Nineteen investigator-participants and mentors teamed up for 5 days of intensive investigator development at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy on June 1-5.
This marked the 11th offering of the ACCP Foundation Mentored Research Investigator Training (MeRIT) program and the 16th offering of the Focused Investigator Training (FIT) program.
The 5-day primer session kicked off the 2026 individualized, 2-year longitudinal MeRIT program, designed to mentor participants throughout the research process—from research idea and study design to IRB and funding application to data collection, results presentation, and manuscript submission.
2026 MeRIT and FIT participants and mentors.
Back row: Denise Rhoney, Sheldon Holstad (staff), Mark Shaefer, Faisal Darbar
Second from back row: Amanda Corbett, Adrianne Irwin, Omolola Adeoye-Olatunde, Robbie Parker, Sean Avedissian
Middle row: Warren Rose, Aaron Cook, Jo Ellen Rodgers, Ligang Liu
Second from front row: Emily Buatois, Salematou Traore-Uwalaka, Charlie Leonard
Front row: Hope Brandon, Faria Chaudhry, Lauren Cunningham, Kathryn Sawyer
The 2026 MeRIT primer participants will present posters of their proposed research projects during the ACCP Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, October 17-20, 2026. Please stop by to learn about these projects, ask questions, and offer advice to these motivated researchers.
Pictured: Jo Ellen Rodgers, Hope Brandon, Faisal Darbar, and Lauren CunninghamThe Foundation’s flagship program, FIT, delivers an unparalleled, rigorous, hands-on grant refinement experience for pharmacist-investigators pursuing funding from the NIH and other similarly competitive sources as principal investigators.
Assisted by skilled and successful research mentors, the 2026 attendees concentrated on developing and revising their individual proposals throughout the week.
Small-group sessions and individual worktime in each program allowed mentees to focus on their individual projects and immediately address questions and the recommended revisions. The small-group sessions were complemented by tip-rich lectures and discussions, one-on-one mentor appointments, and continual revision and feedback on ideas and proposals.
Learn more about FIT or MeRIT by visiting www.accpfoundation.org/investigator.
Watch for the summer 2027 FIT and MeRIT application materials on the ACCP Foundation website, and accelerate your growth as a clinical pharmacy researcher by submitting your letter of intent in February 2027 to attend one of the June 2027 programs. This approach to proposal development and investigator training with experienced and passionate mentors is unmatched by any other pharmacist training program.
2026 Investigator-Participants:
- Omolola A. Adeoye-Olatunde, Pharm.D., MS
Purdue University College of Pharmacy - Hope Brandon, Pharm.D., MBA
University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy - Emily Buatois, Pharm.D., BCPS
The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy - Faria Chaudhry, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCACP
Purdue University College of Pharmacy - Aaron Cook, Pharm.D., FCCP, FKSHP, FNCS, BCCCP
University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy - Lauren Cunningham, Pharm.D., BCACP, CDCES
University of Illinois Chicago Retzky College of Pharmacy - Faisal A. Darbar, Pharm.D.
University of Illinois Chicago Retzky College of Pharmacy - Ligang Liu, Pharm.D., MPH
Western University of Health Sciences College of Pharmacy - Kathryn M. Sawyer, Pharm.D., MEd, MBA, BCACP
University of Illinois Chicago Retzky College of Pharmacy - Salematou Traore-Uwalaka, Pharm.D., BCPS, CCHP
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2026 Mentors:
- Sean Avedissian, Pharm.D., MSc, PhD
University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Pharmacy - Amanda Corbett, Pharm.D., FCCP, FAIHM
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy - Adriane Irwin, Pharm.D., MS, FCCP, FAPhA, BCACP
Oregon State University College of Pharmacy - Charlie Leonard, Pharm.D., MSCE, MPH, FISPE
Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania - Robbie Parker, Pharm.D., FCCP
University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy - Denise Rhoney, Pharm.D., FCCP, FNCS, MCCM
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy - Jo Ellen Rodgers, Pharm.D., FCCP, FAHA, FHFSA, BCPS, BCCP
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy - Warren Rose, Pharm.D., MPH
University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Pharmacy - Mark Shaefer, Pharm.D., FCCP
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