The American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) held their Global Conference in Seattle at the end of October. There were ten presentations from CU Pharmacy faculty and over 20 poster presentations from faculty and students.
Three fourth-year students, Nikolas Kovacich, Amanda Van Matre, and Kiley Fuller, competed in 
the quarterfinals of the Clinical Pharmacy Challenge. Unfortunately, they did not move onto the semifinals but we are still very proud of them and their hard work, "They performed quite well and truly represented CU," said their faculty advisor, Joel Marrs, PharmD.
CU Pharmacy alum Dan Crona (10') received a Junior Investigator Award and was recognized at the meeting.
Faculty members Allison Blackmer, PharmD and Katy Trinkley, PharmD, were elected as Fellows of ACCP and were recognized during a special ceremony at the conference. Recognition as a Fellow is awarded to ACCP members who have demonstrated a sustained level of excellence in clinical pharmacy practice and/or research.
CU Pharmacy faculty member Sarah Anderson, PharmD was presented with the Adult Medicine PRN Clinical Practice Award.
For faculty member, Brian Hemstreet, PharmD, it was his last meeting serving on ACCP's Board of Regents and the Pharmacotherapy Publications Incorporation Board of Directors. We asked him a few questions about the work he did with ACCP, his new role with CU Pharmacy as Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and how the start of the school year is going:
How was ACCP’s Global Conference this year?
Overall the conference was excellent. Every 3-5 years ACCP expands their annual meeting to a global conference format in order to incorporate international attendees. This was ACCP’s most well attended meeting to date, with representatives from 30 countries in attendance. The educational sessions and presentations were highly informative and included areas such as therapeutics, practice innovations, education, policy and advocacy, and professional development. The opportunity hear from the thought leaders in all of these areas makes the meeting a great place to hear the most cutting edge information. Programming specific to student pharmacists and pharmacy residents is also included, which makes the meeting a great place for networking and professional developing for future pharmacy leaders.
Describe what your role has been with ACCP
I have been highly active in ACCP for the last 20 years in a variety of roles. Most recently I completed terms on the ACCP Board of Regents and the Pharmacotherapy Publications Incorporation Board of Directors. The Board of Regents serves as the oversight body for the organization, which currently has over 16,000 members. The Pharmacotherapy Publications Incorporation Board of Directors oversees ACCP’s official journals, Pharmacotherapy, and the Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. These have been both highly fulfilling and exciting opportunities to serve ACCP at the national level.
I’ve served on several ACCP committees and task forces, and have participated as an abstract reviewer, poster judge, moderator, and speaker at several ACCP meetings. I’ve had the opportunity to chair both the Adult Medicine and GI/Liver/Nutrition Practice Research Networks (PRNs) within ACCP, and served on the ACCP Pharmacotherapy Board Certification Preparatory Course faculty from 2004-2015 in the area of gastrointestinal disorders.
I served on the editorial board for the seventh edition of the Pharmacotherapy Self-Assessment Program (PSAP) including authoring chapters in the fifth, sixth, and eight editions of PSAP. In addition, I served on the faculty of the ACCP Emerge from the Crowd: How to Become a Standout Residency Candidate program from 2012-2015. I currently serve as a reviewer for the ACCP Field Guide to Becoming a Standout Pharmacy Residency Candidate, and the ACCP Annual Clinical Pharmacy Challenge. I’ve had the opportunity to judge the quarterfinal and semi-final rounds of the ACCP Annual Clinical Pharmacy Challenge at the annual meeting over the last several years.
Talk about the presence of CU Pharmacy faculty, staff and students at this year’s conference
The CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy is always highly represented at the national ACCP meetings. Several CU faculty presented at multiple educational sessions over the course of the meeting. These sessions were highly attended. Many faculty and students also presented posters on their current research. I had the pleasure of catching up with many current and former CU Pharmacy students during the meeting. It was also very exciting to see the CU student team make it to the quarterfinals of the ACCP Clinical Pharmacy Challenge.
You have recently returned to CU Pharmacy in a new role, talk about your current position with the school
After serving on the faculty from 2000-2014, it was a great opportunity to return to the program as the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs (ADSA). In my position as ADSA I oversee the Office of Student Services, which includes many excellent staff members devoted to our students. My main responsibilities include overall planning and coordination of admissions and student services programs. This involves managing the application and admissions processes, and supporting student needs as they relate to academic, social, or professional matters. I work with the other student affairs leaders on campus on efforts to improve the student experience on campus. I am hoping to eventually resume some teaching in the program as well.
How is the start of the school year going?
The school year is going great so far, and everyone has been extremely welcoming and supportive. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet the new students from class of 2022, as well as many of their family members, during orientation and the White Coat Ceremony. I’m slowly getting to meet many of the students in the second, third, and fourth years of the program as well. I’ve been very impressed with how hard the students are working, how involved many of them are in our student organizations, and how committed to success they are. I was very honored to be asked to be the speaker at this year’s Phi Lambda Sigma Induction Ceremony in September. I’m looking forward to counting to get to know the students better. Lastly, major initiatives for the rest of the year include revising many of the current student related policies and procedures for the program and identifying additional means for providing student support at the campus level. I look forward to a productive year and to working closely with the faculty, staff, and students.
Next year, ACCP's Annual Meeting will be held October 26-29, 2019, in New York City and will mark the 40th anniversary of ACCP as an organization.
