AACP 2017 Annual Meeting to Highlight Pharmacy Education

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) is holding its annual meeting from July 15-19, in Nashville, Tennessee. The event will showcase topics important to pharmacy and pharmacy education, such as the current health care environment, and will focus on patient care and counseling.

With more than 50 special sessions and nearly 500 educational posters, the conference will provide ample opportunity for pharmacists to be in the know on the dynamic changes taking place in pharmacy education.

A few key highlights not to miss include:

• Opening General Session: Building Bridges in a Dynamic, Ever-Changing Health care Environment

To kick-off the meeting, Kevin E. Lofton, MBA, and chief executive officer of Englewood, Colorado-based Catholic Health Initiatives, will be leading a discussion on health-system leadership. Mr. Lofton will highlight his experiences and discuss changes of direction as health care moves toward a patient-centered approach that emphasizes the inclusion of pharmacists and pharmacy.

• Science Plenary: Science=Solutions: The Opioid Crisis in the USA

Wilson M. Compton, MD, MPE, deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health, will be discussing a variety of topics related to the opioid crisis in the United States. Topics will include the rising incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome. Dr. Compton will also discuss primary approaches to addressing the opioid epidemic and how pharmacists can play key roles in pain medication management.

• Health Care Ethics SIG: Ethical Dilemmas in Pharmacotherapy — Communication and Conflict Resolution Skills for the Pharmacy Learner Continuum

This session will provide pharmacy educators with skills and communication practices needed in conflict management and resolution to adapt to shifting roles of pharmacists as providers. The session will focus on ethical dilemmas that pharmacists may face in patient care.

Additionally, the meeting offers 3 pre-sessions on Saturday, July 15:

• Teachers Seminar: Learning is NOT a Spectator Sport: Active Learning in Pharmacy Curricula
• Joseph T. DiPiro Excellence in Publishing Workshop
• Early Career Faculty Program: Strategies for Grant-Writing Success

AACP’s top awards will also be presented throughout the meeting, including the Robert K. Chalmers Distinguished Pharmacy Educator Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, and Distinguished Teaching Scholars award.

Check back to our website for live coverage of the meeting throughout the week and follow us on social media to stay up-to-date.