ampul pharmacy magazine
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College Pharmacy Magazine for alumniTRANSCRIPT
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REVOLUTIONIZING HEALTH CARE ACROSS THE GLOBEBreathing Easy: The Problem-Solving
Career of Jim Mannion
Tammy (McIntire) Stefanovic
Alumnus Earns Distinguished Pharmaceutical Award
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Message from the Dean
Features p. 4-16
Revolutionizing Health Care Across the Globe
Breathing Easy: The Problem-Solving Career of Jim Mannion
Tammy (McIntire) Stefanovic
Alumnus Toby Clark earns distinguished pharmaceutical award
Summer Practice
Pharmacy Outreach Corner
Teacher-Scholar profile: Dr. Mark Olah
Pharmacy News and Activities p. 16
Student Focus p. 19
Advisory Board p. 23
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The Ampul is a publication of The Rudolph H. Raabe College of Pharmacy
Editors:Josh AlkireLynn BedfordAmy (Rettig) Prigge, BSBA ’94Laurie Wurth Pressel
Design: Toma (Grothous) Williams, BFA ’96
Photography:Ken ColwellDr. Jeff Talbot
Contributors:Scott Wills, BSBA ’87
The Ampul is published by Ohio Northern University, 525 S. Main St. Ada, OH 45810, 419-772-2000.
The R.H. Raabe College of Pharmacy at Ohio Northern University has long been recognized as one of the premier colleges of pharmacy in the nation, continually meeting the high standards of pharmaceutical education. Through-out its prominent history, the college has graduated pharmacists who now have successful pharmacy practices and who are active in local, state and national health-related organizations. More than one-fourth of all pharmacists in Ohio are Ohio Northern alumni.
www.onu.edu/pharmacy
On The Cover:View of Ghana
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Fall 2012
REVOLUTIONIZING HEALTH CARE ACROSS THE GLOBEBreathing Easy: The Problem-Solving Career
of Jim Mannion
Tammy (McIntire) Stefanovic
Alumnus Earns Distinguished Pharmaceutical Award
From the Dean
The Raabe College of Pharmacy recently completed a strategic planning process to determine our future goals. We completed internal and external audits, environmental analysis, competitor college analysis, external realities, and planning assumptions. Participating in the thorough and comprehensive process were faculty, students and advisory board members who represented alumni. By including faculty, students and alumni in the strategic planning process, we were able to unite the college community around our educational vision.
We often discuss our vision and mission and use these as a filter in our decision-making process. In fact, all colleges on the ONU campus now talk about their teacher-scholar model of education and credit the College of Pharmacy. During the college’s strategic planning process, we maintained our focus on the teacher-scholar model but revised our vision to be more consistent with the college’s long history and focus on the practice of pharmacy. The Raabe College of Pharmacy’s vision statement is “We create leaders who revolutionize the profession and practice of pharmacy.” Our mission statement is “As the teacher-scholars of pharmacy education, we are committed to: nurturing leaders, creating professionals who contribute to the greater good of society, and advancing the profession and the practice of pharmacy.”
As you read through this edition of The Ampul, you will see how our students, alumni and faculty live our vision. In our mission to be teacher-scholars, faculty members are rewarded primarily for excellence in the classroom but also for their professional activity in scholarship through research and practice. This teacher-scholar model allows the faculty member to focus on the importance of teaching while staying active within their discipline. We have adopted the teacher-scholar model, and the success of this model is evident in the substantial increase in the number of national student and faculty awards, publications, and grant funding that you will read about in this issue.
Reaching outside the boundaries of the United States, the college has partnered with Ghana to assist in their transition to the PharmD degree. The goal of this collaboration is to improve overall health care in Ghana and West Africa through the advancement of pharmacy education and practice. We eagerly embrace the opportunity to share our vision to revolutionize the profession and practice of pharmacy in Africa.
Respectfully,
Dr. Jon E. SpragueProfessor of Pharmacology and DeanRaabe College of Pharmacy
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REVOLUTIONIZING HEALTH CARE ACROSS THE GLOBE
Patrick Acheampong, PharmD ’11, felt an instant connection when he arrived on ONU’s campus to begin pharmacy studies in fall 2008. Ada’s peaceful environment and friendly people reminded him of his home country of Ghana in West Africa, even though the two places couldn’t be further apart culturally or geographically.
Acheampong nurtured this thread of connection. He initiated a pharmacy rotation site in Ghana for ONU students and linked his ONU pharmacy professors with their counterparts at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) – home to Ghana’s premier pharmacy school.
His efforts blossomed into a partnership that far exceeded his expectations. This past summer, the Raabe College of Pharmacy forged a formal agreement with the Pharmacy Council of Ghana and KNUST to help them improve pharmacy practice and education in their country and beyond.
Frances Owusu-Daaku, KNUST’s vice dean of pharmacy faculty, calls the partnership “history in the making.” Dr. Jon Sprague, dean of the Raabe College of Pharmacy, hails the partnership’s far-reaching implications: “We have a tremendous opportunity to influence and improve health care not just in Ghana, but across all of West Africa, thereby impacting millions of lives.”
Ghana unveiledMore than 24 million people live in Ghana alone – a country slightly smaller than the state of Oregon. The West African nation borders the Ivory Coast to the west, Burkina Faso to the north and Togo to the east, with the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of New Guinea to the south. Called the “Gold Coast” by the British for its rich gold resources, Ghana achieved its independence from Great Britain in 1957. Although several languages exist in Ghana, English is the official language and is used in educational settings.
A developing nation with a stable political climate, Ghana struggles to modernize and improve the standard of living for its citizens. Health care quality and availability remain pressing concerns. According to the World Health Organization, Ghana ranks just 135th out of 191 countries in overall health system performance. In fact, the number of cases of non-communicable diseases, such as malaria, continues to rise in the country.
Just like in America, pharmacists in Ghana work on the front lines, says Dr. Jeff Talbot, associate professor of pharmacology. “They are one of the few clinicians accessible without an appointment,” he explains. “People can walk in off the street and see a pharmacist.”
Yet most Ghanaian pharmacists aren’t equipped with the knowledge, tools or resources needed to provide quality
FROM THE HEARTLAND OF AMERICA TO THE GOLD COAST OF AFRICA, THE RAABE COLLEGE OF PHARMACY IS COMMITTED TO IMPROVING PHARMACY PRACTICE AND EDUCATION
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care, adds Talbot, who spent time touring clinical practice sites and interviewing Ghanaian pharmacists in 2009 and 2012. “They are passionate professionals who want to improve therapeutic outcomes for their patients,” he says. “They do a tremendous job with the resources they have, but they could do so much more with just a few more tools.”
Sprague, who also traveled to Ghana this past spring, said the health care challenges he witnessed both humbled and motivated him. He saw outdated technology and medical reference materials, inadequate patient record keeping, and a lack of standards of practice. “Modernizing and advancing the practice of pharmacy will force all branches of health care in the country to improve,” he says. “Pharmacists can push and drive that change.”
Launching a PharmD programThe West African Health Organization (WAHO) identified the transition from a Bachelor of Science to a doctorate degree in pharmacy as a first step toward change. WAHO tagged KNUST to become the first university in West Africa to make that transition. The Raabe College of Pharmacy signed a memorandum of understanding with KNUST and the Pharmacy Council of
Ghana to offer guidance as they develop and implement the PharmD program in a relatively short period of time.
“We (in the U.S.) went through this several years back, and it’s a huge task,” says Sprague. “They will need to dig in and stub their toes a few times to get it done. Our role is to be a consultant: not to control change, but to support it.”
Sprague says the Raabe College of Pharmacy plans to offer pragmatic advice, review curriculum, initiate faculty-student exchanges, assist in the development of a continuing education program for practicing Ghanaian pharmacists, and help update technology and materials. The college is seeking grant funding to support the initiative and also encouraging ONU alumni to get involved.
“ONU will be crucial in helping KNUST implement its PharmD program and avoid potential pitfalls,” says Owusu-Daaku. “And KNUST will bring a whole new dimension to pharmacy – both culturally and globally – to ONU.”
The PharmD program, once up and running, will transform the role of the pharmacist in Ghana, adds Owusu-Daaku.
“I look forward to a time when the pharmacist in Ghana will be seen as an equal member of the health care team, taking a more active role in patient care that goes beyond dispensing and minor intervention,” she says. “I look forward to the time when the pharmacists’ input is sought on medication decisions and when pharmacists operate chronic clinics so physicians have more time for diagnosing illnesses. It should improve our health care delivery and save both patients and the government money.”
Learning goes both waysONU also benefits from the college’s partnership with KNUST because cultural diversity leads to learning and personal growth, says Talbot. “I have a lot of enthusiasm for this partnership because it provides a chance to not only serve, but also have your own perspective changed,” he explains. “You go there (to Ghana) and come back a different person.”
According to Talbot, ONU pharmacy professors, students and alumni will have the opportunity to interact with Ghanaian students and professors on campus, as well as to travel to Ghana to teach and learn. “We hope to bring KNUST pharmacy professors here, and send our
professors over there, to teach and visit pharmacy practice sites,” he says. “And we hope to bring more Ghanaian students here to study. They bring an unparalleled perspective to the classroom.”
Ghana already serves as a rotation site for sixth-year ONU PharmD candidates. During the rotation, students not only learn about the practice of pharmacy in Ghana, but also become fully immersed in a different culture. This fall, five ONU pharmacy students are traveling in Ghana to participate in the elective international Advanced Practice Pharmacy Experience (APPE).
Cynthia Amaning-Danquah, a pharmacy professor at KNUST, and her husband, Daniel Amaning-Dunquah, a pharmacist who owns several independent pharmacies and who sits on the Pharmacy Council of Ghana, are hosts and preceptors for the ONU students. They open their home to the students and generously share their time and knowledge with them. “I believe the benefits (of the partnership) on both sides are beyond human imagination,” says Daniel. “The transformation of lives, to me, is the key driver.”
Amanda Binkey, a sixth-year pharmacy student from Ada, Ohio, and Jessica Davis, a sixth-year pharmacy student from Somerset, Ohio, departed on Aug. 30 for a four-week APPE rotation in Ghana. “I am ecstatic about the trip,” wrote Binkey before her flight departed. “The Amanings have been wonderfully patient answering
my endless emails and questions. Numerous people have told me this will be the trip of lifetime, and I intend to make the most of it.”
The two students set up a blog on ONU’s website to share their experiences. In their blog, they write about the challenges of pharmacy practice in Ghana, the hospitality of the Ghanaian people, and many cultural practices – from the meaning of extended family, to traffic, to shopping – so radically different from life in the U.S.
The Amanings enjoy hosting the students. “ONU students, when they visit Africa, come to appreciate the privileges they have that their colleagues in Africa do not,” says Cynthia. “Therefore, they learn to make good use of what they have when they return to the U.S.”
Moving health care forwardAlthough still in its infancy, the ONU/KNUST partnership promises to im-pact many lives on two continents – thanks to the vision of one Ghanaian international student and his ONU pharmacy professors who believed in his vision and helped it grow.
“This is the beginning of many good things to come,” says Ache-ampong. “I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of this won-derful endeavor and for the many people who are making it happen. In the next few years, the first batch of PharmD students from KNUST will walk, and, like a proud dad, I will be content within myself knowing I played a significant role in making this happen.”
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A rotation mystery“I was absolutely scared out of my mind.”
That’s how Dr. James C. Mannion, BSPh ’76, describes the first day of his hospital rotation experience as a fifth-year College of Pharmacy student in the mid-1970s.
“Up until then, all my experience in pharmacy had been in retail pharmacy, and here I am walking into an intensive care unit with really sick people.”
During that first visit to Lima Memorial Hospital, Mannion was tasked with evaluating the drug therapy for a patient to whom he had been assigned in the intensive care unit.
The assignment proved to be unusual – and difficult – because this patient was in a coma.
“I wondered to myself, ‘The neurologist doesn’t know why the patient’s in a coma, so how the heck am I going to figure this out?’”
Calling himself “nothing if not stubborn,” Mannion began investigating the situation. The more he looked into it, the more he thought that the reason the patient was comatose was that she had received too much of one of the prescribed drugs.
“In this case, too much of the drug actually had symptoms that looked like the underlying disease. So it was kind of hard to tell where in the continuum you were: Should you be giving more drug, or should you be giving less?”
After discussing his theory with his professors and the patient’s doctors, they agreed to back off the drug dose to see what would happen.
The patient woke up.
“That was my ‘ah-ha’ moment because I was, at best, an average student,” he says.”I wasn’t very good at memorizing stuff or taking tests, but I realized that I had an ability to solve problems. And that has been the constant theme of my career: I solve problems.”
From Northern to GalleonThis career in problem solving has taken Mannion all over the country.
Immediately after graduating from Northern in 1976, he spent a year working in retail pharmacy before earning a master’s degree in pharmacy administration and then a Ph.D. in clinical pharmacy, both from Purdue University.
After a post-doctoral experience through the University of North Carolina doing clinical drug research in Research Triangle Park, N.C., Mannion worked with Burroughs-Wellcome and then the Beecham Group in Bristol, Tenn. In 1989, Mannion relocated to Philadelphia when Beecham merged with SmithKline Beckman to form SmithKline Beecham. He remained there for another year before moving back to Research Triangle Park to join Quintiles, a contract research business. He stayed at Quintiles until 2000 when he was named president and chief operating officer of EpiGenesis (an asthma biotechnology company) in New Jersey.
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The problem-solving career of Jim Mannion
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Galleon is attempting to develop a drug therapy option to give to at least a portion of the sleep apnea population. The company has built a drug-discovery platform, or a group of scientists tasked with creating and evaluating breathing control drugs. Mannion says that the company’s philosophy is that there won’t be a single drug that will be used for all breathing control conditions. It will take a family of them. Of those, Galleon has one compound that has now gone from concept, “literally just an idea,” into clinical trials.
If all goes well, Mannion hopes an FDA-approved obstructive sleep apnea drug will hit the shelves in six or seven years.
What began in Lima continues with GalleonAnd it all started with a single patient in an unexplained coma. “That patient is very vivid in my memory,” Mannion says. “They backed off on the drug and found out that it was the real issue.”
“If you fast-forward 30 years, I founded a biotech company to solve some key problems,” he continues. “When I did that, I said. ‘I want to solve problems that are important and will have a real impact.’
“I don’t want to be doing what others have done, making very minor improvements to drugs. I wanted to tackle a big problem and see if we could solve it. So that’s what we’ve been doing.”
“That patient is very vivid in my memory,” Mannion says. “They backed off on the drug and found out that it was the real issue.”
“If you fast-forward 30 years, I founded a biotech company to solve some key problems,” he continues. “When I did that, I said. ‘I want to solve problems that are important and will have a real impact.’
“One way to look at this is good career progression; the other way to look at it is I couldn’t keep a job,” he jokes.
Somewhere along the line, Mannion developed an “entrepreneurial itch.”
“For about 10 years,” he says, “I had the idea that I could take all the different things I learned and put them together to found a biotech company. So I founded Galleon in 2003.”
Clearing the airwaysToday, Mannion is president and CEO of Galleon Pharmaceuticals in Horsham, Pa. This clinical-stage company focuses on developing medicines for breathing control conditions, particularly respiratory depression in the acute care (surgical) and chronic care markets.
In a surgical environment, a patient is given a variety of drugs that can cause respiratory depression: anesthetics, sedatives or analgesics. When this occurs, the consequences can range from disastrous, where somebody dies, to costly, where it increases the cost of a hospital stay. Plus, the fear of respiratory depression causes many patients to get inadequate post-surgical pain relief.
“Patients who get surgery have this cocktail of drugs that decrease respiration, and it’s fairly unpredictable,” Mannion says. “So what we’re doing is creating what we call a ‘pharmacologic safety net’ to protect the patient during this time when they’re vulnerable.”
This safety net will occur in the hospital environment, but Mannion hopes to take what the company learns here and apply it to patients in the chronic care market, particularly those with obstructive sleep apnea, a common disorder in which the airway collapses or is blocked during sleep, causing shallow breathing or breathing pauses. As a result, not enough air reaches the lungs.
When breathing pauses or becomes shallow, patients often move out of deep sleep and into light sleep. Sleep quality worsens, leading to excessive daytime sleepiness. Left untreated, sleep apnea can increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, heart failure, stroke, arrhythmias, obesity and diabetes.
For these obstructive sleep apnea patients, Galleon is creating an oral therapy for a difficult-to-treat subset of patients who are normally asked to use continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines and masks while sleeping. CPAP devices use mild air pressure to keep the airways open while a patient is sleeping. They involve a shoebox-sized machine attached to a breathing mask that covers the nose, mouth or both.
“The bottom line is compliance with CPAP masks is not good,” Mannion says. “It takes a very special patient who’s really compliant with it and will use it. Sleep apnea is a condition that is very common, and becoming more common, but the treatment is one that patients don’t like.”
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Tammy (McIntire) Stefanovic, BSPh ’88, ACIT ’01, created a recipe for success with three simple ingredients: integrity, hard work and “a little bit of luck.” This winning recipe resulted in a productive 24-year career as a pharmaceutical executive.
Stefanovic currently is the president of operations for GAVIS Pharmaceuticals, an emerging innovator in generic pharmaceuticals based in New Jersey. Previously, she held upper-management positions at two leading pharmaceutical companies, serving as president of Apotex Corporation in Weston, Fla., and vice president of pharmaceuticals for Cardinal Health in Columbus, Ohio.
A love of chemistry and a desire to help people led Stefanovic to pursue a career in pharmacy. During the summer between her fourth and fifth years at Ohio Northern, she interned at a pharmaceutical manufacturing company. She describes this experience as a “turning point” because it sparked her interest in the business side of pharmacy. After graduation, she worked as a pharmacist for several years and then obtained a master’s degree in pharmaceutical administration from Ohio State University.
Pairing her pharmacy degree with another discipline opened up huge opportunities, she says. “My knowledge of pharmacy is unique in a leadership position,” she explains. “I know what goes on at the dispensing and counseling level, and this gives me an invaluable perspective that helps my company hear the voice of the customer.”
Stefanovic also credits her modest and frugal Midwestern upbringing for her success. Her parents and other role models instilled in her important values – like prudence and a strong work ethic – that resonate in the business world and enable her to execute projects on time and on budget.
As president of operations for GAVIS, Stefanovic relies on her pharmacist background and values every day to guide her in overcoming challenges and pursuing opportunities. GAVIS, founded in 2008, is a relatively new player in the industry and focuses on specialty pharmaceuticals with limited competition. Since its inception, the company has introduced eight new products in the marketplace and plans to launch eight to 10 new products per year. Stefanovic’s role is to negotiate and develop
marketing strategies, build relationships with key customers, develop price strategies and business plans, and help grow revenue.
Stefanovic spends about half her time traveling across the U.S. and abroad building relationships. “I interface with internal and external customers as well as with vital business partners to increase the value of our company,” she says. “My inbox is always full, and I have to prioritize and know when to turn it off to stay effective.”
In addition to her executive duties, Stefanovic manages a family of six and gives back to numerous organizations, including serving on the Ohio Northern Board of Trustees. Her husband and four children, and her faith in God, remain her greatest passions in life, she says.
And when life gets hectic, Stefanovic leans on her faith and her supportive family and colleagues. She also reminds herself that her work makes a difference. “I’m working to help save consumers billions of dollars by offering quality, affordable generic alternatives,” she says. “I love dealing with people and helping those in need.”
Tammy (McIntire) Stefanovic
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The organization worked to “expand patient services in hospitals and countries to better serve their constituents” by holding conferences across the globe, says Clark. “I worked with people from literally dozens of countries and then traveled to those countries as a lecturer. There are a lot of good things going on around the world. It’s amazing how creative people are, all with the attitude of wanting to help people live a pain-free life or live longer.”
Advice for today’s pharmacy leadersClarks says that the challenge for today’s hospital pharmacy leaders is to exceed expectations despite huge demands.
“The greatest leadership sin is to remain passive in the face of challenges,” he says. “I think more than ever before, we cannot remain passive. We cannot stand still. We need to be bold. For example, today’s hospital pharmaceutical operation might buy $60 to $80 million worth of drugs and employ 100 or more pharmacists and technicians. That’s a pretty big business. So, today’s pharmacy leaders have a lot of responsibility to lead those people to increase their quality, to motivate them, to keep a positive attitude, and to do those things they need to be bold in their thinking and their attitude.”
Clark returns to his foundation at ONU when he reflects on his own career philosophy.
“I was not a particularly good student, and I think I became a better student as the years went by,” he says. “Faculty members like professor Louis D. Vottero helped me to formulate a more positive attitude. Several of them are partly what caused me to be a pharmacy teacher in my career.”
Role of mentorsStarting with those faculty members, Clark says he has always been thankful for the role of mentors in his career.
“I’m a strong believer that we all need to have mentors at various stages in our career, and I’m also a strong believer that we need to give back to other people that want to grow and want to mentor,” says Clark, who currently mentors six pharmacy directors and counts the development and growth of his mentees as one of his most rewarding achievements.
“I highly value the mentorship relationship, because I think that we grow when we get feedback. Mentors provide feedback; mentors help us to understand our strengths, our weaknesses, our opportunities in a little different way, because mentors help us to self-assess,” he says.
In fact, another one of Clark’s early mentors was Robert B. Williams, another Webb lecturer.
“I feel humbled and honored to be chosen as the Webb lecturer for this year,” he says. “One of my early mentors was the first recipient of the Webb lecture award in 1985, so not only was I surprised, but also it’s quite an honor when one of your early teachers and mentors gets an award, and then, 30 years later, you receive that award.”
When he was an undergraduate at Ohio Northern University, Toby Clark, BSPh ’67, M.S., FASHP, received some advice that would set the trajectory of his entire career.
“One of my professors, Dr. Charles Lee, suggested that, if I had any interest in hospital pharmacy practice, I might go to work at a hospital in Kenton, Ohio,” Clark remembers.
He took that advice, and the rest was history. Commemorating an illustrious career as professor of pharmacy practice and director of hospital pharmacy services at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center and College of Pharmacy, Clark will receive the 2012 John W. Webb Lecture Award from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
Clark is currently a medication systems consultant and an adjunct associate professor of pharmacy practice at South Carolina College of Pharmacy and a consultant to the pharmacy director at the Medical University of South Carolina. He has been an active member of ASHP for several decades, serving in numerous leadership roles.
One of Clark’s many career achievements involved working on a global scale to educate and share hospital pharmacy best practices through the International Pharmaceutical Federation, for which he served as North American vice president and treasurer of the Section of Hospital Pharmacy.
Toby Clark
Alumnus Earns Distinguished Pharmaceutical Award
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Summer Practice
There’s a point in pharmacy education where classroom learning gives way to real-life experiences. At Northern, this occurs during internships and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (commonly referred to as rotations). The goal of these experiences is to educate students to apply problem-solving skills to assess patient parameters, optimize drug therapy and provide quality patient care in various practice settings.
During summer 2012, a number of ONU pharmacy students set out across the country to take part in a variety of internships and rotations, some more unique than others. Here are the stories behind a few of them.
Joe GresockFourth-year pharmacy student from Medina, OhioAmerican Health Packaging in Groveport, Ohio
AHP is a repacking company that takes bulk drug product and unit-doses the products into smaller-count bottles and blister packs. I was the first intern that AHP had ever had in any branch of their company.
One major project that I worked on over the summer was registering the company’s products with the FDA and posting the package insert and medication guides on the FDA website (dailymed.nlm.nih.gov). To do this, I would have to read through each product insert and
Christina LoritzSixth-year pharmacy student from Pittsburgh, Pa.U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research in Silver Spring, Md.
As part of my daily routine, I answered phone calls and emails from consumers, professionals and industry representatives concerning drug information and regulation inquiries as well as provided complete information on the MedWatch adverse event reporting program. The MedWatch program is what pharmacists are always told to use if there is a serious adverse event and to let patients know they can call if they have an issue. It was definitely strange at first being the person representing that program for a month. I had to be prepared for questions that ranged from common side effects to appropriate testing guidelines.
This rotation was different because it was about the development and monitoring of drug safety and efficacy in the public. I was able to see all of the reasoning and research that goes into the products, recommendations and safety alerts that are used in practice, which I use during my other rotations. I think it was very beneficial for me to have this background knowledge going into all my other rotations.
medication guide and make sure that they matched up with the template that I retrieved from the manufacturer. Once I made sure all of the information was right, I would add the labels to the bottom of the template and submit them to the FDA for approval. If all the information was correct and I created the template in the right format, the product would then be placed on DailyMed. If something was wrong, I would receive an error message and then make the necessary changes before re-submitting the template.
I submitted more than 60 products to the FDA for posting and approval, and I was able to read about each of the products and gain valuable drug information that can help me in any field of pharmacy.
Christina Loritz, a sixth-year pharmacy student from Pittsburgh, Pa., and Rita Oti, a sixth-year pharmacy student from Rockville, Md., pose by Dr. Jenelle Sobotka’s photo.
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I definitely attribute my ability to answer all of the different types of drug information calls and emails to the skills I learned in classes and through projects at Ohio Northern. ONU did a great job teaching me how to use many resources and how to communicate information effectively.
Megan KunkaSixth-year pharmacy student from Cortland, OhioIndian Health Services Fort Peck Service Unit in Wolf Point, Mont., and Poplar, Mont.
Within the Indian Health Services, all of the health care services are free for all individuals of Native American descent. This includes all prescriptions, primary care physician visits, laboratory blood draws as well as dental, optometry, audiology, nutrition and dialysis visits.
For the Fort Peck Service Unit rotation, a typical day consisted of working on various pharmacy projects such as a public bulletin board on sun safety and drug information questions. In the mornings, I would assist within the clinic, either helping the physicians with medication reconciliation or selecting a proper drug regimen for each patient. During the afternoons, I shadowed and collaborated with the different health care facets of the Fort Peck Service Unit. Each day, a portion of time was spent in the
clinic’s pharmacy, where I could have direct interaction with the Native Americans of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.
The location of this rotation and the overall health care process of the Indian Health Services were quite different than anything I have ever experienced before. The extreme unemployment of 58 percent on the Fort Peck Reservation was astounding to me, and many of the members of the community turn to alcohol and drugs, especially methamphetamine. In fact, I saw a handful of patients who had developed “meth mouth” from all the methamphetamine drug usage; one of these patients was only 20 years old.
Lauren Leigh MillerSixth-year pharmacy student from Tipp City, OhioIndian Health Services Fort Peck Service Unit in Wolf Point, Mont., and Poplar, Mont.
This rotation was so unique because it gave me an opportunity to work with the Native American population. Fort Peck is home to two tribes: the Sioux and the Assiniboine; however, anyone of Native American or Alaskan Native descent could be treated at the clinics. I feel like this rotation has definitely differed from my others so far in a very positive way because it allowed me to strengthen my cultural sensitivity skills and work with a population I ordinarily would not have much contact with. I had a great experience in Montana, mostly due to the amazing patients and staff at the clinic.
While at the clinic, I primarily carried out pharmacy intern duties. On Thursdays, patients came in for diabetes wellness checks, and I helped out the clinic staff by performing medication reconciliation and talking with patients. I also had unique opportunities to shadow various other health care providers, including a dentist, optometrist, gynecologist, ENT specialist, audiologist, public health nurse, laboratory technicians, nurse practitioners and providers in the dialysis center located at the clinic.
For me, this rotation brought to light an interest in ambulatory care pharmacy. I really enjoy working with patients at well-check visits, especially regarding diabetes and anticoagulation therapy. I enjoy ambulatory care pharmacy because it allows me to build rapport with my patients and to be able to track their progress!
Janelle FetherSixth-year pharmacy student from Napoleon, OhioNational Community Pharmacist Association in Alexandria, Va.
I wanted to have as many unique experiences as possible during my rotations because it’s our only opportunity to “test drive” nine different areas of pharmacy.
The association management rotation is a unique pharmacy market. Working for NCPA, your customers or clients are the pharmacists, pharmacy owners and students rather than patients. It’s a field that people don’t often think of, as I learned from talking with the leaders of the organization. Many of them had never dreamed they’d be where they are, but they love it.
This rotation taught me how business and pharmacy intertwine and the many ways pharmacy organizations work to benefit their members, providing educational materials for the pharmacist’s own knowledge or materials to assist in patient education, and the many ways they are involved in government affairs, working with other pharmacy organizations and government agencies and lawmakers to promote the profession, all while keeping the patients’ best interest in mind.
At ONU, the major focus of our classes is to learn the science of pharmacy, but they always incorporate the importance of being able to effectively communicate our knowledge to various audiences, such as different health care professionals, patients, caregivers, etc., and to work within a team through the various discussions, patient counseling activities and group presentations.Megan Kunka, a sixth-year pharmacy
student from Cortland, Ohio, and Lauren Leigh Miller, a sixth-year pharmacy student from Tipp City, Ohio.
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The Ampul
Pharmacy Outreach Corner
With the academic year well under way, ONU’s student chapter of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) looks to build on past successes. Under the guidance of its faculty advisor, Deirdre (Mozdy) Myers, BSPh ’83, ONU pharmacy and laboratory instructor, the organization was awarded NCPA’s national Student Chapter of the Year award in 2010 and 2011. It also received ONU’s Student Organization of the Year award in 2012. These accomplishments, which can be attributed in large part to the organization’s strong community outreach program and committed students, have served as a source of motivation toward future endeavors.
To kick off the school year, NCPA and other student-led pharmacy organizations hosted the first Homecoming Health Fair on Oct. 6 in McIntosh Center. This free event provided a great deal of education, counseling and screening to the community. NCPA members provided both cholesterol and osteoporosis screenings. Students, alumni and members of the Ada community participated in the event. These activities provide students with the opportunity to use first hand what they have learned in the classroom. With multiple outreach events planned in the future, the ultimate goal is to surpass the 500 patients NCPA screened last year.
If you have any questions in regards to community outreach or would like to set up an outreach event at your pharmacy, please contact Dr. Kristen Finley Sobota, assistant professor of pharmacy practice and director of outreach programming, at [email protected]
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WHERE KNOWLEDGE TAKES HIMIn the lab, Olah and his students examine the proteins and cell-signaling processes involved in promoting endothelial cell growth and migration. The research focuses on an intracellular protein known as Epac1. His primary research concentrates on angiogenesis, which is the development or extension of new blood vessels from those that already exist.
“Our model system, what we study, are isolated human endothelial cells, which are cells that line the blood vessels,” he says. “What we look at is what we call signaling, when proteins talk to each other in those endothelial cells that regulate their growth and, by extension, the development of a blood vessel.”
Understanding the mechanisms responsible for endothelial cell growth and migration may lead to the development of drugs that promote the growth of blood vessels and may be beneficial in heart disease. Conversely, inhibition of angiogenesis is used in the treatment of cancer, as tumors need blood vessels to expand.
“If you understand how the system works, you can block it. And you can develop drugs that block blood vessel development. That’s particularly important in cancer,” Olah says. “Some solid tumors grow incredibly fast, and they need blood vessels to keep doing that. So, by blocking blood vessel growth, as an anti-cancer strategy, you should be able to help kill the tumor.”
For his students, Olah provides experiences that might not otherwise be possible in larger lab settings at larger schools. He explains that, because the College of Pharmacy does not have post-doctoral or graduate programs, the labs on campus offer rich opportunities for undergraduates.
“Our students can actually do fairly rigorous things that at other places they might not,” he says. “Because here, they’re the only game in town. Whereas at other places, you’ve got to work your way up the ranks for quite a while, and initially you’re only an undergrad who gets to do menial tasks.”
“At big institutions, an undergrad might not even see the person who runs the lab. Your boss is a grad student or a post-doc,” he continues.
Lauren Leigh Miller, a sixth-year pharmacy student from Tipp City, Ohio, spent three summers working with Olah, starting with the first summer he was on campus.
“I gained very valuable research experience as well as laboratory skills,” she says. “I feel this research helped me to better understand how drug development occurs, and it gave me a very hands-on experience and involvement in cutting-edge research.”
While Olah traveled many roads to get to Ada, now that he’s here, he’s fully prepared to help his students begin journeys of their own.
The pursuit of research has led Mark Olah all over the country. Raised in Maryland, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and then a Ph.D. in pharmacology from Ohio State University. Next up was Duke University.
“I pretty much went straight from my undergraduate degree directly to research,” he says. “I was a post-doc at Duke for several years. That is where I started working on the things I continue to work on today: g-protein coupled receptors.”
From Duke, Olah made his way to the University of Cincinnati and then Idaho State University. He finally joined Ohio Northern as an assistant professor of pharmacology in fall 2008 before being named associate professor of pharmacology two years later.
In his Northern classroom, Olah teaches fourth-year students basic science and pharmacy classes: biomedical science modules, the cardiovascular module and the oncology module.
“We’re laying down the basic science. I teach disease pathology and how a drug handles that pathology,” he says. “It’s laying the groundwork so the students can appreciate the therapeutics better.”
Since coming to ONU, Olah also has conducted research through a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA). His work aims to help in the development of drugs that promote or inhibit the growth of blood vessels. These drugs may be useful in treating heart disease, diabetes and other diseases.
Teacher-Scholar Faculty ProfileMARK OLAH
The Ampul Fall 2012 15
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Pharmacy News & Activities
COLLEGE OF PHARMACY RECEIVES GRANT TO FUND CLINICAL STUDY WITH KROGERThe Raabe College of Pharmacy, along with Kroger Pharmacy, has received a Community Pharmacy Foundation grant that will focus on a community-based pharmacogenetic study looking at a person’s genetics relative to drug therapy.
Dr. David Bright, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, will serve as the principal investigator on the clinical study. Dr. David Kisor, professor of pharmacokinetics and chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, and Dr. Jeffery Talbot, associate professor of pharmacology, are co-investigators. Kisor will be involved in the clinical and laboratory aspects of the study, and Talbot will focus on laboratory work.
The study will include testing patient genetic information relative to a specific metabolizing enzyme that is responsible for converting the drug clopidogrel to its active form. The drug is commonly used in patients who have undergone a procedure called percutaneous coronary intervention (having a small tube put in arteries of the heart to keep blood flow adequate).
The study will try to identify, through genetic testing, those individuals for whom the drug is likely not working. These individuals can then be placed on an alternative medicine. The study will look at the application of genetic testing in the community pharmacy setting.
Work began in September, and 50 patients are expected to participate in the study. The clinical study will be performed in collaboration with Kroger Pharmacies at a number of sites, but primarily in Marion, Ohio. The lab work and study analysis will be conducted at ONU.
Ronda (Spencer) Lehman, BSPh ’98, PharmD ’00, was honored at this year’s Homecoming celebration as the William L. Robinson Young Alumni Award recipient.
SAVE THE DATE: PHARMACY EVENTS
JAN. 18Sebok Lecture: Dr. Julie Johnson, director of the University of Florida Center for Pharmacogenomics
MARCH 2Los Angeles Alumni Reception at APhA
PHARMACY NEWSNicole Harger, PharmD ’03, received this year’s Ohio Society of Health-System Pharmacists Pharmacist of the Year award. She was recognized as an outstanding educator and mentor as well as an innovative and highly respected clinical practitioner. Harger is a clinical pharmacy specialist in emergency medicine and the PGY1 residency director for University Hospital in Cincinnati. She also is an assistant clinical professor of pharmacy practice at Ohio Northern University.
PHARMACY ALUMNI, FACULTY AND STUDENTS RECOGNIZED AT OPA CONFERENCE
Alumni, faculty and students from the Raabe College of Pharmacy at Ohio Northern University received numerous awards and honors during the 134th Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA) Annual Conference and Trade Show in Columbus, Ohio, in April 2012.
Ohio Northern pharmacy students won the “OTC and Self-Care Challenge: Battle of the Colleges.” All pharmacy schools in the state of Ohio competed in this annual competition, which used a question-and-answer format to challenge students and alumni on OTC expertise. Members of the ONU team were Cortney Phillips, a fifth-year pharmacy student from North Royalton, Ohio; Alex Gray, a fifth-year pharmacy student from Zanesville, Ohio; Elizabeth Grubb, a fifth-year pharmacy student from Piqua, Ohio; Lauren Desko, a fifth-year pharmacy student from Perrysburg, Ohio; and Randy Myers, BSPh ’82.
Dr. Kristen Finley Sobota, assistant professor of pharmacy practice and director of outreach programming, received the 2012 Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award. Sobota coordinates opportunities for pharmacy students and organizations to offer services to the community and has been essential in the planning of programs such as annual health fairs for grocery stores and businesses, weekly disease state topics/screenings, and a monthly women’s heart health program at a clinic for the underserved. Sobota also has organized several nonprescription medication drives for pharmacy mission trips and has participated in mission trips to Kenya and Jamaica.
Dr. Michael Milks, BSPh ’76, professor of pharmacology, received the 2012 Cardinal Health Generation Rx Champions Award for excellence in community-based prescription-drug-abuse prevention. Milks was instrumental in establishing the ONU AWARE program, a coalition of Ohio Northern pharmacy students dedicated to serving as community resources in providing information about the effects and hazards of drug addiction and substance abuse. This program, started in 1989, is still active today and is responsible for educating thousands of elementary, junior and senior high school students.
Dr. Michael Rush, PharmD ’05, director of ONU’s HealthWise, assistant professor of pharmacy practice and residency program director, received the 2012 Upsher-Smith Innovative Pharmacy Practice Award. Rush worked closely with physicians to provide patient care in anticoagulation, heart failure, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking cessation, weight loss, thyroid disease, peripheral arterial disease, preventive medicine and polypharmacy. He then brought his expertise to ONU, where he helped develop a full-time wellness clinic (HealthWise) for faculty and staff that features a multidisciplinary team.
James Turner, BSPh ’63, ACIT ’00, received the 2012 Keys Award for his long-standing commitment to the OPA. Turner has been a member since 1965 and served on the board as a district trustee from 1989-93 and as treasurer from 1992-2000. He also has volunteered on multiple OPA committees and task forces through the years. Turner assisted with the Ohio Pharmacists Foundation’s Building Ohio Pharmacy’s Future capital campaign to fund a new facility and provide expanded services for members.
Dr. Timothy Ulbrich, PharmD ’08, was installed as a trustee representing District 11. He is on the faculty of Northeast Ohio Medical University, where he is a pharmacy educator and advocate of good patient care. He serves on OPA’s Legal and Regulatory Committee and Disease State Management Task Force. In 2010, Ulbrich served on the Public Health Work Group of the Governor’s Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force.
Dr. Chester “Chet” Kaczor, PharmD ’06, was installed as a trustee representing District 10. He serves as a regional director of operations for Pharmacy Systems Inc., headquartered in Dublin, Ohio. Kaczor completed an experiential rotation at OPA in March 2006, during which he testified at a House Health Committee supporting pharmacy intern administration of influenza vaccinations. This is Kaczor’s second term on the OPA Board of Trustees.
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Pharmacy News & Activities
ONU ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH CAREERSCRIPTThe Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy and CareerScript LLC have announced a multi-year partnership to empower pharmacy students with novel technology and cutting-edge resources to enhance career development.
Dr. Jon Sprague, dean of the Raabe College of Pharmacy says, “We feel this partnership provides an invaluable resource to ONU students and alumni who are looking for some guidance when deciding on career choices. CareerScript provides our students and alumni with important tools and resources to utilize and enrich their lives as productive pharmacists.”
The partnership will focus on expanding ONU students’ visibility to alternative career paths, provide access to mobile technologies for innovative career design, and deliver customized tools for accountability to engage outside stakeholders for bolstered career success.
Furthering the reach of the partnership, the agreement
also grants ONU pharmacy alumni access to CareerScript’s online solutions at a negotiated rate. The partnership will build upon ONU’s globally recognized PharmD program and CareerScript’s first-in-class solutions for helping pharmacists achieve more beyond pharmacy practices.
“The world of health care needs more great pharmacists, but it needs these great pharmacists to have influence in many areas above and beyond just traditional pharmacy settings,” says Scott Pope, PharmD ’01, CEO of CareerScript. “This partnership is now uniquely positioned to unleash a new breed of pharmacists capable of playing more diverse roles in U.S. health care.”
CareerScript is a career-empowerment resource designed specifically for pharmacists and pharmacy students. CareerScript’s founding tenets of vision, direction and accountability helps its members achieve more beyond traditional pharmacy settings. Any pharmacist or pharmacy student can join CareerScript through its website (www.career-script.com). Informational and other inquiries can be directed to [email protected] or 704-981-1279.
THE NEXT GENERATION OF PHARMACY STUDENTSOver the summer, these friends and pharmacy alumni got together to share memories and talk about their future pharmacy students: Sarah (Geise) Rethman, PharmD ’07, Calli (McClain) Rothlisberger, PharmD ’07, Sarah (Bullock) Knapke, PharmD ’07, and Rachel (Bruns) Barhorst, PharmD ’07.
ONU PHARMACY GOLF DAY
Second Place – Les Foster, BSPh ’78, Jeff Holycross, BSPh ’78, Charlie Cather, BSPh ’78, Mark BonDurant, BSPh ’78
Third Place – Mark Niederkohr, BSPh ’82, Bryan Hutcheson, Joe Metzger, BSPh ’61, John Johnson, BSPh ’65
First Place – James Fenton Jr., Dean of the College of Business Administration, Mike Velker, Mark Bush, Jorge Mohoyer
Student Focus
RUPP AND MYERS AWARDED AN AACP WAL-MART SCHOLARSHIPLauren Rupp, a fifth-year pharmacy student from Archbold, Ohio, and Deirdre (Mozdy) Myers, BSPh ’83, pharmacy and laboratory instructor in the Raabe College of Pharmacy, were awarded a 2012 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Walmart Scholarship. The goal of the scholarship program is to strengthen the recipient’s skills and commitment to a career in academic pharmacy through participation at the AACP Annual Meeting. The 2012 AACP Walmart Scholars Program provides $1,000 scholarships to up to 75 student-faculty pairs to attend the 2012 AACP Annual Meeting and Teachers Seminar.
CALVIN ICE AND LAUREN RUPP NAMED TO ASHP ADVISORY BOARDTwo students from the Raabe College of Pharmacy were appointed to prominent national positions within the student committees of the American
Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). Calvin Ice, a sixth-year pharmacy student from Rawson, Ohio, was named chair of the Pharmacy Student Forum Leadership Development Advisory Group for the 2012-13 academic year. Ice served on this committee during the 2011-12 academic year.
Lauren Rupp, a sixth-year pharmacy student from Archbold, Ohio, was named to the Pharmacy Student Forum Education and Programming Advisory Group for the 2012-13 academic year.
THERE SHE IS… MISS OHIO 2012 ELISSA MCCRACKENIn June, Elissa McCracken, a fourth-year pharmacy student from Waynesburg, Pa., was chosen Miss Ohio 2012 at the Renaissance Theater in Mansfield, Ohio. The competition featured 25 contestants from around the state of Ohio.
Moments after being selected, McCracken shared her excitement about winning the title. “I am really looking forward to my duties this year, traveling, meeting new people and getting the word out about my platform, which is ‘Stop Cyber Bullying!’ I am excited to spread my message and represent this program to the best of my ability.”
As Miss Ohio, McCracken received a $10,000 scholarship sponsored by Newman
Technology. For the talent portion of the competition, McCracken dazzled the crowd with her dynamic piano arrangement to “Cumana.” McCracken will represent the state of Ohio at the Miss America Pageant on Jan. 12, 2013, in Las Vegas.
Ohio Northern University will host the Miss Ohio Send-off and Reception on Sunday, Dec. 9, at 4 p.m. in the Freed Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets may be purchased through the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program.
This story was provided by the Miss Ohio Scholarship Program
Elissa McCracken attended and spoke during a Kappa Psi alumni luncheon on Oct. 24 in Columbus, Ohio. From the left: Jim Patsiavos, BSPh ’53, Tom Smailes, BSPh ’53, Verne Haugen, BSPh ’53, Bill McCarthy, BSPh ’53, Elissa McCracken, a fourth-year pharmacy student, Phil Oleson, BSPh ’66, Cameron Van Dyke, BSPh ’96, Jack Smittle, BSPh ’53, Jeff McCracken, BSPh ’81, and Ken Nihiser, BSPh ’55.
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AMANDA EVERLOVE: 2012 PARALYMPIAN
Student Focus
POSTER PRESENTATION GARNERS THIRD AT NATIONAL CONVENTIONMegan Bensi, a fifth-year pharmacy student from Kirtland, Ohio, garnered third place in a student poster presentation at the Drug Information Association (DIA) 2012 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. At the convention, Bensi competed against 20 graduate-level students. Her poster, “Evaluating Consumer Understanding of Prescription Label Information: An Assessment of USP 2011 Recommendations,” was chosen from a pool of more than 100 students in multiple disciplines from around the world.
RAABE COLLEGE OF PHARMACY FORMS STUDENT CHAPTER OF THE PERSONALIZED MEDICINE COALITION
Amanda Everlove, a third-year pharmacy student from Wichita, Kan., competed for Team USA at the 2012 Paralympics Games in London. Everlove qualified for Team USA in the 100-meter fly, finishing second in the S8 classification in 1:18.23, the sixth-fastest time in the world in the event. She also finished second at the U.S. Trials in the 200 individual medley in 3:12.06 and the 50 freestyle in 0:33.81.
In London, Everlove finished 17th in the 100 freestyle (S8 Classification) with a time of 1:19.38. She made it to the finals in two of her events, finishing eighth in the 100 fly in 1:18.56 and eighth in the 200 individual medley in 3:00.49. She also placed 13th in the 50 freestyle with a time of 0:34.02 and 14th in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:18.56.
Students in the Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy have formed a student chapter of the Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC). More than 100 students comprise the newly formed group.
The purpose of the ONU student PMC chapter is to foster the development and awareness of personalized medicine both educationally and professionally. The organization consists of six sections based on the PMC document “The Case for Personalized Medicine”: technology, regulatory policy, payment, health information technology, genetic non-discrimination and medical education.
Each section is responsible for “scanning” the literature and news to update the entire membership at each monthly meeting. The monthly meetings will consist of section summaries and a presentation by an invited speaker. Additionally, the student chapter’s outreach project for the 2012-13 academic year will be the development and dissemination of an education program for the public. The education program will be adapted for presentation in high school biology courses so as to introduce personalized medicine to high school students.
The Raabe College of Pharmacy was the first college of pharmacy in the country to join the PMC, an interdisciplinary organization leading the way in the implementation of personalized medicine in the U.S.
This was Everlove’s second Paralympics Games experience. Ohio Northern head coach Peggy Ewald is a long-time assistant coach of the U.S. Paralympics team and also represented the United States at the 2012 Paralympics Games. Everlove helped the Polar Bears win the OAC Regular Season and Championships titles and post a 10-3 record in 2011-12.
Monday, December 3, 2012MGM Grand Hotel and Casino
Rooms 109 and 1103799 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
6:30-7:30 p.m. Reception for alumni and friends
7:30-8 p.m. Update on the college from Dr. Jon Sprague,
dean of the Raabe College of Pharmacy
8-9 p.m. Continuing Education Program
A Review of Ohio and Federal Pharmacy Law: ASHP Midyear 2012
presented by Dr. Donnie Sullivan
RSVP by Nov. 27, 2012 to [email protected] (please note Las Vegas Pharmacy CE in the subject line)
or by calling 419-772-2727
**Those not wishing to attend the CE portion of the evening are welcome to join us for the reception and listen to the dean’s remarks. Feel free to depart following the remarks.
Ohio Northern University Pharmacy Alumni Reception and continuing education program
PHILLIPS RECEIVES NCPA PARTNERS IN PHARMACY SCHOLARSHIPCortney Phillips, a sixth-year pharmacy major from Akron, Ohio, was awarded the Partners In Pharmacy scholarship from the National Community Pharmacy Foundation Association (NCPA). Phillips was recognized for her exemplary academic performance, community service and demonstrated commitment to independent pharmacy. She will receive $2,000 and will be recognized at the national NCPA convention in October.
WESTGERDES RECEIVES CARDINAL HEALTH PHARMACY SCHOLARSHIP AWARDKatie Westgerdes, a fifth-year pharmacy major from Coldwater, Ohio, is ONU’s inaugural recipient of the Cardinal Health Pharmacy Scholarship Award. The Raabe College of Pharmacy was one of 13 pharmacy schools across the nation selected in 2011 to receive funding from the $1.1 million Cardinal Health Pharmacy Scholarship Program. Westgerdes was invited by Cardinal Health to attend and be honored at its annual Retail Business Conference in Orlando, Fla., in July.
PHARMACY STUDENTS MEET WITH LEGISLATORS AT 2012 NCPA CONFERENCEEleven students from the Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy attended the 2012 National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Conference on National Legislation and Government Affairs in Washington, D.C.
At the conference, the ONU students met with key members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as government officials and political insiders, to share their views on targeted community pharmacy issues. The ONU contingency also visited with both senators from the state of Ohio, Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman, to discuss currently proposed pharmacy legislation. Students also were able to meet individually with their congressional representatives or their staffers.
The ONU students who attended the conference were Lauren Anderson, a fifth-year pharmacy major from Monroe, Mich.; Bethany Cuiksa, a fourth-year pharmacy major from Terre Haute, Ind.; Ryan Finke, a fourth-year pharmacy major from Springfield, Ohio; Meagan Mobley, a fifth-year pharmacy major from Franklin, Ohio; Benjamin Brocious, a fifth-year pharmacy major from Vandalia, Ohio; Katie Westgerdes, a fifth-year pharmacy major from Coldwater, Ohio; Christina Loritz, a fifth-year pharmacy major from Pittsburgh, Pa.; Jessica Davis, a fifth-year pharmacy major from Somerset, Ohio; Kelly Pottkotter, a fifth-year pharmacy major from Coldwater, Ohio; Mark Nessler, a fifth-year pharmacy major from Grove City, Ohio; and Marcella Economos, a fifth-year pharmacy major from Warren, Ohio. Deirdre (Mozdy) Myers, BSPh ’83, pharmacy and laboratory instructor at ONU, serves as the group’s faculty advisor.
Abby Ricket, a fifth-year pharmacy student from Pickerington, Ohio, was honored with the 2012 Catherine Freed Leadership Award at Ohio Northern University at a ceremony in May. The award, named for former University First Lady Catherine Freed, Hon. D. ’99, recognizes the outstanding female leader on campus. Abby is the daughter of James, BSPh ’75 and Marcia (Allison) Ricket, BSPh ’76.
RICKET RECEIVES THE CATHERINE FREED LEADERSHIP AWARD
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Meet T.J. T.J. Tucker is a fifth-year pharmacy student from Barnesville, Ohio, who benefits from the generosity of others through the scholarship support he receives each year.
The Northern Fund for the Rudolph H. Raabe College of Pharmacy
www.onugive.com
The Northern Fund helps fund the University’s highest priorities. Through your annual support of The Northern Fund, the College of Pharmacy provides pharmacy students like T.J. with an affordable education of the highest quality.
Advisory BoardDr. Bruce Bouts BSPh ’82 General InternistBlanchard Valley Medical Associates Inc.Findlay, Ohio
Col. (Ret.) Mark Butler BSPh ’79 Commander, 59th Clinical Support GroupLackland AFB, Texas
Adrienne (Wood) Donaldson BSPh ’99Ambulatory Solutions ConsultantMcKesson Foundation Inc.Moon Township, Pa.
Dr. Shawn Eaton PharmD ’01District ManagerCVS CaremarkTallmadge, Ohio
George Hill BA ’69, BSPh ’74 Director, Pharmacy ServicesCatholic Health InitiativesUnion, Ky.
Kathy Karas BA, BSPh ’75Atwater, Ohio
Richard KeyesBSPh ’92 Executive Vice President of Supply Chain Operations and Mfg.Meijer Inc.Grand Rapids, Mich.
Paul T. KocisBSPh ’88, PharmD ’03 Clinical Pharmacist, Anticoagulation ClinicMilton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State UniversityHershey, Pa.
Phillip Lettrich BSPh ’85Director of Professional RelationsEmdeon Business ServicesTwinsburg, Ohio
Theresa “Tip” Parker BSPh ’74 RetiredAbbott Park, Ill.
Robert “Bob” ParsonsBSPh ’71 Executive Vice PresidentOhio Society of Health-System PharmacistsMarietta, Ohio
Nichole (Pearson) Penny BSPh ’98 District Pharmacy SupervisorWalgreens-Grand Rapids East District Kentwood, Mich.
Dr. Ervin Pierstorf ’53, Hon. D. ’78Chairman of the Board and CEO, RetiredFairview Photo ServicesRocky River, Ohio, and Pinellas Park, Fla.
Tom WiechartBSPh ’81PharmacistRite AidLima, Ohio
Suzanne Eastman Wuest BSPh ’74Executive Director for Clinical ServicesCatalina Health ResourceCincinnati, Ohio
Meet an Advisory Board Member
Adrienne Donaldson, BSPh ’99Ambulatory Solutions ConsultantMcKesson Foundation Inc.Moon Township, Pa.
Q: Tell us about your work. I consult with hospital organizations that want to open retail
outpatient pharmacies, assessing the financial feasibility and developing a business plan for opening their pharmacy. I also work with hospitals to assess and optimize their current retail outpatient pharmacies – to help them get better.
Q: Share the keys to your career success. Having a solid, well-rounded foundation to build on, a good
network of colleagues, and the ability to be flexible and adapt to a changing environment.
Q: What do you enjoy the most about your work? The best part about my work is helping other pharmacists
optimize care for their patients.
Q: Have you noticed new trends in the pharmacy field? The industry is changing all the time and very rapidly. It’s evolved
since I graduated 13 years ago and evolved from where it was five years ago. Changing regulations, generic patent cliff, shrinking reimbursements, accountable care organizations, mail order, specialty pharmaceuticals, automation and technology all play a role in shaping the industry right now. Where it ends up is a guessing game, so having the ability to gather and process information and lead change will be critical in all areas of pharmacy.
Q: Discuss the Raabe College of Pharmacy’s biggest strengths. It might sound cliché, but the reputation of the people. Dean
Sprague, the professors, the students and the alumni are the college’s biggest strengths. Other strengths include the caliber of education, the passion for the profession and the professional diversity, whether it is focused on the clinical, research, patient care or the business aspect of pharmacy. The Raabe College of Pharmacy attracts and produces some of the best in all areas of the profession.
Q: What are your goals as the chair of the dean’s advisory board?
Our goal is to help the college move forward in its mission in any way we can, acting as facilitators, consultants, advisors and supporters.
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University Advancement525 South Main StreetAda, OH 45810-1599
Sebok Lecture SeriesDr. Julie A. Johnson, V. Ravi Chandran
Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Florida Colleges of Pharmacy and Medication
Friday, Jan. 18, at 1 p.m.Freed Center for the Performing Arts
Dr. Julie A. Johnson is director for the Center for Pharmacogenomics at the University of Florida’s College of Pharmacy as well as director of the UF&Shands Personalized Medicine Program. Her research focuses on cardiovascular pharmacogenomics, and Johnson leads a research group in the NIH-supported Pharmacogenomics Research Network with a project focused on pharmacogenomics of antihypertensive drugs. Highly regarded in the field of cardiovascular pharmacogenomics, she leads the University of Florida’s efforts in the clinical translation of pharmacogenomics.