Anisa Hansen, professor of pharmacy practice in Drake University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (CPHS), was accepted into the 20th cohort of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Academic Leadership Fellows Program (ALFP) for 2023-24. Hansen is the fifth current faculty member in the CPHS to be accepted into this program. Other faculty members who have completed the fellowship include Renae Chesnut (Cohort 2), Erik Maki (Cohort 15), Michelle Bottenberg (Cohort 17), and Shankar Munusamy (Cohort 19).
The AACP Academic Leadership Fellows Program supports and contributes to the development of leaders in academic pharmacy and higher education. The program also provides an opportunity for Fellows to expand relationships with peers and colleagues in other institutions, as well as within their own college and university. The interactive, year-long program consists of four sessions with in-depth leadership development, team building and networking, exploration of issues critical to pharmacy and higher education, a team project, and more.
Hansen is dedicated to leadership development, specifically in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as exemplified by her acceptance and completion of various leadership programs. She was accepted into the Rising Higher Education Leaders Fellowship through the Education Advisory Board in 2023, culminating with a project about inclusive teaching strategies for faculty and staff. Hansen also completed a Lumen Circles Fellowship in Effective Teaching Practice for Belonging and Inclusive Teaching in 2022. Additionally, Hansen participated in the DEI Train-the-Trainer Program for the National Coalition Building Institute in 2022.
Hansen puts her skills to use through several leadership roles in professional organizations and within the CPHS and wider campus at Drake University. She served on the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Institute Planning Committee from 2020 to 2023. She has served as the CPHS Director of DEI since 2021 and as a member of the University’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion team. She became a Qualified Administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory in the spring of 2023.
“I am honored to be selected as an AACP Academic Leadership Fellow as a member of the 20th cohort,” said Hansen. “I look forward to building my leadership skills with my fellow participants.”