• Ronald Reagan was President of the United States.

• Barney Clark, a retired 61-year-old dentist, became the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart. 

• The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists created a public charity and named it in memory of Larry Niemerow, one of the pioneering members of ASCP and its president in 1976-77.  

The year was 1982. On April 2, the Larry Niemerow Foundation, now known as the ASCP Foundation, was incorporated in Washington, DC. An early annual report described the Foundation's namesake this way: "Through his own practice, Niemerow showed that research could stimulate greater pharmacy involvement in therapy." The Foundation's purpose was summarized as follows: "The ASCP Foundation believes that research and education in consultant pharmacy is the key to safer, more efficient, and appropriate drug therapy for patients in a variety of institutional and home settings."

In 1992, the strategic direction of the Foundation shifted along with its name. The Foundation became the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation. Two institutes were created within the Foundation ~ one bearing Niemerow's name focusing on long-term care and consultant pharmacy practice and the other, the Geriatric Drug Therapy Research Institute, focusing on the study of diseases that disable elderly people and diminish their quality of life and the use of drugs to treat those conditions. 

This year, our 25th anniversary, we celebrate the contributions and leadership of the entrepreneurs who understood the value and power of research and education and the generous donors who have supported the Foundation over the years and helped make its achievements possible.

The Fels Planetarium at the Franklin Institute will be the site of Stepping Out Under the Stars, the ASCP Foundation's 25th anniversary dinner and dance during the 2007 ASCP Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. 

With more than a million visitors annually, the Franklin Institute is the most popular museum in Pennsylvania. The Fels Planetarium, the second oldest in the nation, was refurbished in 2002. Its new premium seamless dome, the first of its kind in the United States, is 60 feet in diameter and four stories high, and its surround sound makes it an awesome experience. 

Mark your calendars and plan to join us on Thursday, November 15, from 6 to 9 pm for an event that has become a tradition for many ASCP Annual Meeting attendees.

The Pain Management Traineeship was an experience I will not soon forget. Looking back on the week, I am still in awe. I cannot believe the amount of knowledge gained in such a short period of time.

 ~ 2006 Pain Management Traineeship Participant 

The ASCP Foundation is seeking applicants for the 2007 sessions of the Pain Management Traineeship. The deadline for receipt of applications is April 13. 

Two traineeship sessions will be conducted in 2007: June 11-15 and October 8-12. The traineeship is conducted at Hospice of the Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio, and Heartland of Mentor, in Mentor, Ohio. 

The Pain Management Traineeship provides individualized, intensive, didactic and experiential training for pharmacists. It provides pharmacists the opportunity to observe and participate in the development of treatment plans for persons suffering from acute and chronic pain conditions. Trainees gain considerable knowledge of the etiologies and pathophysiology of pain and the appropriate diagnosis and assessment of acute and chronic pain. In addition, trainees gain understanding of appropriate treatment for pain symptomology, including both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions; management of medication side effects and complications; barriers to appropriate care and treatment; the significant role of patients and caregivers as members of the treatment team; and legal and regulatory issues. The traineeship also offers the opportunity for pharmacists to work with an interdisciplinary team consisting of pharmacists, physicians, nurses, nurse aides, social workers, family members, other caregivers, and patients to positively impact the treatment outcome. 

For additional information and application materials, visit http://www.ascpfoundation.org/traineeships/train_painmanagement.htm or contact Peter Murphy at 703-739-1316, extension 133, or pmurphy@ascp.com. 

The Pain Management Traineeship is supported by an educational grant from Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.

Edward G. McMahon, PhD, a nationally recognized specialist in Alzheimer's care and psychosocial programs, is the National Director of Alzheimer's Care and Quality of Life for Golden Clinical Services, Fort Smith, Arkansas. In that capacity, he has developed more than 100 Alzheimer's care units and trained their administrators, nursing staff, and sales and marketing teams. 

Previously, Dr. McMahon held senior positions at several consulting and health services companies, at which he was involved in strategic planning and program development; design, development and implementation of management systems; business planning; research and design; and marketing. His work with Alzheimer's disease, psychosocial programs, and therapeutic recreation dates back to 1977. Early in his career, he designed and developed the first Alzheimer's unit within a skilled nursing facility in California. 

Dr. McMahon received his undergraduate degree in modern languages from Seton Hall University and his MA and PhD in clinical psychology from Stanford University. In addition, he has done postgraduate work in languages and culture at the University of Madrid and the University of Paris. 

Dr. McMahon has authored publications and presented at numerous national meetings on topics related to Alzheimer's disease and long-term care. In addition, he has been an instructor of languages, clinical issues, and psychology at seminars, workshops, schools, and universities throughout the United States and abroad.