The Clinical Pharmacist as Principal Investigator—2026

Authors

Dave L. Dixon, Virginia Commonwealth University
Leo F. Buckley, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Raniah Aljadeed, King Saud University
William L. Baker, University of Connecticut - Storrs
Samuel C. Greer, Methodist University Hospital
Amy Y. Kang, Chapman UniversityFollow
S. Casey Laizure, University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Abbie D. Leino, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Robert MacLaren, University of Colorado, Denver
Milap C. Nahata, The Ohio State University
Tien M. H. Ng, University of Southern California
Elaine Nguyen, Idaho State University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-27-2025

Abstract

The American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) first described the role and history of the pharmacist as principal investigator (PI) in 2000. An update was published in 2010, citing evidence from NIH and the ClinicalTrials.gov registry that showed an increase in the number of individuals with a Pharm.D. degree engaging in pharmacist-directed research. The 2025 ACCP Publications Committee was charged with providing an update to the 2010 paper. Key findings include a substantial increase in the total amount of federal funding awarded to schools of pharmacy (SoP) between 2011 and 2023, a modest increase in the number of pharmacists receiving federal grants when comparing 2010 with 2024, and evidence of pharmacist leadership and engagement in Clinical and Translational Science Award networks and service on national grant review panels. It remains challenging, however, to ascertain accurate and reliable data on pharmacists serving in PI roles because of the limitations of currently available data sources. This is especially true for pharmacist PIs who receive non-federal funding. Future opportunities include a continued emphasis on training programs to prepare pharmacists for PI roles, greater institutional support (e.g., research infrastructure, mentoring programs) for pharmacists serving in PI roles, better promotion of research career tracks to Pharm.D. students and trainees, enhanced efforts at SoP to pursue institutional training grants, and more collaborative efforts across professional organizations to advocate for pharmacist-scientists. An urgent call to action is necessary to ensure the future growth and success of pharmacist-directed research.

Comments

This article was originally published in Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy in 2025. https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.70143

Recommended Citation

D. L. Dixon, L. F. Buckley, R. Aljadeed, et al., “The Clinical Pharmacist as Principal Investigator—2026,” Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (2025): 1–6, https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.70143.

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.