By Mary Borovicka, PharmD, BCPP, AAPP Foundation President
It is early in 2024, and the AAPP Foundation Board has already been hard at work! In January, we welcomed two new members of the AAPP Foundation Board of Directors, Drs. Clayton English and Phillip Lai. We look forward to their leadership on the Board!
The Board has been working on several initiatives for this year. Once again, your generous support of the Foundation has allowed the board to support several wonderful initiatives that will allow us to continue our mission, which is to advance the psychiatric pharmacy profession by supporting research, scholarship, and practitioner development. The Foundation Board of Directors has awarded a total of $4,465 to 19 PharmD students from 16 colleges of pharmacy registration grants to attend the AAPP 2024 Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. Applicants were required to submit a personal essay expressing their interest in AAPP and psychiatric pharmacy. The Board also continues to support the Strategic Goals Award ($500). Two finalists were selected, and the winner will be announced at the annual meeting following the judging of platform presentations. The Foundation will continue to support Collegiate Chapter Impact Grants and Defining the Future Grants in 2024 along with four virtual Mental Health First Aid courses.
The AAPP Foundation’s theme for this year’s Annual Meeting is “wellbeing” and will feature some special events. First, the Foundation is sponsoring a Creativity Room! Take a “brain break” and have some fun making friendship bracelets and keychains throughout the week. Attendees who make a $25+ donation to the AAPP Foundation during the AAPP Annual Meeting will get an exclusive set of mental health beads and charms to use in their bracelets and keychains. Next, the AAPP Foundation is sponsoring a ¼ mile unity walk on Wednesday, April 10th, and we hope you will join us. Plan to wear your favorite mental health-themed t-shirt and make a sign to carry in the Creativity Room. Grab your friends and take a photo at the AAPP Foundation-sponsored photo booth! Finally, the Foundation is sponsoring a session, Living Through Loss - Navigating Loss by Suicide as a Clinician-Survivor, in memory of Kim Tallian who passed away in January 2023, utilizing part of her estate bequest. We hope you will join us and prioritize your wellbeing in Orlando, April 7-10.
Lastly for 2024, AAPP has committed up to $500,000 to the AAPP Foundation to establish the AAPP Outcomes Initiative Grant, which will fund up to 2 projects at $250,000 maximum each. The pre-application process is complete, and announcements will be made soon!
As always, please feel free to contact me at mborovicka@metrohealth.org with any questions or concerns regarding the AAPP Foundation or our initiatives. We look forward to another productive year serving psychiatric pharmacists and advancing their reach and practice.
Mary Borovicka, PharmD, BCPP
President, AAPP Foundation Board of Directors