Regardless of where pharmacists’ practice, they will encounter patients, colleagues, and others living with mental illness, including substance use disorders. AAPP Foundation is dedicated to supporting the development of the pharmacy workforce through education and initiatives that expand knowledge and application of that knowledge to enhance care for those living with mental illness, including substance use disorders.
Grants, educational activities, and other workforce development initiatives funded by AAPPF target a broad swath of the pharmacy workforce including pharmacy school students, pharmacists, psychiatric pharmacy residents, and practicing psychiatric pharmacists.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Grant
This grant program seeks to support practicing pharmacists who are experiencing financial challenges preventing attendance at the AAPP Annual Meeting and working on a DEI-related initiative, ideally impacting either the development of psychiatric pharmacists or impacting the advancement of patient care for those living with mental illness, including substance use disorders.
Collegiate Chapter Impact Grants
The Collegiate Chapter Impact Grant program supports AAPP student chapters by providing funding for projects and activities. Projects need to meet one or more of the following goals:
- Impact patient care
- Address mental health disparities
- Create awareness of psychiatric pharmacists and their value and contributions as members of the interprofessional treatment team
- Expand interest in psychiatric pharmacy as a career
- Reduce the stigma related to mental health and substance use disorders
Student Registration Grants
This grant program seeks to support PharmD student attendance at the AAPP Annual Meeting by offering full, in-person student registration grants. Students interested in pursuing psychiatric pharmacy engage in a competitive selection process and can earn a grant one time in their student career.
Mental Health First Aid Training
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a skills-based training course that teaches participants about mental health and substance-use disorders. The AAPP Foundation offers MHFA in the blended, virtual format each year led by certified instructors.
Educational Programs
The AAPP Foundation has supported various educational offerings to advance the psychiatric pharmacy profession, including workshops like From Agenda to Action: Effective Meeting Design and Facilitation.
Past Projects:
- 2026 Session Sponsorship: The Pleasure Pain Balance in a Dopamine Overloaded World, presented by Anna Lembke, MD
- 2026 DEI Grant, Melanie Rovelo, PharmD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy, Miami, FL: Medication Education Sessions in Three Languages in a Psychiatric Hospital Setting
- 2025 Pre-Meeting Workshop: Cultivating Expertise: Enhancing Presentation Design and Speaker Development in Psychiatric Pharmacists
- 2025, DEI Grant, Esther Moon, PharmD, BCPP, Clinical Psychiatric Pharmacist, Riverside University Health System, Riverside, CA: Health Inequities and Structural Competency (HISC) Longitudinal Experience (LE) in Pharmacy Residency
- 2025 DEI Grant, Casey Tiefenthaler, PharmD, BCPP, Inpatient Psychiatric Pharmacist, University of California, San Diego Health (UCSDH), San Diego, CA, Enhancing Gender-Affirming Care Education in Pharmacy School