The Future of Pharmacy: Student Completes Program for Aspiring Educators

A student from MCPHS was chosen for a selective new program for pharmacy student leaders who aspire to have teaching careers.

A Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) student was selected to help launch a new program for pharmacy students interested in a career in academia.

Emerson Rafuse spent the last year as a member of the inaugural cohort of the Aspiring Academics program, a new initiative from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). She was one of 20 chosen from more than 200 applicants across the country to be a part of the first group of students to complete the program.

“Students are the ones who will shape the pharmacy career,” said Rafuse, who is entering her final year of the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)—Direct Entry Program. “I want to support them someday, just like there have been faculty [at MCPHS] who have supported me and helped me grow. I want to be able to give back.”

Over the course of the Aspiring Academics program, Rafuse and her peers explored ways to do just that. Through learning modules, presentations, and discussions with faculty, they discovered professional pathways into academia and what it means to be a pharmacy professor.

“This program gave me the perspective I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise,” she said. “I would do it again if I could.”

The experience culminated with a research project. Students split into smaller groups to explore an issue in pharmacy education. They presented their work at the AACP Annual Meeting, the largest gathering of pharmacy educators in the country, which was held in Boston this July. Rafuse’s group focused on strategies to improve recruitment for pharmacy schools.

“It was the first professional conference I’d ever been to,” Rafuse said. “The people at the meeting told us our work was important and appreciated the student perspective.”

Professor Richard Silvia, PharmD, MA, BCCP, FCCP, who has been a member of the AACP for more than 20 years, was one of those faculty members.

“It was great to see her have the opportunity to present on such a big stage,” he said. “Leaders of the organization were very happy to see this group of students who will hopefully be the future of pharmacy academia.”

Dr. Silvia is Rafuse’s Honors Program research faculty mentor and recommended she apply for the Aspiring Academics program.

“I’m really pleased with the growth she has shown in both,” he said. “Her diploma is not just the end of a journey, but it’s the start of another. I can see her doing great things, and I’m hopeful academia is somewhere down that path.”

When she arrived at MCPHS in 2019, Rafuse says she was “terrified” of public speaking, let alone presenting at a national conference. She credits her program and professors for helping her change that.

“This program helped me step outside my comfort zone and gain so much self-confidence,” she said. “Not only have I learned the clinical skills, but I’ve also had a lot of personal growth.”

Rafuse plans to keep that mindset as she goes through her Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences this year. Right now, she’s interested in critical care, but after the Aspiring Academics experience, she’s keeping an open mind to any specialty.

“During the Aspiring Academics graduation ceremony, the president of the AACP reminded us that we don’t know what we don’t know,” she recalled. “It’s important to keep your options open and take opportunities that broaden your horizons.”

The AACP Aspiring Academics program is open to PharmD students during their third professional year. Applications for next year’s cohort are expected to open in the spring.