ACCP is pleased to announce that competition is under way in the third annual Clinical Research Challenge (CRC). Research and scholarship contributes to improved health outcomes for patients and advances in the profession of clinical pharmacy. Critically evaluating and applying primary literature is an essential skill for students pursuing a career in clinical pharmacy.

This innovative and unique competition offers teams of three students (in the first two professional years of their degree program) the opportunity to compete and advance through three rounds of competition. The competition began this year on February 12 with 79 teams participating in round 1: The Online Journal Club. The
Online Journal Club Examination was based on the following literature:

Tai V, Leung W, Grey A, et al. Calcium intake and bone mineral density: systematic review and meta-analysis: BMJ 2015;351:h4183. Including all Supplementary Appendices.

Teams achieving the highest 40 scores advanced to round 2: Letter of Intent (LOI) submission. These teams were assigned a clinically focused research question and given 2½ weeks to develop and submit a letter of intent following the criteria outlined here. The LOI submissions were evaluated by the CRC Review and Oversight panels. Teams achieving the highest 20 scores then advanced to round 3 and will submit a full research proposal based on their LOI submission and feedback from reviewers. Team proposal submissions are due April 20 and will then be evaluated by the CRC Review and Oversight panels. Winners will be announced by June 5. To view a list of teams participating in each round of the competition, please click here.

For complete information on the CRC, visit www.accp.com/stunet/crc/eligibility.aspx.