Tanya J. Fabian, PharmD, PhD, BCPP
Director, Pharmacy Research and Pharmacy Services
Director, PGY2 Psychiatric Pharmacy Residency
UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
Associate Professor of Pharmacy & Therapeutics and Psychiatry
University of Pittsburgh Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine
Dr. Tanya Fabian earned her Doctor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. She is a graduate of the Clinical Pharmaceutical Scientists Training Program and completed an NIH post-doctoral clinical research fellowship in geriatric psychiatry. She is currently an Associate Professor of Pharmacy and Therapeutics and Psychiatry in the University of Pittsburgh Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine. Dr. Fabian has served as Director of Pharmacy Research and Pharmacy Services at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital since 2006. She is a Board-Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist and Residency Program Director of the PGY2 Psychiatric Pharmacy Residency. Dr. Fabian currently serves as Chair of the AAPP Government Affairs Committee.
What I Wish I Knew About Professional Advocacy
I have been doing advocacy much longer than I realized, as I did not understand that my actions were just that – advocacy. Standing up for what is right and fighting for the less fortunate are core principles that I embraced from an early age. I stood up to the “popular” crowd and stuck up for the boy who was being bullied on the bus. I befriended the new girl who moved to our town in the middle of the school year and did not feel like she belonged. A double dose of empathy and an affinity for advocacy is why I chose to become a psychiatric pharmacist -- to have the platform and privilege to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Advocacy is a crucial component of the compassionate care we provide to our patients. It is educating others about stigma -- one of the biggest roadblocks to recovery for patients with mental health and substance use disorders. Advocacy is removing cultural and systemic barriers that prevent equitable access to the care and treatment that our patients need and deserve. Advocacy is essential because those we care for are often the most underserved and vulnerable members of our society.
To Whom Should We Direct Our Advocacy Efforts?
As pharmacists, we have opportunities every day to be an advocate for our patients and a champion for our profession. Through our daily interactions with patients and their families, we can utilize our knowledge and expertise to provide the highest quality care and optimize outcomes. Every patient interaction counts and is an opportunity to raise awareness of our unique expertise and skill set. Similarly, every professional interaction with providers and other members of the care team highlights the value of having a pharmacist on the team.
Many of us would like to think that doing what is right for patients is all that is required of us; however, our healthcare system often fails to meet the needs of the patients we serve despite our best efforts. While advocacy is important on an individual and local level, if we truly want to see practice transformation, professional advocacy at the state and federal level is imperative. We must educate our elected members of congress on the issues that impact our ability to care for our patients. Professional advocacy is standing together, raising our collective voice, and taking action to inform health policy that will shape the future of our profession and our practice. Indeed, advocating for the profession is sharing our story and our patients’ stories and believing we are a vital part of a sustainable solution.
What Can We Achieve Through Professional Advocacy?
Professional advocacy is critical to the continued growth and advancement of pharmacy including our specialty area of psychiatric pharmacy. AAPP’s mission is to advance the reach and practice of psychiatric pharmacy and serve as the voice within this specialty. Given the shortages of behavioral health providers and the rising rates of mental health and substance use disorders, professional advocacy is needed to ensure equitable access to specialized mental health services. Psychiatric pharmacists are uniquely positioned to play a significant role in increasing access to care; however, to be successful we will need more figurative and literal boots on the ground. Those who know me know that my solution to almost every challenging situation is – we need MORE dedicated psychiatric pharmacists which means we need to train more psychiatric pharmacy residents. One of the most effective ways to advocate for the profession is for psychiatric pharmacists to be recognized by healthcare administrators as indispensable members of the interprofessional care team and create a demand for increased pharmacy residency positions.
Professional Advocacy Is a Team Sport
In the pharmacy profession, there are many training paths, areas of interest and diverse practice settings. However, at the end of the day, we are all on the same team. We share the same challenges and must find common ground that unites us as a profession. Regardless of your pharmacy specialty, professional advocacy should be everyone’s subspeciality! It will take our collective voice to bring about transformational change in healthcare. We need to be aware of and get involved in supporting the advocacy work that is happening in our national professional pharmacy organizations including ASHP, ACCP and APhA as well as state and local organizations. We need to attend meetings and conferences so that we can share ideas and learn from each other. We need to collaborate with each other and publish, so that others can learn from our successes and do not have to start from scratch. We need to teach trainees and new practitioners the importance of advocacy and taking pride in our profession. Advocacy skills must be tangibly weaved into our pharmacy curriculum, residency training and continuing professional development. We need to support each other and not be hesitant to carry the torch when others grow weary.
How Can You Join the Advocacy Army of the Revolution?
It’s simple…say YES to opportunities and get involved in grassroots efforts. Find out what is happening from a policy or practice standpoint locally, regionally, and nationally. Don’t be afraid to raise your hand and voice! Have an elevator speech on the ready of what psychiatric pharmacists bring to the table, clinic, or bedside and share this information with key stakeholders including patients, families, other healthcare professionals, members of the community, and elected government officials. AAPP has many infographics and evidence-based issue briefs that highlight who we are and what we do. We know what pharmacists are capable of and passionate about, but many do not. It is our responsibility to educate accordingly. Many pharmacy organizations participate in Legislative Day or have direct communication lines to government or policy makers. Each year, AAPP seeks members to participate in Hill Visits. This is an opportunity for you to share your stories with those who need to hear them. You do not have to be a member of the Government Affairs Committee to participate. In fact, if you are a practicing in a state where you would like to support or suggest a legislative change, this could be your opportunity to have your voice heard. Finally, there are many resources available to strengthen and hone your advocacy skills including toolkits like the AAPP Federal and State Advocacy Toolkits.
As Psychiatric Pharmacists we have an incredible opportunity to advance the pharmacy profession and grow our specialty through advocacy. Given the growing mental health crisis in our country, this is a critical time to shine a light on who psychiatric pharmacists are and how we can be part of a sustainable solution. Regardless of your practice setting or your pharmacist role, what you do or do not do now in the realm of advocacy will shape the future of our profession.
Professional Advocacy Resources
