Author: [AUTHOR] Published on 6/20/2018 6:31:22 AM

Statement of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (ASCPT)
To the National Institute of General Medical Sciences Council
Friday, May 25, 2018

Good afternoon Director Lorsh, Members of the NIGMS Council and NIH Staff, my name is Sharon Swan, CEO of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (ASCPT).   I am here today representing ASCPT’s 2,200 members, MD, PharmD, and PhD leaders in academic, regulatory and industrial settings.  We appreciate the opportunity to offer comments on the T32 Training Grants in Clinical Pharmacology.  

I would like to begin with an expression of our gratitude to NIGMS for fostering the growth and maturation of the discipline of Clinical Pharmacology, a discipline that is uniquely matched to the mission of NIGMS where pharmacology is based.  The T32 program is critical for training the next generation of researchers to advance the science of drug discovery, development, regulation and use. Postdoctoral training provided by NIGMS-funded T32 clinical pharmacology programs is a key element in meeting the workforce needs in academics, government agencies, and industry.  This program is, therefore, of great importance to our membership, given the critical role it plays in training the next generation of clinical pharmacologists.

Based on the information provided today in the evaluation of the program, ASCPT is prepared to bring forward to the Director relevant and impactful information describing how the discipline of clinical pharmacology continues to evolve and is more diverse and vibrant than ever before.  We will demonstrate the successes of the discipline in advancing basic discoveries in pharmacology, and disseminating the science and tools in pharmacogenomics, systems pharmacology including pharmacometric modeling and simulation, target optimization, novel study design, and big data to stakeholders in drug discovery.  We will share how the science and training has advanced through multi-disciplinary collaborations, the innovations by young scientists who have completed a T32 Training Program in Clinical Pharmacology, as well as the growing need for more well-trained scientists in this field.

Thank you.