Dr. Candice Garwood leads WSU Applebaum’s effort as college joins nationwide network of universities to transform how medications and vaccines are delivered in U.S. from 2022-2031

Today, Wayne State University’s Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences announced it is joining the RAPID Alliance Medications 360 Study, with a goal of transforming how medications and vaccines are delivered in the U.S. from 2022-2031. The RAPID Alliance is a multi-stakeholder research consortium founded in the University of Louisville Center for Health Organization Transformation (CHOT), a National Science Foundation-funded research center.

Dr. Candace Garwood
Pharmacy Practice Clinical Professor Candice Garwood, PharmD

WSU Applebaum will help lead an all-hands-on-deck effort to co-create the RAPID Alliance Medications 360 Framework 2022-2031, a set of transformational strategies and a nationally prioritized research agenda for optimizing the use of medications, vaccinations and other therapies from 2022-2031.

This project is building on a 2020 research study, conducted by U-L researchers during the COVID-19 pandemic, that identified strategic opportunities to improve health and well-being for tens of millions of people while reducing U.S. spending on likely avoidable hospitalizations, emergency department and doctor visits by as much as $528 billion.

WSU Applebaum’s Department of Pharmacy Practice will contribute to this effort by supporting research and action in areas including state-level strategies for Michigan, and special study sections including Health Access and Equity.

Pharmacy Practice Clinical Professor Candice Garwood, PharmD, who is helping lead this project for WSU Applebaum, said, “There has never been a more important time to prioritize health access and equity here in Detroit and across the country. We are honored to be part of this crucial national effort.”

Universities participating in the RAPID Alliance and its Medications 360 Study include American University of Health Sciences, Belmont University, Binghamton University, California Northstate University, Chapman University, Ferris State University, Howard University, Lipscomb University, Loma Linda University, Long Island University, Marshall University, Medical College of Wisconsin, Mercer University, North Dakota State University, Oregon Heath & Science University, Oregon State University, South Dakota State University, Sullivan University, Temple University, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, University of Cincinnati, University of Colorado, University of Georgia, University of Hawaii Hilo, University of Houston, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, University of Michigan, University of Mississippi, University of Nebraska Medical Center, University of Nevada Reno, University of Pittsburgh, University of Rhode Island, University of South Carolina, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Washington State University, Wayne State University and Western University of Health Sciences.  

Lucinda Maine, chief executive officer of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, a founding member of the RAPID Alliance Practice Council, said, “We are delighted to see this multi-university research consortium developing. We believe national and state strategies driven by research are key to optimizing medication use for U.S. populations in the next decade.” 

The consortium plans to add up to 30 additional universities in the coming months to support the effort.


Want to join the strategic planning effort? Leading health care companies, associations, government agencies, foundations, technology providers and other stakeholders at national and state levels are invited and encouraged to have one or more strategic leaders participate in the strategic planning process. Learn more or join the study at meds360.starstudy.org.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering approximately 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 26,000 students. Wayne State’s Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is built on more than 100 years of tradition and innovation in the heart of Detroit, where students prepare for career paths in 11 different disciplines. WSU Applebaum harnesses the city’s powerhouse hospital systems and community service organizations as vibrant, real-world training grounds for students, with an ongoing focus on social justice in health care.

The National Science Foundation Center for Health Organization Transformation (NSF-CHOT) at the University of Louisville is a federally awarded industry-university collaborative research center that aims to accelerate applied research and workforce development by integrating health care systems engineering, health services research and health policy. For more information visit louisville.edu/sphis/departments/chot.

The RAPID Alliance is a research consortium in NSF-CHOT and the Frazier Polypharmacy Program at UofL. Founding members include leaders from the Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF), American Pharmacists Association (APhA), American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP), American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA), National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), National Community Pharmacies Association (NCPA), the Community Pharmacy Foundation, CPESN USA, Sanofi and Sanofi Pasteur, a leading researchers from multiple schools of pharmacy and health science centers. For more information, visit www.rapidalliance.org/.

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