Four VCU School of Pharmacy faculty members have been named the first recipients in the Center for Pharmacy Practice Innovation’s Feasibility Grant Program. They are associate professor Amy Pakyz, assistant professor John Bucheit, associate professor Benjamin Van Tassell and assistant professor Lauren Caldas, all faculty within the school’s Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science.

“We’re excited to announce the recipients of our inaugural program,” said CPPI director and associate professor Dave Dixon. “The CPPI Feasibility Grant Program provides funds for projects aimed at developing and evaluating new roles and opportunities for pharmacists.”

Pakyz and Bucheit will use their grant to evaluate the feasibility of implementing an Antibiotic Stewardship Program in the CrossOver Healthcare Ministry Clinic. The objective of Van Tassell and Caldas’ project will be to incentivize pharmacist-monitored patient blood pressure readings as a novel approach to improve adherence. Assistant professor Teresa Salgado, CPPI assistant director for research, said each proposal was assessed by two independent reviewers who followed rigorous, standardized evaluation criteria to determine the proposals of highest merit. Each project will be awarded $15,000, she said, to be used over the course of one to two years. Eligible projects had to align with at least one of the center’s goals as part of its mission to improve pharmacy practice and patient outcomes:

Develop, implement and evaluate innovative and sustainable care models that incorporate pharmacists to optimize medication-related patient health outcomes.

Foster collaboration among clinicians and outcomes researchers to determine pharmacist impact on health and economic outcomes.

Equip pharmacists with the knowledge, skills and abilities to engage in interprofessional, collaborative care.

Partner with clinicians, health systems, policymakers and payers to advance medication and health policies at the local, state and national levels.

“We look forward to hearing about the results of these two studies in the months to come,” said Dixon. Pakyz, Bucheit, Van Tassell and Caldas will present their findings as part of the CPPI’s monthly seminar series. Learn more about the Center for Pharmacy Practice Innovation, and follow CPPI on Twitter.