The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) is pleased to announce funding to support two research projects of up to $5,000 each highlighting the impact of pharmacist board certification on:
- Patient outcomes (e.g., adherence, patient-reported outcomes, surrogate outcomes);
- Healthcare systems (e.g., medication safety, drug-related problems, admissions/readmissions, emergency department visits, institutional credentialing and privileging);
- Interprofessional collaboration (e.g., recognition, perception, increased efficiency in providing care); and/or,
- Pharmacist employment, professional development, and/or wellbeing (e.g., job satisfaction, retention, career advancement).
Preference may be given to proposals that align with the recommendations in A Roadmap for Studying the Impact of Pharmacist Board Certification on Patient Outcomes: feasibility, applicability, and methodological considerations.
Preference may be given to proposals that evaluate the impact of board certification on patient-reported outcomes, surrogate outcomes, and patient safety.
Applications are Currently Open
Application Deadline is July 31, 2026
Applications are Currently Closed
Stay tuned for announcements on the next call for applications in spring/summer 2027.
ELIGIBILITY
Any US-based pharmacist or investigator is eligible to submit an application. Pharmacists or investigators outside of the US are eligible for grant funding through the BPS/FIP Foundation grant.
PROJECT TIMELINE
2026-2028 Timeline
Application deadline | Friday, July 31, 2026 |
Selection notification | On or before September 30, 2026 |
For selected awardees: | |
Return signed research agreement | Early October 2026 |
Fund distribution | October 2026 |
One year progress report | No later than December 2027 |
Final report | No later than December 2028 |
More information about the 2027-2029 timeline will be announced in mid-2027.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Please carefully read the instructions before submitting the application. The application must contain the following sections in PDF format. Please title the PDF “LastName_App.pdf”.
1. Cover sheet
The principal investigator and all co-investigators must sign a cover sheet to indicate their approval and agreement to participate in the project. If institutional review board (IRB) review is required, evidence of IRB approval or exemption must be provided before funding can be disbursed.
2. Abstract
A brief description of the proposed work and identification of which of the 4 themes the project aligns with (patient outcomes; healthcare systems; interprofessional collaboration; or pharmacist employment, professional development, and/or wellbeing). Include specific aims, research design, and methods for achieving stated goals. (1-page limit, single spaced).
3. Key personnel
Include name, title, credentials, and brief description of qualifications and role on project. Role on project should be a short title (e.g., co-investigator, consultant). No specific format is required, although NIH format may be used.
4. Budget
The total available funding is $5,000 per grant award to be used over 24 months (November 2026-November 2028). Award funds may be used for salary support of technical or support personnel but cannot be used for salary support for the investigators or indirect (i.e. facilities and administrative) costs. Up to $1,500 of the total grant may be used for meeting registration and travel to present the funded research. Computers and equipment are generally not covered. Justify all budget items. If the award provides only partial support for the project’s total budget, state specifically how the balance will be funded and provide evidence of its guaranteed availability. Any funds remaining at the end of the 24-month period shall be refunded to BPS.
5. Research plan
- Background and significance: discuss the existing knowledge base, identify gaps this project addresses, and discuss the significance of the project to the theme with which it aligns.
- Research methods:
- Study design, including how feasibility and applicability considerations will be balanced.
- Study group and control group, including detailed description of data sources or recruitment strategy. Describe inclusion and exclusion criteria. Ideally, the study group would consist of those with active board certification, and the control group would consist of pharmacists practicing in a similar environment who are not board certified.
- Data collection procedure, including survey instrument, outcome measure(s) and/or metric(s), if applicable.
- Data analysis plan, including how confounding variables will be accounted for.
- Plan for dissemination of results
- Timeline: provide a detailed timeline for project completion. Include dates by which key study milestones will be completed.
- References: include a bibliography of cited references.
- Format: at least 11-point font (figures/tables may use smaller font), at least 0.5 inch margins, and no longer than 10 pages total, single spaced. Title page and reference pages do not count towards the page limit.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Significance (20%):
* How well does the proposal align with the goal of the funding, which is to evaluate impact and/or value of pharmacist board certification?
* How well does the proposal evaluate existing knowledge and identify gaps in knowledge which the project is intended to fill?
Approach (20%):
* How well does the proposal describe the methods and analyses used to accomplish the specific aims?
* How well does the proposal describe potential problems, alternative approaches, and/or benchmarks for success?
Investigators (20%):
* Do the principal investigator and research team have the appropriate training and experience?
* Does the research team have access to appropriate institutional resources (e.g. databases, software, biostatistics, laboratories)?
Feasibility (20%):
* How likely does it appear that project aims can be accomplished during the funding period?
Budget (20%):
* How well does the proposed budget match the project’s resource requirements?
* If the grant will provide only partial support for the project’s total budget or any personnel, how well does the proposal describe (and provide evidence for) how the balance will be funded?
Award funds may be used for salary support of technical or support personnel but cannot be used for salary support for the investigators or indirect (i.e. facilities and administrative) costs. Up to $1500 of the total grant may be used for meeting registration and travel to present the funded research. Computers and equipment are generally not covered.
GRANTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
By accepting this award, the grantees agree to undertake all reasonable efforts to complete the project and take responsibility for fulfilling the terms described within the award letter. If, for any reason, the grantee is unable to complete the project, BPS shall be informed in writing as soon as possible, including a justification and report of the activities completed up to that point.
The grant period of activity will begin upon funding distribution by BPS (and IRB approval, if applicable) and will expire 24 months after disbursement of the funds. Grantees are expected to adhere to the timeline above. Use of the funds should match the proposed budget. Any updates to the proposed budget must be requested by email to Ellie LaNou (ELaNou@aphanet.org) prior to change. Remaining unused funds shall be returned to BPS at the end of the grant period, while over-expenditure is the responsibility of the investigators.
BPS shall be notified of any publications and/or presentations resulting from work. Publications and/or presentations shall acknowledge BPS funding support.
DURING THE FUNDING PERIOD, GRANTEES WILL BE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT ELECTRONIC COPIES OF THE FOLLOWING:
- A one year progress report is due December the following year.
- A final report is due December of the final year of the grant.
PAST BPS SEED GRANT RECIPIENTS
2025 BPS SEED GRANT RECIPIENTS
“Assessing Perceived Value: A Pilot Study of Pharmacy Board Certification and Development of Comprehensive Survey” by Michael Stepanovic, PharmD, MS, with Kathryn A. Morbitzer, PharmD, MS; Stephen F. Eckel, PharmD, MHA; and Michael D. Wolcott, PharmD, PhD, BCIDP.
“ADVANCING PRACTICE: The Impact of Board Certification on Pharmacist Engagement in Clinical Services Under Idaho’s Expanded Scope of Practice” by Thomas G. Wadsworth, PharmD, MSOL, BCPS with Kelly-Wihler Djine Mboumenou, PharmD Candidate Class of 2026.
2024 BPS SEED GRANT RECIPIENTS
“Board Certification Exposure and Awareness Among United States Doctor of Pharmacy Programs” by Wesley D. Kufel, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP, with Sarah A. Spinler, PharmD, FCCP, FASHP, FAHA, AACC; Jacob C. Govel, PharmD Candidate Class of 2025; and Bruce E. Blaine, PhD.
“Exploring the Impact of Interprofessional Recognition and Value of Pharmacy Board Certification on Interprofessional Collaborative Practice in Internal Medicine at a Large Academic Medical Center” by Rebecca Moote, PharmD, MSc, BCPS, with John M. Cunningham, MD, FACP, FHM; and Joseph A. Zorek, PharmD, BCGP.
2023 BPS SEED GRANT RECIPIENTS
“Comparison of Reported Work Activities, Professional Autonomy, and Interprofessional Collaboration between Board-Certified and Non-Board-Certified Oncology Pharmacists” by John P. Bentley, PhD with Joanne E. Candeo, PharmD.
“Impact of Critical Care Pharmacy Board Certification on Quality of Care and Outcomes of Critically Ill Patients: a Planned Analysis of the Optimizing Pharmacist-Team Integration for ICU Patient Management (OPTIM) Cohort” by Susan E. Smith, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, FCCM with XianYan Chen, PhD; Mojdeh S. Heavner, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, FCCM; Kelli Keats, PharmD, MPA, BCCCP; and Andrea Sikora, PharmD, MSCR, BCCCP.
2022 BPS SEED GRANT RECIPIENTS
Researching Board Certification, with the 2022-2023 Seed Grant Awardees: Amanda Charlton, Krystal Haase, and Tim Jones
Join our host Ellie LaNou, BPS Director of Professional Affairs, as she talks with Amanda Charlton, PharmD; Krystal Haase, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, FCCP; and Tim Jones, PharmD, about their research projects as the 2022-2023 BPS Seed Grant Recipients. They share background on why they pursued their research, what they have found, and what hopes they have for future research into board certification.
Dr. Charlton and Dr. Haase’s project, titled ‘Distribution and Accessibility of Board-Certified Pharmacists’, aims to identify the geographic distribution of board-certified pharmacists within the United States, analyze their relation to existing health care accessibility patterns, and characterize any drivers that enhance the accessibility a patient may have to a board-certified pharmacist.
Dr. Jones’ project, titled ‘Impact of board certification on quality of care provided by evening shift critical care pharmacist services’, investigated how board certification in critical care (BCCCP) can play a role in increasing the number and intensity of interventions, improving patient safety and clinical decision-making. You can find the AJHP article Dr. Jones mentioned on guidance on how to report cost avoidance measures in pharmacy practice here: https://doi.org/10.1093/ajhp/zxab211.
Listen to the Audio Here:
2021 BPS SEED GRANT RECIPIENTS
Diving into Board Certification, with the 2021-2022 Seed Grant Awardees: Hunter Fly and Adam Moss
Join our host Ellie LaNou, BPS Director of Professional Affairs, as she talks with Hunter Fly, PharmD, and Adam Moss, PharmD, MPS, about their research projects as the 2021-2022 BPS Seed Grant Awardees. They discuss trends and findings of their projects to date, as well as what they hope to find as they continue their dive into pharmacist board certification.
Dr. Fly’s project, titled ‘A Qualitative and Quantitative Investigation of Board Certification for Pharmacists’ aims to describe pharmacist board certification, assess current literature on perception of certification, and see what contemporary perception is. You can find the 2003 article Fly mentions here. The 2015 article he mentions can be found here.
Dr. Moss’ project, titled ‘Evaluation of the percentage and perceived value of board-certified pharmacists in U.S. hospitals and associated impact on clinical and operational measures’ looks to understand what incentives exist for board certification, how frequently employers use them to encourage certification, and what data exists to back up the value of board certification. For more information on the AJHP article Moss mentions, you can visit this page. The ASHP Recommendations of 2030 he mentions can be found here.
Listen to the Audio Here:
2020 BPS SEED GRANT RECIPIENTS
“Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction in Board-Certified Pharmacists” by Dr. Lauren Pamulapati, PharmD, BCACP and Dr. Vasyl Zbyrak, PharmD, from the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Pharmacy in Richmond, VA.
2019 BPS SEED GRANT RECIPIENTS
“Assessment of Patients’ Perceptions on Antimicrobial Stewardship and Attitudes towards Board-Certified Clinical Pharmacists within the Movement to Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance” by Dr. Sheila Wang, PharmD, BCPS and Dr. Justin Moore, PharmD, from the Midwestern – Chicago College of Pharmacy and Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL.
2018 BPS SEED GRANT RECIPIENTS
“Assessment of the Perceived Value of Board Certification among Employers of Pharmacists” by Dr. Julie Dopheide, PharmD, BCPP, FASHP and Dr. Fay Goldenshteyn, PharmD, from the University of Southern California (USC) School of Pharmacy in Los Angeles, CA.
“Association of Board Certification with Acceptance of, and Cost Avoidance from, Clinical Pharmacy Services in the ICU and ED” by Dr. Drayton Hammond, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, and Dr. Edith Liang, PharmD, from the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL.