Ohio Pharmacists Foundation

Mission Statement

The mission of the Ohio Pharmacists Foundation (OPF) is to provide educational programs for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and consumers of health care that enhance the practice of pharmacy and patient outcomes, and to conduct research to support these efforts.

These activities will be directed to improve the knowledge of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and the quality of pharmacists’ services to the general public. The continuing education programs presented by OPF are designed for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and the public to address the daily issues of pharmacy.

Activities of the Foundation are overseen by a Board of Trustees that is appointed by the Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA) Board of Trustees.

Goals

The goals of the Ohio Pharmacists Foundation are to initiate, direct and support activities that:

• Produce quality and practical continuing education programs in a variety of formats that provide information on new drug therapy and treatment guidelines, patient management strategies and emerging practice roles, as well as innovative technologies and systems, that enhance delivery of expanded levels of pharmacists’ services
• Produce quality, practical and technician-specific continuing education programs that provide information on new drug therapy, pharmacy law, patient safety, innovative technologies, and emerging practice roles for pharmacy technicians
• Provide financial support to investigators at Ohio colleges of pharmacy, health care institutions and health-oriented industries to identify and explore innovative roles, and strategies to overcome barriers, for the pharmacist to deliver optimal health care
• Implement programs and secure funding sources to afford the membership the opportunity to perpetuate the profession
• Are dedicated to understanding and preserving the history of pharmacy

Disclosure: The OPF trustees and other individuals responsible for planning OPF continuing pharmacy education activities have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Contribute to the Foundation

Please consider making a charitable contribution to the Ohio Pharmacists Foundation to help us help you. Ohio Pharmacists Foundation Charitable Contribution Form.

OPF Research Grant Program

Overview

The Ohio Pharmacists Foundation (OPF) was created in 1992 to meet the educational needs of pharmacists and to provide an avenue to study and provide new and unique health care services to the public by the pharmacist. As such, the OPF provides educational training programs and supports the conduct of practice oriented research that demonstrates the value of the pharmacist in enhancing the delivery of pharmacy care and the attainment of optimal patient outcomes. The OPF Research Grant Program is the venue through which the OPF partners with investigators at colleges of pharmacy, health care institutions and health-oriented industries to discover innovative roles, and overcome barriers, for the pharmacist to deliver health care.

Process

Submission

• A cover letter must accompany each submission that briefly addresses the purpose and objectives of the proposed project, the primary method(s) by which the objectives will be achieved, the practice setting for the project (as applicable), cooperating partners with the projects (as applicable), and amount of support requested, and the timeline for completion of the project.
• The cover letter should include the name(s) of investigators who are OPA members
• The cover letter should be addressed to: Kathy Karas, R.Ph., President, Ohio Pharmacists Foundation Board, 2674 Federated Blvd, Columbus, OH 43235
• One electronic copy and five hard copies of the proposal must be submitted prior to review with the proposal addressing each of the following categories:
  • Problem Statement (Issue to be addressed and relevance to pharmacy practice in Ohio)
  • Study Objectives
  • Study Methodology (Including population to be studied, site of study, timetable)
  • Personnel (Including supportive evidence of qualifications of the investigators)
  • Method of Data Analysis (Including the nature of the final report)
  • Budget (Projecting all study costs and identifying those being supported by OPF)

Evaluation Process

The proposal will be evaluated by the members of the OPF Board of Trustees using established criteria in each of the key areas identified above. Additionally, the proposal will be judged on the adequacy and justification of budget as well as additional support sought for the project (including "in kind" contributions). Organization, neatness and grammatical correctness of the text also will be scored.

Assurances

All research involving human subjects and/or health related records must be reviewed and approved by the human subjects' research review committee (or equivalent IRB) of the institution with which the investigator is affiliated. The OPA/OPF does not provide this research assurance. If a study is exempt from research review, that fact must be affirmatively stated in the proposal and cover letter.

A letter of support from the appropriate academic advisor, program director, supervisor or administrator must be secured and submitted with the application. Further, any proposal describing a study done in cooperation with an entity other than one directly affiliated with the investigator(s), must be accompanied by a letter of support from the appropriate authority at that agency.

No action will be taken on the proposal until these assurances are received

Expectations

An investigator who is successful in securing funding from the OPF shall conduct the study and expend the funds in the same manner as described in the project proposal. Any significant deviations from the submitted protocol and/or timeline should be communicated in a prompt manner to the OPF President (at the address above).

When the project is completed, a report of the project findings shall be submitted to the OPF President. The project report must be submitted in an electronic format and include all relevant study parameters, findings and conclusions. The report may be published in part or in whole in the OPA journal, Ohio Pharmacist, and shall be presented at the OPA Annual Conference immediately following completion of the project.

All funds awarded by OPF through this program will be sent to an institutional account where the investigator is employed/affiliated. No funds will be awarded directly to any individual.

Submission Dates

Proposals will be evaluated twice annually at scheduled meetings of the OPF Board of Trustees. As such, submission deadline dates are:

• April 1^st
• September 1^st

ACPE Information

The Ohio Pharmacists Foundation, Inc. is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. "The ACPE Provider Accreditation Program is designed to assure pharmacists, boards of pharmacy, and other members of pharmacy's community of interests, of the quality of continuing pharmaceutical education programs. Quality is assured by evaluating and monitoring capabilities of providers of continuing education programs as well as monitoring and reviewing their continuing education offerings."

As an accredited provider, OPF must adhere to the Criteria for Quality established by ACPE and provide periodic self-assessment reports for review in order to maintain approved-provider status.