UCSF School of Pharmacy Leads National Academies Workshop on Future of Pharmacy

The UCSF School of Pharmacy is leading a new National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine⁷ workshop — the first of its kind — that will bring together leaders and experts nationwide to address pressing workforce issues and formulate strategies that will shape the future of pharmacy.

The Innovations in Pharmacy Training and Practice to Advance Patient Care workshop⁸ from May 29 to 30 will explore pharmacy workforce solutions to eliminate pharmacy deserts, new models with expanded roles for pharmacists in health care delivery systems, strategies for collaborative care environments that reduce clinician burnout, and next generation training programs to prepare pharmacists for wider roles. The workshop will feature presentations, panel discussions, focused breakout groups and a research poster session.

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Dean Kathy Giacomini, PhD, BSPharm

“Convening leaders and experts from across pharmacy will enable us to tackle the challenging issues we are facing as a profession,” said Dean Kathy Giacomini, PhD, BSPharm¹⁰. “Our goal is to drive meaningful discussion and innovative solutions that will advance care for all.”

The 11-member planning committee is led by Jonathan Watanabe, PharmD, MS, PhD¹¹, chair of the school’s Department of Clinical Pharmacy. Sponsors include major pharmacy organizations — the American Pharmacists Association, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, American College of Clinical Pharmacy, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists — and past Dean Mary Anne Koda-Kimble, PharmD.

Two Years in the Making

Efforts to bring the workshop to fruition began in June 2023. Giacomini had long recognized the critical issues confronting the field of pharmacy. In her role as dean, Giacomini, who is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM)¹², began conferring with colleagues on how to best address them.

These colleagues included Claire Brindis, DrPH¹³, distinguished professor and emerita director of the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, who understood the importance of Giacomini’s vision. Brindis opened doors that allowed the School of Pharmacy to share its idea of a public workshop with the National Academies, a nonprofit organization that provides independent, objective advice to lawmakers at state, national and global levels to inform policy on key issues from workforce development to quality of care.

Claire Brindis, DrPh

“The school having this kind of vision and marshaling it with the reputation of the National Academies, which can convene economists, health professional training experts, the pharmaceutical industry and more, holds great promise,” said Brindis, who was elected to NAM in 2011 and served on its council. “The sky is the limit for the field of pharmacy, but it requires the synergy that can happen when such a convening takes place and a commitment to the future directions it illuminates.”

School leaders drafted a concept paper, which was circulated among pharmacy members of the National Academies, pharmacy school deans, and major professional pharmacy organizations, before it was submitted to the National Academies.

To transform the concept paper into a workshop, the school created a more detailed proposal on the workshop’s focus and sessions. Next, Giacomini embarked on an extensive fundraising campaign, securing contributions and further interest and commitment from pharmacy organizations and other supporters.

A Vision for the Future

Jonathan H. Watanabe, PharmD, PhD

The workshop is expected to result in the development of a vision, clearly identified solutions and a series of concrete next steps in pharmacy workforce development, improved quality of patient care, and successful models for expanded roles for pharmacists.

“The collaboration and insights from this event will set the stage for key milestones that will drive the future of pharmacy and pharmacy education,” Watanabe said. “The health care needs are constantly evolving, and as a profession we want to ensure that we continue to meet these needs that improve patients’ lives.”

Brindis added, “What are the promising opportunities and what barriers do we need to overcome for the field to flourish? Recommendations will emerge from this workshop that will help to provide guidance and direction for the next decades in this field."