We are excited about the official launch of ACCP''s Practice-Based Research Network (ACCP PBRN). Interested members are now (or have begun) registering online at www.accpri.org/pbrn.

The ACCP PBRN is a network of clinical pharmacists and their practices working together to improve the health of their patients by addressing questions commonly encountered and translating research findings into practice. Clinical pharmacists play an important role in our health care system today. We help improve medication therapy management and decrease adverse drug reactions for our patients. Yet we have not systematically studied the services we offer on a national scale. Through the ACCP PBRN, pharmacists and their practice sites will have the opportunity to join forces and participate in practice-based studies on a national scale.

Our first network project is a descriptive analysis of the ACCP PBRN registry. The registry will give us information about network members, where we practice, and whom we serve. Furthermore, it will give us a focus for potential research areas of interest.

If you want to learn more about the ACCP PBRN, please visit http://www.accpri.org/pbrn. We would also like to meet with you at our upcoming ACCP/ESCP International Congress. We welcome your suggestions and comments at [email protected].

If you would like to know about national PBRN initiatives and examples of projects conducted by other PBRNs, we encourage you to attend the 5th Annual PBRN Research Conference sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). It will be held June 24–26, 2009, in Bethesda, Maryland. More information can be accessed at http://pbrn.ahrq.gov.