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Research Fellowship Programs as a Pathway for Training Independent Clinical Pharmacy Scientists
Author(s) -
Mueller Eric W.,
Bishop Jeffrey R.,
Kanaan Abir O.,
Kiser Tyree H.,
Phan Hanna,
Yang Katherine Y.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
pharmacotherapy: the journal of human pharmacology and drug therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.227
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1875-9114
pISSN - 0277-0008
DOI - 10.1002/phar.1562
Subject(s) - pharmacy , translational research , standardization , context (archaeology) , medical education , relevance (law) , pharmacy practice , medicine , political science , family medicine , pathology , paleontology , law , biology
The American College of Clinical Pharmacy ( ACCP ) Research Affairs Committee published a commentary in 2013 on training clinical pharmacy scientists in the context of changes in economic, professional, political, and research environments. The commentary centered on the opportunities for pharmacists in clinical/translational research including strategies for ACCP , colleges of pharmacy, and the profession to increase the number and impact of clinical pharmacy scientists. A postdoctoral fellowship is cited as a current training pathway, capable of producing independent and productive pharmacy researchers. However, a decline in the number of programs, decreased funding availability, and variability in fellowship program activities and research focus have brought into question the relevance of this research training pathway to meet demand and opportunities. In response to these points, this commentary examines the state of research fellowship training including the current ACCP research fellowship review process, the need for standardization of research fellowship programs, and strategies to strengthen and promote research fellowships as relevant researcher training pathways.