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National Institutes of Health–Funded Institutional Training Programs in Colleges and Schools of Pharmacy

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Unlike nursing and dentistry, pharmacy lacks a dedicated institute within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support its research and training needs, despite having many NIH-funded researchers within colleges and schools of pharmacy (C/SOPs). As a result, C/SOPs must compete across all NIH institutes for institutional (T-series) as well as individual (F-series) training grants. In 2024, the Council of Deans of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy tasked a working group with assessing C/SOP participation in NIH-funded institutional training programs. Reviewing NIH RePORTER data from fiscal year 2024, we identified 26 institutional T32 training grants awarded to 18 C/SOPs, with most funding focused on pharmacology, toxicology, and chemical biology. Examining data for the distribution of funding, we observed that 61% of training grants were awarded to schools of medicine, whereas only 1% went to C/SOPs. We identified barriers that reduce pharmacy participation, which include the absence of dual Doctor of Pharmacy/Doctor of Philosophy degree programs, in which research and clinical training are fully integrated and the time to both degrees is shortened. Other barriers include a lack of education about how to develop training programs that are competitive for NIH T32 training grants. The task force developed a set of recommendations that include the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy sponsoring a training grant-writing program and advocating for funding pharmacist-scientist training programs. This may be particularly important for pharmacy-related fields, such as pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacoeconomics, and implementation science.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpe.2026.102038
Authors: Kathleen M. Giacomini, Lawrence Lin, Christopher K. Surratt, Krystal L. Edwards, Susan L. Davis, Kelly M. Smith, Kayla R. Stover, William P. Petros, Samuel V. Calabrese, Jennifer D. Robinson, Philip D. Hall
Institutions: University of California, San Francisco, University of Cincinnati, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Wayne State University, University of Georgia, University of Mississippi, West Virginia University, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Washington State University Spokane, Medical University of South Carolina
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,400
OpenAlex ID: W7167339043
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Cites: 1
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