ACCP is pleased to announce that competition is underway in the 2026 Clinical Research Challenge (CRC). Research and scholarship contribute 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 3 students (those in the first 2 professional years of their degree program) the opportunity to compete and advance through 3 rounds of competition. The 2026 competition began February 9 with 79 teams participating in Round 1: The Online Journal Club, which was based on the following literature and included all supplementary materials and figures, which are available to download as a PDF:

Pereira NL, Rihal C, Lennon R, et al. Effect of CYP2C19 genotype on ischemic outcomes during oral P2Y₁₂ inhibitor therapy: a meta-analysis. JACC Cardiovasc Interv. 2021;14(7):739-750. www.jacc.org/doi/abs/10.1016/j.jcin.2021.01.024

Teams achieving the top 40 scores advanced to Round 2: Letter of Intent (LOI) submission. These teams were given a clinically focused research question with 2½ weeks to develop and submit a letter of intent following the criteria outlined here. The LOI submissions were due March 2, 2026, and are currently under evaluation by the CRC Review and Oversight panels. Teams advancing to round 3 will be announced on March 23. To view a list of the teams participating in each round of the competition, please click here.

Please join ACCP in recognizing and thanking the members of the CRC Review and Oversight panels for their contributions and service to the College in advancing this important program for our student members.

2026 CRC Oversight Panel

Sandra Benavides, Pharm.D., FCCP

Doug Fish, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS-AQ ID

Anne Hume, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS

Irene La-Beck, Pharm.D.

Beth Phillips, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS

Tiffany Pon, Pharm.D., BCPS

2026 Journal Club Review Panel

Allison Bernknopf, Pharm.D., BCPS

Timothy Gladwell, Pharm.D., BCACP, BCCP, BCPS

2026 CRC Review Panel

Jacob Brown, Pharm.D.

Kyle Burghardt, Pharm.D.

Daniel Crona, Pharm.D., PhD

Robert Di Domenico, Pharm.D., FCCP

Abigail Elmes, Pharm.D., MHPE, BCPS

Teresa Ho, Pharm.D., BCPS

Kelly C. Lee, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPP

Abbie Leino, Pharm.D., BCPS

Tien Ng, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS

Phillip Rodgers, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS

Tyler Shugg, Pharm.D., PhD

James Stevenson, Pharm.D.

Rebecca Stone, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCACP, BCPS

Chad VanDenBerg, Pharm.D., BCPP

Lusi Zhang, Pharm.D., MHI

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