UH-Hilo college of pharmacy program earns designation

The Master of Science in Clinical Psychopharmacology program offered through the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy at the University of Hawaii at Hilo was granted American Psychological Association designation.

The designation is valid for three years. DKICP applied for the recognition to APA’s Designation Committee for Postdoctoral Education and Training Programs in Psychopharmacology for Prescriptive Authority, referred to as the RxP Designation Committee.

The purpose of designation is to afford public recognition of education and training programs that meet certain minimum standards.

“This classification supplies our MSCP program with substantial credentials to actively compete on a national level with other programs throughout the country,” said Carolyn Ma, DKICP interim dean. “We have already distinguished ourselves as the first MSCP program in the U.S. that is operating entirely within a college of pharmacy. This APA designation shows we know what we’re doing.”

The college of pharmacy’s MSCP program is open to eligible candidates who already earned a doctoral degree in clinical psychology with an active license to practice. This post-doctoral training prepares the student for professional advancement to become a clinical psychopharmacologist, for which program coordinator Judi Steinman said pharmacy faculty is uniquely suited to train.

“With the increasing number of patients being prescribed psychotropic drugs, it’s critical for psychologists to have this type of training,” said Steinman, who was responsible for preparing the justification for the program to gain APA designation. “We’re excited to take the lead in attracting this group of professionals to UH-Hilo, and look forward to increased interaction with many other departments.”