UB SPPS advances pharmacy education and research at AACP Annual Meeting

William Prescott, Jr., PharmD, chair and clinical professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, co-presented a workshop entitled “Elevating Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL): Keys to Academic Publishing Success,” which explored various SoTL research questions, study designs and strategies for preparing data for publication and presentation. He also presented at the invited talk and roundtable discussion on SoTL manuscript development.

Niki Pizzutelli, director of student success and engagement and chair of the AACP Staff Affairs Committee, participated in the Council of Faculties Business Meeting: Task Force on Staff Engagement Report. Created by the Council of Faculties in 2024, the Staff Engagement Taskforce was charged to develop a needs assessment survey on staff engagement in AACP. Pizzutelli also co-presented a session titled, “Staff Engagement Taskforce Report – Intentional Inclusion to Promote Staff Engagement, Wellness and Belonging,” which reviewed needs assessment survey results along with insights from colleges and schools of pharmacy, focusing on intentional inclusion of staff and promoting well-being and belonging in the workplace.

Molly Maloney, pharmacy liaison librarian, participated in the Drug Information and Library Science Section networking session roundtable, presenting on “Changing Landscapes: Drug Information During Curricular Revision.”

Tyler Bingham, assistant director for recruitment and advisement, presented an admissions workshop titled, “From Questioning to Committed: Utilizing Peer-to-Peer Chat Software as a Driver of PharmD Recruitment and Yield.” The workshop explored how service impacts recruitment and highlighted SPPS’s expanded chat service, incorporating features such as artificial intelligence and a new virtual hub for incoming students.

Ashley Woodruff, clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice and director of Interprofessional Education, co-presented “Finding Value in Assessments for Learning: Using Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT) to Inform Alternative Assessment Strategies.” The session showcased alternative grading examples from three institutions, explored how EVT influences student motivation and offered strategies to reframe grading by focusing on assessment 'for learning' rather than 'of learning.'

Our SPPS faculty and staff presented a variety abstracts and posters at conference exhibit sessions.

• Teaching Social and Structural Determinants of Health using Recorded Patient Interviews and Sequential Active Learning.
• College/School of Pharmacy Support Systems for Graduates who Fail the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination.
• Synergistic Symbiosis in Research and Education: A Multifaceted Approach to Training Next Generation Researchers.
• Student Perceptions of a Multipronged Approach to Teaching Top 300 Drugs.
• Exploring the Landscape: Self-Care and Nonprescription Medication Education in U.S. Pharmacy Schools.
• Residency Program Perceptions of Residency Candidates from Non-GPA Based-Pharmacy Programs.
• Impact of Work Experience on Pharmacy Student Performance in a Sterile Compounding Course.
• Integrating Social Determinants of Health Screening and Adherence into Clinical Practicums: Strategies and Applications.
• A Multi-Institution Study of Student NAPLEX Preparation.
• Impact of Patient-Teachers on Student Assessment in a Rare Genetic Disorders Elective.

The following SPPS faculty and staff were officially appointed to new positions within AACP, as previously announced this year.

• W. Prescott was appointed as an associate editor of the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education (AJPE), effective 2025.
• Pizzutelli was appointed chair of the Staff Affairs Committee, Council of Faculties, effective July 2025.
• Maloney was appointed chair-elect of the Drug Information and Library Science Section, effective August 2025.
• Woodruff was named out-going chair of the Technology in Pharmacy Education and Learning Special Interest Group (SIG), effective July 2025, following a three-year term.

Gina Prescott, PharmD, clinical professor of pharmacy practice and director of global and community outreach, and Jaime Maerten-Rivera, PhD, assistant dean of analytics and accreditation compliance, received the AACP Public Health SIG Best Publication Award.

They co-authored the research paper, “Engaging Student Pharmacists in Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity Through Photovoice,” published in AJPE. The paper evaluated the impact of a photovoice activity on first-year pharmacy students' understanding of social determinants of health (SDOH) and health equity across four institutions.

Using a mixed-methods approach to assess changes in student perceptions, including a lecture, photovoice assignment with reflection, group debriefing and survey, the study found significant improvement in students' comprehension of health equity concepts and increased awareness of SDOH. While continued education is needed to enhance understanding of upstream interventions for addressing health inequities, this structured teaching method effectively promoted deeper student reflection.