Report of the Journal Editor

A Year of Thinking Off the Map

The results of surveys conducted by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) and the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists (ASHP) to investigate the extent and causes of problems in relationships between colleges of pharmacy and the pharmacy departments in their affiliated teaching hospitals are presented. For the AACP study, questionnaires were mailed to either the dean or the pharmacy practice department chairman of all 72 colleges, and a telephone interview was subsequently conducted with most of them. For the ASHP study, interviews were conducted with 67 directors of pharmacy in the colleges' principal affiliated teaching hospitals. Problems identified by the colleges related to quality or extent of services and finances. Most directors of pharmacy stated that they derived benefit from their affiliation with a college of pharmacy. The relationship between colleges of pharmacy and their teaching hospitals is relatively healthy and generally better than expected.

Administration and Evaluation of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Curriculum Quality Surveys in Pharmacy Schools

AJPE Welcomes Fjortoft and Schlesselman as Associate Editors

Assessment and Recommendations of Compounding Education in AACP Member Institutions

Creating Student Organizations to Promote Careers in Academic Pharmacy

Background: This study focuses on the development and validation of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Antiracism Staff Perceptions of College Climate (DEIA SPCC) Scale. The goal of this study was to create and validate a standardised tool to assess pharmacy staff perceptions of DEIA within their institutions, thereby aiding in the evaluation and advancement of DEIA initiatives in colleges of pharmacy. Methods: A 20-item survey covering four domains - diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism - was distributed to pharmacy staff through the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) directory. The survey's validity was assessed using factor analysis and reliability analysis. Results: There was a total of 135 staff member responses. Results demonstrated high reliability and consistency across all four domains, with the Cronbach’s alpha ranging between 0.764 to 0.951. Conclusion: The study concluded that the DEIA SPCC survey is a practical, validated tool for pharmacy institutions to assess and enhance their DEIA climate from the perspective of their staff, potentially extendable to other healthcare academic disciplines. Further research is suggested to validate the survey in broader contexts and explore the predictors of survey scores.

Call for Inclusion of Staff and Culture Change in Pharmacy Academia.

Editorial: Twenty‐Five Years Later…

The objective of this study was to assess the structure, resources, and activities of academic geriatrics courses in U.S. pharmacy schools. A cross-sectional study. Schools of pharmacy in the United States identified through the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). The survey was e-mailed (May 2003) to the academic chairs of the clinical pharmacy department and/or the head of geriatric pharmacy practice at each of the 84 schools of pharmacy in the United States. The primary measure was to assess the nature and extent of geriatrics course content in the responding schools. In addition, we elicited information on the type of geriatrics material taught, faculty involvement, student population, type of school, academic requirements, and experiential education. The questionnaire items were based on the current course content in geriatrics courses taught at the institution. Content validity of the questionnaire was assessed by administering the survey to three survey experts (including one in geriatrics); their suggestions were incorporated in redesigning the questionnaire. A total of 42 (50%) out of 84 schools responded. All responding schools had some form of geriatric education incorporated into their curriculum. However, the depth and breadth of the geriatric curriculum reported by the responding schools did not seem to be that different from results obtained by a 1985-1986 survey. Geriatric education in pharmacy schools has not increased proportionally with the expected increase in the geriatric population in the United States. Schools of pharmacy should make geriatric education a priority because the majority of patients whom pharmacists need to monitor or counsel currently are, and will continue to be, 65 years and older. Compared with a past study, the focus of current geriatrics education in pharmacy schools does not seem to have improved much despite the increasing need for geriatric practitioners and drug misadventures in the elderly.

The Status of PhD Education in Economic, Social, and Administrative Sciences Between 2005 and 2008

An Update on the Progress Toward Gender Equity in US Academic Pharmacy

Pharmacy Faculty Workplace Issues: Findings From the 2009-2010 COD-COF Joint Task Force on Faculty Workforce

The provision of pharmaceutical care has been incorporated into the mission statements of virtually every pharmaceutical organization in the USA. It is defined as ‘the responsible provision of drug therapy for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve a patient’s quality of life’ [1]. As such, the evolving fields of pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics complement the mission of pharmaceutical care by helping pharmacists to optimally individualize the shared responsibility of drug therapy with their patients [2]. The significant anticipated opportunities and challenges that pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics will bring to healthcare was the catalyst for an Academic Affairs Committee of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) report in 2002 [3]. The committee reported the potential impact that pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics might have on the future roles of pharmacists [3]. In addition, the committee reported how pharmacy education might respond to this evolving knowledge base, in order to meet the needs of the profession and society. Guided by the National Coalition for Health Professional Education (NCHPEG) recommendations regarding health professional core competencies in genetics, the committee identified educational strategies and curricular outcomes, and addressed faculty development and resource implementation issues [3,4]. The AACP Academic Affairs Committee reported that the opportunities presented by pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics are significant, by stating: “the process will be to collect a single blood sample from each patient, submit an aliquot of the sample to a reference laboratory for analysis of a panel of genotypes, and test for those established to be important determinants of drug disposition and effects. The results of this one panel of tests would be electronically deposited into a secure database, into and out of which data can be accessed only with the patient’s authorization” [3]. Pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics present tremendous opportunities for pharmacists because of their potential to result in a true patient-specific customization of drug therapy that will optimize the provision of pharmaceutical care. The committee concluded that most disciplines in pharmacy education will be affected by pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics, and faculties will require requisite skills and knowledge in order to provide the latest research information to students regarding optimal applications and treatment choices [3]. They identified three salient domains, and several skills and competencies within each, in which pharmacists should be proficient. The domains included: the genetic basis of disease, drug discovery and disposition, ethical applications, and social and economic implications.

Improving pharmacy education requires continuous research to optimize education and consequently pharmacy practice. The goal of this study is to assess national and international contributions to pharmacy education research and present results in comparative bibliometric format. Search strategy based on journal name and specific keywords pertaining to pharmacy education were used to retrieve the worldwide literature in pharmacy education using Scopus database during the period from 2000 to 2016. Bibliometric indicators were presented as top 10 list of countries, institutions and authors. VOSviewer was used to visualize international collaboration, while ArcMap10.1 software was used for geographical mapping of publications. A total of 5363 documents, mostly as research articles (4027; 75.1%), were retrieved. A noticeable increase in publications was seen from 2007 to 2011. The USA contributed to more than half (53.6%) of worldwide research output. Saudi Arabia had the highest percentage of international authors representing international collaboration. There was an increase in multi-authored publications with time. The American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education (AJPE) ranked first (2822, 52.6%) while the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) had the largest research output with 141 (2.6%) publications. The vast majority of highly cited articles were published in AJPE, and highly cited topics included the use of social media in pharmacy education and the multi-professional learning experience. Pharmacy education research is gaining momentum and is addressing various fields in education. Research in pharmacy education should be encouraged, particularly in developing countries, where education and practice are still lagging behind.