Collaboration brings together medical and pharmaceutical education for the first time

New York City and Washington, D.C., February 16, 2001--In late 2000, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) announced a unique collaborative agreement between the medical and pharmacy education communities to form a not-for-profit, charitable corporation entitled PharmMed Educational Services, Inc., to pursue activities of mutual interest to medical schools and pharmacy schools.

PharmMed's first program is the Pharmacy Centralized Application Service, or PharmCAS, modeled after the AAMC's American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). PharmCAS is scheduled for launch in July 2002 for applicants applying for fall 2003 enrollment.

"Pfizer is extremely pleased to support the collaboration between academic medicine and pharmacy educators," said Senior Vice President Joseph M. Feczko, M.D., Medical and Regulatory Operations, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Group. "We believe that this innovative collaboration between the AAMC and AACP will benefit medical and pharmacy schools, their professions, and the patients they serve."

Pfizer has awarded a $100,000 grant to PharmMed to encourage the collaboration between academic medicine and pharmacy communities through PharmMed, and to accelerate the implementation of PharmCAS at the pharmacy schools. The Pfizer award will support education and training for pharmacy colleges and schools this year as they begin preparing for the new system.

"The AAMC is grateful to Pfizer for their support of PharmMed and the collaboration between the AAMC and AACP," said AAMC President Jordan J. Cohen, M.D. "We anticipate that PharmMed will develop other collaborations that respond to our mutual interests in health care education, including faculty development, interdisciplinary research, and curriculum enhancement."

The recent Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) report, The Pharmacist Workforce: A Study of the Supply and Demand for Pharmacists, documents the issues and growing concerns of community pharmacists, physicians, hospitals, consumers, and pharmaceutical manufacturers about the increasing shortage of qualified pharmacists. PharmCAS is a key initiative to assist individuals seeking admission to Pharm.D. degree programs and assist schools in attracting and identifying high quality applicants into pharmacy careers.

"Pfizer's generous support will enable the PharmCAS participating schools to quickly take advantage of the centralized application service and stimulate more interest in pharmacy careers," noted Richard Penna, Pharm.D., Executive Vice President, AACP.

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The Association of American Medical Colleges represents the 125 accredited U.S. medical schools; the 16 accredited Canadian medical schools; some 400 major teaching hospitals, including 74 Veterans Administration medical centers; 91 academic and professional societies representing nearly 88,000 faculty members; and the nation's 67,000 medical students and 102,000 residents.

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Pfizer Inc. discovers, develops, manufactures and markets leading prescription medicines for humans and animals, and many of the world's best known consumer products. Pfizer had global revenues of $29.6 billion in 2000. Pfizer plans to make a research and development investment of $5 billion in 2001. ### Founded in 1900, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) is the national organization representing the interests of pharmaceutical education and educators. Comprising all 82 U.S. pharmacy colleges and schools including more than 4,000 faculty, 36,000 students enrolled in professional programs, and 3,600 individuals pursuing graduate study, AACP is committed to excellence in pharmaceutical education.

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