PURSUiNG MEdicAl cAREERS AFtER SERviNG thEiR cOUNtRy

MESSAGE FROM THE DEANCollege of PharmacyChange is inevitable. The changes we are seeing in healthcare are happening because everyone recognizes thatspending associated with our current health care systemis unsustainable. Recent Ray Symposium speaker JoshuaBenner, PharmD, ScD, president and CEO of RxAnte, Inc.and visiting scholar at the Brookings Institute, told acrowd of nearly 200 that health care spending couldeventually reach half of GDP if left unchecked. As greatminds contemplate the merits of the Affordable Care Act,the CMS has continued to move ahead with the HealthCare Innovation Challenge Awards, which generatednearly 3,000 applications from health care providers todevelop models to reduce costs, extend access andprovide bundled payment mechanisms.Daniel Robinson, PharmDThere is little doubt that many changes in health carewill bring great opportunity for our WesternU graduates.At long last, the U.S. health care establishment, federaland state governments are recognizing that pharmacistshave been dramatically underutilized in dealing with thechallenges of cost and access to health care services. TheCenter for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued new rulesthat now allow hospitals to give nonphysicianpractitioners such as advanced practice nurses, physicianassistants and pharmacists medical staff privileges toincrease the number and types of practitioners who areoverseeing and protecting the health and safety ofpatients. Earlier this year, in a landmark report to the U.S.Surgeon General, there was widespread support forimproving patient and health system outcomes throughadvanced pharmacy practice and for full recognition ofpharmacists as health care providers.I would usually use this space to share wonderful newsabout the College of Pharmacy. Instead I have decided toshare wonderful news about the world of pharmacy andthe exciting opportunities that lie ahead as long aspharmacists continue to focus on providing the best inhealth care services for their patients.24 Western University of Health Sciences