I love this time of year! This is an exciting time for many reasons – professionally, July marks the beginning of a new year, undertaking planning for the upcoming academic year with new residents and faculty. On the personal front, there are Fourth of July celebrations, vacations, and time with family and friends.
One of the primary reasons I love early July is the annual Wimbledon Tennis Championships. Those of us who follow professional tennis have an opportunity this time of year to watch our favorite players do what they do best on the grass tennis courts. Over the past 2 weeks, I have watched as many Wimbledon matches as possible, listened to player press conferences, and followed the social media accounts of friends who were lucky enough to be there in person. This year was particularly special because it was the 100th anniversary of the tournament at its current location, the All England Club on Church Road, and the centenary of Centre Court. To mark the occasion, there was a celebration on Middle Sunday with musical performances, fireworks, and a star-filled lineup of past and present-day tennis legends standing side by side on Centre Court, all Wimbledon champions. It was truly inspirational to see these extraordinary athletes join together to celebrate this venue, the occasion of the tournament’s 100th year, and the players’ collective achievements in the sport they love.
One of the players who was recognized was Billie Jean King. In the 1960–1970s, King won 6 Wimbledon singles titles and 20 overall Wimbledon titles, along with titles at all other major tournaments. In addition to her tennis success, off the court, she has been a staunch advocate for equality for men and women in tennis and founded the Women’s Tennis Association, serving as its first president. I had the opportunity to meet King while working in Washington, D.C., several years after her retirement from professional tennis as she continued to advocate for gender equality in sports. I was impressed with her commitment to a cause she believed in strongly and the leadership she demonstrated in taking action for change. During the 2022 Wimbledon event, the tremendous respect she has garnered from peer champions and current players for her dedication and work to advance professional tennis and provide opportunities for all players was evident. A favorite Billie Jean King quote is, “Face your fears, live your passions, be dedicated to your truth.” I believe she models this, and her story demonstrates how her commitment to advancing the profession has provided a better future with more opportunities for athletes today. I believe we can all learn from King’s example and that of other leaders who are dedicated to their truth and go the extra mile to create opportunity for others.
ACCP is hard at work creating new opportunities and programs to advance clinical pharmacy. One of the College’s primary focuses continues to be moving forward comprehensive medication management (CMM) models in which clinical pharmacists work as part of the health care team to optimize medication use. Last year, findings from ACCP’s CMM in Primary Care Study were published, together with guidance for future directions and resources for its implementation. Also last year, ACCP began offering a 10-week virtual certificate program, Medication Optimization Through the Provision of Comprehensive Medication Management, which provides evidence-based, implementation-focused programming for international pharmacists interested in integrating CMM into their practice. Last month, the College launched the ACCP Academy CMM Implementation Certificate Program, designed to provide clinical pharmacists and clinical pharmacy administrators with the knowledge and skills to implement, enhance, or expand CMM services. This 12- to 24-month program focuses on the foundations and business aspects of CMM, its implementation and measurement, and the evaluation and reporting of CMM outcomes. The program incorporates on-demand modules, live consultancy sessions with CMM experts, and mentorship to develop business plans, collaborative practice agreements, documentation tools, and other CMM resources. Registration is now open, and more information is available at ACCP CMM Implementation Academy.
ACCP also continues to advance CMM as a founding member of the Get the Medications Right (GTMRx) Institute. In June, ACCP members participated with physician colleagues in a GTMRx webinar, “Building, Managing, and Sustaining Your CMM Practice,” to showcase the preliminary findings of the GTMRx National Registry of CMM Practices and to discuss CMM in organizations at various stages of maturity, highlighting the benefits and challenges encountered in successful implementation. I encourage you to explore the many CMM implementation resources offered through ACCP and GTMRx.
Recently, both the ACCP Foundation and Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc. (PPI) developed and released strategic plans. The ACCP Foundation’s Strategic Plan is focused on supporting and increasing innovation in clinical pharmacy practice, research, and scholarship. The plan outlines an emphasis on expanding opportunities across the career continuum for clinical pharmacists to engage in research and scholarship, including facilitating student pharmacist participation in research internships, developing innovative practice mini-sabbaticals or traineeships, and promoting scholar development programs offered collaboratively by the Foundation and PPI. New initiatives include a commitment to employing practices that embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Specific objectives of these initiatives include professional development for Foundation leadership to facilitate the incorporation of DEI principles into grant/award selection criteria and scholar development programs. Other new initiatives center on developing and disseminating practice innovations and funding opportunities to support projects focused on medication optimization. The ACCP Foundation’s detailed plan is available at ACCP Foundation Strategic Plan.
PPI, the publishing arm of ACCP overseeing Pharmacotherapy and the Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (JACCP), approved a new strategic plan in May. This plan continues to emphasize a commitment to improving human health through the dissemination of pharmacotherapeutic and clinical pharmacy scholarship, delivering value to key stakeholders, and ensuring long-term relevance. This plan also includes a new initiative to employ practices that embrace DEI in editorial and publishing policies and procedures. The PPI’s Strategic Plan is available at PPI Strategic Plan. Last month, Pharmacotherapy’s impact factor was released, which remarkably has increased to 6.251, an all-time high for the journal. This is outstanding and a testament to the hard work of the journal’s editor-in-chief, Dr. Lindsay DeVane, and its editors, editorial board members, authors, and reviewers. Congratulations to all on this significant achievement!
On the advocacy front, ACCP launched a new Advocacy in Action newsletter in June. This is an excellent way for members to stay informed about and engaged with the College’s advocacy work. The newsletter will be published quarterly, and the first issue is available at ACCP Advocacy in Action newsletter. To highlight a few key initiatives, ACCP joined pharmacy colleagues from across the profession to support the Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act (ECAPS), which enables Medicare patients to receive timely and consistent treatment from pharmacists for pandemic-related health services and facilitates pharmacist response to current and future threats to public health. In addition, ACCP and 28 other state and national pharmacy organizations united to request that Congress immediately take action to fully fund the Health Resources & Services Administration COVID-19 Uninsured Program and provide clarification that any currently unpaid claims will receive priority for reimbursement. Another advocacy initiative is focused on the “Cures 2.0” legislation (HR 6000). This proposed legislation includes a provision to cover payment for qualified clinical pharmacists delivering “pharmacogenetic consultations.” This is a great opportunity for ACCP members to engage in advocacy by contacting their elected officials in support of this and other ACCP policy initiatives. More information is available at Advocacy - Cures 2.0.
The ACCP Global Conference on Clinical Pharmacy will be held in San Francisco, October 15–18, 2022. What an exciting time to reconnect with colleagues in person! In addition to networking, exceptional educational and professional development sessions are planned. Recruitment events will include a Residency and Fellowship Poster Showcase –providing an opportunity to meet with training program representatives – and a Professional Placement Forum. In addition, as always, we look forward to the 2022 Clinical Pharmacy Challenge as students from different colleges and schools of pharmacy compete for the championship title. As a reminder, student, resident, and fellow research-in-progress abstracts were accepted through July 15, representing an excellent way for learners to engage in Annual Meeting activities and network with ACCP members. Registration for the Global Conference is open, and I hope you will plan to attend (see 2022 ACCP Global Conference information).
ACCP is committed to creating and providing opportunities to advance clinical pharmacy through the provision of CMM implementation resources, thoughtful planning for value-added Foundation and publication activities, collaborative advocacy initiatives, and programming and networking opportunities for ACCP members at all levels. Another favorite Billie Jean King quote is, “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” ACCP strives to provide meaningful professional opportunities for every member. We remain committed to our truth – to be the champion for clinical pharmacy, advancing our profession until we “get it right.”