This month, the ACCP PBRN announced a call for applications from its members to serve on the PBRN’s Community Advisory Panel (CAP). You may be wondering what exactly a CAP member’s role entails. Below is a summary of what serving on the CAP is all about.

• What We Do. As CAP members, we serve the PBRN in several key ways. First, we participate in the ACCP Annual Meeting and activities hosted by the Research Institute. Specifically, we speak with members about the PBRN and help them sign up to be part of this network, if they desire. Second, we attend various PRN meetings to update our colleagues on Research Institute activities and answer any questions, particularly about the PBRN. Throughout the year, we participate in monthly conference calls to work toward completing our annual committee charge. This year, we evaluated mechanisms, including electronic platforms, that would further connect clinicians and researchers who share common research interests. As CAP members, we also play a role in ensuring the success of studies conducted within the PBRN. Specifically, we are asked to review study materials (e.g., study protocols, related grant and IRB submissions, data collection tools), provide comments regarding the practicality of data collection tools, and offer suggestions to minimize the time commitment of PBRN members participating as study site investigators.
• Time Commitment. Participating on the CAP can fit into a busy schedule. Representing the PBRN at the ACCP Annual Meeting is the largest time commitment. We also meet monthly for up to 1 hour through conference calls, and preparing for these calls by assisting with activities related to the CAP committee charge may take another 1–2 hours per month. As part of our role in reviewing studies, we recently completed an assessment of a new PBRN study, which required around 30–60 minutes and included the review of an IRB protocol, a grant application, and various survey tools.
• Benefits of Involvement. Participating on the CAP can be very rewarding. It is an opportunity to contribute to ACCP and the clinical pharmacy profession as a whole. It also provides an opportunity to network with like-minded colleagues and meet new colleagues at the ACCP Annual Meeting. Furthermore, CAP participation provides an avenue for outreach to other ACCP members regarding the various research opportunities available to them. Finally, by participating in the review of PBRN studies before they are launched, a CAP member can contribute to the conduct of high-quality research.

If you are not already a member of the ACCP PBRN and are interested in becoming more involved with either the CAP or practice-based research, an excellent way to begin is by registering online with the PBRN: www.accpri.org/pbrn/registration.aspx. Members of ACCP involved in providing clinical pharmacy services or conducting clinical research are encouraged to join the PBRN, and membership is free to all ACCP members.