Integrating Research & Scholarship into Your FASHP Portfolio for the FASHP Fellow of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Exam

Integrating Research & Scholarship into Your FASHP Portfolio for the FASHP Fellow of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Exam

As you prepare for the prestigious FASHP Fellow of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists designation, understanding how to effectively showcase your contributions to research and scholarship is paramount. The FASHP credential recognizes pharmacists who have demonstrated sustained commitment to excellence in health-system pharmacy practice, and a significant component of this excellence lies in advancing the profession through scholarly endeavors. In April 2026, the expectations for demonstrating such contributions remain high, emphasizing impact, innovation, and dissemination.

This mini-article from PharmacyCert.com will guide you through the nuances of integrating your research and scholarly activities into your FASHP portfolio. We'll define key concepts, discuss how these activities are evaluated, provide strategies for presenting your work, and highlight common pitfalls to avoid, ensuring your portfolio stands out as a testament to your professional impact.

Key Concepts: Defining Research and Scholarship for FASHP

To successfully integrate your work, it's crucial to understand what ASHP considers "research" and "scholarship." While often used interchangeably, there are important distinctions, particularly in the context of a professional fellowship application.

Research: The Pursuit of New Knowledge

Research, in its purest form, involves a systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge. This often entails formulating hypotheses, collecting and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions that can be applied beyond the immediate setting. Examples highly valued for FASHP include:

• Clinical Trials: Participation as an investigator, coordinator, or lead pharmacist in phase I-IV trials.
• Observational Studies: Conducting retrospective or prospective studies on drug utilization, patient outcomes, or medication safety.
• Pharmacoeconomic Analyses: Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of pharmacy services or medication regimens.
• Basic Science or Translational Research: Contributions to laboratory-based or bench-to-bedside investigations relevant to pharmacy practice.

The key here is the contribution to new, generalizable knowledge, often leading to peer-reviewed publications.

Scholarship: Boyer's Model and Beyond

Scholarship is a broader concept, famously articulated by Ernest Boyer in Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate. Boyer expanded the traditional view of scholarship (discovery) to include:

1. The Scholarship of Discovery: This aligns closely with traditional research, focusing on the creation of new knowledge.
2. The Scholarship of Integration: Making connections across disciplines, putting isolated facts into perspective, and interpreting knowledge. Examples include developing evidence-based guidelines, systematic reviews, or meta-analyses that synthesize existing literature.
3. The Scholarship of Application: Applying knowledge to consequential problems, often involving service to the profession or community. This can include developing innovative pharmacy services, implementing new practice models, or creating quality improvement initiatives that are rigorously evaluated and disseminated. A local quality improvement project can become scholarship if it is systematically studied, yields generalizable insights, and is disseminated to a broader audience.
4. The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Systematically studying teaching and learning processes, and disseminating that knowledge. This includes developing novel educational programs, publishing educational methodologies, or formally mentoring others in scholarly pursuits.

For your FASHP portfolio, demonstrating engagement across these forms of scholarship, particularly with clear evidence of dissemination (e.g., peer-reviewed publications, national presentations, textbook chapters, grants), is crucial.

How Research & Scholarship Appears on the Exam

While the FASHP designation is awarded based on a comprehensive portfolio review, the "exam" component often refers to the rigorous evaluation of your submitted materials against ASHP's criteria. You won't typically sit for a multiple-choice test specifically on research methods; rather, the "exam" is how well your portfolio demonstrates your qualifications.

The evaluation committee will be looking for:

• Evidence of Sustained Engagement: Not just a single project, but a pattern of contributing to research and scholarship over time.
• Impact and Significance: How your work has advanced pharmacy practice, improved patient outcomes, or contributed to professional knowledge. This isn't just about output (e.g., number of papers) but about the quality and influence of that output.
• Dissemination: Proof that your work has been shared with the broader pharmacy community. This includes peer-reviewed publications, presentations at national or international conferences, textbook chapters, or successful grant applications.
• Leadership and Collaboration: Your specific role in projects, especially leadership roles, and your ability to collaborate effectively with other healthcare professionals.
• Alignment with ASHP Values: How your scholarly activities align with ASHP's mission to advance pharmacy practice and patient care.

Consider scenarios where you might need to articulate the scholarly nature of an activity that might initially seem like routine practice. For example, implementing a new antimicrobial stewardship protocol is practice, but systematically evaluating its impact on patient outcomes, publishing the results, and presenting them at a national meeting elevates it to scholarship of application and discovery.

Study Tips for Mastering This Topic

Preparing your research and scholarship section for FASHP is less about rote memorization and more about critical self-reflection and effective documentation. Here are some study tips:

1. Review ASHP Criteria: Thoroughly familiarize yourself with ASHP's specific requirements and expectations for the FASHP designation, particularly those related to professional contributions and scholarly activities. The Complete FASHP Fellow of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Guide provides an excellent overview.
2. Audit Your CV: Go through your curriculum vitae with a critical eye. For each research project, publication, or presentation, ask yourself:
   • Is this truly "scholarly" by Boyer's definitions?
   • What was my specific role and contribution?
   • Where was it disseminated? Was it peer-reviewed?
   • What was its impact on practice or knowledge?
3. Gather Supporting Documentation: Ensure you have copies of abstracts, full articles, presentation slides, or program brochures. For grant funding, include award letters.
4. Seek Feedback: Ask a mentor or a current FASHP Fellow to review your CV and your planned narrative. Their experience can provide invaluable insights into how your contributions will be perceived.
5. Practice Articulating Impact: Be ready to clearly and concisely describe the significance and impact of your scholarly work. This is crucial for your personal statement and any letters of recommendation.
6. Utilize Practice Resources: While not a traditional exam, understanding the types of activities valued is key. Review FASHP Fellow of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists practice questions to see how professional contributions are framed, and try our free practice questions to test your understanding of what constitutes a significant scholarly contribution.

Common Mistakes to Watch Out For

Even highly accomplished pharmacists can make errors in presenting their research and scholarship for FASHP. Avoiding these common mistakes can significantly strengthen your portfolio:

• Confusing Routine Practice with Scholarship: Simply performing a drug utilization review (DUR) or implementing a new clinical service is part of excellent practice. For it to be scholarship, it must involve systematic inquiry, generate generalizable knowledge, and be formally disseminated.
• Lack of Dissemination: A brilliant research project that sits in a binder and is never shared beyond your institution lacks the broader impact expected of scholarship. Dissemination through peer-reviewed channels is critical.
• Insufficiently Describing Your Role: In collaborative projects, clearly articulate your specific, significant contributions. Don't just list a publication; explain what you did (e.g., "designed methodology," "led data analysis," "primary author").
• Failing to Demonstrate Impact: It's not enough to list publications; explain what the findings mean for patient care, policy, or the profession. Quantify impact where possible.
• Underestimating the Breadth of Scholarship: Focusing solely on traditional research publications and overlooking valuable contributions in the scholarship of integration, application, or teaching.
• Poor Documentation: Submitting a poorly organized CV, missing supporting documents, or failing to highlight the most impactful aspects of your work.
• Not Aligning with ASHP Values: Ensure your chosen scholarly activities demonstrate a commitment to advancing health-system pharmacy and patient care, aligning with ASHP's core mission.

By being mindful of these pitfalls, you can ensure your portfolio accurately reflects the depth and breadth of your scholarly contributions.

Quick Review / Summary

Integrating research and scholarship into your FASHP portfolio is a cornerstone of demonstrating your leadership and commitment to advancing the profession. Remember that research focuses on the discovery of new, generalizable knowledge through systematic investigation, while scholarship encompasses a broader range of activities – discovery, integration, application, and teaching – all characterized by systematic inquiry, intellectual rigor, and formal dissemination.

Your "exam" for FASHP is the comprehensive evaluation of your portfolio. The committee will seek evidence of sustained engagement, significant impact, effective dissemination, and clear articulation of your specific roles. Avoid common mistakes like confusing routine practice with scholarship, failing to disseminate your work, or inadequately describing your contributions.

By meticulously auditing your professional activities, gathering robust documentation, and clearly articulating the impact of your scholarly work, you will build a compelling FASHP portfolio that truly reflects your contributions to health-system pharmacy. For a deeper dive into all aspects of the application, be sure to consult our Complete FASHP Fellow of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Guide.