 2013-14 - Advancing the Pharmacy Profession Together through Pharmacy Technician and Pharmacy Education Partnerships

Student Professionalism Special Committee Report

This committee convened in 2011 and was charged to examine the status of various initiatives, which aim to build and assess professional attitudes and behaviors in student pharmacists, including:

The Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) is a centralized application service that is used by the majority of colleges and schools of pharmacy. Designed for first-year professional pharmacy degree applicants, PharmCAS offers a simple, efficient process to apply to multiple colleges and schools of pharmacy using a single Web-based application. High school students, B.S. Pharmacy degree graduates, and current student pharmacists who wish to transfer to another pharmacy degree program should contact institutions directly for instructions.

Is Pharmacy Right for You?

There has never been a better time for students to consider a rewarding career in pharmacy. The demand for trained pharmacy professionals has dramatically increased in recent years due to the rapid growth of the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, especially for the growing elderly population. The number of pharmacists in healthcare services is also increasing as pharmacists become more actively involved in medication therapy decision-making for patients of all ages.

If you enjoy working with people, excel in science and would like a rewarding career in healthcare, PHARMACY may be the right career for you!

Learn more about pharmacy careers on AACP's Pharmacy Is Right for Me website at www.pharmacy4me.org.

The 2011–2012 Argus Commission, in their report, Cultivating 'Habits of Mind' in the Scholarly Pharmacy Clinician, recommended that colleges and schools of pharmacy identify the most effective validated assessments of inquisitiveness, critical thinking, and professionalism for use in admissions. They also recommended that pre-pharmacy requirements be minimized in favor of the aforementioned assessments as well as considering pre-pharmacy experiences that develop an inquisitive mind.