At the 2003 ISPE annual meeting in Philadelphia, ten academic institutions and over 700 conference attendees participated in the inaugural Academic Showcase & Welcome Reception. This event marked the first time that colleges and universities interacted in an open forum highlighting their academic programs, students, and current pharmacoepidemiology-related projects. This year's showcase was timely because it allowed researchers, students, practitioners, and policy makers to share ideas and form potential future collaborations. This year's meeting in Bordeaux (August 22-25, 2004) promises to have an equally exciting academic showcase.

The showcase sponsors included the following academic institutions from Scotland and the United States:

• The Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University
• Harvard School of Public Health
• New Jersey Institute of Technology
• University of Dundee / MEMO
• Department of Pharmacy Health Care Administration at the University of Florida
• Departments of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, Epidemiology, and Preventive Medicine at the University of Maryland — Baltimore
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
• College of Pharmacy at The University of Texas at Austin
• Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research and Policy Program in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Washington.

The scope of information provided by the academic sponsors suggests that pharmacoepidemiology continues to be an independent discipline in its own right. Some sponsors presented innovative programs in pharmacoepidemiological research while others presented information about their graduate programs. For example, the University of Dundee introduced their Medicines Monitoring Outcomes (MEMO) Unit, which uses pharmacy data for pharmacoepidemiological studies. The University of Baltimore — Maryland displayed information about their program and available fellowships as did the University of Pennsylvania Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy provided information about their graduate program and the types of jobs recent graduates had obtained while the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill presented information about their current academic programs.

Another highlight of the academic showcase was seeing old friends, colleagues, and recent graduates. The academic showcase seemed to provide a focal point of contact for many of us. Indeed, the collegial atmosphere promoted by good friends and good food, encouraged a light-hearted exchange of information among all those who attended the showcase and reception.

On all accounts, the academic showcase in Philly was a success. Judging from the benefits, it should become an integral part of future ISPE conferences. We are encouraged that this year's inaugural showcase will only increase participation by more institutions next year. We hope to see an even greater participation in Bordeaux, France next year.

[Editor's Note: The second Academic Showcase & Welcome Reception will be held at the Bordeaux Convention Center, August 22, 2004. Click here for more details.]

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