Building on the 2025 National Academies Pharmacy Workshop: Preparing Pharmacists for Technology-Driven Roles

To identify the competencies that pharmacists need to evaluate, implement, and oversee technology-enabled care and propose a longitudinal framework for developing these competencies within PharmD education.

Drawing on the 2025 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Pharmacy Workshop, this paper links emerging technologies to new pharmacist roles across clinical, regulatory, managed care, and industry settings. The new technologies demand that pharmacists validate artificial intelligence (AI) recommendations, implement digital therapeutics, apply pharmacogenomic (PGx) data, and interpret real-world evidence (RWE), all of which extend beyond traditional pharmacotherapy training. We propose four longitudinally scaffolded domains: Technical Understanding, Critical Evaluation, Ethical and Professional Stewardship, and Discipline-Specific Application.

Technology is not diminishing the pharmacist's role. Rather, it highlights the importance of pharmacists' clinical expertise. Preparing graduates requires deliberate curricular design, faculty investment, and recognition that clinical judgment remains the irreplaceable complement to any algorithm.