As pharmacists across the country gathered with their friends and families to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, I realized just how grateful I am for you—our APhA members, industry supporters, and the APhA staff. It’s because of you and your contributions to patient care and our profession that we are where we are today.

The first thing that comes to mind is the professionwide effort to pass pharmacist provider status federal legislation. I am so proud of the many pharmacists who influenced representatives from every state in the country. Our collective outreach led to cosponsorship of the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act (H.R. 592/S. 314) from the majority of the U.S. House and more than one-third of the U.S. Senate. Thank you to all of our APhA members who made this happen!

I’d also like to give a shout out to our APhA staff. They work hard every day to make sure our members have everything they need to practice at the top of their game, from new education programs to tools to advance pharmacy practice. In fact, in 2014, APhA’s education programs trained more than 42,000 pharmacists, and similar numbers are projected for 2015!

APhA staff is also working very hard to put together dynamic programming, exceptional professional development opportunities, networking activities, and certificate training programs for APhA2016 held in Baltimore on March 4–7. This year’s annual meeting is shaping up to be one of our greatest meetings ever, thanks to APhA’s caring and dedicated staff.

Reflecting on the past and present brings me around full circle to thinking about the future. I am more excited than ever that 2016 will be a year of growth in team-based care, expanded practice roles, and collaborations with those inside and outside the profession. I am thankful for all that you do every day, all day to help patients and advance the profession. I hope you enjoyed your time with family and friends this Thanksgiving. See you in Baltimore!