Report of the 2011-2012 AACP Special Advisory Committee on Research and Graduate Education

According to the Bylaws of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the Research and Graduate Affairs Committee (RGAC) shall provide assistance to the Association in developing its research, graduate education, and scholarship agenda. This assistance may include facilitating colleges and schools in formulating and advancing legislative and regulatory initiatives, and nurturing collaborative activities with organizations sharing an interest in issues related to the pharmaceutical sciences. Following the retirement of Dr. Kenneth Miller, formerly Senior Vice President at AACP in June 2010, AACP made a strategic decision approved by the Board of Directors to hire a Vice President of Research and Graduate Education serving as a Chief Science Officer (CSO), who deeply understands contemporary research and anticipated scientific progress that will benefit AACP and its members. AACP seeks to deepen its relationships with all public and private funding agencies supporting the spectrum of the pharmaceutical sciences and the CSO will have greater capacity for the primary areas of responsibility in research and scientific affairs. Yuen-Sum (Vincent) Lau, Ph.D., previously the John & Rebecca Moores Professor and Chair of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department at University of Houston College of Pharmacy, assumed this new role in July, 2011. During the first transitional year, the new CSO was responsible to evaluate the existing AACP programs and make necessary improvements. In addition, President Brian Crabtree had charged AACP to create a Special Advisory Committee on Research and Graduate Education to advise and provide assistance to the new CSO in strengthening research, graduate education, and scholarship for the academy. The recommended strategic directions included building relationships and collaboration with scientific organizations and funding agencies, leading scientists in and out of pharmacy education, creating an Academic Research Fellows Program, and strengthening and supporting graduate education. The Special Advisory Committee on Research and Graduate Education met on Dec. 13-14, 2011 in Alexandria Virginia, during which the 2010-11 Research and Graduate Affairs Committee Report1 and the current AACP Strategic Plan Critical Issue 5 on “Research and Scholarship” were examined and discussed. Throughout the year, the CSO contacted the committee members via electronic communication. The Committee met again through a conference call on June 26, 2012 to review the progress and discuss future agenda. This report summarizes the Committee’s discussion and AACP’s execution on tasks related to research and graduate affairs within the year.