Washington D.C. – The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) received a petition to recognize Pharmacogenomics as a BPS specialty certification. BPS now opens the public comment period with this link and will close the comment period on June 3, 2026 at 5:00pm ET.
In January 2025, the BPS Board of Directors announced that they reviewed the job analysis (or role delineation study) conducted within this pharmacy practice area and found the results support further consideration of Pharmacogenomics as a recognized pharmacy specialty certification.
BPS received the petition in March 2026 and conducted a preliminary review to determine if the petition addresses all criteria. The petition is available for comment by the public and the profession. The petition can be found here.
The BPS Board of Directors will complete its review of the petition and public comments and render a decision within six months. If the petition is approved, an inaugural Pharmacogenomics specialty council will be established to work with BPS and the psychometric staff to establish eligibility criteria and develop a bank of certification examination items.
The petition submitted to BPS seeks to address the criteria that must be met for a new specialty to be considered for recognition by BPS. The petition will now be reviewed internally to determine if there are any significant gaps or questions for the petitioners. Those criteria include:
- Need
- Demand
- Number/Time
- Specialized Knowledge
- Specialized Functions
- Education and Training
- Transmission of Knowledge
The petition to recognize Pharmacogenomics as a BPS specialty certification was submitted by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP); American Pharmacists Association (APhA); American Society of Health-System Pharmacist (ASHP); and the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA).
Contributors to the petition on behalf of these organizations were: Josiah Allen, PharmD; Vicki Basalyga, PharmD, MAS, BCPS, BCPPS; Jill S. Bates, PharmD, MS, BCOP, DipACLM, FASHP; Marcia Buck, PharmD, FCCP, FPPA, BCPPS; Allison L. Hill, PharmD, RPh; Jill Kolesar, PharmD, MS; Aniwaa Owusu Obeng, PharmD; Carolyn J. Oxencis, PharmD, BCOP, FHOPA; Jennifer Piccolo, PharmD, BCOP; Jann B. Skelton, RPh, MBA, FAPhA; Nicole Watts, PharmD, BCOP; and Marianna Wilbur, PharmD, MHA.
The petition definition for Pharmacogenomic pharmacists is as follows: Pharmacist genomics specialists are pharmacists with advanced education, training, or experience who lead the clinical integration of pharmacogenomic testing into patient care. They interpret genetic test results and apply them to personalized medication therapy to improve therapeutic outcomes and reduce adverse drug events. These specialists serve as leaders, developing clinical workflows, decision support tools, policies, and standardized processes to incorporate pharmacogenomics into practice.
Specialists collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and apply collaborative drug therapy management principles to advocate for pharmacist reimbursement and insurance coverage of pharmacogenomic services. They integrate treatment decisions and hold leadership roles in genomic case review. Their work also includes promoting standardized nomenclature, ensuring data portability and interoperability, and partnering with electronic health record vendors to embed clinical decision support into electronic systems.
Beyond clinical care, these specialists advance the field through research, publication, education, and advocacy. They create training programs for health care professionals, develop patient education materials, and establish protocols for returning results and updating interpretations as new evidence emerges. By measuring patient outcomes and demonstrating economic value, they help build the case for widespread adoption of pharmacogenomic testing and establish pharmacists as essential leaders in genomic medicine.
Questions can be directed to Brian Lawson at blawson@aphanet.org.
About the Board of Pharmacy Specialties
The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) was established in 1976 as an autonomous division of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). The mission of BPS is to improve patient care by positioning BPS Board-Certified Pharmacist Specialists as integral members of interprofessional healthcare teams, through recognition and promotion of specialized training, knowledge, and skills for pharmacists in the United States and internationally. Board certification is a recognized credential for determining which pharmacists are qualified to contribute at advanced practice levels given the rigorous standards mandated by BPS board certification and recertification. As of the end of 2025, BPS recognized more than 63,400 pharmacist certifications across 16 specialties.
BPS Contact
Alexander Jean-Baptiste
Associate Director, Digital Marketing and Communications
ajeanbaptiste@aphanet.org
(202) 760-3836