Recommendations for Meeting the Pediatric Patient’s Need for a Clinical Pharmacist: A Joint Opinion of the Pediatrics Practice and Research Network of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and the Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group Varsha Bhatt-Mehta, Marcia L. Buck, Allison M. Chung, Elizabeth A. Farrington, Tracy M. Hagemann, David S. Hoff, Joseph M. LaRochelle, Rebecca S. Pettit, Hanna Phan, Amy L. Potts, Katherine P. Smith, and Richard H. Parrish, II Children warrant access to care from clinical pharmacists trained in pediat- rics. The American College of Clinical Pharmacy Pediatrics Practice and Research Network (ACCP Pediatrics PRN) released an opinion paper in 2005 with recommendations for improving the quality and quantity of pedi- atric pharmacy education in colleges of pharmacy, residency programs, and fellowships. Although progress has been made in increasing the availability of pediatric residencies, there is still much to be done to meet the direct care needs of pediatric patients. The purpose of this joint opinion paper is to outline strategies and recommendations for expanding the quality and capacity of pediatric clinical pharmacy practitioners by elevating the mini- mum expectations for pharmacists entering pediatric practice, standardizing pediatric pharmacy education, expanding the current number of pediatric clinical pharmacists, and creating an infrastructure for development of pedi- atric clinical pharmacists and clinical scientists. These recommendations may be used to provide both a conceptual framework and action items for schools of pharmacy, health care systems, and policymakers to work together to increase the quality and quantity of pediatric training, practice, and research initiatives. Key Words: fellowship, pediatric pharmacy, pharmacy education, standardi- zation, residency. (Pharmacotherapy 2013;33(2):243–251) Introduction Children* are an important segment of the population served by pharmacists. 1–3 In 2010, approximately 73.9 million children resided in the United States, representing 23.9% of the total population. 4 Canadian statistics are similar, with 7.8 million children, making up 23% of the population. 5 Although most children will spend the majority of childhood in good health, a sig- nificant number will require medical care. According to the 2007 National Survey of Chil- dren’s Health, over 31 million children, nearly half of the pediatric population, have at least *Children are defined in this document as persons aged 21 years or less. 1–3 PRN O PINION P APER