2009-2010 APhA-ASP Presidential Inaugural Address

Mister Speaker, members of the House of Delegates, and ladies and gentleman; I am honored and privileged to stand here before you, both literally and figuratively, as your National President.  This past year has been an amazing opportunity to learn about the Academy, myself, and most importantly about those I represent.  It has been a journey of unimaginable proportions and I owe its success to APhA Staff, your former APhA-ASP National Executive Committee, and the staff, students, and faculty at the University of New Mexico.  Each of you exhibits great leadership and have pushed me be to become a better friend, colleague, and person.  For that, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart; I am standing here today because of your efforts.  Please join me in giving them a round of applause.

APhA2009 represents a milestone in the history of our Academy, as we celebrate 40 years of official student involvement in APhA.  These last few days have provided an opportunity to not only to celebrate the accomplishments of the past, but also to look forward and find purpose in the future.  Last year, our House of Delegates voted to support the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners’ (JCPP) Vision on Pharmacy Practice for 2015, which establishes the goal that “pharmacists will be the healthcare professionals responsible for providing patient care that ensures optimal medication therapy outcomes.”  This simple act joined the past, present, and future of pharmacy, as both current practitioners and student pharmacists expressed the same hope for the profession of pharmacy.  The discussion is now no longer focused on identifying a vision for pharmacy, but instead on how to turn our vision into reality.  It is from this act that the foundation for this year’s theme is built.

Over the next few years, we will each transition from student pharmacist to new practitioner and in this process begin to practice across a variety of settings.  Some of you will decide to practice community pharmacy in your local neighborhood while others will move across the country to pursue a residency.  Some will interact with patients on a day-to-day basis while others will work behind the scenes in regulatory affairs or drug development.  These opportunities represent the dynamic and diverse nature of pharmacy that will transcend the profession through time.  However, we must always remember, that no matter the practice setting, we still united by our desire to provide patient care and change the lives of our patients. 

The word change is interesting as it can evoke so many different thoughts and emotions.  Change can be as mundane as, “I need to change my outfit,” or as stir passion as in the words of President Obama, “voting for change we can believe in.” Change is scary for so many people because it represents the unknown, and the possibility that things will be worse than the status quo.  However, whether we like it or not, change is on the horizon because for the first time since the early 1990s, healthcare reform is a primary concern for politicians across the country.  Unfortunately, the primary problem facing our profession is that student pharmacists are entering a healthcare system not designed to apply our knowledge or skills.  This problem is further compounded by the fact that policymakers and other healthcare stakeholders lack overall understand of our profession.  Recently, President Obama was criticized by the professional pharmacy organizations for holding a summit on healthcare reform without including a representative from pharmacy.  And while this action represents oversight by the Obama administration, equal blame lies upon ourselves because had pharmacy been invited, who would have attended?  The profession of pharmacy remains divided between professional organizations and amongst the practitioners who represent the numerous practice settings, and as a result, there is no collective voice speaking for us.  If pharmacy is going to position itself to be engaged in future discussions, then together we must become energized about its future.

However, simply have an understanding of the challenges facing the profession is not enough, action must follow.  This is where student pharmacists excel.   From using our communication skills to embrace health literacy to increasing the use of the media to increase public awareness of the profession of pharmacy, each year student pharmacists embrace a theme to further the profession.  Student pharmacists use the skills gained both inside and outside the classroom and couple it with unparalleled creativity, enthusiasm, and determination to push the envelope and set a new standard for pharmacy practice.  This weekend you have heard many stories about how professional involvement in APhA has influenced the actions of current practitioners and in turn how their actions have influenced the profession of pharmacy.  So as we look towards the future of our profession, we must consider how we want our generation define it.  Our Academy has already stated that we support the vision of JCPP, but is this enough?  Is a resolution enough to achieve this vision?  My answer is no, and from this, I challenge students to truly embody the mission of APhA-ASP and to become the collective voice of not only student pharmacists, but of pharmacy through the theme of Many Paths, One Purpose: Inspiring Student Pharmacists to Unite the Profession.

In the early 1990s when contemporary healthcare reform was first discussed, pharmacy didn’t have a story to tell to Washington.  However, through efforts of the APhA Foundation, the work of student pharmacists, and the success of projects such as the Ten City Diabetes Challenge and Ashville Project, the impact of a pharmacy “coach” in improving patient care outcomes and chronic disease state management is becoming recognized.  Last year alone, student pharmacists, immunized over 116,000 patients, screened over 26,000 patients for diabetes, and educated over 2.5 million people about heartburn.  The number of people who have been influence by actions of pharmacist is infinite because we truly embody the idea of “It Starts with One.”  This year is an opportunity to not only tell our stories to advocate on behalf of our profession, but also to inspire our patients to tell their stories. 

Yesterday, Brent Reed quoted the words of famous words of Sir Issac Newton when he said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”  I thank you Brent, because for me personally, you are one those giants.  Over the last few days, I hope everyone in the audience has had the opportunity to meet and interact with some the former leaders of our Academy.  The current practice of pharmacy would not exist without their efforts.

Change on the horizon, and moving closer each day.  The future of pharmacy is now.  This is our opportunity to define our future, profession, and to collectively become the next giant.

Adriane Irwin
2009-2010 APhA-ASP National President
Delivered April 6, 2009 at APhA2009 in San Antonio, Texas