Purdue University captured the title of ACCP Clinical Pharmacy Challenge champion in an exciting match against the team from the South Dakota State University (SDSU) College of Pharmacy. From an initial field of 104 teams, these two institutions advanced through four online rounds of competition as well as the live quarterfinal and semifinal matches to face each other in Monday’s final round during the ACCP Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas.

The Clinical Pharmacy Challenge, now in its fifth year, affords teams of three pharmacy students representing institutions from across the country the opportunity to compete in a “quiz bowl”–type competition. Each round of competition consists of three segments: Trivia/Lightning, Clinical Case, and Jeopardy-style items. Items for the Challenge are written and reviewed by an expert panel of ACCP members. The quarterfinal and semifinal round matches held over the weekend produced many close outcomes. Quarterfinal B between the University of North Carolina and the University of the Sciences Philadelphia College of Pharmacy was decided in a sudden-death tiebreaker. The outcome of semifinal A, between SDSU and the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy, came down to the last Jeopardy-style item of the match and advanced SDSU into the final round.

Purdue led the final match after the Trivia/Lightning segment, but SDSU began to close the gap in the Clinical Case segment. Items for the teams in this year’s final round were presented in the Jeopardy-style categories of Cardiovascular Disorders, Critical Care/Emergency Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Psychiatry/CNS Disorders, and “Potpourri.” The teams had to make strategic choices as they navigated the Jeopardy-style grid, selecting the item categories they felt matched their own unique strengths and taking their chances in the Potpourri category, which addressed items in pain management, HIV, and endocrinology. Ultimately, Purdue prevailed because of its strong performance in the Jeopardy-style segment.

Please join ACCP in congratulating the teams from both universities on their outstanding academic achievement and Purdue on winning the championship. To view a complete listing of the teams that participated and progressed through this year’s competition, please visit http://www.accp.com/stunet.

Matt Watson (left), Nick Scarpino (center), and Brandon Muckley (right) celebrate the Purdue University College of Pharmacy’s win at the 2014 ACCP Clinical Pharmacy Challenge.