title: Evaluation of the research grant program of the Foundation of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, 1995-2008.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pharmacist-led research has grown substantially over the past 10 to 15 years. The Research Grant Program of the Research and Education Foundation of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (CSHP Foundation), initiated in 1992, is the only funding opportunity available specifically to members of the Society.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the status of research projects funded by the Research Grant Program of the CSHP Foundation, to examine the outcomes of these projects, and to determine the opinions of grant recipients regarding this competition.
  
  
  METHODS
  An e-mail survey was sent to each of the 34 hospital pharmacist researchers who received funding from the Research Grant Program of the CSHP Foundation during the period 1995 to 2008. Survey questions sought to evaluate scholarly outcomes (i.e., publications and presentations) from funded projects. The opinions of grant recipients about the value of the program were also solicited.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One of the potential respondents had returned the grant money and was ineligible for the survey. Of the 33 potential respondents, 30 (91%) responded to the survey. Overall, 24 of the projects had been completed at the time of the survey, and 19 of these had been published, resulting in a total of 26 manuscripts. Abstracts had been presented for 21 of the projects. In total, 49 abstracts had been presented at national (22), international (13), provincial (7) and local (7) conferences. The median award was $5000 (interquartile range $5000 to $7500). Eleven of the projects had received additional funding, primarily from the recipient's hospital or health authority or from university sources. The survey respondents indicated that the grant from the CSHP Foundation had been critical to completion of their projects and had been of assistance in securing additional funding, when such funding was necessary. Respondents felt that dedicated research funding for hospital pharmacists in Canada should continue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Research Grant Program of the CSHP Foundation has been important to hospital pharmacists, enabling a variety of research projects to be initiated and completed. The high rate of project completion and the large number of publications and presentations resulting from this work speak to both the quality of the work and the dedication of the research teams. The CSHP Foundation should continue to fund this competition and should explore a more robust model, with larger awards and more funded projects each year.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia. peter.zed@ubc.ca
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Zed
authors.forename: Mary H H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Ensom
authors.forename: Richard S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Slavik
authors.forename: Kerry
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wilbur
authors.forename: Salmaan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kanji
authors.forename: Sheri L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Koshman
authors.forename: Janice
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Irvine-Meek
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Perreault
authors.forename: Sheryl
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zelenitsky