Dear ACCP members,

As we near the 2024 ACCP Annual Meeting in Phoenix, this serves as my last official President’s Column. It’s been a highly rewarding term, albeit a seemingly short 12 months, serving as ACCP president. I want to thank you again for this amazing opportunity to represent you and the profession on behalf of ACCP. The past 11 months have provided me the opportunity to engage more closely with our members and stakeholders and to take an active part in the conversation regarding the challenges and opportunities within the profession and the College.

Reflecting on the period from the end of 2023 to the present, we’ve had the opportunity to address some rather contentious issues, celebrate the many successes of our members, and continue to make strides in advancing the College’s mission and vision. This has occurred even as we have experienced some of the most challenging times for our profession. Despite shrinking budgets, high levels of clinical pharmacist stress, and other factors affecting both clinical pharmacy and ACCP, members continue to be highly engaged and committed to serving the College and the profession. You have taken the opportunity to provide critical feedback and guidance to the ACCP leadership, resulting in tangible changes to several of the College’s processes and directions. We often say that ACCP is a member-driven organization, and I truly believe this has been more evident than ever during the past year.

Although it may seem daunting at times to know whether you as an individual can make a positive impact, there is a feeling of strength and hope in knowing that over 16,000 members share the College’s goals. This feeling is what has kept me highly involved with ACCP and, as a board member, is now even more validated after seeing firsthand the passion and energy that our members bring to ACCP. I liken this energy to “the Force” from the Star Wars franchise.

In the Star Wars world, the Force is described as an invisible energy field created by life that binds everything together in the universe. Individuals who are “Force-sensitive” can harness the power of this energy to enhance their capabilities so that, when banded together as a collective organization, they become even more powerful and influential. You as ACCP members continue to harness the Force of clinical pharmacy and bring your collective expertise and energy to ACCP and the profession. As a result, over the past year, I have observed at the local, state, national, and international levels how your efforts have positioned the organization to continue to lead efforts to advance clinical pharmacy practice, education, and research worldwide. For this reason, I believe the Force is still strong within ACCP and its members. I look forward to your continued contributions and to sustaining this positive energy as we continue to forge ahead as an organization. Thank you again for the privilege of serving as your president over the past year – I hope to see many of you in Phoenix.

May the Force be with you!