ACPE Establishes International Services Program


 
ACPE Establishes International Services Program
 
The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) is pleased to announce the establishment of an International Services Program intended to bolster ACPE’s ability to assist international stakeholders who seek guidance related to quality assurance and advancement of pharmacy education. This action follows a year-long evaluation and study by the ACPE Board of Directors International Subcommittee. Over the past
decade, ACPE has experienced a steady and growing demand from global stakeholders including governments, professional organizations, quality assurance bodies, and colleges and schools of pharmacy who are looking to ACPE for guidance in developing measures to assure and improve quality in pharmacy education.

ACPE’s new international program will provide consultancy and training upon request and develop quality criteria that may be voluntarily implemented by degree programs in pharmacy and providers of continuing pharmacy education outside of the United States.Although ACPE has been providing some of these services on an ad hoc basis for nearly 20 years, the creation of this program provides a formal structure to enable ACPE to efficiently and effectively respond to these requests for guidance.

According to ACPE President Heidi M. Anderson, PhD, “Pharmacists’ roles throughout the world are evolving to meet public health demands, and this trend is driving governments and academic institutions to reevaluate pharmacy education and the methods for measuring and improving quality. ACPE is not seeking to implement ’U.S. doctor of pharmacy standards’ or educational models globally. Our primary aims are to
assist countries in their efforts to improve the knowledge and skills of their pharmacists and enhance and expand local resources where needed, thereby contributing to improved patient and population health care outcomes.” The quality criteria established by ACPE will be principle-based rather than based on a specific curriculum, degree program or educational model and will be used to guide recognition, not accreditation.
Quality criteria will build on the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Global Framework for Quality Assurance of Pharmacy Education.

The ACPE - International Commission (IC) was appointed by the ACPE Board of Directors on January 22, 2011 and is comprised of seven members, including three international members and four U.S.-based members, two of whom are current members of the ACPE Board. The IC will operate in an advisory capacity to the ACPE Board of Directors on issues related to international activities. The IC will seek outside expertise as needed to inform discussions, and the Commission’s composition is expected to evolve over time with staggered terms of service. The individuals who have been appointed to serve on the transitional ACPE - International Commission are:
  •  Robert S. Beardsley, RPh, PhD, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
  •  Bruce Canaday, PharmD, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
  • William A. Gouveia, MS, FASHP, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA
  • Peter J. Kielgast, MSc (Pharm), DSc (Hon), Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Claude Mailhot, BPharm, DPH, PharmD, Montreal, Canada
  • Sobhi Ali Mahmoud Said, BPharm, MSc, PhD, Cairo, Egypt
  • George R. Spratto, PhD, Oxford, Connecticut, USA
The ACPE International Services Program will be led by Mike Rouse, BPharm (Hons),MPS, ACPE Assistant Executive Director, Professional Affairs and Director, International Services, who stated: “The new International Services Program and Commission provide added expertise and global perspectives, staff resources, and a formal mechanism that will expand ACPE’s ability to respond to international stakeholders seeking guidance to advance pharmacy education and quality in their respective countries. International and
U.S.-based consultants will play a major role in meeting the needs of those requesting ACPE’s services. I look forward to working with the IC to achieve this purpose and build stronger international relationships and collaborations.” Previously, assistance was provided on an as-available basis only. Rouse adds, “ACPE’s primary areas of focus will remain accreditation of professional degree programs in pharmacy and providers of continuing pharmacy education in the United States, and we believe that expanded international activity and collaboration will positively impact the achievement of ACPE’s core mission.”

About the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)
Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) is the national agency for the accreditation of professional degree programs in pharmacy and providers of continuing pharmacy education. The mission of the organization is to assure and advance excellence in education for the profession of pharmacy. ACPE is an autonomous and independent agency whose Board of Directors is derived through the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), and the American Council on Education (ACE).