[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 119 (Thursday, September 13, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S9390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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 TRIBUTE TO ALBUQUERQUE COOPERATIVE STUDIES PROGRAM CLINICAL RESEARCH 
                  PHARMACY COORDINATING COUNCIL CENTER

 Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 
Cooperative Studies Program Clinical Research Pharmacy Coordinating 
Council Center in Albuquerque, NM. This center will soon be awarded the 
Robert W. Carey Quality Award by the Department of Veterans' Affairs. 
This award is VA's highest recognition for quality achievement. The 
Carey Award honors VA offices that demonstrate organizational 
effectiveness and high-quality service to our Nation's veterans. The 
award encourages efficient management by prominently honoring the VA's 
highest performing offices.
  The Albuquerque Pharmacy Coordinating Council Center truly deserves 
this great honor. The center was founded in 1972 as a part of VA's 
Cooperative Services Program. This program is responsible for planning 
and conducting the large multicenter clinical trials within VA, and the 
Albuquerque center manages all of the pharmaceutical aspects of these 
trials. The center plays a critical role in planning VA's clinical 
trials, packaging clinical trial materials, and monitoring the 
implementation of clinical trials. These trials have benefitted not 
only our Nation's veterans, but have improved the health of our entire 
Nation, by contributing to the rapidly increasing body of medical 
knowledge.
  The center has a staff of over 60 highly trained and experienced 
pharmacy and management professionals and technicians. Through the 
efforts of these outstanding employees and under the excellent 
leadership of Director Dr. Mike Sather, the center has developed a 
solid reputation within the medical research community. In fact, the 
center has contributed to ground-breaking medical research in 
developing treatments for a wide range of diseases from cancer to heart 
disease to mental illness. The center has also demonstrated its 
proficiency in its successful collaborations with such institutions as 
the National Institutes of Health, specifically the National Heart, 
Lung and Blood Institute and the National Institute of Mental Health, 
as well as the centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  The recognition of the Albuquerque center by the VA should come as no 
surprise to anyone familiar with its history. In fact, the center has 
previously been recognized for its achievements by Quality New Mexico 
and has received both the Roadrunner Recognition and the Pinon Award. I 
congratulate the exceptional leadership and the devoted staff of the 
Albuquerque Pharmacy Coordinating Council Center on this fine 
achievement, and I look forward to their future accomplishments in 
improving the health of our Nation and demonstrating our continued 
commitment to our Nation's veterans.

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