ASHP Response to Petition to End Gender Inequality in Clinical Pharmacy

Recently, ASHP became aware of a petition to pharmacy organizations titled, End Gender Inequality in Clinical Pharmacy. In this petition it is stated that: 

“In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that awards, presentations, and provisions of leadership have been used to intimidate women in our profession unbeknownst to many. At present, over 45 self-identified victims of this behavior have come forward.”  It goes on to say that “there is a need to generate mechanisms to alert selection committees or other leadership bodies about individuals who use professional status to undermine, intimidate, and sexually harass our female students, trainees, and peers.”

ASHP stands on values that include a culture that strongly supports equality, diversity, and inclusion. ASHP opposes and will not tolerate unprofessional behaviors that may undermine, intimidate, and harass others. Our values reside in helping and supporting all of our members and colleagues. This extends to support of gender equality, and ASHP is proud to be a longtime leader in national efforts to support women in pharmacy.

ASHP’s Statement on Professionalism encourages pharmacy practitioners, administrators, faculty members, preceptors, residents, and students to advance patient care and strengthen the pharmacy profession by promoting professionalism in everyday practice. ASHP encourages pharmacists to serve as mentors to students, residents, and colleagues in a manner of high personal standards of personal integrity.

Further, our professional policy advocates that hospitals and health systems adopt zero-tolerance policies for intimidating or disruptive behaviors and encourages development and implementation of education and training programs to facilitate effective communication, set expectations for standards of conduct, and discourage intimidating or disruptive behaviors. ASHP encourages hospitals and health systems to implement processes for identification and reporting of intimidating or disruptive behaviors to evaluate and mitigate unacceptable behaviors in a timely and effective manner.

ASHP’s policies and guiding principles are based on core tenets of professionalism, equality, diversity, and inclusion. It is with this same spirit that we, as a professional organization, actively support eliminating discrimination, exclusion, and injustices of all types directed at any individual or group of individuals.