UMSOP Receives National Recognition for Community Pharmacy Efforts

The School has been named an ACT Community Pharmacy Center of Excellence.

By Andrew Tie
October 11, 2024

The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP) has been designated an ACT Community Pharmacy Center of Excellence by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).

The recognition from the Academia-Community Transformation (ACT) Pharmacy Collaborative and AACP, the country’s leading higher education pharmacy organization, reflects the School’s ongoing commitment to advancing community pharmacy through teaching, service, scholarship, leadership, and partnerships.

The 17 Centers of Excellence in this inaugural cohort will serve as ambassadors for pharmacy academia through convenings with pharmacy and health care industry leaders, uniting to mobilize and amplify community pharmacy practice transformation efforts.

“Community pharmacy is the heart of the pharmacy profession and what most people associate with pharmacists,” said Sarah L.J. Michel, PhD, dean of the School and professor of pharmaceutical sciences. “UMSOP’s faculty, in partnership with organizations in Baltimore and surrounding communities, are strongly invested in our communities and the health of our patients. The School’s community pharmacy faculty are exemplars of these efforts and work closely with our students and residents to nurture their interest in this vital area of pharmacy and assist with practice transformation. I congratulate everyone involved in our community pharmacy efforts on this much deserved recognition.”

Community pharmacists are essential to the health of society, as they are often the most accessible health care professionals due to their public-facing nature.

Community Pharmacy Initiatives at UMSOP

To qualify for the Center of Excellence designation, the School of Pharmacy had to demonstrate its efforts and expertise across a spectrum of community pharmacy activities such as curriculum, community service, research, advocacy, and patient care.

• UMSOP partners with Safeway Pharmacy to offer a one-year PGY-1 community-based pharmacy residency program to develop community pharmacist practitioners with diverse patient care, leadership, and education skills.
• The School was heavily involved in the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts and annually offers an on-campus clinic for various vaccinations and COVID-19 boosters.
• The Center for Innovative Pharmacy Solutions (CIPS) is the leader in delivering health care and business solutions that address critical health problems and challenges. The P³(Patients, Pharmacists, Partnerships) Program® represents the clinical initiative arm of CIPS that pairs pharmacists with patients through their employer to deliver effective medication therapy management solutions.
• UMSOP faculty staff and residents are actively involved in community pharmacy-based research and scholarship to increase the body of knowledge in various practice areas.
• The Office for Continuing Education offers various certificate programs, such as pharmacy-based immunization delivery and medication therapy management, that provide community pharmacists with the necessary skills and knowledge to provide advanced services in the community setting.
• Required and elective curricular content covering community pharmacy operations, patient care services, over-the-counter medications, staff management, community pharmacy law and ethics, and independent pharmacy ownership.

“Our community pharmacies play such a vital role in our health care system,” said Deanna Tran, PharmD, BCACP, FAPhA, associate professor in the Department of Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research (P-SHOR)and the School’s ACT Champion. “We are excited to continue working within our communities and in close collaboration with our community pharmacy partners to uplift community pharmacy, transform practice, and improve the health outcomes of our patients. We are deeply honored that UMSOP was chosen to represent the inaugural cohort. Thank you to the many faculty, staff, alumni, and students involved in our community pharmacy efforts at UMSOP.”

Other recognized faculty and staff involved in community pharmacy efforts include:

• Cherokee Layson-Wolf, PharmD, BCACP, FAPhA, professor of P-SHOR and PGY-1 community pharmacy residency program director
• Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner, PharmD, FAPhA, FNAP, Felix Gyi Endowed Memorial Professor in Pharmapreneurship, associate dean for clinical services and practice transformation, and executive director of CIPS
• Tuan Huynh, PharmD, AAHIVP, HIVPCP, assistant director of the Experiential Learning Program
• Charmaine Rochester-Eyeguokan, PharmD, CDCES, BCACP, professor of P-SHOR and associate director of clinical services at CIPS
• Kathleen Pincus, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, CDCES, associate professor of P-SHOR and PGY-2 ambulatory care residency program director
• Eberechukwu Onukwugha, PhD, MS, professor of P-SHOR and executive director of Pharmaceutical Research Computing
• Bethany DiPaula, PharmD, BCPP, FASHP, professor of P-SHOR, PGY-2 psychiatric pharmacy residency program director, and co-director of the Mental Health Program

UMSOP officially received its recognition at AACP’s annual meeting in July. A key effort currently being undertaken is enhancing the Community Longitudinal Track within the School’s Experiential Learning Program to provide more unique 10-week community pharmacy rotations for our students.

“Community pharmacy continues to be a valuable resource, and the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy has a long history of faculty, staff, students, preceptors, and alumni helping patients stay healthy in the community pharmacy space,” says Cherokee Layson-Wolf, PharmD, BCACP, FAPhA, professor of P-SHOR and PGY-1 community pharmacy residency program director. “The community pharmacist is the most accessible health care provider, and through initiatives such as the ACT Center of Excellence, we are able to highlight the importance of community pharmacists and champion their efforts.”

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