The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy represented at this year’s AACP Annual Meeting
Pharmacy schools from across the country gathered in Grapevine, Texas, July 18-21 for the 2026 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Annual Meeting. At this year's meeting, several members of The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy presented posters, led insightful sessions and received honors for their exemplary work.
One of the many innovative sessions was led by Nicole Kwiek, PhD, senior associate dean for academic affairs and educational innovation and clinical professor, and Katherine Kelley, PhD, associate dean for assessment and clinical professor.
In their talk, titled "From Focus Groups to Classrooms: What K-12 Teachers Actually Want," they presented data from the Pathways and Recruitment Opportunities for Pharmacy Exploration and Learning (PROPEL) work that queried K-12 teachers' interests and needs in pharmacy career awareness.
Participants engaged in a hands-on learning activity that Daniel Michel, PhD, senior lecturer and director of the College of Pharmacy Learning Lab at COSI, and Katie Summers, PhD, senior lecturer and director of Pills, Potions and Poisons, built as a result of teacher feedback.
This first step aided in a broader plan to engage in best-practice, evidence-based pharmacy career promotion to precollege students, both at the college and academy levels.
Additional presenters included:
| Kristine Cline | Teacher’s Seminar Breakout Session 1 & 2 - “Drained by the Details? Restoring Joy in Logistically Complex Courses” |
| Kristin Casper | NMA Workshop Teaching Strategies and Lightning Talks, “AI and Self-Care: A Collaborative Model to Promote Accurate and Inclusive Peer Learning” |
| Rebecca Lahrman, Chris Hernandez, Susan Nguyen, Jen Rodis, Polly Carlson and Leslie Dybiec | Poster presentation – “Evaluation of Student Pharmacist Perceptions through an Appalachian Pharmacy Service-Learning Experience” |
| Kristin Casper, Lyann Trinh, Emilee Drerup, Chirag Thakkar, Junan Li and Jennifer Rodis | Poster presentation –“Impact of an Onboarding Program on First-Year Pharmacy Students' Confidence Providing Care at Free Clinics” |
| Kristine Cline, Milap Nahata, Vinita Pai, Bella Mehta, Julie Legg and Fadwa Revelos | AACP Inaugural Unite for Impact Challenge Competition Award – Practice Category OSU Team Winners |
| David Matthews | “Maintaining Student Wellness and Reducing Stress with a Competency-Based Approach to APPE Readiness” |
| Victoria Williams | “Proving Your Rizz, The Sequel: The Value and Educational Application of Relevant Generational References" |
| Emily Buatois & David Matthews | “Hidden in Plain Sight: How Thread Champions Weave Curricular Threads to Strengthen the PharmD Fabric” |
| Kristine Cline | “A Catalyst for Innovating Integration: Collaborative Café on Assessment, Design, and Oversight of Integrated Courses” |
| Colleen Dula & Stacy King | “Counter to Classroom: How Pharmacy Technicians Can Power Pharmacy Education” |
| Jennifer Plahovinsak | "From Awareness to Application: Building AI Fluency Through Structured Practice in Graduate Pharmacy Education" |
Also during the annual meeting, AACP recognized the 2026 Teachers and Mentors of the Year. Members from the college included:
- Kristine Cline, PharmD '17, MS '19, assistant professor of practice who received the P2 Teacher of the Year Award
- Jeff Johnston, PhD '02, senior lecturer who received the P1 Teacher of the Year Award
- David Matthews, PharmD '13, BCACP, assistant dean of PharmD studies and associate professor of practice who received the P3 Teacher of the Year Award
- Leslie Newman, PhD, assistant dean for undergraduate studies and associate professor of practice who received the BSPS Teacher of the Year Award
- Victoria Williams, PharmD '19, assistant clinical professor received the Miriam R. Balshone Award for Distinguished Teaching in PharmD
The annual meeting also highlighted graduates from the AACP Aspiring Academics Program. The program is designed to inform and inspire students interested in pursuing an academic pharmacy career through asynchronous learning modules, mentorship, networking, involvement with AACP and more. This year, P4 student Spencer Povoski completed the program, officially making him the third student from Ohio State to participate.
