Research--the cornerstone of pharmacy practice. Harvey A.K. Whitney lecture

Hospital pharmacy's need for a new commitment to research and the attendant sharing of responsibilities between pharmacy educators and pharmacy practitioners are described. Guided by the same philosophy of professional service that motivated early hospital pharmacists, individual pharmacists should work within their differentiated roles to advance the profession as a whole. For this advancement, research to acquire new knowledge and develop and evaluate new services is required. Research enhances the prestige and societal support of a profession. Pharmacists with differentiated skills and practice areas must support each other to advance the profession, particularly because of limited financial resources in both education and practice settings. Universities, including schools of pharmacy, have a responsibility for research as well as for the transmission of knowledge, and pharmacy faculty members should conduct research that supports the advancement of practice. To support research by faculty members, pharmacy practitioners can assume greater teaching responsibility. Schools of pharmacy and practicing pharmacists can work together to support research that will benefit the whole profession and society. Pharmacy practice faculty members who maintain a practice base and are involved in research have a critical role in this cooperative effort.