Nancy Ann Alvarez

Interests

Research

Pain medicine, leader development and advocacy,cultural competency,communication

Teaching

Pain medicine, leader development and advocacy, cultural competency,communication history of pharmacy

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Books

• Alvarez, N. A., Alvarez, N. A., Bethishou, L., Lewis, J., & Xavioer, S. (2021). Bypass Pharmacy Burnout: Changing Your Trajectory to Enhance Your Experience. American Pharmacists Association.

Chapters

• Alvarez, N. A., & Cameron, C. K. (2025).

  Osteoarthritis

  . In DiPiro’s Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach, 13th Edition. McGraw Hill.
• Zerr, B., & Alvarez, N. A. (2025).

  Atopic Dermatitis

  . In DiPiro’s Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach, 13th Edition.
• Alvarez, N. A. (2021). Containing the Fire of Burnout. In Bypass Pharmacy Burnout: Changing Your Trajectory to Enhance Your Experience(pp 37-67). American Pharmacists Association.
• Alvarez, N. A. (2021). The Many Shades of Support. In Bypass Pharmacy Burnout: Changing Your Trajectory to Enhance Your Experience(pp 167-182). American Pharmacists Association.
• Alvarez, N. A. (2021). The Meta-View from 50,000 Feet Above. In Bypass Pharmacy Burnout: Changing Your Trajectory to Enhance Your Experience(pp 1-14). American Pharmacists Association.
• Alvarez, N. A. (2021). The Road to Burnout. In Bypass Pharmacy Burnout: Changing Your Trajectory to Enhance Your Experience(pp 15-35). American Pharmacists Association.

Journals/Publications

• Alvarez, N. A., & Erstad, B. L. (2025).

  Planning for and creating strong nomination submissions for honors and awards.

  . J Am Pharm Assoc (2003), 65(6), 102909. doi:10.1016/j.japh.2025.102909
  More info

  An important activity for pharmacists and other pharmacy personnel is to sponsor nomination submissions for individuals or organizations deserving of honors/awards. This paper provides considerations for nominator pre-planning and planning activities to generate a strong nomination submission. Time, strategic thinking, and the use of advocacy and storytelling skills to construct a compelling narrative for the nomination can increase the likelihood of a successful and celebratory outcome.
• Alvarez, N. A., Edwards, K. L., Litten, K. P., & Hughes, J. A. (2025).

  Research and scholarly methods: applying design thinking to scholarly writing

  . J Am Coll Clin Pharm, 8, 1326-1332. doi:10.1002/jac5.70055
• Corrigan, M. M., Alvarez, N. A., Bakken, B. K., Brock, K. A., Connolly, C. J., Kolesar, J. M., Letendre, D. E., Maine, L. L., Vos, S. S., & Murry, L. T. (2025).

  Zada M. Cooper: Inspiring leadership, service, collaboration, and innovation to advance pharmacy

  . J Am Pharm Assoc (2003), 65(Issue 6). doi:10.1016/j.japh.2025.102902
  More info

  Zada Mary Cooper (1875–1961), known as the “Grand and Glorious Lady of Pharmacy,” was a pioneering educator, advocate, and leader who helped shape modern pharmacy practice. As the first known female pharmacy faculty member in the United States, Cooper's career at The University of Iowa spanned 45 years, during which she championed innovation in education, promoted leadership in pharmacy, and influenced national professional organizations. Through prolific writing and visionary service, she addressed challenges still relevant today—engaging students in lifelong learning and preparing students for fulfilling careers in practice, aligning practice settings with pharmacist value, and educating the public on the role of pharmacists. This article describes Cooper's enduring impact, with some of her scholarship referenced and related to pharmacy practice today. We conclude by introducing the forthcoming national Zada Cooper Leadership Medal, which beginning at the American Pharmacists Association's annual meeting in 2026, will be awarded to individuals inspiring ongoing leadership, advocacy, and mentorship in pharmacy. Her legacy offers a blueprint for addressing today's challenges with curiosity, collaboration, and courage.
• Lee, J. K., Alvarez, N. A., Katz, M., Fraser, C., Cornelison, B., Gallo, T., & Axon, D. R. (2025).

  Investigating the correlation between student pharmacist admissions data and pharmacy course grades at a college of pharmacy in the United States

  . Curr Pharm Teach Learn, 17(Issue 8). doi:10.1016/j.cptl.2025.102369
  More info

  Introduction: There is an interest in examining how well admissions data including demographics and course grades correlate with academic success for student pharmacists. This project aimed to determine the correlation between Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) admissions data and academic performance at the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy (UA RKCCOP). Methods: This retrospective quality improvement project included all PharmD students admitted in the last five cycles (2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23) to the UA RKCCOP. The PharmCAS application system data and course grades from the three years of the pharmacy didactic curriculum at the UA RKCCOP were utilized. Descriptive statistics were calculated to describe the characteristics, grade point average (GPA) scores, and course grades. Spearman Rho correlations were calculated for the association between pre-pharmacy GPA scores and each PharmD course grade and the association between select prerequisite courses and their corresponding pharmacy courses. Results: A total of 665 students were admitted to the UA RKCCOP PharmD program in the past five cohorts. Correlations between prerequisite course grades and select PharmD course grades were either weak or very weak, as were most correlations between pre-pharmacy GPAs and PharmD grades. There were nine moderate correlations – three basic science courses and two pharmacy practice courses were typically correlated with overall and/or science pre-pharmacy GPAs. Conclusions: This project demonstrated a lack of strong correlations between prerequisite course grades with PharmD course grades and pre-pharmacy GPAs with PharmD grades. Although there were a few moderate correlations, most were weak or very weak.
• Tanzer, K. D., Martin, T., Alvarez, N. A., & Hughes, J. A. (2025).

  Apply the 4 lenses to the self-study process to identify blind spots and opportunities.

  . Curr Pharm Teach Learn, 17(5), 102321. doi:10.1016/j.cptl.2025.102321
• Alvarez, N. A., & Negrete, M. J. (2024). Burnout, moral distress, and moral injury meet in a pharmacy: the need to learn from the interplay among them.. Calif Pharm, 71(1), 35-39. doi:https://doi.org/10.37901/cpha24-01
• Alvarez, N. A., Loya, A., Ward, K., & Hughes, J. A. (2024). Importance of understanding minority serving institution designations and associated abbreviations in contemporary U.S. higher education.. Am J Pharm Edu, 88, 100744. doi:10.1016/j.ajpe.2024.100744
• Alvarez, N. A. (2023). Moral distress and moral injury in pharmacy and why the academy needs to care.. Am J Pharm Edu.
• Alvarez, N. A., Gaither, C. A., Schommer, J. C., Lee, S. H., & Shaughnessy, A. M. (2023).

  Moral distress and moral injury in pharmacy and why the academy needs to care

  . American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 87(Issue 12). doi:10.1016/j.ajpe.2023.100610
  More info

  Pharmacists and other pharmacy personnel are experiencing job stress and burnout, and in some instances, suicidal ideation and death by suicide. However, the described lived experiences of pharmacists and other pharmacy personnel are not defined by burnout. Thus, consideration of and research about whether pharmacy personnel are possibly experiencing moral distress or moral injury is necessary and urgent. The pharmacy academy is served by considering workplace conditions and lived experiences of pharmacists because of the potential, negative impact on prospective student recruitment, quality of experiential sites and preceptors, sites for clinical faculty placement, and the well-being of alumni. Understanding phenomena occurring for pharmacy personnel and determining how they impact the pharmacy academy can lend itself to the future development of solutions.
• Castleberry, A. N., Devraj, R., Alvarez, N. A., Persky, A. M., & Poirier, T. I. (2023).

  Pharmacy leaders' reflections on leadership and legacy.

  . Am J Pharm Educ, 87(10), 100111. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpe.2023.100111
• Devraj, R., Castleberry, A., Alvarez, N. A., Persky, A., & Poirier, T. I. (2023). Pharmacy leaders’ advice to future leaders.. Innov Pharm, 14(3), 10. doi:https://doi.org/10.24926/iip.v14i3.5528
• Lee, J. K., Collins, B., Pepper, E., Alvarez, N. A., & Warholak, T. (2023).

  Improving a Leadership Scale: Applying Rasch Analysis to Student Pharmacists’ Attitudes and Beliefs About Leadership

  . Am J Pharm Edu, 87(Issue 6). doi:10.1016/j.ajpe.2023.100063
  More info

  Objective: Leadership development is necessary for student pharmacists to become pharmacist leaders, but no readily usable standard measurement of student attitudes toward and beliefs about leadership exists. To assess the reliability and validity evidence for using the Leadership Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (LABS-III), originally developed and validated in Malaysia, for use with student pharmacists in the United States. Methods: The 2-unit leadership course was piloted among second- and third-year students in a public college of pharmacy with a 4-year doctor of pharmacy curriculum. The participating students completed the LABS-III during the first and last classes as part of a quality improvement measure for course enhancement. Rasch analysis was then used to assess the reliability and validity evidence for the LABS-III. Results: A total of 24 students participated in the pilot course. The pre and postcourse surveys had 100% and 92% response rates, respectively. After Rasch analysis model fit was achieved, the item separation for the 14 nonextreme items was 2.19 with an item reliability of 0.83. The person separation index was 2.16 with a person reliability of 0.82. Conclusion: The Rasch analysis revealed that the number of LABS-III items should be decreased and that the 3-point response scale should be used to improve functionality and use in classroom settings for PharmD students in the United States. Further research is needed to augment the reliability and validity evidence of the modified instrument for use at other United States colleges of pharmacy.
• Schommer, J. C., Gaither, C. A., Alvarez, N. A., Lee, S., Shaughnessy, A. M., Arya, V., Planas, L. G., Fadare, O., & Witry, M. (2022). Pharmacy workplace wellbeing and resilience: themes identified from a hermeneutic phenomenological analysis with future recommendations. Pharmacy, 10(158). doi:10.3390/pharmacy10060158
• Schommer, J. C., Lee, S., Gaither, C., Alvarez, N. A., & Shaughnessy, A. (2022). Improving the experience of providing care in community-based pharmacies . Pharmacy, 10(67). doi:10.3390/pharmacy10040067
• Sobeski, L. M., Schumacher, C. A., Alvarez, N. A., Anderson, K. C., Bradley, B., Crowe, S. J., Merlo, J. R., Nyame, A., Rivera, K. S., Shapiro, N. L., Spencer, D. D., & Van Drill, E. (2021).

  Medication access: policy and practice opportunities for pharmacists.

  . J Am Coll Clin Pharm, 4, 113-125. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.1373
  More info

  Medication access is critical to achieving optimal patient outcomes. The 2020 Task Force on Medication Access was charged with developing an ACCP white paper on improving medication access that addresses barriers such as cost, health disparities, and utilization management practices. This white paper outlines major barriers to medication access and provides pharmacists and professional organizations with policy and practice recommendations to help reduce barriers, enhance medication access, and fulfill the goal of optimal patient outcomes.
• Alvarez, N. A. (2019). Tools for community-based pharmacist patient care services to support optimal opioid use.. Journal of the Contemporary Pharmacy Practice (JCPhP), 66(2), 12-16.
• Alvarez, N. A. (2018).

  Leading our communities in patient care

  . Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 58(Issue 4). doi:10.1016/j.japh.2018.05.015
• Alvarez, N. A. (2017). Treat the patient and not the number: A call to care. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 57(Issue 4). doi:10.1016/j.japh.2017.06.013

Presentations

• Alvarez, N. A. (2025, July).

  Developing Leaders in Pharmacy Technician Education: A Conversation with Nancy Alvarez

  . Pharmacy Technician Educators Council 2025 Conference. Columbus, OH: Pharmacy Technician Educators Council.
• Negrete, M. J., & Alvarez, N. A. (2025, Apr.).

  Focus on What Matters Most

  . Western Pharmacy Exchange. San Diego, CA: California Pharmacists Association.
• Negrete, M. J., & Alvarez, N. A. (2025, September).

  So, You Want to ADVANCE: The Five Unwritten Rules for Climbing the Career Ladder

  . San Fernando Pharmacists Association Continuing Education Program. Zoom Platform - Virtual: San Fernando Pharmacists Association.
• Alvarez, N. A. (2024, Jan.). Who I Am Being Today. Donna Walker Pulido Leadership Scholars Fireside Chat. Zoom Platform: University of South Carolina.
• Alvarez, N. A. (2024, Mar.).

  Luke, I Am Your Mentor.

  . American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting and Exposition. Orlando, FL: American Pharmacists Association.
• Alvarez, N. A. (2024, Nov.). The Unexpected Road – Wear Fabulous Shoes!. Walker Leaders Developing Leaders Series. Zoom Platform: University of South Carolina.
• Alvarez, N. A., & Negrete, M. J. (2024, Apr.). Burnout vs Moral Injury: How They're Different and Why It Matters. Western Pharmacy Exchange. Las Vegas, NV: California Pharmacists Association.
• Mattingly, T. J., Alvarez, N. A., Aungst, T., Noel, Z., & Rowe, C. (2024, Jul.).

  Harnessing AI-Powered Tools in Academia: Using Prompt Engineering to Enrich Faculty Productivity

  . American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual MeetingAmerican Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
• Negrete, M. J., & Alvarez, N. A. (2023, Apr.). The Trouble with Spreading Pharmacy Services (in Community-Based Pharmacy Practice).. Western Pharmacy Exchange. Las Vegas, NV: California Pharmacists Association.
• Negrete, M. J., & Alvarez, N. A. (2024, Apr.). Slow the Churn - Reap the Benefits of Reduced Employee Turnover. Western Pharmacy Exchange. Las Vegas, NV: California Pharmacists Association.
• Alvarez, N. A. (2023, May). Addressing Social Determinants of Health in Opioid Use Disorder. Substance Use Disorder Virtual Summit. Virtual: Florida Pharmacy Association.
• Alvarez, N. A., & Duke, M. S. (2023, Jul.). Believe You Can Advocate. APhA-ASP Summer Leadership Institute. Washington DC: American Pharmacists Association - Academy of Student Pharmacists.
• Alvarez, N. A., & Negrete, M. J. (2023). The Trouble with Spreading Pharmacy Services. Southwest Regional Meeting. Las Vegas, NV: Nevada Society of Health-System Pharmacists/American Society of Consultant Pharmacists.
• Kawahara, B. I., & Alvarez, N. A. (2023, Apr.). Tick Tock! Time to Exert Your Control Over 1,440 Minutes!. Western Pharmacy Exchange. Las Vegas, NV: California Pharmacists Association.
• Alvarez, N. A. (2022, Mar.).

  Lessons on Leadership from the Front Lines of Pharmacy

  . 2022 American Pharmacists Assocation Annual Meeting. San Antonio, TX: American Pharmacists Association.
• Alvarez, N. A. (2022, May). 30-Year Journey to the Center of the Pharmacy Universe. University of Iowa College of Pharmacy Commencement - Class of 2022. Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa College of Pharmacy.
• Alvarez, N. A. (2022, Oct.). Subtle and Seismic Shifts: Leveraging Leadership and Advocacy - 2022 Elizabeth Keyes Distinguished Federal Pharmacy Lecture. 2022 Joint Federal Pharmacy Seminar. Cleveland, OH: American Pharmacists Association.
• Alvarez, N. A., & Duke, M. (2022, Jul.).

  Leadership and Advocacy

  . 2022 APhA-ASP Summer Leadership Institute. Washington DC: American Pharmacists Association.
• Alvarez, N. A., & Kawahara, B. I. (2022, Apr.).

  Leadership – That’s NOT My Job

  . Western Pharmacy Exchange 2022. Las Vegas, NV: California Pharmacists Association.
• Gaither, C. A., Alvarez, N. A., & Quinones-Boex, A. (2022, Jul.). Who has rights? We do! Teaching students and graduates to advocate for their employee rights. 2022 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting. Grapevine, TX: American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
• Gaither, C., Schommer, J. C., Shaughnessy, A., Rothholz, M., Lee, S., & Alvarez, N. A. (2022, Mar.).

  Medication errors, near misses and the pharmacy work environment: results from the APhA/NASPA national state-based workplace survey

  . 2022 American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting. San Antonio, TX: American Pharmacists Association.
• Negrete, M. J., & Alvarez, N. A. (2022, Apr.). Strategies to Help Address and Prevent Professional Burnout. Western Pharmacy Exchange 2022. Las Vegas, NV: California Pharmacists Association.
• Quinones-Boex, A., Gaither, C., Schommer, J. C., & Alvarez, N. A. (2022, Jul.).

  Facilitating safe pharmacy practice and workplaces

  . International Social Pharmacy Workshop. Chicago, IL: ISPW - The University of Sydney, Australia.
• Alvarez, N. A., & Kawahara, B. I. (2021, Jun).

  Professional Engagement - Antidote for Rx Burnout Blues

  . Western Pharmacy Exchange. Palm Springs, CA: California Pharmacists Association.
• Alvarez, N. A., Gilliam, D., & Wisseh, C. (2021, Jun). What We Can Learn by Examining Health Disparities During COVID-19. 2021 Annual Convention - Virtual. Virtual: Arizona Pharmacy Association.
• Alvarez, N. A. (2020, Oct.). “Mentoring and Precepting Skills for a Virtual World”. 2020 APhA Day of New Practitioner (NP) LIFE. Zoom Platform: American Pharmacists Association.
• Corrigan, M. M., & Alvarez, N. A. (2020, Oct.). “Mentorship, Leading, and Well-Being”. DHX Virtual 2020 (Digital Health Conference). Hopin Virtual Platform: California Pharmacists Association.
• Alvarez, N. A. (2019, 03/Spring).

  "Addressing Wellness and Resilience of Residents in Your Residency Program."

  . American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting. Seattle, WA: American Pharmacists Association.
  More info

  Seventy-five-minute presentation w/ Dr. Kelly Goode. American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA. Mar. 2019.

Poster Presentations

• Alvarez, N. A., Allsup, K., Kushinsky, B., Melton, M., Walji, K., Weiss, J., & Cameron, C. K. (2025, October).

  Barriers to engagement and learning experienced by Doctor of Pharmacy students.

  . American College of Clinical Pharmacy Annual Meeting,. Minneapolis, MN: American College of Clinical Pharmacy.
• Lee, J. K., Alvarez, N. A., Katz, M., Fraser, C. P., Cornelison, B. R., Gallo, T., & Axon, D. R. (2025, July).

  Correlations between student pharmacist admissions data and pharmacy course grades at one college of pharmacy.

  . American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL: American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
• Vazquez, A., Henry, N., Al Qaderi, M., & Alvarez, N. A. (2025, August).

  Social media for health: creative strategies to overcome flu vaccine hesitancy across generations. 

  . 83rd FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Copenhagen, Denmark.: International Pharmaceutical Federation.
• Allsup, K., Kushinsky, B., Melton, M., Walji, K., Cameron, C. K., & Alvarez, N. A. (2024, May).

  Identifying barriers experienced by the students at the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

  . Senior Project Virtual Poster Session - 2024. Zoom platform.
• Alvarez, N. A., Kirtley, J. C., Shaughnessy, A. M., Rothholz, M. C., Fine, K., Horton, A., & Cover, J. (2022, May). Responsibilities, and rights of pharmacists for contemporary pharmacy practice. 2022 National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Annual Meeting. Phoenix, AZ: National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

Others

• Alvarez, N. A., Durham, M. J., & Adadey, C. S. (2022, Mar.). Women in Pharmacy Development Forum Panelist - American Pharmacist Association Foundation Women in Pharmacy. 2022 American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting.
• Schommer, J. C., Gaither, C. A., Lee, S., Alvarez, N. A., & Shaughnessy, A. M. (2022, Apr). APhA/NAPSA national state-based community pharmacy workplace survey: Final report. American Pharmacists Association Website at www.pharmacists.com. https://www.pharmacist.com/DNNGlobalStorageRedirector.ashx?egsfid=NiFsiJVsyys%3d
• Schommer, J. C., Gaither, C. A., Lee, S., Alvarez, N. A., & Shaughnessy, A. M. (2021, Dec.). APhA/NAPSA national state-based community pharmacy workplace survey: Initial report. American Pharmacists Assocation Website at www.pharmacists.com. https://www.pharmacist.com/DNNGlobalStorageRedirector.ashx?egsfid=Zofb6PivYhs%3d
  More info

  Initial report