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Toledo, Ohio 43606
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Pharmacy students partner with Lucas County Health Department to provide in H1N1 vaccinations Read more
Dr. Frederick Williams, associate professor of pharmacology, was appointed by Governor Ted Strickland to the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council. Dr. Williams, a parent representative of a child with a disability, will serve on the council for a three-year term. The Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council oversees approximately $2 million in federal grants to improve the service delivery for people with developmental disabilities and expand their opportunities. Deb Sobczak witnessed as Dr. Williams took his oath in Wolfe Hall.
The College's White Coat alumni mentorship program has another succesful year. Read more
On September 11, 2009, the College of Pharmacy broke ground for its new facility on the health science campus. Read more
The Lucas County Health Department and The University of Toledo College of Pharmacy collaborated in an H1N1 vaccination clinic and educational session in October. The clinic, which was held at the EMS Training Center on Jefferson Avenue, allowed the Health Department and UT students to disseminate information about the flu and the H1N1 virus to Toledo residents. P2 students were responsible for the outreach and education portions of the program. The students presented information about the differences between regular seasonal flu and the H1N1 flu virus.
Meanwhile, P4 students, under supervision of Drs. Megan Kaun, PharmD ’05, and Michelle Lechman-Holder, PharmD ‘06, vaccinated members of the Toledo community. Altogether, 97 nasal (Flumist) vaccinations and 202 H1N1 shots were administered at the three-hour clinic. Students initiated and organized the effort with the assistance of Dr. Steven Peseckis.
See photos of the vaccination clinic or see video of the vaccination project from WTOL News.
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LAU has the distinction of being the only non-U.S. college of pharmacy that is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and students from LAU will have the opportunity to study and complete rotations at UT. UT students were enthusiastic about meeting Dr. Sadik and learning about LAU. At the agreement signing, many members of Toledo's Lebanese coommunity turned out to welcome Dr. Sadik and to support the college's partnership with LAU.
Dr. Early believes the partnership with LAU will benefit the college in many ways by expanding the college's international reputation and giving more students the exposure to international research opportunities. "I look forward to solidifying this partnership with the exchange of student learners. Studying at LAU will be a life-changing experience for our students, and working with LAu students will enhance the diversity and reach of our college."
The White Coat Mentor program was very successful this year, raising nearly $6,000 for student coats and professional memberships. This was the program’s second year, and 38 alumni mentors participated in the program. In addition to their financial donations, many White Coat Mentors chose to share college memories with students and open the door for future interactions.
Students have expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to learn from alumni mentors who support students with their philanthropy. One student expressed her gratitude by saying, “The White Coat ceremony was extremely special to me, and it became exponentially better when I discovered that I was sponsored by an alumnus. [My mentor] has become a part of one of the most important and rewarding days of my life.”
Matt Miller, ’00, an alum of the BSPS program, enjoys being a White Coat Mentor program and interacting with the students. “You can’t put a price on that,” he said after the ceremony. Being able to support BSPS students as they enter the professional division has been a rewarding experience for Matt. In addition, Matt’s employer Pfizer matches employees’ donations, allowing him to mentor two students.
The College’s new development director, Jeff Barton, is excited about the growth of the White Coat Mentor program and hopes that it will grow each year. “This project does so much for the college, he said, “not just through the funds raised, but also from the valuable connections our students make with professionals in their fields of study.”
Visit the website for more information about the White Coat Mentor program.
While some scientists are lucky enough to happen upon the discovery of a lifetime, Dr. Wissam AbouAlaiwi understands that discovery is a result of a lifetime of inquiry. A postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Surya Nauli’s pharmacology lab, he is a testament to the power of curiosity. With several family members who suffered from chronic conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure, it seems only natural that Dr. AbouAlaiwi would be interested in biomedical science.
His work as a scientist may seem poles apart from his beginnings in a poor area of Lebanon, but the lessons he learned have carried him over vast distances, figuratively and literally. Dr. AbouAlaiwi recalls that his father, who had eight children and worked grueling 18-hour days, encouraged him to pursue higher education. He completed his education in Lebanon, studying human genetics, medicinal plants and sickle cell anemia. Dr. AbouAlaiwi ‘s self-defined “passion for research” helped him get selected for a collaborative project associated with the partnership between The University of Toledo, The American University of Beirut and The Ohio State University. This partnership brought Dr. AbouAlaiwi to The University of Toledo in 2002.
Dr. AbouAlaiwi spends his days studying cilia and their impact on cardiovascular disease and polycystic kidney disease (PKD). His hard work and dedication to discovery landed him national recognition on the cover of Circulation Research, a journal of the American Heart Association, last spring. After several returned drafts and requests for figures, Dr. AbouAlaiwi learned that the study, of which he is the primary author, would be accepted and published on the front cover of Circulation Research. He was excited, and he says he owes considerable thanks to Dr. Nauli for his “enormous” support and guidance through his transition period between different fields. He also credits the undergraduate students who helped to develop the figures used in his published study.
The cover study, which details the way that cilia and polycystin 2 affect the body’s reaction to changes in blood pressure, represents a culmination of nearly three years of research and hard work. During the course of the study, Dr. AbouAlaiwi presented a poster on the same subject at a meeting for hundreds of PKD researchers. This poster was selected as the best at the meeting, encouraging Dr. AbouAlaiwi and echoing his belief that the research on cilia and PKD was timely and groundbreaking.
A three-year study of cilia may not seem terribly thrilling, but Dr. AbouAlaiwi disagrees. The cilium, he says, has been “ignored for the past 100 yrs. People don’t give it much attention.” But this tiny organelle demands more notice. Dr. Surya Nauli’s breakthrough study about cilia and the localization of polycystins 1 and 2 to the cilia in PKD was enough to generate attention from the scientific community, and Dr. AbouAlaiwi believes this tiny organelle may be finally getting its due. After all, the cilium “has a role in every cell.”
As for his future, Dr. AbouAlaiwi plans to continue studying cilia and PKD because “it’s an exciting and challenging area that’s developing very quickly.” In fact, his current study about how cilia are involved in regulating cell division may provide answers that lead to cures for cancer and other proliferative cell disorders. If curiosity is indeed “nature’s original school of education,” Dr. AbouAlaiwi is working hard to be at the head of the class.
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by Ken Hohmeier
On June 2nd, 12 University of Toledo College of Pharmacy students boarded a bus and headed down to Columbus to help lobby for their profession. This was all part of the first annual Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA) Legislative Day. The event brought pharmacy students from all over Ohio together at the state capital to focus on upcoming legislation and grass-roots efforts of Pharmacists and Pharmacy Students. After a session reviewing new and upcoming state pharmacy issues, such as the new pharmacy technician law called Emily’s Law, students were able to sit down with their state legislators. Individual appointments were set up to meet with both State Representatives and State Senators by OPA, so that students had an opportunity to build a relationship with those legislators who represent their home towns. At these meetings, UT students talked about everything from local parades, to the importance of bacterial resistance against antibiotics, and the pharmacist’s role therein.
“Overall, I thought it was an excellent experience that I truly enjoyed,” said Matt Gibson, a P4 student who attended the event. Lisa Samaroo, an incoming P2 student commented, “Today was a supportive push into the legislative world…” These sentiments were echoed by all attending UT pharmacy students. Each stepped away from the experience more confident in approaching their representatives and senators, and with a greater understanding of the legislative process. “It was eye-opening experience,” said Scarlett Lynn, another P2 student, “and because of it, I would have no hesitation calling my senator if an issue specific to pharmacy would be brought up in the future.”
P3 student Ken Hohmeier was recently honored with the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Student Leadership Award. Ken, chapter president of APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists, was nominated for this award by his UT College of Pharmacy peers and selected from a national group of applicants. APhA Student Leadership Awards recognize outstanding academic achievement and leadership ability in APhA-ASP at the local, regional, and national levels, and the awards are endowed by Procter & Gamble Health Care. Ken was also appointed as a member of the 2009-2010 APhA-ASP Communications Standing Committee. This national committee is responsible for providing student pharmacists with important information, evaluating the relevance of APhA-ASP publications and website content, and writing the monthly APhA Student Pharmacist Connection. Ken Hohmeier was one of only four students selected nationwide for this position, and, more importantly, he is the first UT student in history to hold a national APhA-ASP position! See the video of the Awards Ceremony.
At the January AZO Regional Convention in Clearwater, Florida, P4 student Jared Stroud received the Jay L. Pollock Undergraduate Award for Alpha Zeta Omega. This national award is the highest honor that an undergraduate member of the fraternity can receive. Jared joins the company of other recent UT graduates who were honored with this award, Andrea Pallotta (2007) and Audrey Peters (2003).
The American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) held its fall Midyear Regional Meeting (MRM) in Cincinnati, OH. 16 UT students in the Doctor of Pharmacy program participated in the Region 4 MRM, passing three resolutions for proposals to improve pharmaceutical care in the region. UT P1 student Scarlett Lynn was elected MRM-Coordinator for the 2009 MRM. The meeting was slated to be held in Detroit, MI next fall; however, Scarlet was able to convince the committee to hold the meeting in Toledo! Scarlett will attend training for this role in Washington, DC.
On April 1, The Mentoring Collaborative and the College of Pharmacy hosted a “Financial Planning for College Success” workshop for UT students. The workshop featured a panel of experts, all UT alumni, who gave students sage advice for managing their finances during challenging economic times. The event was moderated by John Clark, UT pharmacy alum and Associate Director of Pharmacy at University of Michigan. Clark offered practical guidance for making the most of the college experience with very little money. His presentation included ways to optimize the college experience by taking advantage of all the free activities at UT. Clark also suggested that students find part-time employment to begin “creating wealth on a small scale now to prepare for wealth creation in the future.”
Rose Neuser of the Student Financial Aid office instructed students about scholarship searches and loan management. From employer tuition reimbursements to internet scholarship searches, “various methods of financing a college education” are available, according to Neuser. She also urged students to use loans for educational expenses only in order to avoid financial stress later in life.
Some of the financial planning advice offered in the seminar was unconventional. For example, tax auditor Elsie Harbour emphasized saving pocket change as a way to begin building wealth. She also insisted that students create and stick to a monthly budget. Budgeting and tracking receipts, said Harbour, is a great way to “see where your money is going. If it’s not on paper, it’s too easy to put it aside and forget it.”
Reginald Temple of Fifth Third Bank echoed Harbour’s concern for planning and budgeting. He offered additional advice for students facing credit card trouble. “Credit cards must be managed wisely. If you’re in credit card trouble, stop using the card immediately,” he advised. Temple suggests that students in financial trouble consult a financial planner to help them navigate the often-confusing terminology.
The panel took questions from students and presented handouts that the students could personalize. John Campbell, a financial planner from Savage and Associates, summarized the advice of the other panelists, stating that students should “avoid stupid mistakes that will sabotage your future, and make sacrifices today for the future you want.”
The Mentoring Collaborative, directed by Sheila Doles, has made the workshop resources available to all UT students at http://www.utoledo.edu/utlc/mentoring/finance.html.
In Fall 2010, The College of Pharmacy will expand to the health science campus, taking a portion of its students and faculty to a state of the art new building. The college is in the process of planning and designing the $25 million pharmacy facility which will include laboratories, lecture halls and offices to provide more space for the College of Pharmacy and offer students hands-on experience in an integrated medical community.
The new pharmacy building will be located between the Block Science Building and the Health Education Building, a site chosen for its central location on the campus and its proximity to classrooms, clinics, Mulford Library and the Medical Center. In addition, the building site has foundation elements in place that will reduce construction time and costs, according to Chuck Lehnart, vice president for facilities and construction.
The two-story building will feature a modern professional development amenities and state of the art laboratory space. Lehnart said the modular design with movable laboratory elements will enhance efficiency and flexibility in the new facility, making it the most complete and clinically advanced facility in the region. A 500-seat auditorium will also be constructed in the Collier building to accommodate large lecture classes.
Dr. Johnnie Early, dean of the College of Pharmacy, said pharmacy students will have the opportunity to learn in a rich environment that allows all health science majors to further hone their clinical skills and become more knowledgeable of the roles and contributions of each profession.
“Since the year 2000, we have experienced a 75% growth in our student population, and we are currently recruiting new faculty and staff. The new facilities will improve the human condition by creating the rare opportunity of occupying two modern facilities and offering state of the art infrastructure for teaching and research in pharmacy, the pharmaceutical sciences and patient care,” he said.
Dr. Early said that among its other high-tech amenities, the new pharmacy building will include a sterile products lab in which students will learn to prepare the types of injections and intravenous fluids that would be processed in a hospital or specialty pharmacy. The laboratories and learning spaces will offer UT students the latest technology and practice facilities, including the latest techniques and equipment for extemporaneous compounding.
The building’s core laboratories will foster interaction among health science disciplines. Pharmacy students will have access to more lab and learning space, while they gain real-world experience in the Medical Center and clinical settings. As the college increases its enrollment, the new facility will allow growth in both the new building and in Wolfe Hall.
The faculty and staff on the health science campus will be pleased to have pharmacists in close proximity. Professor of Cardiology Mark Burket, MD, says “The value of pharmacist input can’t be overstated. A huge portion of attending rounds is decision making, and a major portion of decision making involves drug choices. There simply isn’t enough time to stop and look up the answer. If you have an expert in pharmacologic issues, the answers are [clearer], come faster, and undoubtedly improve both patient outcomes and the educational process.”
The expansion to the health science campus will lead to more research collaborations among students and faculty and enhance current collaborations in the fields of cancer and diabetes treatment, immunology and transplantation, and neurodegenerative disorders, says Early.
Based on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants and contracts data, the pharmacy colleges that receive the most research and grant funding tend to be located on health science campuses. Pharmacy faculty will have the opportunity to achieve a higher level of research through access to resources on the health science campus.
The college’s presence on the health science campus will help to expand the world-class health education provided by The University of Toledo College of Pharmacy and The University of Toledo Medical Center and advance the future of pharmacy.
According to Dr. Jeffrey Gold, health science campus provost, "The construction of this new facility will create great synergy in the education, research and clinical care programs of all of the UT health science programs. Sharing classrooms, laboratories, libraries and student centers will promote collaboration and enhanced mutual respect. The opportunities are truly without limit to "improve the human condition."
