New AAPS Communities focus on nonscientific topics, expanding members’ options for discussing issues affecting their work.
Recently, volunteer leaders in the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) launched two new AAPS Communities: System Compliance and Technology Solutions Community and Women in Pharmaceutical Science Community. These communities expand opportunities for members to discuss the challenges in their workplaces.
“I have been impressed with recent engagement on the AAPS Communities that helps members (including me) solve their daily science issues. My sincere thanks to community leadership for creating a welcoming environment and broad engagement of members!” AAPS Board of Directors member Annette Bak, Ph.D., M.B.A., shared.
In 2018, the AAPS Board of Directors implemented a new organizational structure and converted AAPS’ decades-old focus groups and sections to AAPS Communities. The goal is to provide easy access and engagement to all of AAPS’ thousands of members, and so the board has focused the AAPS Communities on networking, discussion, and knowledge-sharing, facilitated through an online platform.
At first, the AAPS Communities were mostly defined by scientific disciplines and issues because of their roots in focus groups and sections. But the AAPS Board recognized that members turn to their networks for more than science, and anticipated proposals for new groups like these with focuses that relate to the work lives and aspirations of pharmaceutical scientists, including advocacy and career development.
Members can propose new communities around broad topics or specific problems facing a subset of scientists. AAPS members are encouraged to use AAPS Communities as a tool to advance their careers through problem solving and interaction with peers.
The System Compliance and Technology Solutions Community promotes communication between lab scientists and their business technology and compliance counterparts. This community will discuss digital and electronic problems facing scientists and proffer compliant and innovative software, hardware, and instrument solutions. Stephen MacMannis, B.S., Pfizer, is the leader of this community.
The Women in Pharmaceutical Science Community supports women around the world by connecting and discussing challenges and opportunities specific to the pharmaceutical sciences. This community—which is an extension of the successful Women in Pharmaceutical Science sessions at recent AAPS meetings—will facilitate communication around career strategies, professional advancement, communication and interaction style, and more. Annette Bak; Nurulain Zaveri, Ph.D.; Reina Bendayan, Pharm.D.; and Michele Gunsior, Ph.D., were instrumental in driving this initiative within AAPS.
“We congratulate these leaders for stepping forward to create new places and conversations that will enrich the lives of our members. Speaking personally, I am especially pleased to see the formation of the Women in Pharmaceutical Science Community, which should be a resource to help women with gender-specific aspects of career development,” AAPS President Dale Eric Wurster, Ph.D., said.
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