AACP Transformation Center

Center to Accelerate Pharmacy Practice Transformation and Academic Innovation

In November 2021, AACP launched the Center to Accelerate Pharmacy Practice Transformation and Academic Innovation (AACP Transformation Center), a new unit within AACP’s organizational structure designed to embolden academic pharmacy’s contributions to increase the pace of change in pharmacy education and practice. AACP’s vision is that, in collaboration with its members, our work will create a world of healthy people. Optimization of medication use by integrating the expertise of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists into current and evolving models of care delivery is an essential component, and the AACP Transformation Center (ATC) is central to this vision.

The AACP Transformation Center is a unit within the association that identifies, develops, implements, communicates, and evaluates programs, products and services germane for pharmacy education and pharmacy practice innovation and transformation that can be utilized by pharmacy academia (the Academy) and other collaborators. The ATC will accelerate innovation and transformation at the intersection of pharmacy education and pharmacy practice through leveraging the untapped potential of colleges and schools of pharmacy and collaborators to be a catalyst for change. The intersection of pharmacy education and pharmacy practice transformation includes but is not limited to integral and dramatic changes, shifts from the past, and transitions to meet today’s demands. Innovation in pharmacy education and pharmacy practice includes but is not limited to new and/or unique ideas, processes, methods, products, and resources. Transformation and innovation are often complementary. Advocacy, on an individual, organizational, and/or systemic level, is often an integral aspect to achieve pharmacy education and pharmacy practice transformation.

Goals

Programmatic Focus Areas

The programmatic focus areas of the ATC will embolden the Academy’s contributions to increase the pace of change in pharmacy education and pharmacy practice. Individual person-centered care (e.g., patient, caregiver, and family-centered) and/or population-based care should be an integral part of all programmatic focus areas. It is also important that the programmatic focus areas be intentional, strategic, and relevant for the Academy, the pharmacy profession, and public health.

The first programmatic area that is currently being focused on is Community-Based Pharmacy Practice.

Expert Advisory Council

The AACP Transformation Center is guided by an Expert Advisory Council (EAC). The EAC serves as subject matter experts to:

• Expand the scope and advise on the work and activities of the ATC.
• Provide insight and experience from diverse areas of healthcare.
• Create and develop partnerships within pharmacy and with external collaborators.

The EAC is comprised of individuals from diverse professional disciplines, different areas of expertise in pharmacy education and pharmacy practice, and various geographic regions.

2024-2025 Initiatives and Programs

• Academia-Community Transformation (ACT) Pharmacy Collaborative Signature Programs (See details on the ACT Pharmacy Collaborative below)
  • Community Pharmacy Student Scholar Leaders
  • Community Pharmacy Practice Transformation Badge
  • Community Pharmacy Centers of Excellence
• Community Pharmacy Foundation (CPF) Grant-Funded Project: In March 2024, the AACP Transformation Center (ATC) received grant funding through the Community Pharmacy Foundation (CPF) for a project titled “Establishing Measures of Quality for Community-based Pharmacy Practice Experiential Education”, in partnership with the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of South Carolina. The objectives of this project are to define criteria for “high quality” community-based pharmacy experiential education sites, map best practice experiential activities for community-based pharmacy to Curriculum Outcomes and Entrustable Professional Activities (COEPA) standards and create resources to implement adoption of “high quality” community-based pharmacy experiential education criteria for colleges and schools of pharmacy and community-based pharmacy experiential education sites.
• Medical Billing for Educators Programming Series
  • Foundational Language for Teaching Medical Billing in the PharmD Curriculum Webinar (Fall 2024)
    • Prerequisite for the workshop
  • Medical Billing for Pharmacy Educators 1-Day Workshop (Nov. 14, 2024)
    • Goal: Prepare pharmacy faculty to produce graduating pharmacists with an understanding of the basics of medical billing and coding.

Additional ATC Resources