Christopher B. Adams, Pharm.D., has been awarded a 2013-2014 ASHP Foundation Pharmacy Resident Practice-Based Research Grant. Dr. Adams is a PGY2 Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Resident at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) in New York. Dr. Adams is a 2012 graduate of Oregon State University College of Pharmacy.
The Pharmacy Resident Practice-Based Research Grant Program supports practice-based research conducted by residents in ASHP-accredited pharmacy residency programs or by residents in pharmacy residency programs that have submitted an application for ASHP accreditation. This research must be related to the assumptions, beliefs and recommendations from the November 2010 ASHP/ASHP Foundation Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative (PPMI) Summit. The overarching goal of the PPMI is to ensure that pharmacists participate on interdisciplinary patient care teams as the health professionals who are responsible and accountable for patients’ medication outcomes. A secondary goal of the program is to develop pharmacy residents’ research skills while fostering development of mentoring relationships with more experienced senior investigators.
Dr. Adams will use his grant to conduct a study entitled “Survey of Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Education Opportunities for Students and Residents.” His team will include fellow resident and coinvestigator Kristan E. Vollman, Pharm.D., and they will receive guidance from senior investigator Nicole M. Acquisto, Pharm.D., BCPS, Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Specialist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at URMC.
“The emergency medicine pharmacist is a relatively new concept with important implications for all health care institutions,” said Dr. Adams. “This specialty service aims to maximize medication safety and efficacy within the high-stakes environment of the emergency department, an area notorious for high rates of medication errors and adverse events. In order to meet the increasing demand for emergency medicine-trained pharmacists, colleges/schools of pharmacy and residency programs may offer training specific to this practice setting. However, little is known regarding the quantity and quality of emergency medicine education currently being offered. This study aims to describe the training available for this specialty to ensure future health care industry demands are met.”
Dr. Adams is one of only seven pharmacy residents nationwide to receive this grant. “This grant represents a milestone in my postgraduate training and is the result of hard work and the support of the many advisors and mentors I’ve had throughout my education. Specifically, my residency program director, Nicole M. Acquisto, and my coinvestigator, Kristan E. Vollman, were instrumental in making this grant a reality,” he said.
For More Information
Information about the Pharmacy Resident Practice-Based Research Grant Program and the abstracts of the research studies funded by this year’s program can be found at www.ashpfoundation.org/residentgrant.