At the October 2017 ACCP Annual Meeting, I introduced my presidential theme, “Implementing Interprofessional Precision Medicine.” This year has been busy for all of us, with the following significant accomplishments that I want to share with ACCP members.

ACCP is partnering with the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) to improve interprofessional genetics and genomics education. NHGRI is currently performing a needs assessment across the profession, for which ACCP leadership is helping to define the state of knowledge, education, and implementation of precision medicine in clinical pharmacy. Moreover, all ACCP members were invited to participate in the NHGRI survey “Genetics and Genomics in Practice,” the results of which will inform educational initiatives going forward. The College looks forward to pursuing joint programming with NHGRI.

Look for two upcoming publications related to this theme. Led by Kelly Caudle, the PK/PD/PG PRN has collaborated with other ACCP PRNs to develop a PRN opinion paper, “Application of Precision Medicine Across Pharmacy Specialty Areas.” This paper brings together the collective wisdom of the ACCP PRNs to describe the status of precision medicine across various therapeutic specialties. An important insight discussed in this paper is that pharmacists have been incorporating precision medicine approaches into their practices for decades. In a parallel, coordinated effort, the 2019 ACCP Clinical Practice Affairs Committee, led by Kevin Hicks and Christina Aquilante, was charged with developing a complementary ACCP white paper to articulate real-world clinical applications of precision medicine (specifically, “precision pharmacotherapy”) to today’s clinical pharmacist practice. The committee’s draft manuscript, “ACCP White Paper on Precision Pharmacotherapy – Focus on Pharmacogenomics,” extensively describes the state of pharmacogenomics incorporation into clinical practice, education, and research. The paper also defines the key steps needed to continue advancing the field of precision medicine, with clinical pharmacists at the forefront.

Consistent with the recommendations outlined in the white paper, ACCP offers several programs for clinical pharmacists wanting to enhance their implementation and research skills. Brand new is the ACCP Academy’s certificate program “Precision Medicine: Applied Pharmacogenomics.” The first modules in this program launched this month and will continue with a live, 1-day workshop on October 23 during the upcoming Global Conference on Clinical Pharmacy in Seattle, Washington. The ACCP FIT and MeRIT programs (see www.accpri.org/investigator) are also exceptional ways to pursue precision medicine projects. I am excited to announce that the 2019 FIT/MERIT programs will be held June 17–21 at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy in beautiful Lexington and would like to encourage all members wanting to expand their research skills and professional network to attend. Applications will be available in October, with letters of intent due February 28, 2019.

Thank you for the opportunity to lead ACCP this year. We have taken important steps toward implementing precision medicine and raising clinical pharmacists’ visibility as the leaders in this space. ACCP is fortunate to count among its members many who are at the forefront of the science, practice, and implementation of precision medicine. I thank those who have contributed their time, energy, and expertise to these important initiatives. They have contributed substantially to our efforts to position ACCP as the leading organization in supporting precision medicine research and implementation.