This year’s plenary session speakers were phenomenal. Well-known physician and innovator Daniel Kraft spoke about how artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies can help us care for patients. Lisa Stump, senior vice president and chief information officer at Yale New Haven Health System, continued that theme with a session on how pharmacy leaders can use AI to drive innovation and improve patient care. Clinical psychologist Sheryl Ziegler shared strategies for building and maintaining a resilient healthcare workforce. And Brenda Battle, chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer for University of Chicago Medicine, focused on how to forge connections and bring joy to today’s highly stressed healthcare teams.

While the conference has always been a unique opportunity for the profession’s leaders to gather in one place to learn, network, and plan our futures, the 2023 meeting reached new heights. I was truly inspired by the quality of the educational sessions, networking events, and everything that makes this meeting an exceptional experience for established and up-and-coming pharmacy leaders in all practice settings.

This year’s conference included attendees who are involved in ASHP’s newest innovative leadership activities, such as the Certified Pharmacy Executive Leader (CPEL^SM) program and the Pharmacists in C-Suites initiative. These leaders are dealing with similar issues, and the conference was a venue for participants to share stories and strategies on how to meet common challenges. The conference also featured a special CPEL networking lunch, multiple networking events for health-system pharmacy administration and leadership residents, and a special networking session for women in pharmacy leadership.

The landscape of pharmacy practice has evolved considerably since our inaugural Leaders Conference in 1996, and each conference reflects those changes by providing timely, relevant content. Instead of helping each other learn to implement computerized prescriber order-entry systems or manage medication therapy under Medicare Part D, today’s pharmacy leaders are learning how to work with AI systems and to establish themselves as healthcare executives. We still face perennial struggles, such as maintaining a healthy and robust workforce that meets the needs of our patients and the healthcare enterprise. ASHP remains committed to helping pharmacy leaders meet these and other challenges.

Leaders Conference attendees, from residents to seasoned practitioners, continue to tell me that the meeting is a favorite event that energizes and inspires them. For those who have not yet attended, I encourage you to join us next year — you may well decide to make it an annual event.

And because I want each conference to be better than the one before, I’d really like to hear from all of you about topics for future conferences and how we can further improve the experience.

Thank you for all you do for your patients and our profession.

Paul

Posted on October 25, 2023