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).
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