AAPS’ Strategic Planning Process for 2021-2025
By Joseph W. Polli, Ph.D., FAAPS, President
As we move into the second half of 2020, the current AAPS strategic plan will complete its intended lifecycle and we look forward to a new opportunity of direction setting and purpose for the association. The strategic planning process officially started at the 2020 AAPS Leadership retreat in February, where 40+ leaders from the AAPS communities, journals, and Board of Directors reviewed the current strategic plan and proposed at least 9 strategic goal topics. Following this, a taskforce comprised of volunteer members and staff was established, and this team has been busy crafting a detailed strategic plan to lead AAPS forward through the next five years with purposeful direction, focus, and growth.
Since their initial meeting in April, the taskforce members have comprehensively reviewed past AAPS surveys and reports yielding extensive dialogue and debate around nine strategic goals. Further, the taskforce has analyzed and discussed future trends in the pharmaceutical sciences, brainstorming additional ways to best serve members in continual learning and career success.
The strategic plan encompasses the AAPS mission to advance the capacity of pharmaceutical scientists to develop products and therapies that improve global health. In our current time of an active pandemic, the value of this mission has been further heightened. The next strategic plan will balance our core values of learning, innovation, service, inclusiveness, and integrity with goals and objectives that are based on upholding the advancement of pharmaceutical sciences.
The initial introduction of the new strategic plan will occur during PharmSci 360’s Opening Session on October 26, 2020. The strategic planning taskforce will continue their work through February 2021, when the plan is expected to be finalized and approved by the Board of Directors, then shared at the AAPS Leadership Retreat. Of note, I am especially proud of the way this committee has exhibited full flexibility and responsiveness in a period when in-person meetings were not possible and while managing changes in their professional work lives as well.
We are actively listening to the many voices that make up our dedicated membership. In June, we sent a survey to AAPS members and staff to share personal experiences on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and asked where you would like AAPS to focus its attention as we consider strategies for enhancing inclusion. The responses are being carefully reviewed and I am thankful to each person who took the time to respond. Based on what we learn from this survey, the Board of Directors and AAPS staff are committed to incorporating actions into the strategic plan related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In what ways can you, as an AAPS member, be involved in the strategic planning process? Keep an eye out for additional surveys and look for opportunities to engage in discussions through the AAPS Communities. As always, I welcome suggestions and questions. Please reach out at any time: president@aaps.org.