ASHP Votes to Create Section of Specialty Pharmacy Practitioners

At the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Board of Directors meeting held at their summer meeting this week, the board voted unanimously to create a new ASHP Section of Specialty Pharmacy Practitioners. The new section will provide an enhanced focus on ASHP’s efforts to help its members provide optimal patient care and comprehensive medication therapy management in the specialty pharmacy environment in hospitals and health systems.

The new ASHP Section of Specialty Pharmacy Practitioners will be composed of ASHP members who practice in broad and diverse specialty pharmacy areas, as well as individuals who help manage and support the interface between specialty pharmacies, their organizations, and the patients they serve. Members of the new section will be vital leaders in shaping ASHP’s agenda to provide a broad range of education, tools, resources, strategic initiatives, professional policies, and advocacy in support of their interests as specialty pharmacy practitioners.

“ASHP is extremely excited about the creation of this important new Section of Specialty Pharmacy Practitioners,” ASHP Chief Executive Officer, Paul W. Abramowitz, PharmD, FASHP said in a press release. “We believe that ASHP is the perfect home for all pharmacy practitioners in hospitals and health systems who are interested or engaged in specialty pharmacy, including pharmacy technicians, residents, and students. We look forward to the formation of the new section executive committee so that we can quickly advance ASHP’s efforts to provide the education, tools, and resources to help them be effective practitioners and leaders on behalf of their organizations and the patients they serve.”

ASHP officials are now working to appoint the new section executive committee that will begin meeting in fall 2018. Membership and engagement in the new section will be available to all ASHP members soon thereafter.