Pharmacy News: Spring 2018
Faculty and students gain recognition for their work and raise awareness
Adjunct Associate Professor for Pharmacy Practice Renee Thomas, Pharm.D., M.B.A., FAPhA, was recognized as an American Pharmacists Association (APhA) fellow at the APhA annual meeting held from March 16 to March 19 in Nashville. Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy Dean Robert DiCenzo, Pharm.D., BCPS, FCCP, is an APhA trustee and APhA-Academy of Pharmaceutical Research and Science (APRS) president. As such, he presented the APhA-APRS awards and recognized new APhA fellows at the annual meeting.
Professor of Biopharmaceutical Sciences Craig A.H. Richard, Ph.D., saw his research into autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) featured in the Futurism.com article, “It’s 2018. Here Are Six Scientific Mysteries We Still Haven’t Solved.” The piece was then picked up and republished by approximately 40 additional online sites. His ASMR work is also featured in the Star Tribune article, “Scientists Have Found Out Why Voices Like Bob Ross’ Are So Soothing.” He is also quoted in the Bustle article, “These Floral Foam ASMR Videos Are the Latest in a Series of Viral ASMR Trends,” and featured in the February WCNC television (a Charlotte, North Carolina, NBC affiliate) news report, “ASMR: An Unconventional Approach to Sleep and Relaxation.” His work was also the subject of an NBC national news report in April.
Fourth-year pharmacy student Silken Usmani has won the United States Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Award. The award is given to students who demonstrate a commitment to pharmacy and public health.
The Annals of Internal Medicine published a letter to the editor by fourth-year pharmacy student Carolyn Taylor regarding a report discussing the degradation of epinephrine in EpiPens and EpiPen Jrs. Taylor also co-wrote an article with fellow fourth-year student Cynthia Bui about their January 2017 medical mission trip to Haiti, published in the January issue of the American Pharmacists Association magazine. The article recounts their experiences and offers suggestions on how volunteer teams can better communicate with onsite staffers to create sustainable pharmacy changes.
The Shenandoah chapter of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association and the group’s faculty advisor, Professor of Biopharmaceutical Sciences Wendell Combest, Ph.D., hosted guest speaker Judy Ashley as part of a program on spreading awareness about kidney disease held March 26 at the Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy. Ashley, who has had a kidney transplant, emphasized the need for more attention for hundreds of thousands of kidney disease patients in the United States.
