News and Insights for Psychiatric Pharmacists

#AAPP2025 is off to a great start! Day 2 starts bright and early at 7:15 AM Mountain with an industry symposium with ACPE credit (open to everyone with an aapp.org account!). #ACPE #psychpharmacy #SLC

Starting soon (4:45 PM Mountain) is the Saklad Memorial Award presentation and the AAPP Forum on Our Future! This event will be livestreamed and is available to anyone with a login at aapp.org. (If you don't have one, create a free account). Join us to honor Dr. Deanna Kelly! #AAPP2025 #psychpharmacy #SLC

Congrats to the PharmD students who received a registration grant to #AAPP2025! #aappfoundation #psychpharmacy

Idea exchanges start at 10:00 AM Mountain! Which one are you attending? Topics include: The Antidepressant Black Box Warning in Youth, Management of Substance Use Disorders in Older Adults, and The Evolving Role of Neurology Clinical Pharmacists #AAPP2025 #psychpharmacy #saltlakecity

The AAPP Foundation is honored to be well represented at the AAPP 2025 Annual Meeting! Check out all of our activities and sponsorships. #aappfoundation #psychpharmacy #aapp2025

Are you a psychiatric pharmacist? Consider filling out the #BCPP job analysis survey to share your perspective on the tasks and knowledge areas important to practicing in psychiatric pharmacy. Complete the survey by May 5: https://www.research.net/r/BCPP25JAS

The National Institute of Mental Health is an excellent resource for broshures and fact sheets on mental health disorders for patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. Printed materials can even be ordered free of charge!

I volunteer because I want to improve the delivery of mental health services across our communities. I truly believe that pharmacists can be part of this change and that working with AAPP will help us to do so. - Michael Shuman, PharmD, BCPP

T-minus 2 days until the first official day of #AAPP2025! Who's getting excited?! #psychpharmacy #saltlakecity

Read the AAPP Foundation President's Spring 2025 message! #aappfoundation #psychpharmacy

Volunteering on a committee helps me meet Residency Director ASHP standards. It also allows me to bring updated knowledge and information to implement in my facility. - Courtney Iuppa, PharmD, BCPP

Making an LAI clinic profitable! Overcome common barriers when establishing a billing system for LAI administration, create a budget and make an LAI clinic profitable, and evaluate billing metrics and reporting. #LAI

I’m a better psychiatric pharmacist because of this organization. The resources, connections, and opportunities AAPP offers have helped shape my professional journey in countless ways. - Michael McGuire, PharmD, BCPP

AAPP believes the directives of MAHA threatens to worsen health outcomes and reignite stigma toward individuals living with psychiatric disorders. Evidence shows that limiting psychotropic medications will further the mental health crisis.

The Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process (PPCP) is the foundation for the essential care that pharmacists provide to patients on a daily basis. Fifteen national pharmacy organizations have collaborated through the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP) to revise the 2014 PPCP to reflect contemporary pharmacy practice today and into the future. These organizations are now seeking feedback on the revised draft PPCP from pharmacists across the profession to ensure that it is reflective of diverse pharmacy practice settings and the care being delivered. Your voice is important! Please contribute your feedback on or before 2/28 at 5 PM PT, by accessing the draft revised PPCP and a feedback survey. The estimated time to review the draft revised PPCP is 10 minutes, and the feedback survey is estimated to take up to 20 minutes to complete.

Volunteer where you’ll be happiest. Use it to help develop your skills as clinician, teacher, and/or researcher. - Chris Paxos, PharmD, BCPP, BCPS, BCGP

Six industry-supported programs will be livestreamed during AAPP 2025 and are available to everyone with a login to aapp.org! Register now and plan to attend two symposia with ACPE credit and four showcases.

Six industry-supported programs will be livestreamed during AAPP 2025 and are available to everyone with a login to aapp.org! Register now and plan to attend two symposia with ACPE credit and four showcases.

Collaborating professionally with psychiatric pharmacists from across the country on different projects and tasks has led to additional opportunities for learning and growth, including a national publication. - Ashley Maister, BS, PharmD, BCPP

Practice, practice, practice! The 150-question mock exam lets you test your knowledge, pacing, and endurance before sitting for the BCPP certification exam. #BCPP #AAPP #examprep #psychpharmacy

"I was highly motivated to obtain my DEA to improve the efficiency of my workflow and practice with greater independence..." #WIWIK

Free toolkit provides tips and guidance in the following areas of Buprenorphine Initiation: Buprenorphine Treatment, Traditional Buprenorphine Initiation, Low Dose Overlap Initiation, Special Populations, Harm Reduction, Helpful Resources, and References

As psychiatric pharmacists, we pride ourselves in the top-notch patient care that we provide, sometimes even serving as the patient’s main source of contact and primary prescriber. We see ourselves as empathetic and work tirelessly to break down stigma. Every day we go into work and provide compassion to the patients we treat. Sometimes though, we tell our colleagues, friends, and family stories. Stories from our patients that make us laugh or roll our eyes, or stories about our patients – the ones we don’t like because they have [insert mental illness], and we don’t enjoy working with them. Have we ever stopped to think that maybe the person we’re talking to also suffers from that or a similar mental illness?

AAPP and coalition partners are calling on Congress and the Administration to take immediate action to prevent the erosion of ongoing efforts to address the nation’s mental health, suicide, and substance use crises. The statement emphasizes that we share a bipartisan goal of improving the health span of all Americans, including a strong and vigorous workforce, which requires protecting the critical functions of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Thanks to our partnership with Current Psychiatry (CP) published through Quadrant Healthcom Inc., another Savvy Psychopharmacology article was featured in the January 2020 edition of Current Psychiatry. The goal of this section is to present an evidence-based discussion to guide safe, effective prescribing of psychotropic medications. Eva Studer, MD, Tawny L. Smith, PharmD, BCPP, and Smitha Murthy, MD, authored this article on Valproic acid-induced hyperammonemic encephalopathy.

BPS is conducting a Job Analysis for the Board-Certified Psychiatric Pharmacy (BCPP) certification program to develop an updated examination content outline, which serves as a blueprint for the certification exam and the scope for recertification and eligibility purposes. Participation is expected to take 15 to 30 minutes and those who complete the survey are eligible for entry into a raffle for one of ten $25 Amazon gift cards.

An Office of Management and Budget (OMB) document signals that the Trump administration may propose cutting Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) funding by more than 30%, including eliminating key mental health and substance use programs. It’s important to note this document is not final. The official budget is expected in late April or early May, and the appropriations process has to go through Congress. The National Council will continue advocating for critical program funding and will share updates as the process moves forward.

Authored by AAPP member Michael McGuire, PharmD, BCPP.

This workshop April 23-24, 2025, will discuss educational and financial models of HPE programs from around the globe and their value proposition.

The 3/6/25 #JournalClub (1/2) presented "Single-Dose Psilocybin for Depression With Severe Treatment Resistance: An Open-Label Trial." The recording is available free to all AAPP members.

During this complimentary, grant-funded webinar, participants will learn about the potential benefits and drawbacks of available PPD treatments – including newer NAS medications. Register today and earn 1 hour of ACPE credit upon webinar completion.

The Clozapine REMS program has notified all prescribers registered with the system that the clozapine manufacturers have formally replied to the FDA announcement of 2/24/2025.

Exams can be daunting. Let us help! Register for the Developing Effective Test-Taking Skills webinar to sharpen your skills. #BCPP #examprep #psychpharmacy #AAPP

Psychiatric and neurologic illnesses are highly prevalent and are often suboptimally treated. Pharmacists who focus on psychiatric and neurologic diseases improve outcomes for patients with these conditions. This is important in the current health care environment as most patients with psychiatric or neurologic conditions continue to have unmet needs. Read this MHC article to learn more about the value of psychiatric and neurologic pharmacists as part of the health care team. We hope you will consider exploring psychiatric and neurological pharmacy for your career.

SUD Scoop Series 2024-25: Join your colleagues during these live-only webinars to dialogue about challenging substance use disorder cases. The last webinar is May 21! Free for AAPP members.

AAPP members Haley Pals, Michelle Colvard and Tera Moore co-authored this study of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) who received B-MOUD care in 2023 within the Veterans Health Administration.

The Clozapine REMS program has notified all prescribers registered with the system that the clozapine manufacturers have formally replied to the FDA announcement of 2/24/2025. The reply included a modification to eliminate the Clozapine REMS and update the prescribing information for clozapine. Upon FDA request, they have also developed a Medication Guide for patients which will be available pending FDA approval. They anticipate that the FDA will approve this modification in mid-June of 2025. The REMS Program emphasized that the newclozapinerems.com website will cease to operate upon the FDA’s acceptance of the modification. AAPP will be communicating this new information to pharmacy associations and other relevant stakeholders in order that they may fully understand the ramifications of this information.

ASAM and fellow advocacy groups with the Mental Health Liaison Group sent a letter to the House Energy & Commerce Committee leadership urging them to pass the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act. Reauthorization of SUPPORT would enhance SUD treatment for patients and allocate resources to grow and strengthen the addiction treatment workforce. The House Energy & Commerce Committee adjourned its markup on Tuesday, April 8 without voting on legislation to reauthorize the landmark law to address the opioid crisis, the SUPPORT Act, and committee Republicans rejected a proposal from Democrats to advance most portions of the bipartisan, bicameral health deal that stalled in December after Elon Musk nixed the broader spending bill it was part of.

During this complimentary, grant-funded webinar, participants will gain insight into the barriers to effective psychotropic LAI use and explore current research. Register today and earn 1 hour of ACPE credit upon webinar completion.

These free articles are intended to provide advice from experts for students, residents, and new practitioners.

The letter expresses concern about the dismissal of VA employees and the impact on veterans access to benefits and care.

Planning to sit for the BCPP exam? We've got resources! #BCPP #AAPP #examprep #psychpharmacy

At AAPP 2023, Dr. Jason Bonner, PhD presented on “Burnout Among Psychiatric Pharmacists: A Discussion of Drivers and Evidence-Based/informed Interventions to Improve Clinician Well-Being.” Dr. Bonner is a Clinical Health Psychologist in Primary Care-Mental Health Integration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at the Durham VA Health Care System. He is a subject matter expert on stress, burnout, coping, well-being and resilience for pharmacy residency training and provides guidance on issues intersecting wellness and pharmacy training.

The AAPP Foundation continues to promote mental health education to psychiatric pharmacists, residents, and students nationwide by sponsoring Mental Health First Aid training. AAPP Director of Continuing Professional Development Beth DeJongh, PharmD, BCPS, BCPP, is the lead faculty member for the training and is joined by AAPP member Emma Palmer, PharmD, BCPS, BCPP, Associate Professor at the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati.

Psychiatric pharmacists can use their expertise in other industries, including continuing medical education (CME)! Learn more from Dr. Amber Lemons.

In a letter to Collins, AAPP emphasizes the impact of MH Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners in the VA system and in training residents for our already insufficient mental health workforce. AAPP expresses concern about the dismissal of VA employees and the impact on veterans access to benefits and care. Additionally, the letter emphasizes the extent of care that is delivered virtually and the harms of return-to-work mandates for pharmacists employed in virtual positions.

This study explored how access to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) changed following Medicaid’s pandemic-era enrollment freeze unwinding. In this cross-sectional study of 2.4 million US adults who filled buprenorphine prescriptions, the early unwinding period was associated with declines in the level and trend in patients receiving buprenorphine fills, driven by Medicaid-paid prescriptions, partially offset by increased commercial insurance and self-pay fills. States with higher automated (ex parte) Medicaid renewal rates and more income verification sources for automated renewals showed greater stability in buprenorphine access, highlighting the role of state policies.

Representing the clozapine coalition, AAPP has recently outreached to all pharmacy association executives and appropriate staff urging communication with their members about the elimination of the clozapine REMS. In the communications distributed, pharmacies are encouraged to immediately change their operating procedures to remove all requirements related to clozapine dispensing and audit criteria that were part of the now-defunct REMS elements and to resume dispensing clozapine if they had previously stopped dispensing it. Please use the contents of this letter in your own advocacy with pharmacies to aid in the removal of barriers to this important medication.

The 3/6/25 #JournalClub (2/2) presented "Masked Taper With Behavioral Intervention for Discontinuation of Benzodiazepine Receptor Agonists: A Randomized Clinical Trial." The recording is available free to all AAPP members.

The Advanced Track Psychotropic Long-Acting Injectable Program is available and complimentary! Register now and gain up to 9 CE credits by completing modules of interest.

The 2024 Summit covered topics from street medicine to the management of ADHD. Earn up to 10 hours of credit for just $140 (ACPE) or $160 (ACPE & BCPP - exam due 7/10) as an AAPP member!

Improve your peer review skills! Discover the components to evaluate, the role of the peer reviewer, the skills necessary to critically evaluate a manuscript, and how to provide feedback to authors and journal editors.

Pharmacy careers change lives. Learn if a job as a pharmacist is right for you and how you can help people live better, healthier lives. #Pharmacy #PsychPharm

Grassroots advocacy can be one of the most influential tools that a profession can employ to bring issues to the attention of legislators at all levels from state to federal government. Policymakers must have input directly from those affected by a certain issue so they are aware of the needs in their communities and understand fully the ramifications of changes in policy. AAPP has provided a suite of tools and issue briefs to support you in your grassroots efforts whether at the state or federal level.

The Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, provides comprehensive health care to around 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) across 37 states belonging to 574 federally recognized tribes. The federal government established a special relationship with these tribes in 1787 to provide health services and raise their overall health status to the highest level.

The 2023-2024 academic year has been another outstanding period for our AAPP collegiate chapters, showcasing their dedication to promoting psychiatric pharmacy and mental health awareness. Forty-seven collegiate chapters submitted annual reports, highlighting significant community service, campus activities, research, and professional growth. The 2023-2024 year also saw 64 in-person attendees to the annual AAPP meeting, with sixteen posters presented across eleven schools of pharmacy.

AAPP’s most recent strategic plan is chock full of goals surrounding the expansion of opportunities for psychiatric pharmacists. An aggressive and big assignment for sure, with no one solution that achieves the goal of growing awareness and inclusion of psychiatric pharmacists into treatment teams and health systems. After significant brainstorming and research, a plan emerged (see figure) in late 2021 that involved numerous committees and task forces conducting complimentary work simultaneously to achieve the end goal of increasing demand for psychiatric pharmacists.

Growing the psychiatric pharmacy workforce is one of AAPP’s significant priorities. Driving students into the field of pharmacy is a critical piece. The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy is working to attract students to the field by showcasing the diverse opportunities and rewards in pharmacy. We encourage you to offer to share your profession with the Pharmacy is Right For Me campaign just as Past President Julie Dopheide, PharmD, BCPP recently did. Also, please access the suite of materials and seek out opportunities to present the rewards of your career to students from middle school on up. Lastly, contribute by following and sharing their social media posts with your networks!

This week, AAPP is cosponsoring a Hill Day in conjunction with the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP), the National Pharmaceutical Association (NPhA), and the National Association of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA). Advocates will be learning more about effective advocacy and review talking points for the Hill visits tomorrow focused on IRA implementation, PBM reform, and the future of pharmacy billing. Thank you to our psychiatric pharmacy advocates and fellow pharmacy associations for partnering with us on this critical event.

Implement LAI administration education into precepting or pharmacy curriculum, incorporate LAI administration into education, and properly instruct learners on LAI administration. #LAI

Every person’s journey to preparing for and achieving the Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist (BCPP) credential is unique. However, hundreds of BCPPs have shared tips and techniques that assisted in their success. Customize the tips below to your background and situation. Good Luck!

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released important information related to "Special Registrations for Telemedicine and Limited State Telemedicine Registrations," "Expansion of Buprenorphine Treatment via Telemedicine Encounter," and "Continuity of Care via Telemedicine for Veterans Affairs Patients."

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have delayed the implementation of two final rules—expanding buprenorphine treatment via telemedicine and ensuring continuity of care for VA patients through telemedicine—until December 31, 2025. Originally set to take effect in February 2025, the delay aligns with a presidential regulatory freeze and allows for further review of legal and policy concerns. Importantly, this change will not impact patient access, as existing COVID-era telemedicine flexibilities for prescribing controlled substances remain in place through the end of 2025.

AAPP Board member Danielle Stutzman, PharmD, BCPP, represents psychiatric pharmacy in expressing concerns about study's potential to perpetuate stigmatization of vaccines and, in particular, ASD.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently renewed the declaration that was set to expire on March 21, for 90 days. After more than 114,000 people died of overdose in 2023, the number fell to 84,000 in the 12-month period ending October 2024.

AAPP submitted comments on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) proposed rule regarding Special Registrations for Telemedicine. AAPP emphasized concerns that the rule imposes unnecessary barriers to accessing mental health and substance use disorder treatments, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Key recommendations include removing the in-person visit requirement for controlled substance prescriptions, clarifying psychiatric pharmacists’ eligibility for Special Registration, and streamlining state registration and PDMP requirements. AAPP also urged the DEA to extend pandemic-era teleprescribing flexibilities permanently.

AAPP recently updated its career infographic geared toward students and residents considering a career in psychiatric pharmacy. The infographic highlights the availability of residencies, the residency experience, positive job placement, and keys to getting hired. We encourage you to share this broadly as we all work to grow the psychiatric pharmacy workforce.

AAPP is continuing its membership in the Get the Medications Right Institute (GTMRX) in 2025. GTMRX is focused on advancing recognition among providers and payors of the importance of systematic, evidence-based approaches to medications and their rationale use and the urgent need for payment and policy reform to advance access to and payment for person-centered CMM services.

One of the most important elements to advancing the profession of pharmacy is the commitment to lifelong learning. However, the delivery of continuing education has experienced relatively little change in the past 50 years in comparison to the changes we have seen in the profession of pharmacy.1 Traditionally, continuing education has been delivered through formal training with the learner motivated by the need to meet predetermined credits/hours set by the state boards of pharmacy or the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS). Over the last several decades, new methods of delivering education to pharmacists and other health professionals have been proposed and integrated in some areas.

Upon Senate approval of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to serve as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, the White House Issued an Executive Order (EO) establishing the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission. Among the concerns is the commission’s directive to “assess the prevalence of and threat posed by the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, stimulants, and weight-loss drugs” in children. The Secretary’s remarks are concerning as they undermine the safety and efficacy of mental health medications as well as feed into stigma for those with mental health disorders who seek treatment. Read more about the Commission and how AAPP is preparing for advocacy.

BPS Board-Certified Pharmacists interested in sharing their journey to obtaining and maintaining board certification may apply by Friday, June 13, 2025. Each ambassador will engage with BPS for up to two years and participate in various activities, including but not limited to a video series hosted on the BPS website, leadership blogs, podcasts, panel discussions, and other spokesperson roles.

Obtaining a Controlled Substance Registration Certificate (DEA license) was encouraged by my site in order to help better serve our patient population. There are many practice settings where this would be useful for a pharmacist. Currently I work in an outpatient mental health clinic, where I work collaboratively with a variety of health care providers including psychiatrists, social workers, psychologists, and nurse practitioners. Having this certification means I can use the full scope of my knowledge and apply it to practice. Potentially this could work well in other collaborative settings including inpatient treatment, depending on the role of the pharmacist.

As a substance use disorder (SUD) pharmacist, I am frequently asked why I do what I do. I commonly reply, “I do it for the goosebump moments.” If you have ever been given the privilege to be a part of another person’s recovery, you may know what I mean by this. I am honored to advocate for, learn from, and nurture one of the most vulnerable and stigmatized patient populations in our healthcare system. The truth is my job may be the best kept secret in pharmacy.

This new video was developed by the Columbia University Medical Center Department of Psychiatry Division on Substance Use Disorders in partnership with the Opioid Response Network to help address the occurrence of wounds in people who use drugs, especially due to xylazine adulteration of the drug supply. The video provides a background on xylazine, the basics of wound healing, information on successful community outreach programs and educational resources for treatment.

This review concluded evidence was insufficient to make any clear determinations on the effectiveness of TIC approaches across any patient/client health related outcome, but this does not mean the individual interventions described are not potentially useful.

AAPP member Kristin Waters co-authored this updated systematic review on low dose buprenorphine initiation.

AAPP member Kelly Lee co-authored National Incidence of Physician Suicide and Associated Features which found a higher incidence of suicide for US female physicians compared to female nonphysicians.

AAPP joined fellow pharmacy associations urging the DEA to update its online DEA registration process and the Mid-Level Practitioners Authorization by State table to reflect recent changes in state laws and regulations that explicitly grant pharmacists prescriptive authority for controlled substances.

Outside of conversations around suicide, disease progression, death, and dying are not commonly discussed in psychiatric practice. Palliative care for patients with mental illness is not typically considered beyond the context of terminal medical illness. While patients with SPMI (severe and persistent mental illness) would not routinely be considered terminally ill, many individuals who live with SPMI do not achieve adequate control of their symptoms and live with significant, distressing, and impairing problems.

FDA/CDER has announced new safety labeling for Clozaril with the main change being adding pericarditis to the boxed warning, Drug Safety-related Labeling Changes (SrLC).

The FDA has approved label changes for once-monthly Sublocade. These label changes include: • a rapid initiation protocol, which allows health care providers to initiate Sublocade (buprenorphine extended-release, Indivior) after a single dose of transmucosal buprenorphine and a 1-hour observation period to confirm tolerability; and • alternative administration sites, including subcutaneous injections into the buttock, thigh, abdomen and back of the upper arm.

While many people who sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) recover within weeks or months of their injury, others experience long-term symptoms and disabilities. This public workshop will explore the state of knowledge regarding TBI as a chronic condition and discuss strategies to improve care and outcomes for people living with its longer-term consequences.

We thoroughly enjoyed hosting many of you at AAPP 2024 in Orlando. The only downside is that we won't see many of you for another full year! In this edition of AAPP Perspectives, join us in reliving a successful AAPP 2024 while also looking forward to AAPP 2025, to be held April 25-28 in Salt Lake City, UT.

In accordance with the Presidential memorandum “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,” the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and HHS delayed from Feb. 18 to March 21 the effective date of two final rules related to the practice of telemedicine, “Expansion of Buprenorphine Treatment via Telemedicine Encounter” and “Continuity of Care via Telemedicine for Veterans Affairs Patients.” The administration specified the pushback will not impede telemedicine prescribing in the interim, as those covered under the two rules are still permitted to do so under temporary COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities that run through the end of 2025. Public comments on this delay are open through Feb 28.

Bethany Yeiser is a member of the AAPP coalition advocating for change in the Clozapine REMS. She is author of Mind Estranged: My Journey from Schizophrenia and Homelessness to Recovery and is a past Annual Meeting speaker.

"A call to action for ambulatory care pharmacists for the treatment of depression and anxiety in primary care: An opinion paper of the ambulatory care and central nervous system practice research networks of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy” was recently published. Among the authors are AAPP members Richard J. Silvia Pharm.D., M.A., FCCP, Clayton English Pharm.D, Bridget A. Bradley Pharm.D, Anne Ottney Pharm.D, and M. Lynn Crismon Pharm.D., FCCP.

Researchers confirmed that antidepressants lead to a significant reduction in generalized anxiety disorder symptoms in the short term.

The Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (JACCP), is creating a themed issue titled “Breaking the Cycle: Advancing Substance Use Disorder Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery”. Submissions (due 7/15/25) may focus on clinical, economic, social, implementation, or other forms of outcomes; innovative team-based care models; and other opportunities to advance the care and treatment of patients with substance use disorders.

Mental Health America reports on how social media is impacting young people’s mental health, relationships, and daily lives. "Breaking the Algorithm" brings together insights from over 900 survey respondents, focus groups with young people, and conversations with our youth co-researchers to explore.

Congratulations to Megan Ehret, Jennifer Martin, Emma Palmer, Elayne Ansara, Amber Douglass and all the other members making an impact in psychiatric pharmacy!

View results of the AAPP 2024 Residency Program Director Survey. Responses represent 2/3 of PGY2 psychiatric resident slots currently available.

Generations are often used to define an age cohort of people, typically spanning a 15–20-year period.1 The current pharmacy workforce is composed of three generations; Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964), Generation X (born 1965 to 1980), and Millennials (born 1980-1996). The next generation to enter pharmacy school and the workforce is Generation Z (Gen Z) born 1997-2012. As Gen Z becomes a significant part of our profession, we must adapt precepting strategies for these learners to align with their preferences to promote learner success.

My teaching philosophy is deeply influenced by my mother, who dedicated her life to her students. From her, I learned that every individual deserves to be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion. I strive to create a nurturing environment where each learner feels supported, recognizing that they are unique individuals with their own stories, backgrounds, and challenges.

Viana Salinas, PharmD, has tips for pharmacy trainees working in an interdisciplinary team! As a current trainee, both personal and professional growth are key to avoid undermining my potential and success. Attaining growth in both simply cannot be taught, but must be achieved through learning experiences that an individual is presented with. An opportunity for a trainee to be a part of an interdisciplinary team not only allows for trainees to come into their own but showcases the importance of their role in contributing to the delivery of quality patient care. Although my interdisciplinary team experience has stemmed from being in an acute inpatient psychiatry setting, I am confident that I as well as other trainees, can apply interdisciplinary skills to any practice setting.

As a growing specialty working in a profession where there are exponentially more and more patient care needs, the importance of attracting and training pharmacy students to the field has never been greater. AAPP members are critical in supporting this growth through precepting and educating students and/or by advising an AAPP Collegiate Chapter. This special edition of the AAPP Perspective demonstrates the impact of Collegiate Chapters and the numerous ways members are incorporating students into their practice, not only by educating them in psychiatric pharmacy but also in enhancing their understanding of those living with mental illness.

Though the introduction of telehealth into modern medicine was inevitable given recent technological advancements, the COVID-19 pandemic forced a health care system-wide change to prioritize telehealth care modalities to minimize health and safety risks for patients and providers alike. This dramatic shift led to lasting changes in patient care delivery models and, as a result, impacted trainee/learner rotations. Telehealth, along with hybrid or fully virtual rotation models, are here to stay. This new reality comes with its own hurdles for preceptors to navigate in order to ensure successful rotation experiences.

Complete your volunteer interest profile/application on or before November 19! AAPP is truly a member-driven organization with 1 in 6 members volunteering for AAPP in some capacity. From now through November 19, AAPP is encouraging members to sign up to serve on one of over 25 committees, councils, editorial boards, and/or task forces. These opportunities range from well-known committees like our Program Committee to more narrowly focused task forces such as our Employer Resource Center Task Force.

Opioid overdose deaths remain a prevalent issue throughout the United States, with over 81,000 reported deaths due to opioid overdose in 2023 (CDC, 2024). There is an urgent need to spread awareness regarding drugs of abuse and counterfeit drugs, as well as to reduce harm in our communities. The AAPP-University of Southern California (USC) student chapter has established our NaloxoneSC Program to do just that.

Completion of a quality improvement or research project is a common requirement of all ASHP-accredited pharmacy residencies. While many residents seem to dread this aspect of postgraduate training for various reasons, it stood out as one of my favorite components. Over and over, my patient encounters energized me with ideas of innovations I could explore to improve the quality of psychiatric care. That excitement helped me realize my goal of integrating research into my career as a clinical psychiatric pharmacist. I leaned on my mentors to gain a better understanding of how to accomplish this and ultimately chose to pursue a research fellowship after finishing my PGY2 Psychiatric Pharmacy residency. I’m delighted to share some of the insight I learned along the way.

Congratulations to Elayne Ansara, Dana L Chiulli, Tera Moore, Mark Schneiderhan, Megan Ehret, Christ Herndon and all the other members making an impact in psychiatric pharmacy!

Almost 1 out of 5 mental health providers will experience patient loss to suicide in their career, and, although many providers will note this as a career-defining moment, those clinicians may not receive support in navigating patient suicide loss. The AAPP Foundation sponsored the presentation “Living Through Loss- Navigating Loss by Suicide as a Clinician-Survivor” by Dr. Julie Cerel, Professor of the College of Social Work at the University of Kentucky, and Director of the Suicide Prevention and Exposure Lab (SPEL), to educate the AAPP membership on what it means to be a “clinician-survivor”, to identify appropriate postvention strategies for suicide loss, and to describe the impact that suicide loss may have on professional practice.

Over the past 9 months, the AAPP Board has completed a thorough review of the association’s site selection processes and the event landscape. Through this process, the Board gained valuable input, learned how significantly event site selection is heavily influenced by market forces, and realized the delicate balancing act involved in weighing available/bidding venues with overall value, convenience, and member experience to find the best option available.

AAPP hosted psychiatric pharmacists, psychiatric pharmacy residents, and pharmacy students of diverse races, ethnicities, religions, genders, and sexual orientations at AAPP 2024. Aligning with our core values, AAPP partnered with Social Offset to make a positive impact in Orlando by supporting local nonprofit organizations.

At the AAPP 2024 Annual Meeting, Dr. Chelsea Di Polito, PharmD, BCPP presented “The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown of Psychotropic Stewardship Implementation: A Focus on Antipsychotics”. Dr. Di Polito is the Assistant Director of the Peer Review for Mental Health Drugs Program through the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and works in the Peer-to-Peer program with Medicaid to reduce unnecessary antipsychotic prescribing to children and adolescents. She was a member of the Psychotropic Stewardship Taskforce and a co-author of AAPP’s paper on psychotropic stewardship.

As experts in psychiatric pharmacy, few disorders keep us up at night wondering how to tackle treatment for our patients quite like insomnia does. There are so many factors to consider when choosing non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic treatments for these patients. We also have those tough cases where first and second-line options have been exhausted and we just don’t know how best to manage this patient. Insomnia can be one of those unsuspecting difficult disorders to treat, especially for those who are treatment-resistant or are part of a population that has even more considerations to think about. Because of this, the Program Committee invited our resident expert on the matter, Dr. Megan Maroney, to untangle the intricacies of treating insomnia.

The AAPP Annual Meeting typically hosts presentations on topics related to psychiatric pharmacotherapy. Expert speakers are often BCPPs, psychiatrists, or advanced psychiatric providers. This year’s session on Contraceptive Care in Psychiatry was unique in that it provided members education on a non-psychiatric topic that is nonetheless frequently encountered in psychiatric practice environments. Given patients with mental illness often face barriers in accessing multiple treatment services, psychiatric pharmacists need to be knowledgeable on how to initiate contraception for patients and/or engage in discussions with patients and prescribers on how to confidently determine the optimal contraceptive option based on an individual’s treatment goals. Familiarity with the advantages and drawbacks of different contraceptive methods enables pharmacists to consider multiple factors when choosing the most suitable options for patients with psychiatric conditions.

Congratulations to Michelle Geier and all the other members making an impact in psychiatric pharmacy!

The 2024 AAPP Summit, a 2-day virtual event, will be held on October 10th and 11th. The Summit features 8 evidence-based sessions on emerging areas of practice and contemporary issues in psychiatric pharmacy. This interactive, virtual conference is co-sponsored with the Society of Pain and Palliative Care (SPPCP) and provides knowledge and tools to improve the comprehensive care of patients with mental health disorders. Psychiatric and pain pharmacists will find this content valuable regardless of the practice setting. Register now and join us to earn 10 hours of ACPE and BCPP recertification credit! Two grant supported sessions will also be available for an additional 2 hours of ACPE credit.

The June Issue of AAPP Perspective will revisit a successful AAPP 2024 in early April in Florida with reflections on sessions and speakers. Annual Meetings are also all about updating members on all of the activities occurring throughout the organization from strategic priorities to new products to advocacy. This edition of the AAPP Perspective will overview all of the exciting things in the work as well as update you on the business of AAPP as your home association.

Research has shown time and again that as social beings we are designed to be part of a community, a tribe, a group of humans that we can call “our people.” I have tribes of people in all aspects of my life, with AAPP being one of them and one of my most valued. Thanks to the work of dozens of volunteers, the AAPP staff, and the Board of Directors, the AAPP Annual Meeting offers the blended opportunity to expand our knowledge and horizons through education and research but also to connect and expand our community.

With the formation of the Commission on Innovation and Advancement within AAPP, we have seen growth in the number of AAPP papers published in our very own Mental Health Clinician as well as other high-impact journals. The topics are tightly aligned with our strategic goals as outlined in our strategic plan. While some of our newest additions are highlighted below, check out all of the other important publications over the last few years under our AAPP papers web page.

AAPP is launching two new BCPP Preparatory Products in June 2024 to help psychiatric pharmacists better prepare for the BCPP exam: a Developing Effective Test-Taking Skills webinar and a Psychiatric Pharmacy Specialty Mock Exam. These products will complement the popular Psychiatric Pharmacotherapy Review Book and the BCPP Prep Series as methods of preparing for the BCPP exam.

AAPP’s Forum on our Future held during AAPP 2024 and available to members as a recording, reported on the major initiatives occurring within AAPP. With a very full agenda, reflections on AAPP’s financial health were not able to be included and, as such, are overviewed in this article.

The lead off goal in AAPP’s strategic plan is a lofty and important one: Establish the BCPP credential as the practice standard in psychiatric pharmacy and expand professional opportunities for BCPPs. Since no one particular activity will achieve this, the Board and strategic planning committee crafted several objectives that flowed from this priority goal. The development of the AAPP Vision Paper and the Employer Resource Center (ERC) are examples of several of the objectives that have been realized to support this goal.

Congratulations to Kelly Gable, Suzanne Harris, Kelly Lee, Rosana Steavenson, Jonathan Leung, Mary Accomando and all the other members making an impact in psychiatric pharmacy!

Improving mental health equity is a daunting topic to consider. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work involves acknowledging the current state as being unacceptable. And being such a vast issue, one can feel at a loss as to what can be done to improve it. When seeking concrete, actionable steps for improving equity in your community, the essential word is “community”. Taking care of our neighbors is how we start to change the world; finding systems and solutions that work on a small scale is a path forward to adapting and figuring out how those solutions can be implemented at incrementally larger and more complex levels.

In 2023, AAPP increased its efforts in terms of outreach and engagement with legislators, regulators, and partner organizations and weighing in on issues impacting the membership and outlined in the 2023 Health Policy Agenda. As the new year begins, we look back on the many advocacy activities AAPP was engaged in last year with the expectation that 2024 will be action packed and full of opportunity to educate and promote the vital work of psychiatric pharmacists.

Telehealth is defined by the Health Resources Services Administration as "the use of electronic information and telecommunication technologies to support long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, health administration, and public health.” These technologies can include the internet, video conferencing, store-and-forward imaging, media streaming, and land and wireless communications.1

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) encompass the social conditions shaping individuals’ lives including where they are born, grow, work, live and age. This complex framework significantly influences not only one’s health, but also their overall well-being and quality of life.1 These SDOH are commonly grouped into five distinct domains.

Congratulations to Jennifer Bean, Julie Dopheide, Vicki Ellingrod, Ian McGrane and all the other members making an impact in psychiatric pharmacy!

Customized, Energizing, Unique, Targeted—these are all adjectives used to describe the AAPP Annual Meeting. The opportunity to participate in this high quality, practical event is now available for 2024. Join us April 7-10, 2024 in Orlando, Florida to experience cutting-edge keynotes on transforming mental health care, the ethical and practical application of psychedelic treatment, and the impact of gun violence on mental health as well as targeted, concurrent programming on the treatment management of insomnia, borderline personality disorder, illicit substance, and so much more.

We are thrilled to announce the 2024 Annual Meeting, scheduled for April 7-10, 2024, at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, a secluded oasis situated perfectly southwest of downtown Orlando. The Omni Orlando provides a secluded resort environment perfect for education and networking. AAPP 2024 is a perfect opportunity to refocus on your career, connect with colleagues, and to come away refreshed with tangible practice ideas and recommendations.

AAPP is proud to host psychiatric pharmacists, psychiatric pharmacy residents, and pharmacy students of diverse races, ethnicities, religions, genders, and sexual orientations at AAPP 2024. AAPP understands how the environment in the host state of Florida may be concerning to conference registrants and members and, as such, AAPP has taken many steps to prioritize the attendee experience and wellbeing.