Suzie Harris, AAPP President
As summer draws to a close and we look toward a busy fall, I want to take a moment to reflect on the remarkable breadth of work AAPP has produced and the conversations shaping the future of psychiatric pharmacy.
National Events
Board members have represented AAPP at national events addressing topics critical to AAPP.
- AI – President-Elect Julie Cunningham attended the ASHP Pharmacy Future Summit on AI along with Greg Payne, AAPP Director of Strategic Initiatives. AAPP is committed to ensuring psychiatric pharmacists are informed, empowered leaders in this space, not passive bystanders. Read Julie’s blog on How AAPP Is Preparing Psychiatric Pharmacists for the Age of AI.
- Deprescribing – Member-at-Large Danielle Stutzman represented psychiatric pharmacy and the evidence at the national "SSRI Deprescribing Technical Expert Panel" hosted by SAMHSA in Washington D.C. July 6-7, 2026. She and AAPP Member Sarah Benner (representing ACCP) contributed the psychiatric pharmacy perspective to this important issue which also addresses HHS's action plan targeting “overprescribing of psychiatric medications”—particularly in children and young adults. AAPP will act to author a paper on deprescribing and the role of the psychiatric pharmacist as well as offer a 2027 retrospective research grant to study deprescribing. Refresh on Danielle’s take-aways in this blog post.
Expanding the Evidence Base and Resources
Additionally, the evidence base and clinical resources supporting our specialty are also growing rapidly. A few highlights worth noting:
- AAPP Foster Care Papers – Newly released papers address the role of psychiatric pharmacists in meeting the unique and complex medication management needs of youth in foster care, a population at disproportionate risk for psychotropic polypharmacy and high-risk medication regimens. An additional MHC publication outlines the complexities and insufficiencies of foster care regulations in the states and the barriers these bring to successful optimization of psychotropic prescribing among youth in foster care.
- Toolkits – AAPP's toolkit library continues to grow, with the newest additions being robust resources in the SUD space covering gas station drugs such as phenibut and tianeptine.
- Policy Statements and Briefs – A strong body of policy work has been published throughout this year, with the most recent releases being policy briefs on evidence-based and personalized approach to psychotropic deprescribing and shared decision making, both recommended as gold-standard treatments. Additionally, AAPP policy asks outlining our specific federal advocacy recommendations continue to grow and are recommended for use in your own advocacy.
We encourage you to explore these resources and share them broadly—with employers, interprofessional colleagues, and policymakers alike. I am inspired to work alongside you in advocating for the value of our specialty.