Mitchell Buckley, Kevin W. Garey, Eric MacLaughlin, Todd D. Sorensen, and Kathleen A. Stringer have been selected by the College’s Awards Committee to receive ACCP’s prestigious 2022 Clinical Practice Award, Russell R. Miller Award, Education Award, C. Edwin Webb Professional Advocacy Award, and Therapeutic Frontiers Lecture Award, respectively.
BuckleyThe ACCP Clinical Practice Award is given to a College member who has made substantial and outstanding contributions to clinical pharmacy practice. Criteria considered in identifying potential candidates include exceptional leadership in developing innovative clinical pharmacy services and sustained excellence in providing them. Mitchell Buckley, Pharm.D., FCCP, FASHP, FCCM, BCCCP, is a clinical pharmacist in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Banner University Medical Center, an adjunct clinical instructor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Midwestern University, and an adjunct clinical assistant professor in the Division of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Arizona. Buckley has a long track record of leadership, professional service, teaching, and research in the field of critical care pharmacy.
Dr. Susan Smith, a clinical associate professor in clinical and administrative pharmacy at the University of Georgia and a critical care clinical pharmacist at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center, highlighted Buckley’s recent contributions to the practice of clinical pharmacy in her letter of support:
Earlier work in Dr. Buckley’s career included the development, implementation, and assessment of novel clinical pharmacy services, such as a clinical pharmacist stress ulcer prophylaxis management program, an epoetin utilization management program, and a medication reconciliation program, among others. Dr. Buckley was instrumental in developing these services at his institution, documenting the impact of these services through numerous publications, and further disseminated the information via regional and national podium presentations.
Dr. Buckley’s more recent work is truly transformative, as he is focusing on the optimization of critical care clinical pharmacy practice as a whole. This work has the potential to revolutionize critical care pharmacy practice in ways that improve patient outcomes while minimizing pharmacist burnout and maximizing job satisfaction. Dr. Buckley served as the primary mentor for a project that I led investigating the relationship between the types of work activities performed by critical care clinical pharmacists and burnout syndrome. Dr. Buckley’s expertise in this area elevated the work such that it was recognized with both an SCCM Star Research Achievement Award and an SCCM CPP Section Congress Scholarship.
Additionally, I am currently part of a 24-member, interprofessional research team that is being led by Dr. Buckley to complete a prospective, multicenter, time-motion study designed to assess pharmacist-to-patient ratios in intensive care units. The ultimate goal is to identify the optimal ratio of pharmacists to patients in this setting. This is a robust study design supported by SCCM and will be the largest of its kind to date. Dr. Buckley has been a true role model through his leadership on this project, which has the potential to enhance critical care clinical pharmacy practice from a patient, pharmacist, and administrative perspective.
Buckley received the 2021 ACCP Critical Care PRN Achievement Award and the Society of Critical Care Medicine Barry A. Shapiro Memorial Award for Excellence in Critical Care Management in 2018. At the time of his nomination, he had published more than 50 peer-reviewed papers and numerous book chapters. Buckley received ACCP Fellow recognition in 2014.
GareyRussell R. Miller was the founding editor of the College’s journal Pharmacotherapy. The Russell R. Miller Award is presented in recognition of substantial contributions to the literature of clinical pharmacy, thereby advancing both clinical pharmacy practice and rational pharmacotherapy. Kevin W. Garey, Pharm.D., M.S., FCCP, FASHP, FIDSA, BCIDP, is professor and chair at the University of Houston Department of Pharmacy Practice and Translational Research. At the time of his nomination, Garey had written or cowritten more than 239 peer-reviewed publications, including major international treatment guidelines, 51 case reports or reviews, and 5 book chapters. Google Scholar (accessed January 28, 2022) notes that his work has resulted in 12,052 citations, and he has an h-index of 51 and an i10-index of 153.
Dr. David Burgess, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, commented on Garey’s important contributions to the science of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in his letter of support:
CDI is the most common healthcare acquired infection in the USA, affecting approximately 500,000 Americans annually. CDI became especially noteworthy in the early 2000’s due to a particularly virulent epidemic strain called the ribotype 027 strain. Dr. Garey’s was one of the first labs in the country to identify the ribotype 027 in an investigation on an outbreak of CDI in an obstetrics ward of his hospital (PMID: 18639213). From these humble beginnings, Dr. Garey built up a world-class anaerobic research lab and has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers directly related to CDI (PubMed search: January 15, 2022). Sentinel examples include identification of a human gene that increases the risk of CDI (Clin Infect Dis 2010); a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the antibiotic rifaximin to prevent CDI recurrence (J Antimicrob Chemother 2011); and phase 1 studies of an investigational antibiotic called ibezapolstat (J Antimicrob Chemother 2020).
As Dr. Garey’s career has progressed, two independent lines of inquiry have developed, one devoted to epidemiology and clinical trials in CDI and another focused on pharmacology and the microbiome using lab-based techniques. This translational focus of his lab has been very fruitful, as evidenced by amazing collaborations with the top-tier scientists in the field of many disciplines including experts at Harvard and the University of Michigan medical schools and elsewhere. One of Dr. Garey’s most eye-catching stats is his inclusion of the IDSA-SHEA C. difficile diagnostic and treatment guidelines, the most influential and important guidelines in this space. After reviewing his work in this area, he is truly deserving of this honor and recognition.
Garey serves on the editorial boards of Annals of Pharmacotherapy, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, and Antibiotics. He is also a reviewer for numerous journals, including Pharmacotherapy, and has previously received other prestigious honors, including the Top 10 Papers in Mycology from the 2014 Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) Impact Paper in Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy Award, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Best Practices Award in Health-System Pharmacy, and the SIDP Pharmacists Research Award. He received ACCP Fellow recognition in 2021.
MacLaughlinThe ACCP Education Award recognizes an ACCP member who has made substantial and outstanding contributions to clinical pharmacy education at either the professional or postgraduate level. Eric MacLaughlin, Pharm.D., FCCP, FASHP, BCPS, is a professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy, a clinical professor in the departments of Family Medicine and Internal Medicine at TTUHSC School of Medicine, and chair and clinical pharmacist in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at TTUHSC School of Medicine.
Dr. Krystal Haase, professor and division head of adult medicine at TTUHSC Department of Pharmacy Practice, wrote in her letter of support:
Eric has always been an innovator. He recognized the value of interprofessional education in health care years before it was a trend. He was the first faculty member in the school of pharmacy to develop an interprofessional teaching rounding service with the Department of Family Medicine in the TTUHSC School of Medicine and he holds joint teaching appointments with the schools of pharmacy and medicine. His early success with interprofessional education led to the development of other clinical programs. He established an interprofessional pharmacotherapy clinic, providing education to pharmacy and medical students and residents, training them to care for patients as a team. He also developed a unique clinical pharmacy elective rotation for Texas Tech Family Medicine residents and an annual wellness clinic for pharmacy and medical students. These programs provided learners with the opportunity not only to learn about other health professions but also to work hand-in-hand with them in real time. He also led collaborations to develop and validate instruments to measure changes in student perceptions of interprofessional clinical education and was recognized with the Rufus A. Lyman Award for “Best Paper” in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education in 2013 for one of these published works.
At the time of his nomination, MacLaughlin had published over 56 papers in peer-reviewed journals related to education and patient care excellence and received 16 teaching awards, including the TTUHSC Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Teaching Award. He has presented extensively at professional and scientific meetings, served as a member of several ACCP committees, and held elected positions within the ACCP Ambulatory Care Practice and Research Network (PRN). MacLaughlin received ACCP Fellow recognition in 2008 and served as a member of the ACCP Board of Regents from 2014 to 2017.
SorensenThe C. Edwin Webb Professional Advocacy Award is given only when a particularly noteworthy candidate is identified who has made outstanding contributions to the visibility and value of clinical pharmacy in national policy and intra- and interprofessional arenas. This award recognizes an ACCP member who has assembled a record of mentoring others who have gone on to assume a health professions and/or health policy leadership role and is recognized as an ambassador for clinical pharmacy both within and outside the profession. Todd D. Sorensen, Pharm.D., FCCP, FAPhA, is a professor and senior executive associate dean at the College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, and executive director of the Alliance for Integrated Medication Management.
Dr. Daniel Aistrope, program consultant for the Cardiometabolic Center Alliance, wrote in his letter of support:
Dr. Sorensen’s passion for professional advocacy dates back to his time as a student when he served in chapter and national positions of pharmacy organizations, as well as completing a rotation in association management with Dr. Webb. That desire to drive change in our profession has provided a central theme to his remarkable career as a faculty member, practitioner, residency program director and preceptor, student organization advisor, researcher, and engaged leader within many pharmacy associations. Beginning about 20 years ago, Dr. Sorensen began establishing relationships with clinic administrators to introduce them to the value brought by clinical pharmacists; many of these were in rural and urban communities of underserved and disenfranchised patients, including federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). Those efforts have resulted in the addition of dozens of clinical pharmacists being embedded in interprofessional care teams providing medication management services to countless patients.
Todd’s work to advance clinical pharmacy expands far beyond his work in the state of Minnesota, notably in the development of the Patient Safety and Clinical Pharmacy Services Collaborative (PSPC) in 2008…. Now known as the Alliance for Integrated Medication Management (AIMM), Dr. Sorensen’s leadership as the executive director has resulted in hundreds of interprofessional teams across the country participating in learning and action programming as well as critical partnerships with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), quality improvement organizations, pharmacy associations, and academic institutions to highlight practice transformations resulting in improved health and safety outcomes. These case examples and aggregate outcomes not only allow our professional community to advance our internal understanding of implementing CMM, but have also served useful in developing advocacy messaging to help articulate the value of clinical pharmacy services in the ongoing work to improve payment models. Todd’s vision for the growth of clinical pharmacy with fidelity to a standardized care process is one that aligns with ACCP’s so significantly that he – in collaboration with other co-investigators – was awarded the ACCP CMM study grant in 2016. The culmination of the work continues to serve as a blueprint for implementing and delivering CMM in a consistent way.
At the time of his nomination, Sorensen served as chair for the EVP/CEO Search Committee and member of the Argus Commission of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). He is a member of eight professional societies, including ACCP, the American Pharmacists Association, and the Minnesota Pharmacists Association.
StringerThe ACCP Therapeutic Frontiers Lecture Award recognizes an individual, including ACCP member and nonmember nominees, who has made outstanding contributions to pharmacotherapeutics in his or her field. Among the criteria for this award is the broad acknowledgment that the recipient is currently considered at the leading edge of research in the field. Kathleen A. Stringer, Pharm.D., FCCP, is a professor of Clinical and Translational Pharmacy in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy. She also holds an appointment as a professor in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine in the University of Michigan Medical School’s Department of Internal Medicine. At the time of her nomination in the fall of 2021, Stringer had published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, achieved an h-index of 25, and received five patents. She has received national and international recognition, including numerous national and international invited scientific presentations.
Dr. Barry L. Carter, professor emeritus, College of Pharmacy and professor, Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, wrote in his letter of support:
Dr. Stringer has obtained over $7.5 million as a principal investigator from the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. Most of these funds were to support her research involving pulmonary administration of tPA or the emerging technology within precision medicine using metabolomics. Additionally, Dr. Stringer has received over $4.7 million as a co-investigator. Kathleen’s cutting-edge research is helping to define mechanisms and treatment of disease for sepsis, COPD, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and now, complications from COVID-19.
Kathleen’s pioneering research with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) as an anti-inflammatory agent for ARDS resulted in a patent in 2002. She now has several other patents pending. The fact that she is an internationally recognized expert has resulted in a grant application in collaboration with investigators at University College London (grant application pending at this time). This innovative research is using tPA for ARDS in patients with COVID-19 to reduce ventilatory support and mortality.
It is extraordinary that Dr. Stringer is on the cutting edge of research to improve survival during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Kathleen’s research is clearly having a major impact on the therapy of sepsis, pulmonary disease and other areas within critical care. These examples listed above clearly demonstrate that Dr. Stringer is “an outstanding, internationally recognized scientist whose research is actively extending pharmacotherapy into new frontiers.”
Stringer serves as a scientific editor for Pharmacotherapy and has previously received several prestigious honors, including the Albert B. Prescott Professorship and the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research Distinguished Clinical and Translational Research Mentor Award. At the time of her nomination, she was a member of numerous professional and scientific societies, including the American Thoracic Society, the American Physiological Society, and the Metabolomics Society. Stringer received ACCP Fellow recognition in 2007 and served on the ACCP Board of Regents from 2004 to 2007.
Members of the 2022 ACCP Awards Committee were Kristi Kelley (chair), Nancy Shapiro (vice chair), Tyree Kiser (secretary), Jacquelyn Bainbridge, Alexandre Chan, Lingtak-Neander Chan, Melanie Claborn, Jeannine Conway, Patrick Dougherty, Paul Gubbins, Cynthia Nguyen, Golden Peters, Mate Soric, Paul Stranges, Stephanie Tchen, Emma Tillman, and Melissa Young.