Introduction: While the health risks of smoking are well-documented, the emergence of vaping as a perceived alternative, despite containing high nicotine levels and other chemicals, has added complexity to smoking cessation efforts. Evidence on the role of vaping as a smoking cessation aid is weak, and recent Australian regulations now place nicotine vaping products at the forefront of the pharmacy profession, with pharmacists dispensing vapes without a prescription in specific instances. As health policy continues to evolve, there is a clear need to train pharmacy students in both smoking and vaping cessation, integrating current guidelines and effective risk communication.
Methods: The No-To-Nicotine module, an educational intervention was designed and implemented within PHAR2911, a second-year pharmacy unit at Sydney Pharmacy School. Using a flipped classroom approach, students reviewed nicotine pharmacology and vaping regulations before attending two 1-hour lectures on smoking and vaping and a 2.5-hour interactive workshop. The workshop involved case scenarios and skills practice, including assessing nicotine dependence, addressing common cessation challenges, counselling and communicating risks. A pre-post questionnaire was developed to measure changes in students’ knowledge and attitudes regarding smoking and vaping cessation.
Results: Two-hundred-sixty-seven students attended the No-To-Nicotine module in semester 1, 2024. Analysis of pre- and post-questionnaires (55.1% response rate) indicated significant improvements in students’ clinical knowledge of smoking and vaping cessation (pre-mean total knowledge score 18.9±5.6; post-mean total knowledge score 25.4±5.0). Students reported increased awareness and confidence in communicating health risks and expressed greater readiness to support patients to quit.
Conclusion: This model can inform future pharmacy education curricula, equipping students to advocate for smoking and vaping cessation in primary care settings and adapt to evolving health regulations.

Introduction: Virtual cases are associated with increased learner satisfaction and provide learning opportunities that simulate practice. We created a series of pharmacist prescribing for minor ailment (PPMA) cases, via the Virtual Interactive Case (VIC) System, to facilitate PPMA engagement. Following a usability study of three pilot cases, users requested an enhanced feedback mechanism in VIC to better inform individual gaps in PPMA patient assessments. This project was aimed to develop and standardize the scoring/feedback mechanism of PPMA VICs to more accurately reflect community pharmacy practice and provide case-specific feedback to users.
Methods: A preliminary scoring table was created incorporating feedback from the usability study of three PPMA VICs and by consulting the curricular resources on PPMA. Three independent pharmacy-student assessors then applied the scoring table on three VICs and regrouped to reach a consensus on the final scoring table. The final scoring table was then applied to the entire series of 14 PPMA VICs by four independent reviewers, followed by consensus generation.
Results: The final scoring table was separated into five “point” levels: 50, 25, 15, 5, and 0. If a PPMA VIC user asks all 50-point questions, then they have completed a core patient assessment of the respective minor ailment. If the user also asks the 25-point questions, then they will be able to recommend patient-specific interventions. For the 15-point questions, they represent best practices for general patient-centered care. The 5-point questions are unrelated to the specific minor ailment, but present opportunities for health promotion. Finally, 0-point questions are irrelevant/unnecessary PPMA patient-assessment questions.
Conclusion: Through an iterative/consensus-generating process, we developed and standardized the feedback mechanism of a series of 14 PPMA VICs. With this enhanced scoring method, pharmacists may better engage in the VIC learning experience and reflect on their strengths and weaknesses in PPMA patient assessments.

Introduction: Pharmacy graduates interested in academic careers face limited options that adequately prepare them for faculty positions. Academic fellowships have emerged as appealing options, equipping fellows with essential skills in teaching, scholarship, clinical practice, and service needed for success as faculty members. However, limited awareness of academic fellowships, combined with the wide variability among programs, makes it challenging for graduates to navigate these training opportunities. This study examines academic fellowship programs across the U.S., highlighting their unique structures and shared commitment to developing future pharmacy educators.
Methods: A Collective of known U.S.-based fellowship programs was formed. Program directors were asked to provide information including descriptions, structure, and requirements of their programs. In addition, a 22-item questionnaire was distributed to academic fellows to gain further insights. Data was compiled and analyzed to identify commonalities and differences among fellowship programs.
Results: Fifteen programs are represented in the Collective. Thirteen program directors provided information. Five programs (38.5%) are 1-year, five (38.5%) are 2-years, and three (23.1%) vary based on the fellow’s background. Six programs (46.2%) require and five (38.5%) prefer one year of residency training or equivalent experience. Eleven (84.6%) include a clinical component. Thirteen fellows from ten programs responded to the survey. Fellows reported an average distribution of effort of 38% teaching, 23% research, 20% clinical service, 15% professional service, and 4% other. Current fellows reported completing or actively working on 3-4 major scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) projects or other research initiatives, indicating active scholarly engagement.
Conclusion: Academic fellowships in the U.S. vary significantly across institutions but share the common goal of preparing graduates for academic roles. This study highlights the diversity and shared goals of these programs. Expanding the Collective beyond the U.S. would contribute to a global vision for adaptable, skilled pharmacy educators.

Introduction: Biologics, such as monoclonal antibodies, are increasingly used to treat complex conditions such as auto-immune diseases, cancer. Therefore, it is essential for future health care professionals, such as pharmacy students, to understand how and why these drugs function. To address this, we developed a scenario-based workshop to help students understand the chemistry and pharmacology underpinning the drugs’ mechanism of action.
Methods: The workshop is modelled on existing workshops delivered in the pharmacy curricula which use Maestro (Schrodinger suite) to teach small molecule drug design. The new workshop utilises Bioluminate (Schrodinger suite) to study protein-protein interactions which underpin biologics’ mechanism of action. Use of similar software builds on students’ previous familiarity and reduces the learning curve associated with new software.
Results: The workshop comprises a 4-hour session and pre-workshop assessment, to be delivered in a new core unit in the undergraduate Pharmacy curriculum, focusing on oncology and immunology. To integrate their pre-existing pharmacological and clinical knowledge related to the treatment of breast cancer and their subtypes (namely, HER-positive), students are provided a hypothetical scenario where they are part of a research team at a pharmaceutical company, working to produce a report assessing their competitor’s product and aim to develop a biosimilar or biobetter of trastuzumab using Bioluminate. Assessments and activities were mapped to unit learning outcomes accredited by the Australian Pharmacy Council. The workshop was open-ended to foster student engagement with the content and encourage students to be creative in selecting unique modifications to the protein-protein interface, resulting in the generation of many biosimilars.
Conclusion: We have developed a workshop to help students understand the chemistry and pharmacology underpinning the mechanism of action of biologics.