[Editor’s Note. ACCP’s “About…” series is intended to inform members of the College’s work in developing, advancing, and positioning clinical pharmacists within the health care environment. The series highlights the College’s collaborative work with partner organizations to address ACCP’s mission and strategic plan.]

Founded in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) is one of three academies that make up the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies or NASEM) with the mission of improving health for all by advancing science, accelerating health equity, and providing independent, authoritative, and trusted advice nationally and globally. Operating under the 1863 congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academies provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.

NAM has more than 2,000 members elected by its peers in recognition of professional achievement and commitment to volunteer service in advancing the mission of the National Academies. NAM elects 70 U.S. members and 10 international members annually. For those at the top of their field, NAM membership reflects the height of professional accomplishment and dedication to serving others.

Through its commitment to science and knowledge, NAM’s program of activities aims to advance the evidence base by providing independent, objective, evidence-based advice on matters of medicine, health, biomedical sciences, and health policy. Information on current NAM programs can be found at https://nam.edu/programs/.

ACCP’s Professional Affairs Activities with NAM

ACCP has joined the Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic as a network organization. Together with the other 125+ network organizations, ACCP submitted a commitment statement that can be found here. The collaborative is a public-private partnership composed of government, health systems, payers, industry, nonprofits, academia, accreditors, consultants, community organizations, and professional societies. The collaborative is committed to sharing knowledge, aligning ongoing initiatives, and advancing collective, multisector solutions to improve outcomes for individuals, families, and communities affected by the opioid crisis. Future activities of the collaborative will span public meetings, expert publications, and the development of an information hub, among other efforts.

ACCP is also participating in the NAM Forum on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders. The Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies created the forum to provide a structured environment and neutral venue for discussing data, policies, practices, and systems that affect the diagnosis and provision of care for mental health and substance use disorders. Forum activities will emphasize potential opportunities for action and may include expert meetings, public workshops, and webinars; summary publications; and targeted communications and community engagement. Forum members and participants will include federal, state, and local government officials; representatives of consumer and family advocacy groups; service providers; payers; policy analysts; researchers; educators; and representatives of relevant professional associations and foundations.

Through an endowment from ACCP and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the NAM Fellowship in Pharmacy was established under the National Academy of Medicine Fellowship in Pharmacy program. This program enables talented, early-career health policy or health science clinicians and scholars to participate actively in the work of NAM and further their careers as future leaders in the field. During this 2-year fellowship, fellows are expected to continue working at their current institution while assigned to a health- and medicine-related board of the National Academies, attend its meetings, and actively participate in the work of an appropriate expert study committee or roundtable. The current 2018–2020 fellow is Dima Qato, Pharm.D., MPH, Ph.D., a nationally recognized pharmacist and pharmacoepidemiologist currently on faculty in the Department of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes & Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy. Nominations for the 2020–2022 NAM pharmacy fellow will open in March 2020. Additional information on the program and eligibility requirements can be found here on the NAM website.