2026 Joint Address from the ASHP President and the Chief Executive Officer

ASHP equips pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with the knowledge, skills, and leadership opportunities to shape the future of patient care. Editor’s note: The following is adapted from comments delivered during the House of Delegates session of the ASHP Pharmacy Futures 2026 meeting, held in June in St. Louis, MO. Each year in June, the CEO and the President of ASHP present an update to the House of Delegates on ASHP initiatives, activities, and accomplishments supporting our profession, members, and the patients they serve. The remarks are delivered as a prerecorded video1 presentation to help bring this in-depth written version to life. This year marks an important moment in ASHP's history. In March 2026, Samuel V. Calabrese, MBA, RPh, CPEL, FASHP, was appointed executive vice president and CEO, becoming the fifth CEO in ASHP's history. With decades of experience in health-system pharmacy leadership, education, and accreditation, he brings both deep expertise and a strong commitment to advancing the profession and supporting the pharmacy workforce. Together, ASHP President Melanie Dodd and ASHP CEO Samuel Calabrese present this report, highlighting meaningful achievements over the past year. These efforts reflect how ASHP continues to evolve, lead, and improve patient care. ASHP reached a significant milestone of more than 65,000 members by the end of 2025, reflecting members’ shared commitment to advancing pharmacy practice and improving patient care. With this growth, ASHP represents the largest organization of pharmacy professionals in the country. ASHP's strong and engaged membership provided the foundation for developing our new strategic plan. Developed through a collaborative, member-driven process, the new strategic plan reflects the priorities of the profession and the evolving needs of the healthcare landscape. It is centered on five strategic pillars: Patient Care Pharmacy Workforce Technology and Innovation Public and Global Health Financial Performance Together, these pillars establish a focused path forward, with advocacy and education as key drivers to advance each area and ensure measurable impact. Innovation remains central to ASHP's work as we prepare the profession for a rapidly evolving therapeutic landscape. A key milestone was the launch of the Center for Next-Generation Therapeutics in September 2025. Directed by an interdisciplinary steering committee, the Center brings together diverse expertise to guide current therapies and prepare for emerging advancements. Building on outcomes from the Summit on Advanced Therapeutics held during Pharmacy Futures 2025, the Center has started to define priorities and deliver practical resources, including webinars and podcasts. It has collaborated with the Sections of Specialty Pharmacy Practitioners and Clinical Scientists and Specialists to facilitate networking and educational opportunities, both virtually and through live events. The 2026 Commission on Goals reinforced the Center's work by examining the emergence and integration of next-generation therapeutics, including cell and gene therapies and other ultra-high-cost drugs, into the healthcare system. ASHP continues to advance its leadership in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across pharmacy practice. Over the past year, we introduced a case studies collection highlighting real-world applications of AI and published an updated statement on its responsible use. We also expanded our national engagement through participation in the National Academy of Medicine's Clinicians’ Forum on AI in Health and Medicine and convened the Summit on Pharmacy Workforce Transformation at Pharmacy Futures 2026. Since June 2025, ASHP has hosted more than 40 AI-related activities spanning education, networking, and resource development, reflecting a shared commitment to using these tools to strengthen practice and improve patient care. These innovations, from next-generation therapeutics to AI integration, create new opportunities for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to lead in patient care and advance the profession. Since its inception in June 2024, We’re Your Pharmacist, ASHP's national public awareness campaign, has reached tens of millions of people with stories that spotlight the essential patient care and public health contributions of hospital and health-system pharmacists. Through the power of storytelling from the perspective of clinical pharmacy specialists to physicians, nurses, health-system CEOs and patients, the campaign continues to grow in its reach and impact. In 2026, the campaign has expanded further with specialized content targeting teenaged students to help support a healthy pipeline of pharmacy professionals. This work has included a successful partnership with HOSA, an organization of 300,000 middle and high school students exploring healthcare careers. In total over the past two years, We’re Your Pharmacist has generated more than 90 million impressions and engaged nearly 3 million people across our digital channels. Through the support of the ASHP Foundation and the Paul W. Abramowitz Fund to Enhance Public Awareness of Pharmacy & Inspire the Next Generation of Practitioners, the campaign has sustained funding for the next three years to build on our early success and reach more patients, caregivers, and students. In 2025, ASHP was awarded a three-year, $3 million grant from the US Food and Drug Administration to prevent drug shortages and strengthen the medication supply chain. The project focuses on identifying essential medications most at risk and taking proactive steps to address gaps before patient care is affected. By supporting early formulation development and creating a targeted list of high-risk medications, the initiative aims to improve readiness, reduce supply disruptions, and ensure consistent access to critical therapies. Advocacy remains a core tenet of ASHP's mission, with sustained efforts advancing pharmacy practice and protecting patient access to safe, affordable medications. State-level efforts include model legislation on comprehensive medication management, opioid use disorder therapies, pharmacy technician product verification, white bagging, and pharmacist-administered vaccines. In 2025, eight states expanded pharmacist provider recognition, and nine broadened prescribing authority. At the federal level, ASHP continues to advocate through the Future of Pharmacy Care Coalition, promoting legislation to ensure Medicare beneficiaries can access essential pharmacist services. Efforts also include expanding recognition at the state level, adoption of standard-of-care practice models, and improved reimbursement pathways, including incident-to billing and Medicare Advantage provider enrollment. Recent House action advanced bipartisan legislation to expand Medicare Part B coverage for pharmacist-provided testing and treatment of common respiratory conditions. This milestone reflects ASHP's sustained momentum toward broader federal recognition of pharmacist-provided care. Protecting the 340B program remains a top priority. ASHP partners with national organizations and state affiliates to defend the program through legislation and litigation. Over 40 legal briefs were filed across 17 states, and in 2025, 13 states enacted 340B contract pharmacy legislation while four addressed discriminatory reimbursement practices. The ASHP Leadership Center™ supports ASHP members throughout their entire pharmacy leadership journey—from students and emerging leaders to seasoned executives. The Center serves as ASHP's centralized hub for clinical, operational, and executive leadership development resources to help advance a workforce that is prepared, empowered, and positioned to lead at every level of their organization while driving practice excellence, quality improvement, and medication safety. The Pharmacy Administration and Leadership Residents’ Collaborative (PALRC) strengthened resident engagement and leadership development through national networking events, strategic planning updates, and expanded educational resources. PALRC appointed 71 residents to key volunteer work groups, hosted virtual and in-person sessions for residents and residency candidates at major ASHP meetings, and delivered Student Leadership Development Workshops across the country. The collaborative also broadened access to tools and information by publishing newsletters and podcasts, launching an online research compendium, and adding new business project templates for residents. ASHP's Pharmacy Executive Leadership Alliance (PELA) and Pharmacists in C-Suites (PICS) advanced executive-level leadership and advocacy through targeted programming and collaboration with health-system partners. PELA delivered advisory meetings, virtual conferences, CPO leadership forums, and multiple Government Relations briefings, while producing a white paper and infographic focused on improving patient access and pharmacist-provided care. PICS continued supporting pharmacists in senior leadership roles through advisory meetings, education sessions at ASHP conferences, and a virtual roundtable addressing emerging issues in executive practice. The Certified Pharmacy Executive Leader (CPEL) program continued to grow its reach and strengthen executive-level professional development in 2026. The program recognized more than 200 leaders across multiple states and countries and expanded engagement through virtual post-capstone events and a wide range of recertification opportunities offered through ASHP national meetings, webinars, and an approved Midyear plenary session. CPEL held its first off-site capstone in Dallas in March 2026, adding 75 new on-demand recertification activities, updating leadership case materials, and launching new tools, including a custom Leadership Self-Assessment report and enhanced Navigator features, to streamline access to certification resources and activity tracking. These efforts were complemented by continued recognition of CPEL at ASHP meetings, reinforcing the value of the credential across the profession. ASHP continues to lead in advancing the pharmacy workforce through education, training, and professional support for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. As one of the nation's largest providers of pharmacy continuing education, ASHP issued more than 608,000 CE credits in 2025. We also expanded and enhanced our professional certificates, now with more than 40 titles, as well as board certification resources (in partnership with ACCP), competency assessments, publications, and other tools to meet the evolving needs of our members. To support career advancement, ASHP has curated career transition resources to help pharmacists prepare for new opportunities and successfully navigate career changes. Whether a pharmacist is seeking to move into acute care, oncology, management, informatics, or ambulatory care, ASHP's resources provide practical guidance, tools, and insights to support career development and success. New in 2026, ASHP launched two new Microcredential series, including seven Student Microcredentials and four Pharmacy Technician Microcredentials. ASHP also updated the Vaccine Resource Center, which provides the most up-to-date information the pharmacy workforce needs to protect communities from vaccine-preventable diseases. Our Certified Centers of Excellence in Medication-Use Safety and Pharmacy Practice program recognizes hospitals and health systems demonstrating operational and clinical excellence in pharmacy services. Nine hospitals and health systems have earned the ASHP-Certified Centers of Excellence designation, and several additional organizations are currently pursuing this recognition. Several additional organizations are currently in pursuit of this prestigious certification. ASHP's Practice Advancement Initiative (PAI) 2030, launched in December 2019, helps guide advances in patient care, medication safety, and practice excellence. With nearly 1,500 PAI 2030 assessments completed, pharmacy teams have used the corresponding action plans to help hospitals and health systems identify gaps, set priorities, and shape organizational and system-level goals. Momentum is building in several areas and with real-world success stories, such as technician-driven patient outcome improvements and strengthened care transitions, demonstrating broader adoption. By sharing how efforts were mobilized or progress was achieved, success has been amplified. In late 2025, ASHP convened an advisory panel to reconceptualize PAI 2030 for a new target year, driven by fast-evolving practice needs, technological change, therapeutic innovation, and shifting workforce and regulatory dynamics. Broad stakeholder input is guiding the update, with next steps including focus groups, level of agreement surveys, public comment, and final approval by the ASHP Board. The initiative remains a valued, actionable framework that helps pharmacy teams close care gaps and advance practice across all settings. Pharmacy technicians are a critical part of the pharmacy workforce. Now in its third year, The Pharmacy Technician Society (TPTS) is more than 18,000 members strong and provides education, networking, advocacy, and professional recognition. The TPTS Board of Directors recently developed an Oath of a Pharmacy Technician, now open for public comment, to further recognize their essential role. Leadership opportunities and committee participation continue to grow, reflecting strong engagement in this community. The ASHP Foundation achieved significant progress in advancing the pharmacy profession through impactful initiatives and strategic investments. The Foundation launched the Paul W. Abramowitz Fund to Enhance Public Awareness of Pharmacy & Inspire the Next Generation of Practitioners and raised nearly $4 million, supported by 178 individual donors and four organizations, to enhance public awareness of pharmacy careers and inspire the next generation of practitioners. The Foundation also launched and awarded 32 Professional Advancement Scholarships, enabling pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and graduating students to access ASHP meetings including the Conference for Pharmacy Leaders, the Midyear Clinical Meeting, and Pharmacy Futures. The Foundation prioritized well-being within the profession by supporting a suicide awareness and prevention webinar for residents and preceptors, complemented by a donation to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention through the Daniel M. Ashby Fund. Additionally, the Foundation contributed to advancing practice through research published in AJHP and the introduction of a new Strategic Planning Resource Center, offering practical tools to support health-system pharmacy leaders. Together, these efforts reflect the Foundation's ongoing commitment to workforce development, professional growth, and the future of pharmacy practice. ASHP's Accreditation Services Office continues to make meaningful progress in reducing the administrative burden associated with residency training through its comprehensive Survey Transformation initiative, which launched in 2024. This effort reflects a thorough evaluation of the accreditation survey process, with a focus on optimizing efficiency for more than 3,000 residency programs and surveyors while maintaining the high standards of quality that define ASHP accreditation. In July 2025, the Accreditation Services Office introduced a series of significant enhancements, streamlining survey materials, reports, responses, and tools. These improvements also strengthen collaboration with programs through more consistent survey itineraries and expanded access to lead surveyor support, resulting in a more transparent and supportive experience. Feedback from residency programs has been overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing enthusiasm for the improvements implemented to date. The Accreditation Services Office remains committed to continuous refinement by incorporating stakeholder input, updating tools and resources, and expanding access to support. Building on this momentum, the next phase of the transformation is now underway with the launch of a new and enhanced program database and directory in May 2026. This upgraded platform provides improved usability, customization, and search functionality for both programs and prospective residents while also enabling more efficient survey processes, including a planned transition to greater automation. ASHP provides members with meaningful opportunities to connect, learn, and lead. Over the past year, more than 1,600 volunteer positions were offered, and 76 webinars drew 23,000 participants, supporting professional growth and engagement. Building on this strong member foundation, ASHP has expanded its reach and influence across the broader healthcare community. Through the ASHP News Center, proactive media relations efforts, and a comprehensive presence on social media, ASHP continues to provide timely, relevant news and information and advance our thought leadership on a range of topics and issues. In 2025, ASHP appeared in over 2,000 media stories, generating nearly 9 billion impressions. Social media initiatives reached more than 4 million impressions, and the ASHPOfficial Podcast surpassed 1.5 million downloads across 1,300 episodes. These efforts ensure that members are connected, supported, and positioned to drive meaningful change in pharmacy and healthcare nationwide. Finally, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to Dr. Paul Abramowitz, who retired in 2025 after serving more than 14 years as ASHP's CEO. Under his visionary leadership, ASHP grew from 35,000 to over 65,000 members, dramatically expanded programs, education, and advocacy, and guided ASHP through unprecedented challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. His legacy of service, leadership, and impact will continue to inspire ASHP and the profession for generations to come. The future of pharmacy has never been brighter. From the Center for Next-Generation Therapeutics and AI-enabled tools to new educational pathways, career development resources and advocacy wins, ASHP equips pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with the knowledge, skills, and leadership opportunities to shape the future of patient care. The authors have declared no potential conflicts of interest.