Walgreens Partners With Colleges of Pharmacy to Advance the Pharmacy Profession

A newly formed Walgreens Deans Advisory Council will collaborate to address key issues, including pharmacy staffing challenges and decreasing pharmacy school enrollment across the United States. The new council consists of 17 pharmacy school deans and Walgreens leadership.

Due to innovative and advanced pharmacy practice in Idaho, Dr. Jennifer Adams, associate dean for academic affairs for the L. S. Skaggs College of Pharmacy, was selected to serve on the council. In addition, Dr. Adams was recently elected to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Council of Deans leadership and will be one of two AACP leaders on the Walgreens Deans Advisory Council.

A recent announcement from Walgreens explains the goals for the council:

Pharmacists have been a cornerstone of healthcare in communities across the United States for decades, providing timely interventions and filling gaps in care. While the demand for pharmacy services is expected to increase over the next several years, like many other healthcare entities and a wide range of other industries, pharmacy is facing a pronounced labor shortage.

Pharmacy school applications were down 22% in 2022-2023 compared to the previous year and have decreased by more than 60% over the past decade. The pharmacy operating model needs to evolve, and pharmacy school deans are critical partners in helping Walgreens and the industry overall solve for the current workplace challenges that are also impacting pharmacy school enrollment.  

“Collaboration within the pharmacy profession has never been more important, and I’m grateful to the many academic leaders who have joined the Deans Advisory Council as we work to transform the future of pharmacy,” said Rick Gates, chief pharmacy officer for Walgreens. “I look forward to working with the deans to ensure Walgreens expands our reach beyond neighborhood pharmacies into the fast-growing areas of healthcare and drives outcomes that matter most to our pharmacists, patients and partners.”

Walgreens has been a consistent supporter of pharmacy students at ISU, providing over $5000.00 annually as part of the Walgreens Diversity Grant that is used for scholarships.