Long-standing member and past ACCP Regent Henry Bussey has been honored for two Web-based initiatives to help patients, health care professionals, and caregivers manage medication therapies designed to prevent blood clots. Dr. Bussey, Professor of Pharmacotherapy at the University of Texas College of Pharmacy, was selected for two honors presented by the Chest Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the American College of Chest Physicians. The recognition includes awards totaling $185,000 during a 3-year period.

In the first award, Dr. Bussey was named recipient of the Second GlaxoSmithKline Distinguished Scholar in Thrombosis Award. He received the award for his proposal to develop a safer, more effective, and less costly method to manage oral anticoagulation (warfarin; brand name Coumadin) therapy for the millions of people who take the medication. “We are currently involved in the first trial that is evaluating the ‘triple intervention’ of combining (1) a new fingerstick self-testing technology to perform the international normalized ratio (INR) test, which is used to adjust the warfarin dose plus (2) daily low-dose vitamin K to help stabilize the INR and (3) automated online monitoring through a software system (the ClotFree System from Genesis Advanced Technologies, Inc.) that has been developed with my input,” Dr. Bussey explained. He added that available data suggest that achieving better INR control can reduce stroke, heart attack, death, and major bleeding in certain patient groups by 50% or more, and he believes his new approach can achieve the goal with less time and resources than are currently expended in managing warfarin patients. The distinguished scholar award provides $50,000 annually to support the research during a 3-year period and $10,000 the following year to support Dr. Bussey’s commitment to serve as a consultant to the next person chosen for this award.

In addition, Dr. Bussey was named as one of four recipients of the Foundation’s Humanitarian Project Development Award. The honor, which includes a $25,000 cash prize, is awarded to projects and programs located anywhere in the world that a member is volunteering medical expertise, time, or resources to improve the health of those in need. “A major criterion for this award is helping to provide assistance to areas outside of the U.S. and especially in underserved areas of the world,” said Bussey, adding that the information resources offered by ClotCare are available to anyone in the world who has access to the World Wide Web and that ClotCare’s editorial board routinely responds to questions from all over the world. Dr. Bussey is the author of more than 100 publications and has recently joined the Scientific Advisory Committee of the North American Thrombosis Forum.