Jeffrey Baldwin, Pharm.D., associate professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, has been elected president of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).
The AACP, which was founded in 1900, is composed of all 105 colleges and schools of pharmacy in the United States. The organization advocates for pharmacy education and educators throughout the nation.
Dr. Baldwin will first serve a year as president-elect, which will begin in July, and will take over as president in July 2009.
"The UNMC College of Pharmacy has a long tradition of leadership in academic pharmacy that includes being the third pharmacy school in the United States to offer the Pharm.D. degree as its sole entry-level degree," said Courtney Fletcher, Pharm.D., dean of the UNMC College of Pharmacy. "Dr. Baldwin’s election as AACP president continues and enhances that tradition."
Dr. Baldwin, who joined the UNMC faculty in 1973, is deserving of the post as he is one of the finest pharmacy educators around, Dr. Fletcher said.
"Because the AACP is really the primary organization representing academic pharmacy, it’s a significant honor to have been elected to this position," Dr. Baldwin said.
Key among the many issues facing academic pharmacy currently is the need to recruit and retain the next generation of pharmacy educators, said Dr. Baldwin, who received the College of Pharmacy’s 2006 Distinguished Teacher Award.
Finding ways to draw students and other pharmacy professionals into education instead of typically higher-paying positions in pharmacy practice is a significant challenge that the AACP needs to address, he said.
"We have to find new and creative ways to convey the joy that comes with working in academic pharmacy," Dr. Baldwin said.
Teaching pharmacy students pays in ways that are hard to quantify, said Dr. Baldwin, who comes from a family of teachers.
"Getting to interact with students is probably one of the most underrated and understated rewards of teaching," he said. "I find it incredibly enjoyable when I go to state and national pharmacy conventions and run into students I have taught who are enjoying successful careers."
Many of his past students have moved onto careers in academia, including several who went on to serve as deans at pharmacy schools around the country.
Dr. Baldwin is the primary instructor and course coordinator in the College of Pharmacy’s course on substance abuse and an experiential course on recovering from addictions. He also is coordinator for the pharmacotherapy I course.
His research focuses primarily on the characterization of substance abuse attitudes and behaviors in health professionals.
"Dr. Baldwin sets the standard in terms of what we look for in an academic pharmacist," Dr. Fletcher said. "I’m thrilled that his colleagues have recognized his accomplishments and his leadership abilities, and that they have elected him to serve in this role."
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $80 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,400 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.