APAP Committee Report, April 6, 2001

Committee Name: APAP Research and Review Committee

Committee Chair: Rick Dehn, MPA, PA-C

Current Activities:

--Review of survey instruments utilized for surveying APAP member programs, faculty, or students is ongoing.

--Peer-review of small grant program applications as needed per grant cycle (ongoing). Anticipate review in August 2001 for grants to be awarded in October 2001.

--Peer-review of proposals for research presentations as needed (ongoing). Anticipate review in August 2001 of proposals for research presentations to be given at the October 2001 APAP meeting.

--Ongoing discussions are being held with NCCPA and AAPA about cooperation with research activities. The added involvement in PA research of both of these organizations will likely have an impact on and involve the APAP research community.

--The Research and Review Committee will again conduct the J.Peter Nyquist Student Writing Contest this year (ongoing).

--The committee is planning a series of workshops to be presented at the October 2001 APAP meeting directed at teaching PA faculty basic research skills.

Completion dates: As above

Accomplishments/Success Stories:

--Development of objective criteria for accepting/rejecting survey instruments was completed May 2000 and posted on committee's web site at http://paprogam.medicine.uiowa.edu/randr. It appears to be working as expected.

--Last year concern was noted that the small grant program might not have been evaluating proposals for research quality as well as it could. The committee has re-visited the small grant program to make sure it is accomplishing its goals of encouraging the development of research skills among the APAP faculty. A subcommittee was formed to redefine the goals and objective of the program and make recommendations as to how the committee might accomplish them. The subcommittee consisted of Dennis Blessing as chair and Rod Hooker and Tim Quigley. The subcommittee developed new guidelines and evaluative process, and these will be utilized in the 2001 small grant cycle. The committee is indebted to these three individuals for their work on this project.

--The new administrator of the J. Peter Nyquist Student Writing Contest, I. Keir Todd, MEd, PA-C, from Central Michigan University PA Program, completed this year's review. This year's winners are:

· First Place: Predictors of Alternative Medication Use in a Population of Patients with Arthritis by Dale S. Andrews, Baylor University

· Second Place: Opioid Use in Management of Chronic Pain by Pamela A. Gray, Emory University

· Third Place: Eating Disorders in Adolescent Females with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus by Nicole Beauvais, Midwestern University

--A substantial increase for funding the J. Peter Nyquist Student Writing Contest has recently been secured, and this funding will be used increase the support for honoring this year's winners. Winners will receive a cash prize of $500, $300, or $200 for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place, as well as transportation and lodging for three nights. The increased support was provided by JAAPA.

--There was an increase in the number of original papers and abstracts presented at the October 2000 APAP meeting as well as an increase in the size of the audience, despite the 7 am starting time.

The chair and committee have reviewed and approved 4 surveys since the October 2000 meeting. Survey activity is listed on the R&R web site.

A Research and Review Committee closed list serve is currently in use. It appears to be useful in allowing members to discuss committee issues as they come up rather than twice a year at meetings. The Research and Review Committee web site has been successful at keeping the survey review and grant activities organized.

Concerns:

Submissions to the J. Peter Nyquist Student Writing Contest were down this year compared to previous years. The committee and APAP will need to address the reasons for this decrease. In is in the best interest of this committee, APAP, and the future of the profession that professional writing by students be encouraged.

Budget Issues: Current research grant requires $20,000 for Year 2001 awards that has already been allocated. APAP staff administered the funding ($6000) for the J. Peter Nyquist Student Writing Contest for the first time this year.

Board Action Required: None