ACRP to Offer Increased Benefits to Clinical Research Community

Dr. Mary Pat Higley has more than three decades of experience working in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to beginning her career as a pharmacist in the early 1980s, she earned her doctor of pharmacy from the University of California, San Francisco, School of Pharmacy. Mary Pat Higley currently serves as an industry consultant, project manager, and research associate. She also actively participates in several professional groups, among them the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP).

ACRP, the leading organization for clinical research professionals from the biotech, pharmaceutical, and medical device sectors, recently announced a collaborative initiative with Europe-based accreditation and professional development enterprise IAoCR. Together, the two organizations will focus on providing more comprehensive and in-depth professional development services to members of the clinical research industry. One of the key components of this collaboration will give members access to the catalog of services available from both organizations.

In the future, ACRP and IAoCR will facilitate a joint training program aimed at teaching U.S. professional developer trainers in IAoCR accreditation programs. Furthermore, IAoCR representatives will participate in the 2015 ACRP Global Conference, scheduled to take place in April in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Three Types of Therapy Dogs

Mary Pat Higley is a self-employed medical consultant and data analyzer in Newport Beach, California, where she works on a contract basis providing analysis for medication utilization reviews. In her free time, Mary Pat Higley enjoys many hobbies, including gardening and therapy dog training.

While many may confuse them with service dogs, therapy dogs are not specially trained to independently help people with disabilities, but they can be helpful as companions to a trained professional and a source of comfort to many. Therapy dogs are essentially volunteers, traveling with their owners to spend time in settings such as schools, nursing homes, and hospitals, where their presence brings joy to many.

There are three types of therapy dogs. The therapeutic visitation dog is a household pet that goes along with his or her owner to visit people in need or people who are unable to have pets of their own for a variety of reasons. The second type is the animal-assisted therapy dog, which works alongside physical and occupational therapists as they strive to help patients recover. Finally, a facility therapy dog is usually found in a nursing home and often works alongside patients with Alzheimer’s disease or other mental illnesses.

California’s Hearst Castle

Experienced in clinical research, Mary Pat Higley continues her career in the medical field as a self-employed consultant. She holds membership in organizations such as the American Society of Health System Pharmacists. In her leisure time, Mary Pat Higley enjoys traveling to the central coast of California.

Visitors to the central coast of California may wish to stop at Hearst Castle and explore the historic building, which dates back to 1947. Built for William Randolph Hearst on the site he named La Cuesta Encantada, or The Enchanted Hill, the castle offers 165 rooms to explore, as well as 127 acres of surrounding land with walkways through gardens featuring pools and terraces. Hearst Castle also continues to house its owner’s art collection, part of the reason Hearst originally envisioned such a structure.

Visitors can easily access Hearst Castle from California Highway 1, and the nearby town of San Simeon offers a variety of dining and lodging options. The area also includes numerous other sites of interest, including the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, beaches with elephant seals, and the Piedras Blancas Light Station.