Caring and educating on mental health

Students Establish UHCOP Chapter of American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists

October 29 — In response to growing interest in the treatment of mental health disorders, Pharm.D. students at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy have established a local chapter of the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP).

The national organization was founded in 1998 as the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) before adopting its current name in 2022. The driving forces behind the organization include advancing the practice of psychiatric pharmacy and working to ensure those living with mental illness receive safe, appropriate, and effective treatment.

At the collegiate level, the AAPP aims to empower students to learn more about mental health diseases and disparities, promote the profession and decrease the stigma around mental health illnesses in our society. The UHCOP chapter is led by second year Pharm.D student Najad Abu-Hmidan and faculty advisor Austin De La Cruz, Pharm.D., BCPP, clinical associate professor.  

“Since my P1 orientation when Dr. De La Cruz presented himself as a psychiatric pharmacist for the very first time, I just knew immediately that was what I wanted to pursue,” Abu-Hmidan said. “I want to educate about mental health disorders, how to act, talk and respond to decrease stigma and use first-person language. Moreover, I want to emphasize the importance of taking care of your mental health because one mentally ill family member affects the whole family.”

With approximately 3,000 thousand members, the national organization and its philanthropic arm, the AAPP Foundation, also offer research platforms, grants, access to psychiatric medication databases, and publication opportunities with AAPP.

“The U.S. health care system is facing a growing challenge,” said De La Cruz, who maintains a mental health practice site at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and chair of the college’s Student Wellness Advisory Council. “The increasing number of patients seeking mental health treatment is not being met by a sufficient supply of psychiatrist and other mental health providers. This shortage presents an opportunity for psychiatric pharmacists to help meet the demand by prescribing and caring for patients with mental health disorders.”

With its large population and abundance of health care systems, Abu-Hmidan and De La Cruz said the organization is well placed for providing opportunities for cultivating the development of future leaders in psychiatric pharmacy.

“UHCOP has the potential to be a leader in developing future psychiatric pharmacists, and this AAPP chapter will help us get there,” De La Cruz said. “With access to the largest medical center in the world and connections with mental health organizations, the possibilities are endless regarding the impact this organization can have on both students and the greater community.”

Abu-Hmidan wants the chapter to inspire through connections with other chapters and access to conferences.

“Our long-term goal is to become a prominent voice for psychiatric pharmacy, not only in the larger Houston area, but on the national level” Abu-Hmidan said. “I am very excited about the impact we will have on our students and all the networking opportunities and additional exposure our chapter will provide.”

The AAPP chapter has already planned and confirmed events for the rest of the academic year, like hosting tabling events to reach students and educating on topics such as seizure first aid, mindful eating habits, and autism awareness.

"I witnessed firsthand that, without proper patient education, nonadherence is not a question of if but when, and this can deeply impact both patients and their families,” Abu-Hmidan said. “That’s why I want to become a psychiatric pharmacist—to be the provider I always wished I had as a child.”

By Elias Lilienfeld