Enhance your professional experience by volunteering in AAPS Communities, committees, or in short-term opportunities.
By Joseph W. Polli, Ph.D., FAAPS, President
At the start of a new year, we make resolutions and plan ways to enhance our lives. Why not add “volunteering with AAPS” to your list? Volunteers help AAPS complete its mission to advance the capacity of pharmaceutical scientists to develop products and therapies that improve global health. By calling for volunteers, AAPS gives all interested members an opportunity to apply for volunteer positions and add their voice to the association. Volunteering further fulfills our desire to be of service to our community. Volunteering is a two-way street, where one often gets back more than one gives. For their service efforts, AAPS volunteers in parallel get to advance their field of science, broaden their network, enhance their credibility as a leader and educator, grow their leadership skills, and help others learn and grow.
My personal journey as an AAPS volunteer began working on programming for the Drug Transporter focus group and Drug Transporter workshops. From that small start, I have met many fellow scientists who have become mentors, colleagues, and friends. Jeff Silverman, Jash Unadkat, and Kathy Giacomini were three of dozens of influential people who helped me develop as a scientist, leader, and person. Over the past 20 years, I have been chair of the Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Drug Metabolism section, oversaw the Annual Meeting, and now serve as AAPS President. It has been an honor to participate in all parts of the association, to meet members from around the world, and to talk with students about their research careers.
Volunteers were key to delivering the second (and first!) PharmSci 360 conference in November, and they will power the 2020 event, too. You, our members, gave hundreds of hours of your personal time to shape this meeting, from selecting and presenting symposia, career development sessions, and rapid fires; to vetting and supporting partner presentations; and to screening, selecting, and presenting hundreds of posters. Member volunteers hosted tables at the annual Mentoring Breakfast; reviewed résumés and LinkedIn profiles in the Career Development Center; and served as Conference Buddies for first-time attendees. Finally, our volunteers screened applicants and selected this year’s award winners and Fellows. I am very grateful to every volunteer who makes this meeting and AAPS possible!
AAPS posts all volunteer opportunities. Opportunities are also emailed to all members, and frequently the leaders who seek candidates will post a message in the AAPS Communities. The right opportunity is out there for you!
Volunteer opportunities at AAPS vary on the level of commitment required. It is easy to find an opportunity to fit your interest, expertise, and availability. Here are some ideas:
- The AAPS Communities seek volunteers to enhance members’ networking, discussions, and knowledge exchange as member engagement managers. Volunteers stimulate interest, enthusiasm, and energy in the online community platform, drive online discussions by posting new questions, and work closely with other community volunteers to achieve the community’s goals, among other duties. The new Student Community seeks volunteers to drive discussions about mentoring, job-hunting, publishing, and other hot topics, and to develop projects and programs that support students. A volunteer position in the communities generally requires 5–20 hours per month.
- Volunteers can serve on one of AAPS’ committees, such as the Abstract Screening Committee, the Awards Committee, or the Scientific Meeting Screening Committee. Openings for AAPS’ committees are announced to members as they become available—you will definitely see them in your email. Committee service usually requires a couple hours a month over the course of a year, but varies depending on the committee’s work. A trip to a face-to-face meeting may be required.
- If you would like to volunteer, but don’t have a lot of time to spare, try one of our short-term volunteer opportunities. AAPS seeks hundreds of screeners every spring to help select poster abstracts. Volunteers develop webinars, which requires an approximately seven-hour time commitment. If you would like to share your knowledge, experience, and ideas with students, try participating in AAPS’ Visiting Scientist Program; most volunteers need about two hours to prepare a presentation and set aside a day for the school visit. Perhaps you would like to share your work in a cover article for AAPS Newsmagazine? The magazine seeks cover articles on a list of broad topics, and it is delivered to all members. Authors often receive positive feedback on their magazine article from colleagues around the world.Whatever your interest or time availability, I urge you to explore.
Whatever your interest or time availability, I urge you to explore AAPS’ volunteer opportunities . We can each make a difference.
How can you start today? Help AAPS identify nominees for the roles of president-elect and member-at-large, both of whom serve on the AAPS Board of Directors. In addition to serving AAPS, being a member of the board is a chance to grow personally and professionally, develop skills, gain unique experience, and make lasting connections with a team of passionate and motivated professionals. From my time on the Board, I have experienced firsthand the commitment of my fellow members to move AAPS forward and to provide members with valuable and relevant benefits. If you have suggestion for nominees, please send them to Maria Nadeau.
Like my fellow volunteers, I have gained rewarding experience, learned a lot about my field, enhanced my management and leadership skills, and met many pharmaceutical scientists I now call friends. I hope you will join us as an AAPS volunteer this year.