From left to right: John Murphy, Pharm.D., FCCP, Claire Vogl, Hannah Kempker, and Rylee Pitts.

The three-member team from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy captured the 2023 ACCP Clinical Pharmacy Challenge title in an exciting match against the team from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy. From an initial field of 114 teams, these two institutions advanced through four online rounds of competition as well as live quarterfinal and semifinal matches to face each other in the Final Round held Monday, November 13, at the ACCP Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas.

The Clinical Pharmacy Challenge, now in its second decade of excellence, affords teams of three pharmacy students the opportunity to compete in a “quiz bowl”–type competition. Each round of the competition consists of three segments: Trivia/Lightning, Clinical Case, and Jeopardy-style. Items are written and reviewed by an expert panel of ACCP members.

A large and enthusiastic crowd of ACCP Annual Meeting attendees gathered to cheer on both teams in the Final Round match. Representing Team UMKC were Hannah Kempker (team leader), Rylee Pitts, and Claire Vogl. Team Arkansas was represented by Tori Hoggard (team leader), Lexi Jacobus, and Dylan Yowell. The two teams battled back and forth during the round. Team Arkansas had a significant lead after the Trivia/Lightning segment; however, during the Clinical Case section, Team UMKC pulled ahead with a strong performance. The final section of the match was the Jeopardy-style round, where teams were presented with 15 items (three items of 100, 200, or 300 points) in each of the following categories: Critical Care, Infectious Diseases, Men’s Health, Psychiatry/CNS Disorders, and Potpourri. The teams employed strategic choices as they navigated the Jeopardy grid, selecting the item categories they felt would best match their own unique strengths. Team UMKC held a 270-point lead with one 300-point item remaining, giving Team Arkansas a chance to take the lead. Ultimately, however, Team UMKC answered the 300-point Potpourri item correctly to claim the 2023 ACCP Clinical Pharmacy Challenge Championship title.

Please join ACCP in congratulating the teams from both universities on their outstanding academic achievement. To view a complete listing of the teams that participated and progressed through each round of this year’s competition, visit https://www.accp.com/stunet.