Career Catalyst

A First Step in a Long Research Career

Research is not necessarily known for taking a linear path, but while it may head in unanticipated directions, the research foundation established through early-career funding can help guide researchers along those many paths. “I received this award right after I earned my Ph.D. degree and started my faculty career,” explained 2005 NIA recipient Dr. Salisa Westrick, professor and head of health outcomes research and policy at Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy. “Building upon my dissertation, the NIA-supported project allowed me to explore an area related to sustainability and abandonment of immunization services. Using the findings of this NIA-supported study, I developed a model which continues to guide me when I plan an implementation research study.”

Jennifer Martin, an associate librarian at The University of Arizona Health Sciences Library and primary liaison for the College of Pharmacy, echoed these sentiments about the lasting impact on ongoing research efforts. “This award really provided a foundation for me to build upon and served as a catalyst for my research. It gave me the opportunity to pursue my interest in the information literacy skill levels of pharmacy students and the impact of the embedded librarian model. Since then, I have been building off the work I completed and am utilizing my results to investigate the information-seeking behaviors of pharmacy students, faculty and staff.”

Over the last six fiscal years, NIA funds accounted for less than 0.05 percent of the total research dollars reported by colleges of pharmacy each year. With a total NIA budget of less than a standard NIH R01 award, the budget allotted to individual awardees is limited. Many applicants and former recipients would argue that the NIA budget should be expanded, given the increasing costs of conducting research. An increase in NIA funding notwithstanding, what exactly does a small pot of seed funding buy an early-career investigator?

First, there are tangible items that can be purchased that have a larger impact than might be evident. Take the case of Dr. Matthew Metcalf, an assistant professor of medicinal chemistry at MCPHS University School of Pharmacy in Worcester, Massachusetts, and a 2017 NIA recipient. “My institution is education-focused and not research-focused, so the award is a very big deal here,” he said, noting that the items he purchased to conduct his research helped to advance not only his own work but that of his colleagues. “It allowed me to purchase a used ultra-microbalance that I consider essential to doing medicinal chemistry/pharmacological research on new compounds. It is critical that compounds are weighed accurately before testing. Through previous experience, I learned the value of precisely weighing your own compounds out for your pharmacologists. Everyone gets better results as a consequence.”

Sometimes a small amount of money can have a substantial impact on a researcher’s network as well. As Melchert described his experience, “perhaps most important to me was that the grant award helped me kick start key collaborations with other investigators on my campus, and eventually helped me solidify a relationship with a mentor. The grant provided courage for me to go out and establish collaborative relationships with a team of researchers. Ultimately, these were faculty with whom I went on to not only submit numerous other grants from NIH R01s to program project grants, but also to gain career mentorship that I still turn to today.”

Expanding the Scope and Impact of Academic Pharmacy Research

In the early years of the program, the NIA was funded by the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education (AFPE) and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF), with later support from various pharmaceutical companies. In these years, projects focused on basic, clinical and administrative research. Despite the selection process being overseen by the Academic Sections Coordinating Committee, the precursor to today’s Council of Sections, certain research disciplines that are highly represented within academic pharmacy were notably absent.

Once the NIA was fully funded by AACP in 2010-11, the Council of Sections expanded the NIA to include such sections as Library and Information Science and Experiential Education, disciplines that are integral to how the Academy trains and learns but are typically underrepresented in external research funding. As the first NIA recipient from the Library and Information Science Section, Martin reflected, “Without this award, I may not have been considered for other research opportunities. It was because of this award, for example, that I was able to successfully apply for a grant with a collaborator from another institution. It gave me recognition in the field as a research librarian and pharmacy faculty.”

As the number of AACP sections grew, so too did the opportunity to fund new lines of research. After recent awards to Continuing Professional Development, Experiential Education and Library and Information Science, NIA-funded research in 2018 brought the first project from Administrative Services into AACP’s portfolio, and it will surely not be the last. While it is often challenging to compare proposals on such disparate topics as evaluating the use of comics as a patient education medium to assessing team-ready behaviors of student pharmacists in interprofessional settings, the reward to the Academy is clear. “Pharmacy researchers contribute significantly to many areas of healthcare-related research. AACP’s NIAs serve as a catalyst by facilitating our research involvement,” said Westrick. Added Metcalf, “Early career support for researchers in all disciplines is critical for demonstration of new ideas. The NIA allows new faculty the ability to show that when they get funding they can produce significant contributions to the global body of scientific and practice achievement.”

To 500 Funded Researchers and Beyond

Looking back at 30 years of the New Investigator Award prompts reflection about what the next 30 years may hold for the grant program. AACP’s current strategic plan includes a goal to expand the academic pharmacy research workforce, particularly through efforts to support innovative and collaborative research. The spirit of the NIA falls squarely within that goal because, as Worley described it, “I think that we need to make sure we are ‘paying it forward’ and mentoring the junior scientists in our disciplines—these folks can be potential research collaborators and colleagues, as well as the future scientists in our disciplines, helping to move science and practice forward.” This principle of paying it forward has helped what originally began as a three-year program blossom into the NIA of today and will certainly help it continue to catalyze research careers. But can the NIA also serve as a model for additional avenues of AACP support?

When asked to contemplate how the NIA might evolve over the next 10 years, former recipients all hoped to see the program continue with an expanded budget. Mirroring the many directions a research question may lead, there were many different suggested paths for the grant program, such as expanding it to include mid-career researchers. However, with the NIA’s intent being to jumpstart research careers, it is easy to see why Murphy suggested expanding the program to support students, particularly those attending AACP meetings. “When students attend these meetings, they get to see what their professors do, and it will increase their participation in academic pharmacy. This will help students think about academia as a career and attract new faculty members.”

Similar to the expansion of eligible disciplines in 2010-11 that paved the way for her grant, Martin noted, “there are several special interest groups that would also benefit from funding opportunities. Perhaps AACP could consider developing other awards that would meet the research needs of various members.” Now that many issues in health research are being tackled by collaborative teams, “AACP might explore another grant mechanism that is interdisciplinary,” suggested Westrick. Indeed, added Melchert, “the romantic Hollywood view of an individual scientist working alone in their lab and hitting a eureka moment on their own with no one around to hear it simply does not happen. In the long run, team science prevails.”

With so many possibilities for the evolution of the New Investigator Award, AACP has plenty of work ahead of it. While it is difficult to predict exactly where research will take the profession in the future, AACP will be there to support those paving new paths toward healthier lives.

Kirsten F. Block is associate director of research and graduate programs at AACP.