School of Pharmacy Honored with Education Award

AACP’s Crystal APPLE Award Recognizes Exceptional Practice Partnerships

By Becky Ceraul
June 9, 2008

The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and Frank Pucino, PharmD, of the Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have been awarded the 2008 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Crystal APPLE Award for achieving excellence in providing exemplary experiential education for students.

The AACP Crystal APPLE (Academic-Practice Partnerships for Learning Excellence) Award recognizes the contributions of faculty and administrators at colleges and schools of pharmacy, and the pharmacist practitioner educators and administrators who are their practice partners in successfully conducting and supporting quality experiential education in exemplary patient care clinical teaching environments. Merck & Company, Inc. provides generous sponsorship for the project.

“The AACP Crystal APPLE awards program seeks to identify the most exemplary clinical education sites as judged by students and peers and hold them up as models for the Academy,” explained Dr. Lucinda L. Maine, AACP executive vice president and CEO. “The competition for this prestigious recognition is intense and reflects the strong commitment to quality experiential education of these academic-practice partners.”

Since becoming a preceptor for the School of Pharmacy in 1996, Dr. Pucino has mentored dozens of students, all of whom praise his professionalism and integrity. “I am very thankful that Dr. Pucino has been selected for the Crystal APPLE Award,” said Cynthia Boyle, PharmD, director of the Experiential Learning Program at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. “I believe he is the ultimate clinician-educator for his high standards of practice and his dedication to students. Dr. Pucino’s honor also recognizes the Experiential Learning Program and the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. We can be proud of our comprehensive, rigorous program, the tools we provide to preceptors and students, and the quality measures which help to prepare our students for their roles in practice. Our school has benefited from our partnership with the NIH Clinical Center, and we appreciate the support of preceptors, alumni, and stakeholders that educate our students and hire our graduates.”

The School of Pharmacy’s Experiential Learning Program is a partnership among students, faculty, clinical faculty (preceptors), School administration, and stakeholders. The program’s goal is to develop in each student pharmacist the professional judgment and competencies needed to skillfully perform the functions and meet the responsibilities of a pharmacist in a wide range of practice environments.

“The Clinical Center at the NIH brings a unique blend of noteworthy research and clinical practice to our program,” says Boyle. “The experience is an optimal environment for multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural health care in which pharmacists are valued caregivers.”

The School of Pharmacy and the Clinical Center at the NIH will be honored with a Tiffany & Co. crystal apple and plaque, as well as an honorarium for professional development during the 2009 AACP Interim Meeting Awards Ceremony on Monday, February 23, 2009 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Va.