Practice Advancement Initative 

SSHP Chapter Wins Professional Development Project Award for Activities Showcasing Pharmacy's Future

Sept. 14 — The UH College of Pharmacy Chapter of the Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists (SSHP) has been honored with the 2019-20 Outstanding Professional Development Project Award by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). 

The chapter was recognized for its Practice Advancement Initiative (PAI) Week activities in February 2020. 

Originally launched as the Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative by ASHP and the ASHP Foundation in 2010, it was renamed as PAI in 2015. According to the ASHP website, the PAI was "designed to drive pharmacy practice change at a local level" and "aimed to integrate pharmacists into healthcare teams by leveraging the skills of pharmacy technicians, promoting pharmacist credentialing and training, encouraging the appropriate use of medication-safety technology, and ensuring pharmacists are leaders in medication use." 

The PAI comprised a variety of recommendations centered around five "pillars": Care Team Integration, Leveraging Pharmacy Technicians, Pharmacist Credentialing and Training, Technology, and Leadership in Medication Use. 

The UHCOP chapter's PAI Week activities included Care Team Integration for Patient-centered Care; Pharmacy Technician Role, Education and Training; Leadership in Medication Use and Safety; Technology and Data Science; and Pharmacist Role, Education and Training. 

The award isn't the first time the UHCOP Chapter has been recognized for its PAI efforts. Last year, the chapter received an honorable mention in the award competition and was named a finalist in a separate PAI Video Competition. 

Following progress on many of its core "pillars," the ASHP/ASHP Foundation's PAI 2030 was crafted in 2019 to chart the next 10 years of moving pharmacy forward.