ACCP Research Institute Update

As the ACCP Annual Meeting approaches, we would like to share an update on the activities and success of the Research Institute (RI). Thank you for supporting the ACCP RI.

Join the ACCP PBRN

The ACCP PBRN is a group of clinical pharmacy members from across the United States delivering clinical pharmacy services at a variety of academic, inpatient, outpatient, and other practice settings. Together, this group forms a nationwide network of pharmacists interested in collaboratively answering research questions. To join the ACCP PBRN, please visit our Web site (www.accpri.org) and complete the online registry form. Once you join the registry, you will need to complete a portfolio with PBRNConnect so that you can participate in a PBRN project (www.accpri.org/pbrnconnect).

The ACCP PBRN continues to grow since its launch in February 2009. Including members who have joined through existing PBRNs, we have more than 800 members to date. The number of PBRN members in various PRNs is shown below. We encourage each of you to join.

Submit Your Study Idea

Have a bright idea for the next ACCP PBRN project? Collaborate with the ACCP PBRN to complete your project. The ACCP PBRN is committed to supporting the research efforts of its members. We welcome proposals from ACCP PBRN members and other external investigators looking to collaborate with the ACCP PBRN to facilitate practice-based clinical pharmacy research. To learn more about collaborating with the ACCP PBRN, contact us at [email protected] or please visit www.accpri.org/pbrn/partner.aspx.

Research Institute Activities at the 2013 Annual Meeting

Research Institute Open House: ↑ n ∝ ↑ (1 – β)

The Research Institute (RI) is hosting an Open House to spotlight the Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN) and Focused Investigator Training (FIT) Program. Join us for roundtable discussions or individual Q&A time with RI Board members, FIT faculty and alumni, and the PBRN’s Community Advisory Panel members about these programs to learn how you can get involved, and begin networking with other ACCP members about research ideas and grant development. RI staff will also be available to listen to your ideas for the FIT, the PBRN, or any RI program.

So, after visiting the Scientific Poster Presentations in the Fran Hill NE Exhibit Hall, refill your coffee cup and join us at the RI Open House.

Frontiers Fund Celebrates a Decade of Success: Strategic Plan Sets Course for the Future

In its 10-year history, the Frontiers Fund has successfully raised and awarded more than $1 million in grants and program funding. The Frontiers Fund is one of the most important means by which the Research Institute (RI) is able to meet its strategic goals.

Highlights of recent Frontiers Fund initiatives include:

• The Focused Investigator Training (FIT) Program: 75 alumni with more than $7 million in new grant monies awarded to graduates
• The ACCP Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN): Includes more than 800 ACCP members signed up to collaborate on research that improves human health
  • The PBRN’s first project, the Medication Error Detection, Amelioration, and Prevention (MEDAP) Study, was published this year in Pharmacotherapy.
  • Activities Characterizing Clinical Pharmacists, the “ACCP² Study”: The first phase of this mixed-methods study, which is now complete, used qualitative methods to better identify the specific activities performed by clinical pharmacists in their practices. The second phase of the study will develop a point-of-care documentation tool to be used in a subsequent quantitative research study to capture the activities of individual clinical pharmacist’s interactions with patients.
  • The ongoing Oncology Drug Shortage Study will evaluate the effects of cytarabine shortages on the care of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) relative to a non-shortage period.

As the RI builds on its early successes, we acknowledge that these programs were largely made possible by the contributions of ACCP PRNs, several hundred ACCP members, and other organizations who donated to the Frontiers Fund. However, continued success cannot be achieved without sustained innovation and support.

During this anniversary year of the Frontiers Fund, the RI Board of Trustees has worked to define the critical issues facing the RI going forward. The initiatives and priorities emerging from this process will form the foundation of the future focus of the Frontiers Fund.

More information about the Frontiers Fund, including a complete list of donors since 1998, can be found at www.accpri.org. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support clinical pharmacy research.

Focused Investigator Training (FIT) Program

The Research Institute (RI) is pleased to announce that, because of feedback received from the 2013 FIT Program—hosted at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy in Athens—and the funding success enjoyed by past graduates, the FIT Program will be offered again in the summer of 2014. The FIT Program is an intensive, 5-day, hands-on program for experienced clinical pharmacists seeking peer-reviewed extramural funding as a principal investigator. The program emphasizes NIH (National Institutes of Health) R- and K-awards while fully supporting applicants seeking foundation and association grant awards.

We thank the Critical Care, Hematology/Oncology, and Immunology/Transplantation PRNs for offering full-tuition scholarships and the Education and Training PRN for offering a partial-tuition scholarship to 2013 FIT attendees. The RI encourages all PRNs to consider this professional development opportunity for its members on an annual basis.

Please visit www.accpri.org/fit for more detailed information about the RI’s opportunities for investigator development and for announcements regarding the dates, location, and application information for the next FIT Program.