Brenda Schimenti, Executive Director
As we jump-start 2023, we are happy to report that progress on our rebrand to the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP) is nearly complete. Web pages and documents have been updated, press releases issued, logos altered, and much more has been completed to cement our recognition as AAPP. Our rebrand has been communicated to and well received by coalition partners, other associations, policymakers, and regulators. We felt it important to re-highlight in this article the benefits this name change will bring as well as how our members can help to spread the word on AAPP.
Name Change Impact on Recruitment and Retention of Members, Residents, and New Practitioners
As previously communicated, AAPP’s aggressive 2025 Strategic Plan and its heavy focus on increasing advocacy around the advancement of the profession, prompted the rebrand. Significant financial investment and staff and volunteer commitment has been made to developing external-facing initiatives, including the launch of an Interprofessional Advisory Board, an employer resource center, and a significant number of publications. The new name has provided the expected clarity to these projects and to the leaders, decision makers, and policymakers who influence the practice of our members but now better understand their role.
Member retention and feedback has been trending positively with kudos given to the Board of Directors for the thoughtful and inclusive approach taken in making the decision in late 2021. We believe the rebrand has assisted with member retention and the recruitment of residents and new practitioners as AAPP is a more recognizable and focused name describing what our organization stands for. For example, although psychiatric pharmacy is integrally interwoven with neurologic disease states (such as epilepsy, migraines, and neurocognitive disorders) and knowledge of neurology is needed, most of our members focus on medication-related outcomes for psychiatric disorders and thus describe themselves as psychiatric pharmacists. Therefore, removing “neurologic” from the name helps to remove confusion as to what and who we represent. That doesn’t mean we will walk away from providing education on neurology and other important areas critical in the practice of psychiatric pharmacy. In fact, AAPP’s approach to providing education, information, and resources in areas such as neurology, pain, and much more, should be appealing to the practitioner working to keep up to date on all critical areas of practice.
Members, RPDs, and New Practitioners Supporting Continued Growth of AAPP
Our mantra this year has been “New Name. Same Organization.” But another quote resonates with me as well: A good name, like good will, is got by many actions and lost by one. We may have a new name, but our goal to prove ourselves to you every day hasn’t changed. We take our obligation as representatives of you and the profession seriously as we continue to live our values daily:
Excellence: Set high standards for dedication, integrity, ethics and expertise
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Respect the views, contributions and experiences of all individuals.
Innovation: Advance care with creative solutions.
Responsiveness: Listen and react to the changing needs of our members and of our patients.
Compassion: Above all, improve the lives of our patients and their families.
Making Your AAPP Membership Visible
We encourage all members to take the official step of updating their CVs, social media profiles, and any documents as follows:
Member and/or Volunteer Title,
American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (formerly known as CPNP).
Additionally, refer AAPP to colleagues and possible interested parties. Join AAPP and the AAPP Foundation on social media so that your contacts start to see your connection to AAPP. All of these things will ensure that students, residents, or other professionals you know or meet have clarity on the type of organization that you are a part of. This will also help with recruitment of those students or residents that are interested in psychiatric pharmacy.
We thank you for your patience and support throughout 2022 as we worked through all of the transitions necessary. Though we are now embarking on our next quarter of century as an organization under a new moniker, we expect our “good name” and our “many actions” will only be further enhanced and speak for themselves.