As I write my first presidential column, I find myself reflecting on the journey that brought me to this role—the patients during my APPE at the San Antonio State Hospital who opened my eyes to why psychiatric pharmacy matters, the mentors who challenged and inspired me as a student, resident, and throughout my career, and the dedicated volunteers and staff who make AAPP's work possible. All of these experiences have taught me that progress is bigger than one person and that we build on the work of those who have come before and those working alongside us to move the profession forward.
The energy across the broader pharmacy landscape is undeniable and AAPP is actively engaged. I recently attended The Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP) June 2026 meeting themed "Increasing Access and Improving Patient Care Outcomes with Technology," where focus was on:
- Interoperability and digital tools to improve access and outcomes.
- Rural health transformation, with many states prioritizing behavioral health and substance use disorder and pharmacy.
- Pharmacists as trusted messengers in today’s complex healthcare environment.
Staying connected to these broader conversations ensures that psychiatric pharmacists' voices are heard wherever policy and practice intersect. While we plan for the future, there is no shortage of exciting work happening right now in AAPP including:
- Outcomes Initiative: AAPP and the Foundation are funding three retrospective studies that attempt to isolate the impact of BCPPs on patient-level outcomes. AAPP and the AAPP Foundation are providing $15,000 grants to support research time and to encourage implementation of studies answering research questions of particular importance to the association.
- Practice Expansion Grants: AAPP and the Foundation are funding up to two $25,000 quality improvement where the financial return on investment is insufficient to progress without external funding according to facility administrators.
- Advocacy and Outreach: Our Government Affairs and Rapid Action teams continue to work diligently and timely to represent AAPP’s position on relevant professional and practice issues. New issue briefs are debuting on deprescribing and shared decision making along with 7 policy statements addressing current issues such as cannabis, psychedelics, nicotine products in children and adolescents and more.
Our members continue to produce publications that inform and move the field forward. Two recent publications stand out:
- The June 2026 Pharmacy Today cover story on psychotropic polypharmacy in youth, which reinforces the need for psychiatric pharmacist-led psychotropic stewardship.
- A new Mental Health Clinician review demonstrating that BCPPs are key members of SUD treatment teams, improving access, outcomes, and emergency department utilization.
Both publications are powerful resources to share with employers, policymakers, and healthcare partners as we continue to articulate the value of our specialty.
Finally, I'm excited to share that the AAPP Fellow and Awards application opportunities opened July 1, 2026! The AAPP Fellow designation honors those who have truly helped shape our specialty and our association and elevate their public profile. Additionally, our advocacy, practice advancement, new practitioner, and Saklad memorial award allow us to recognize stellar members for their impactful contributions in specific areas and over a career. I strongly encourage you to explore these amazing recognition opportunities.
Stepping into this role is both an honor and a privilege, and I want to sincerely thank you for the trust you have placed in me, my fellow elected leaders, and our staff to help guide this organization. I look forward to the work ahead and to the many ways we will continue building AAPP together.