CPNP 2019: Capping off an Amazing Presidential Year

Wow-what an exciting ride! This past year has been an amazing opportunity as President leading such a tremendous group of individuals. Upon the heels of another record-breaking Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, our 22^nd Annual Meeting, your Board continues to advocate on your behalf with myself, Lisa Goldstone, and Carla Cobb completing Hill visits and a meeting with CMS in the last two weeks. There were times the days felt long, but I can’t believe how quickly this past year has gone. I’d like to take this moment to reflect on the Annual Meeting and some of the highlights of this past year. 

The 22^nd Annual Meeting, Where Pharmacy and Psychiatry Meet, had a record-breaking 952 current and aspiring health care professional attendees. This four-day conference featured nearly 30 hours of cutting-edge scientific presentations, three symposia, two product theaters and over 240 scientific posters. Jennifer Bean, PharmD, BCPS, BCPP, Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, with the VA-Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, served as Program Chair of the CPNP Annual Meeting. She did an excellent job leading the programming committee to another year of cutting-edge presentations. Sarah Melton, PharmD, BCPP, BCACP, FASCP, Professor of Pharmacy Practice, with the Gatton College of Pharmacy, East Tennessee State University, served as chair of Recertification continuing education. Thank you both and your committees for all of the hard work and time you devoted to ensuring the learning at our meeting is top-notch.

As I wind down my term as President of CPNP at the end of June, I look back with pride on all that the organization has accomplished this past year as well as excitement as I think of all the organization is poised to accomplish on behalf of the profession. Our CPNP 2019 Forum on our Future slide deck and our April 2019 edition of CPNP Perspective provides you with a detailed overview of our strategic plan progress. While there are so many activities and so many memories, my top 5 include:

1. The People: Networking and interacting with so many people at the Annual Meeting this year was exhilarating. In the days leading up to the Annual Meeting, my children noticed a bounce in my step and an extra large smile on my face. I explained to them that the Annual Meeting is like Christmas to me-getting to see old friends that you only see once, maybe twice a year and making new ones that you look forward to catching up with each year. This is an amazing benefit we hold within our specialty and our organization. Keep networking-great things happen during these impromptu brainstorming sessions.
2. The Places: This year, the board has taken this organization so many places. Just this week, we sat down with CMS to discuss billing options for pharmacists. Thank you District Policy Group for setting up this exciting opportunity and for Sarah Mills and the security at CMS for forcing me to learn how to pop the hood of my car.  
3. Our Impact: This year I felt the roots of our efforts begin to take hold. We worked collaboratively with other pharmacy associations to lead important profession efforts, more firmly cementing our seat at the table. I can’t wait to see what presidential officers Lisa Goldstone, Marshall Cates and members of the current and future Boards of Directors have in store for the organization in the coming years. This organization is going places. (Pack your bags and get ready!!)
4. Our Interconnectedness: Probably the most cliché saying in article, but pharmacy is a small world. Many years ago as a resident, I went along to a dinner with one of my mentors, Mary Borovicka, to meet her mentor, Ray Love. Little did I know, 15 or so years later, I would be working alongside Ray and he would become my mentor. He has opened an entirely new world of psychiatric pharmacy practice to me and provided me with an astonishing platform to jump off of this year. It is a small world and our pharmacy careers go by in the blink of eye, take every opportunity you get-our patients need you!!
5. Our Profession: Little by little, person by person, organization by organization, I have seen people finally recognize who we are and all of the amazing things we offer. With continued effort and persistence, CPNP is increasingly becoming recognized as the authority on psychiatric pharmacy. 

As I prepare to pass the torch to President-Elect Lisa Goldstone, I know I am leaving CPNP in the hands of a great leader, one who is likely to carry that torch further than I could. However, CPNP is like a team sport and we all need to keep working together to help our elected leaders. Continue to stay active and volunteer within the organization, promote psychiatric pharmacy, publish your accomplishments, and work to improve the lives of those with mental illness as well as substance use and neurologic disorders.

Remember, that though the days are sometimes long, the years are short. Remain grounded but dream and dream big. You never know where the wind may blow you or what your destiny may lead you.