APhA Foundation announces 2026-2027 Incentive Grant and Quality Improvement Grant recipients

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The American Pharmacists Association Foundation is pleased to announce the 2026–2027 recipients of the Incentive Grants for Practitioner Innovation in Pharmaceutical Care and the Improving Immunization Implementation Through Quality Improvement grants.

American Pharmacists Association logo

A total of 50 pharmacists and student pharmacists from across the country were awarded seed money to implement or support an existing innovative patient care service within their pharmacy practice.

The Incentive Grants for Practitioner Innovation in Pharmaceutical Care is the APhA Foundation’s longest-running program. Supported by the Community Pharmacy Foundation (CPF) and other partners, these grants have funded over 800 pharmacy-based projects, improving health outcomes for thousands of patients across the country. Focus areas for this year’s 47 Incentive Grants projects include test-and-treat services, diabetes management, primary care, pharmacy access, and more.

Three sites received funding through the Improving Immunization Implementation through Quality Improvement grants, made possible through an independent educational grant from Merck & Co. The goal of this initiative is to equip pharmacy residents with practical guidelines, best practices, and actionable ideas for designing and completing quality improvement projects focused on immunization workflow.

“We are sincerely grateful to our partners, Merck, CPF, and our donors, for continuing this important program,” said Benjamin Bluml, RPh, APhA Foundation executive director and senior vice president of research and innovation. “These projects will continue to make waves in pharmacy practice models long after completion.”

Recipients are listed below.

Incentive Grants for Practitioner Innovation in Pharmaceutical Care:

Recipient name

Practice site(s)

Project title

City, state

*Kunal Amin

NEOvations Pharmacy Services

NEO-VAX Connect – Closing Lifespan Immunization Gaps Through Integrated Care, Pharmacy Outreach, and Community Delivery

Rootstown, OH

Tinarena Awaradia

Western University of Health Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Desert Oasis Healthcare

A Ten-Year Evaluation of a Pharmacist-Run Hepatitis C Clinic Serving an Underserved Desert Community

Pomona/Palm Springs, CA

Lauren Blanco

Family Health Services

Clinical Pharmacy–Led FIB-4 Risk Stratification in Patients with Diabetes in a Rural FQHC: A Descriptive Evaluation of Screening, Risk Categorization, and Clinical Follow-Up

Greenville, OH

Kennedy Broussard

University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy

Impact of Maximum Allowable Cost (MAC) Appeals on Gross Margin and Reimbursement Outcomes in an Independent Community Pharmacy

Jackson, MS

Roseanne Candelaria

University Medical Center of El Paso

Evaluation and Implementation of an Interprofessional Diabetes Transitional Care Management Workflow in a Spanish-Speaking, Medically Underserved Population Along the US-Mexico Border

El Paso, TX

Marielle Carter

West Virginia University and Kroger Health

Evaluating the Impact of Structured Interviewing by Using Motivational Interviewing Techniques on Weight Change Among Older Adults Using GLP-1 Agonists

Morgantown, WV

Tatiana Chu

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Assessing the Effectiveness of a Health Literacy – Tailored Community Pharmacist Counseling Program on Hypertension and Medication Knowledge Retention: A Pre-Post Study

Boston, MA

Taylor Dabney

South College School of Pharmacy

Evaluation of Glycemic Outcomes Following Pharmacist-Led Diabetes Management in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Knoxville, TN

Mattewos Daniel

UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and In Clinic Rx

Clinical and Financial Impact of Pharmacist-Managed Remote Monitoring for Hypertension

Benson, NC

Katelyn Davis

University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy

Learning Collaboratives as an Implementation Strategy for Enhanced Patient Care Services in Community Pharmacies

Pittsburgh, PA

Maurine De la Paz

HealthLinc

Comparing Retention Rates Between Extended-Release Subcutaneous and Sublingual Buprenorphine-Naloxone at a Federally Qualified Health Center

Valparaiso, IN

Elizabeth Dietz

Kroger Health

Implementation of a pharmacist-led GIP/GLP-1 Care Management

Cincinnati, OH

Clint Doty

Albertsons Companies and Idaho State University College of Pharmacy

Characterizing Community Pharmacist-Led Prescribing Services Provided in Idaho, Colorado, and Montana

Boise, ID

Mary Dzhuryan

USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Assessing Provider Awareness, Knowledge, and Barriers to Referral for USC Pharmacy Vaping Cessation Program

Los Angeles, CA

Serena Fasola

ACME Pharmacy and Albertsons Companies

Association Between Targeted Pharmacy Immunization Interventions and Pneumococcal Vaccine Administration

Bala Cynwyd, PA

Maxwell Fleming

CVS Health

Characteristic of Pharmacist-Prescriber Health Information Exchanges in a Community Pharmacy Setting

Lafayette, IN

Ellie Flynn

UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and Moose Pharmacy

Assessing Barriers to Community Pharmacy Implementation of Long-Acting Injectable Buprenorphine

Concord, NC

Melanie Galima

Albertsons Companies

Assessing Patient Interest in Longer-Form Appointments at Their Local Community Pharmacy

Fullerton, CA

Ramey Hensley

University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and PrimaryPlus

Pharmacist Involvement in Medicare Annual Wellness Visits Across Kentucky Federally Qualified Health Centers

Lexington/Morehead, KY

Reiley Hertlein

Health Mart

Impact of Specific Workflow and Technology-Related Factors on Completion of Comprehensive Medication Review Opportunities in Independent Community Pharmacies

Irving, TX

Mariam Hussain

UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and Walgreens

Enhancing Experiential Learning Through a Standardized Community Pharmacy Clinical Education Toolkit

Durham, NC

Soo Kang

Kroger Health and Virginia Commonwealth University

Enhancing Community Access Through Pharmacist Delivered Preventive Care: A Quality Improvement Evaluation of a National Grocery Chain Mobile Health Outreach Program

Henrico, VA

Shelby Kim

Albertsons Companies and University of California, Irvine

Patterns of Inappropriate SABA Inhaler Use: Opportunities for Community Pharmacist Intervention in Promoting Guideline-Based Asthma Management

Fullerton, CA

Kamryn Koller

UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and Cape Fear Clinic

Transforming Diabetes Care Through an Opt-Out Continuous Glucose Monitoring Program: A Prospective Evaluation

Wilmington, NC

Klaudia Kruczak

Jewel Osco

Barriers to Prior Authorization Resolution Among Medicare Beneficiaries Using the Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Bridge Program

Chicago, IL

Camille Kugler

HealthLinc

Prescription Drug Substitutions Performed Under a Collaborative Drug Therapy Management Agreement in a Federally Qualified Health Center

Valparaiso, IN

Hyejun Lee

USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Expanding Community Pharmacist-Led Asthma Care: A Telephone Outreach Intervention to Improve Asthma Control in Adults

Omaha, NE

Christina Lo

UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and In Clinic Rx

Evaluating a Pharmacist-Led Esketamine Administration Service

Benson, NC

Kristen Lyons

Purdue University Pharmacy

Impact of Antibiotic Prescribing Practices on Follow-Up Visits and Repeat Antibiotics in a College Health Setting

West Lafayette, IN

Kami McDonald

Ohio Northern University HealthWise

Decreasing Primary Care Gaps for Rural Medicaid Patients

Ada, OH

Carla Medina-Gil

University of Colorado Denver

Identifying Barriers and Facilitators to the Implementation of ePrescribing in Community Pharmacies

Aurora, CO

Autaria F. Morgan

Premise Health/ Southwire – Wiggins Family Medical Center and Pharmacy

Longitudinal Changes in Liver Fibrosis Risk Among Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Participating in a Pharmacist-Led Diabetes Management Program

Carrollton, GA

Emma Munson

UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and Companion Pharmacy

Evaluation of a Pharmacist-Led Medication Review Service in Companion Animal Polypharmacy

Raleigh, NC

Patricia Ndifor Nformi

University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy and Kroger Health

Community Pharmacist-led Medication Optimization in Patients on GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Therapy

Nashville, TN

Cody Nguyen

HealthNet, Inc.

Provider Perceptions of the Impact of Pharmacist Interventions in Co-Visits on Patient Care

Indianapolis, IN

Megan Pointer

Walgreens

The PrEPARE Study: Pharmacy Partnerships for Equitable HIV Prevention, Access, Reach, and Engagement

St. Louis, MO

Angelic Puglisi

Smith’s Food and Drug Centers

From Rotation to Career: A Structured Training and Development Program to Strengthen the Community Pharmacy Workforce Pipeline

Las Vegas, NV

*Graciela Rivera-Pena

CVS Pharmacy/LECOM

Overcoming HPV Vaccine Myths: A Student-Pharmacist-Led Counseling and Outreach Initiative for Parents and Unvaccinated Adults

Kissimmee, FL

Abrianna Singleton

Ohio Northern University and HealthWise

Pharmacist-driven Mobile Diabetes Care in Medicaid Patients with A1C Above 9%

Ada, OH

Isabella Smith

Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy

Pharmacist-Driven Education Service on Skin Cancer Risk in Solid Organ Transplant Patients Taking Anti-Rejection Medications

Des Moines, IA

Mahala Smith

Kroger Health

Determining the Feasibility of Calculating a PREVENT Risk Estimate in a Community Pharmacy

Cincinnati, OH

Anastasiya Stolyarchuk

ACME Pharmacy and Albertsons Companies

Assessing Proportion of Patients Returning for First Follow-Up Injections of Extended-Release Buprenorphine in the Community Pharmacy Setting

Philadelphia, PA

Fiza Syed

USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

On The Fence: Exploring Travel Vaccine Hesitancy

Los Angeles, CA

Alnisha Wheeler

UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and Cape Fear Clinic

Evaluation of an Opt-Out Medication Packaging Program to Improve Medication Adherence

Wilmington, NC

Carissa Wilson

University of Iowa College of Pharmacy

Evaluating the implementation of pharmacist-led interventions in achieving disease state goals through the ACCESS Model

Iowa City, IA

Samuel Wood

Fry’s Pharmacy and Midwestern University

Impact of Opt-In vs Presumptive Counseling Language on Naloxone Dispensing Rates in Community Setting

Glendale, AZ

Victoria Zambrzycki

Walgreens Specialty and Purdue University

Real-world Patterns of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Preexposure Prophylaxis (Prep) Initiation and Persistence Among Women: A Community Pharmacy-Based Analysis

Indianapolis, IN

*Rothholz Family Innovation in Immunization Practices

Improving Immunization Implementation through Quality Improvement:

Anusha Gupta

HCA Florida North Florida Hospital Outpatient Pharmacy

Optimizing Vaccination Delivery for Transplant and Cellular Therapy Patients Through a Pharmacy-Led Quality Improvement Initiative

Gainesville, FL

Natalie Elfahel

University of Southern California

Evaluation of Immunization-Trained Pharmacy Technicians on Vaccination and Operational Performance in Community Pharmacies

Los Angeles, CA

Recipient name

Practice site(s)

Project title

City, State

Anusha Gupta

HCA Florida North Florida Hospital Outpatient Pharmacy

Optimizing Vaccination Delivery for Transplant and Cellular Therapy Patients Through a Pharmacy-Led Quality Improvement Initiative

Gainesville, FL

About the American Pharmacists Association Foundation

The APhA Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, is a trusted source of research demonstrating how pharmacists can improve health care. The APhA Foundation’s mission is to improve health by inspiring philanthropy, research, and innovation that advances pharmacists’ patient care services. The APhA Foundation is affiliated with the American Pharmacists Association, the national professional society of pharmacists in the United States.

APhA Foundation

Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/apha-foundation-announces-20262027-incentive-grant-and-quality-improvement-grant-recipients-302937825.html

SOURCE American Pharmacists Association Foundation