introduced the key ideas of the workshop. The value of pharmacy was clearly demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. Over the first 2 years, pharmacists prevented more than 1 million deaths and 8 million hospitalizations, saved $450 billion in health care costs, and provided more than 350 million clinical interventions to more than 150 million people (Grabenstein, 2022). Pharmacists are woven into the fabric of society, he said, and the world is becoming increasingly reliant on them for direct patient care in an array of settings. At the same time, the profession has been whipsawed by closures, bankruptcies, drug shortages, increasing medication costs, issues with reimbursement, and the societal challenges of a rapidly aging population. This workshop was designed to explore these types of opportunities and challenges in pharmacy from a variety of perspectives.

The workshop was built around four pillars, said Watanabe, with a session devoted to exploring issues within each pillar:

• Pharmacy deserts,
• Well-being,
• Financial sustainability, and
• Next-generation (NextGen) training and education programs.

Following the sessions, participants discussed how to integrate the four pillars into a road map for the future, exploring transformative strategies and platforms for moving discussed strategies forward. These proceedings are organized according to the order of the workshop. Chapter 1 sets the stage with the background of the workshop and sponsor perspectives. Chapters 2–5 explore each of the four pillars. Chapter 6 summarizes the presentations and discussions focused on scaling and sustaining workforce transformation and charting a road map. Appendixes A and B contain the agenda and biographical sketches of the planning committee and all the speakers, respectively. The workshop also featured poster sessions framed around the theme of the “future of pharmacy.” Accepted abstracts were compiled into an online resource and can be found in Appendix C.

BACKGROUND

Before introducing the opening speaker, Watanabe took a moment to call the audience’s attention to this “momentous event.” This was the first time, he said, that a National Academies conference had been devoted solely to the field of pharmacy. It was his sincere hope that this “historic event” would catalyze bold innovation to further transform the field and society. Watanabe introduced Kathy Giacomini, University of California

School of Pharmacy, who provided additional background on the workshop. Giacomini became dean of the School of Pharmacy after 40 years of pharmacy research; this new position made her aware of all the challenges facing the profession. As an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), she reached out to other NAM members for input on how best to address these challenges. Her discussions culminated in a workshop concept, a formal workshop proposal, and commitments of financial and programmatic support from multiple pharmacy-focused organizations and individuals. While she hatched the idea for the workshop, the agenda was planned by an appointed committee (page v), according to a Statement of Task (see Box 1-1). Giacomini emphasized the importance of documenting and disseminating ideas from the workshop, adding that writing teams would be developed to convey key messages that would align with a workshop that was designed to focus on several important topics, she said, including

• Building a pharmacy workforce that serves pharmacy desert areas and expands the pharmacy workforce,
• Creating workplace environments that foster well-being of the pharmacy workforce and reduce pharmacist burnout,
• Exploring financially supported roles for pharmacists through model programs,
• Learning about existing and proposed policies for financially supported roles for pharmacists,
• Modernizing education and training programs for future pharmacists that are forward-looking and adaptable as environments change, and
• Scaling and sustaining workforce transformation for pharmacists.

These topics fall into the four pillars of the workshop. Each pillar, said Giacomini, has important questions and conversations to be had. For example, increasing pressures on community pharmacies are resulting in closures in both rural and urban areas, creating “pharmacy deserts.” How will these closures impact future pharmacists, and how can the profession continue to serve patients and communities in this new landscape? How can pharmacists work with other health professionals to advance health and reduce barriers to care? How can the pharmacy community work with policy makers, payers, and others to ensure that essential services remain accessible to all and that pharmacists are adequately reimbursed? This workshop would explore and expand on these types of questions, said Giacomini.

the public about the essential need for pharmacists to be involved in their care; for example, ASHP established a “We’re Your Pharmacist” national campaign to spread messages on the value of pharmacists (ASHP, 2025a).

Lorri Walmsley, Pharmacy Affairs at Walgreens Co., reported that Walgreens has four main priorities in its aim to create a sustainable community pharmacy model: (1) advocacy for payment reform and payment for services, (2) expanding pharmacists’ scope of practice, (3) modernization of practice (i.e., reimbursement and payment reform), and (4) creating a sustainable pipeline for the future. The need for pharmacy services is growing with an aging population, she said, but challenges are limiting pharmacists’ ability to fully serve the needs of their patients. Michael Hogue, American Pharmacists Association (APhA), agreed with Walmsley about the many obstacles inhibiting consumers from being able to access services. APhA is focused on addressing these access to care barriers by demonstrating value and securing payment for services, one of its highest priorities. As an equal member of the health care team, he said, it is critical that pharmacists be paid commensurate with the value they provide. Acknowledging pharmacists as providers of patient care—and paying them accordingly—is critical, because a sustainable financial model changes how they see their work and makes the profession more attractive to potential students.

Innovation in Education and Training

Watanabe asked panelists to describe any current organizational initiatives that support innovation in pharmacy education and training. Michael Maddux, American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), replied that substantial innovation in curricula design and implementation can be found across schools of pharmacy, with a strong focus on faculty development and preparing graduates for the next phase of their career. As part of these efforts, ACCP is dedicated to supporting today’s pharmacy professionals through postgraduate training and professional development. Vermeulen built on Maddux’s remarks, saying that everything AACP does is directed at identifying and supporting innovation in education. In particular, there are efforts to ensure that science faculty as well as clinical practice faculty focus on education, and new accreditation standards emphasizing innovation have been developed. For her part, Speedie offered five examples of efforts in Minnesota that stress innovation in education and training:

• University of Minnesota pharmacy school track that develops leadership and innovation skills;
• Multisite ambulatory care residency program to produce pharmacists focused on ambulatory care, many in rural environments;

the public about the importance of pharmacy care, attracting future pharmacists, and showing appreciation to current pharmacists.

Well-Being and Burnout

Keeping with the four pillars of the workshop, Watanabe asked about initiatives focused on pharmacist well-being and burnout. Hogue said that a key priority for APhA is transforming the workplace to promote wellbeing among pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and student pharmacists. APhA has worked with partners on programs to help pharmacists track their personal well-being and allow them to anonymously report issues in their practice. AACP has implemented programs to improve resilience and well-being among faculty, said Vermeulen, so that faculty can model this for students. Students and young professionals learn from their faculty and preceptors, he said, so it is critical to promote the well-being of those who work with students. Abramowitz noted that ASHP provides many resources to help pharmacists and technicians recognize and mitigate burnout that are available to everyone, no matter where they work. Furthermore, ASHP received a grant in 2022 to establish a well-being ambassador program (ASHP, 2025b); over 5,000 pharmacists have been trained through a virtual learning community, enabling them to provide support to their colleagues in their sites of care.

Future of Pharmacy

The last question posed by Watanabe was about panelists’ vision for the future of pharmacy and what excites them about it. “Pharmacy’s brightest days are ahead of us,” replied Hogue. Despite many challenges, these challenges present an opportunity to do things differently. For example, in Canada, patients have access to covered services from primary care pharmacists; this new designation was put in place as a response to the primary care shortage. Awareness is increasing of the important role pharmacists play, said Hogue, as is advocacy for pharmacists to be recognized and paid for patient care. Walmsley agreed that challenges present opportunities. During the pandemic, pharmacists administered millions of tests and hundreds of millions of vaccines. This was an opportunity for people to see the value of pharmacists, she said, and these services are still part of everyday pharmacy practice. She firmly believes there has been incredible advocacy to expand scope of practice and payment for services; these efforts are bringing pharmacists closer to being able to practice to the level of their education. Walmsley said that pharmacy is at a critical inflection point, and momentum is building for change. Abramowitz expressed his excitement about the “profound and rapid change” in health care as a whole, which he said will

provide many new opportunities for pharmacists. For example, advanced personalized therapeutics, such as cell and gene therapy, will demand the full participation of pharmacists in their use. They have decades of experience in comprehensive medication management (CMM), said Abramowitz, and this makes them essential partners in the use of advanced therapeutics. Maddux underscored the importance of collaboration, saying that it is important for pharmacists to collaborate intraprofessionally but also interprofessionally for these new and expanded roles to reach their full potential. Speedie and Watanabe pointed to the progress in the past several decades. For example, pharmacists began routine vaccine administration only 30 years ago; all 50 states now allow it. Doing this saved countless lives during the pandemic and demonstrates the tremendous strides pharmacy has made but, said Watanabe, it cannot stop there; it is important to look ahead to the future.

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