美国药学院协会认可致力于以变革的方式提供社区药学服务的药学项目，并指定密苏里大学堪萨斯城药学院为卓越社区药学中心。
该称号认可了学校在教学、服务、奖学金、领导和伙伴关系方面做出的重大承诺。 这所学校是获得该奖项的17所学校之一。
Kendall Guthrie（药学博士） ‘13), Sarah Oprinovich, Pharm.D.希瑟·莱昂斯-伯尼（Heather Lyons-Burney）医学博士。 ‘94), applied for the award, with help from Mark Sawkin, Pharm.D.， Mark Patterson博士，M.P.H.和刘亦菲博士。
与其他学院一起，威尼斯人娱乐城药学院将作为该学科的大使，并将有独特的机会分享其知识，并帮助其他项目发展以社区为导向的护理。
“We will be used as a model for other institutions that would like to incorporate more community pharmacy education into their curriculum,” Oprinovich said. “We will also be in closer contact with other Centers of Excellence, so we can all share practices that will improve our students’ readiness for practicing in contemporary community .”
Dean Russ Melchert, Ph.D., noted the accomplishment’s importance.
“We are very excited and honored to receive the prestigious Center of Excellence designation by AACP for our faculty’s innovative work in advancing community pharmacy practice,” Melchert said. “Pharmacists have been among the most accessible health-care providers, with estimates suggesting that over 90% of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a community pharmacy. 我们很高兴能在全国范围内被认可为一所培养优秀、创新和创业型社区药房从业人员的专业学校。”
作为一个卓越的中心，威尼斯人娱乐城药学院现在将目光投向了为每个人推进社区药房实践，并继续培训明天的护理人员。
根据奥普里诺维奇的说法，许多人意识到他们的社区药房是他们可以接种疫苗、检测轻微急性疾病、监测血压等的地方。
“We have multiple faculty who are given the time and space to serve professional organizations, innovate, and research,” Oprinovich said. “Our experiential education leaders also place high value on training students to be well-prepared for the rapid change that is happening in community pharmacy today.”
药学院将在未来五年保持这一称号，之后将被邀请重新申请。