Joseph Fava, Pharm.D., BCACP, is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Wayne State University (WSU) Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (EACPHS). Fava earned his Pharm.D. degree from WSU EACPHS in 2011. After graduation, he served as a pharmacy manager from 2011 to 2013 for Walgreens, the company where his career in pharmacy began as a pharmacy technician in 2005. Fava completed a PGY1 residency in pharmacotherapy at Corewell Health – Dearborn Hospital in 2014 and a PGY2 residency in ambulatory care pharmacy at the John D. Dingell Detroit Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 2015.

Fava has pursued extensive professional training, earning certificates in pharmacy-based immunizations (2011), medication therapy management (MTM; 2015), and cardiovascular disease risk management (2016) through the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). He now serves as a faculty trainer for the immunization, point-of-care testing, and MTM programs. In addition, he has undergone formal leadership training through Walgreens Pharmacy (2012) as well as the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) Health Professional Leadership Academy (2017). Finally, his experience also includes consultancies with accountable care organizations in formulary management and analysis of pharmacy benefit management services.

In his current role, his teaching responsibilities include coordinating early introductory pharmacy practice experiences for second-year pharmacy students and delivering instruction in pharmacotherapeutics on topics such as immunizations, dermatologic conditions, diabetes, medication therapy management, and pharmacy ethics and professional responsibilities. He also manages the WSU Pharm.D. co-curriculum and serves as vice chair of the Committee for Academic and Professional Progress. He actively participates in professional organizations, serving on committees for APhA, MPA, and the Pharmacy Quality Alliance. He is currently chair of the ACCP Community-Based Practice and Research Network (PRN). At his practice site, Meijer Inc Pharmacy, he is a preceptor and director of the Meijer/Wayne State University PGY1 community-based residency program.

Fava’s current research focuses on developing, implementing, and evaluating innovative community pharmacy–based primary care health services for people who live in suburban and urban areas and populations that are medically underserved. His overarching goal is to equip the next generation of community pharmacists with the clinical skills, advocacy expertise, and innovative mindset necessary to advance the profession and improve patient outcomes.

Fava’s life goal is to improve how populations that are medically underserved navigate and access health care. He is passionate about addressing systemic barriers that disproportionately affect patients with lower income and health literacy. Fava aims to contribute to reform efforts that create equitable, patient-centered health care systems, reducing unnecessary emergency care use and ensuring that evidence-based treatments reach those who need them most.

Fava joined ACCP as a pharmacy student, then spent time involved with other professional organizations before rejoining ACCP in 2021. He credits his ACCP membership with expanding his perspective on community pharmacy practice and inspiring him to push boundaries. Through ACCP, he has connected with practitioners who lead in advancing community pharmacy practice using political advocacy, novel reimbursement care models, and groundbreaking outcomes-based research. The professional relationships gained from being an ACCP member have encouraged him to challenge traditional norms and drive change within the profession. He views his role in ACCP as that of a disruptor, working to demonstrate the clinical value of community pharmacy to key health care stakeholders. Fava strives to use his leadership platform through the Community-Based PRN to foster systemic change in health care delivery, ensuring pharmacists are fully recognized and adequately reimbursed for their contributions to patient care to elicit real change in health care delivery.

Fava emphasizes the importance of bold, concise advocacy efforts in today’s fast-paced world. He believes pharmacists need to align their messages with policymakers’ visions for health care reform while demonstrating the profession’s tangible value. By adopting an entrepreneurial mindset and delivering measurable outcomes, Fava argues that pharmacists can enhance their credibility and drive meaningful change in health care delivery.