Searching for Solutions

As the home association and voice of psychiatric pharmacy, the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP) seeks to:

The Early Practitioner Award will recognize the efforts of psychiatric pharmacists in the first 5 years of practice or 5 years after completion of post doctoral training. Recipients will have demonstrated commitment to AAPP and its mission to “advance the reach and practice of psychiatric pharmacy and serve as the voice of the specialty.” The recipient serves as a role model for future leaders within AAPP and Psychiatric Pharmacy.

This award will recognize individual AAPP members who impact change benefiting patient access to care for individuals living with mental illness and/or the profession of psychiatric pharmacy through advocacy with policymakers and/or decision-makers. Advocacy activities under consideration include those with federal and state government as well as other policymaking entities (e.g., regulatory bodies, state boards of pharmacy, agencies, standards bodies, health system administrators, etc.).

This award will recognize individual AAPP member efforts and accomplishments in increasing patient access to high quality mental health care in exceptional and distinctive ways. This may include activities that increase access to psychiatric pharmacist-led interprofessional care. Examples include reduction and/or mitigation of social determinants of health for people living with mental illness, increased access to novel treatments and/or clinical interventions through research, etc.

Advocating for the Evidence: Stimulants for ADHD

AAPP supports access to behavioral interventions, including parent training in behavior management, and stimulant treatment for youth with functionally impairing symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as the most effective treatment for ADHD given their associated improvement in academic, social, and developmental functioning. Psychiatric pharmacists are encouraged to use this policy brief to support your own advocacy for this gold-standard treatment.
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DOE Proposes Changes to Graduate Degrees

Pursuant to provisions of H.R.1, the Department of Education (DOE) has recently proposed changes that may result in several graduate degrees, including social work and some counseling degrees, no longer being classified as “professional” programs. This change would limit the maximum available loan amounts for graduate students pursuing advanced degrees in these fields. The proposal would limit the annual amount of public loans an individual can obtain for graduate degrees to $20,500 per year and $100,000 over the course of one's lifetime.

Support Act Reauthorizes Funding for Crucial Programs

On Monday, Dec. 1, President Trump signed into law H.R.2483 — the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025, reauthorizing funding through the next five years for many crucial programs, including the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program. It also supports critical recovery efforts achieved through the Building Communities of Recovery program and comprehensive opioid recovery centers.