Community Pharmacy Academic Fellowship

Program Description

The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is pleased to offer a two year Community Practice Research Fellowship to highly motivated pharmacists. This fellowship is designed to provide the learner with a foundation in scholarship and practice pertaining to the implementation of clinical pharmacy services. This fellowship allows those who are passionate about the advancement of pharmacy practice models in the outpatient practice setting to train in a unique and progressive academic environment.

Purpose Statement

Successful completion of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Community Practice Fellowship will enable the fellow to become a faculty member who will be able to lead a successful practice-based research program. The fellowship focuses on the trifold mission of pharmacy faculty – teaching, service, and scholarship. As such, the program will provide the fellow with a solid foundation to begin a productive career in academic pharmacy.

Learning Experiences

The fellow will complete graduate level coursework. Didactic coursework in research design and analysis will be taken through the North Carolina Translations and Clinical Sciences Institute (https://tracs.unc.edu/index.php/services/education/translational-and-clinical-research-curriculum). The fellow will collaborate with researchers in the Center for Medication Optimization through Practice and Policy (https://pharmacy.unc.edu/research/centers/cmopp/). The fellow will also learn about implementation science and how this applies to practice-based research. If desired, the fellow can obtain a Masters of Public Health which focuses on developing competencies for postgraduates interested in pursuing careers in health care management or policy (http://sph.unc.edu/programs/?ppk=hpm-MPH-r).

Program Structure

• • Teaching (20%): Instruction in the fundamentals of teaching as well as specific opportunities for the fellow to provide didactic instruction is included. The fellow will serve as a teaching assistant in selected courses at the School. The fellow will be responsible for the full range of teaching activities, including creating objectives, constructing learning materials, and designing assessment activities. The fellow will participate in community-pharmacy related courses being designed as part of the Curriculum Transformation (https://pharmacy.unc.edu/about/ospa/curriculum-transformation/) The fellow will have first-hand experience teaching and coordinating self-care content and skills. If the fellow has not previously completed a teaching certificate program, he/she will be encouraged to apply for the program offered at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
  • Service (10%): A critical component of an individual’s development is identification of their personal leadership skills. The fellow will have the opportunity to apply his/her unique leadership strengths through mentorship of student pharmacists and independent pharmacy ownership residents, and involvement within professional organizations. The fellow will also play an integral role in development of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Independent Pharmacy Ownership Residency Program and/or preceptor development for practice-based preceptors. This may involve site and preceptor development activities, networking with community pharmacy partners, and visits to current and future residency sites. While at the School, the fellow will participate in faculty meetings, division meetings, and select committee meetings.
  • Scholarship (70%): The fellow will be responsible for conceiving and conducting a research project. The fellow will lead all aspects of the project, including study design, protocol development, implementation, data management, collection, and analysis, and dissemination. Required elements include submission of a grant application, Institutional Review Board proposal, poster and/or podium presentation at a national meeting, and manuscript submission. The fellow will collaborate with many pharmacy faculty members at the School on other, relevant research endeavors. The fellow will serve as a mentor to residents and students participating in practice-based research. The school has a newly established Research and Scholarship in Pharmacy Program in which the fellow will be actively engaged.

Program Application Materials

In order to be considered for this position, the candidate must have a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and have completed a PGY1 Community Pharmacy Residency, a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency with an emphasis in ambulatory care or have equivalent practice experience. The candidate should also be eligible for licensure in the state of North Carolina.

Please submit all application materials via email using the contact information below. The deadline for receipt of materials is January 15. Complete applications include the following materials:

• • Letter of intent:
    • Describe your reasons for pursing this Community Pharmacy Fellowship and how completion of this program will help achieve your career goals.
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Essay that includes a response to each of the following questions (limit three pages total):
    • Articulate your vision for community pharmacy practice and your research interests
    • Describe your personal strengths. How can you utilize these strengths to help the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy advance community pharmacy?
    • What is your teaching philosophy and how have you incorporated this into your teaching experiences (e.g., precepting student pharmacists, providing didactic lectures, presentations at professional meetings)?
    • Three letters of recommendation
    • College transcript

Contact Information