Ribbon-Cutting CeremonyAcademic and Research Building

n Aug. 13, 2015, St. Louis College of Pharmacy held an open house in the new

Academic and Research Building (ARB) with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The event was held to celebrate the opening of the newly constructed, 213,000-square-foot building, which now houses the School of Pharmacy, the library, and an auditorium. The ARB will allow the College to provide enhanced learning opportunities for students, expand research initiatives, and increase collaboration with other institutions. The building also includes teaching laboratories, technologically advanced classrooms, and a welcome center for prospective students and their families.

Students have been excited about the state-of-the-art features of the new building. “We can hook up our

computers to the TV screens,” P2 student R.J. Shaw said. “It’s great. There are white boards everywhere to make group studying easier.” Many were eager to get a look inside the new facility that has a student-centered design. “Seeing the new building and being one of the first students to use it was an amazing experience,” P1 student Alan Mak said.

The building was recently recognized by the American Institute of Architects for design excellence in the Central States Regional Competition. With plenty of new study space and innovative technology incorporated throughout, the new building fosters an interactive learning environment where students can thrive.

Alumni and friends are invited to schedule a tour of the ARB by contacting Ally Prather in the Advancement and Alumni Office at alexandra.prather@stlcop.edu or 314.466.8394.

O

ST. LOUIS COLLEGE OF PHARMACY

SCRIPTV O L U M E 2 6 , N U M B E R 1

Spring 2016F E A T U R E S

Making the CallA short phone call can change a life. Associate Professors Amy Drew and Jamie Pitlick are pioneering ways pharmacists can connect with patients.

by brad brown

A Holistic Approach to Cancer Treatment and ResearchFrom interdisciplinary care to basic research on neuron degeneration, the role of the pharmacist continues to evolve with the changing landscape of oncology. Janelle Mann ’09, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, and Martha Bhattacharya, assistant professor of biology, detail the current patient care approaches and research that could lead to future treatments.

by markie jo crismon and brad brown

Fitting it All TogetherThe transformation of campus continues with construction of the new Recreation and Student Center. The lead architect explains why there’s not an inch to spare on this massive, seven-story project.

by brad brown

Faith in ActionAfter working as a pharmacist for six years, Christopher Smith ’08 is following his calling to serve others in a new way. Now in his second year of pre-theology studies at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, Smith reflects on how his pharmacy background continues to guide him on his new journey.

by sheila haar siegel

10

16

22

24

D E P A R T M E N T S

2 News Briefs

4 On Campus: Center for Clinical Pharmacology

6 Student Profiles: Jessie Nia Hwang and Steven Kramer

12 Faculty Profiles: Evelyn Becker and Lucia Tranel

28 Alumni News

31 Class Notes

Script magazine is published twice a year for alumni, students, and friends

of the College. Questions or comments may be addressed to Danielle Unzicker,

associate director of content strategy, at danielle.unzicker@stlcop.edu.

ADDRESS CHANGES OR TO UNSUBSCRIBE

Office of Advancement, 314.446.8394 or alumni@stlcop.edu

ST. LOUIS COLLEGE OF PHARMACY

Main Line 314.367.8700

Script Magazine 314.446.8432

President’s Office 314.446.8307

Dean of Pharmacy 314.446.8106

Dean of Arts & Sciences 314.446.8339

Admissions 314.446.8312

Financial Aid 314.446.4001

Alumni Office 314.446.8394

Public Relations 314.446.8393

Continuing Education 314.446.8539

S T L C O P. E D U / S C R I P T

President, Alumni Association Robert Salter ’70, Ed.D.

Chairman, Board of Trustees Joseph C. Fleishaker, Ph.D.

President John A. Pieper, Pharm.D.

Vice President, Marketing & Enrollment Services

Beth Keserauskis

Vice President, Advancement Brett T. Schott

Director, Alumni Relations Stephanie Hoffmann

Editor Jessica Feldhaus

Designers Julie Conway

Katy Lynn David Shenberger

Contributing Writers Brad Brown

Markie Jo Crismon Jessica Feldhaus Keagan Kristoff

Sheila Haar Siegel

Proofreader Nancy Busch

Class Notes Kristine Bryant

TO LEARN MORE about campus and stay connected,

visit stlcop.edu/stories.

News Briefs

Pharmacist Named Fellow Paul Juang, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCCP, associate professor of pharmacy practice, has been inducted as a Fellow of the Society of Critical Care Medicine for his significant contributions to the practice of critical care medicine.

“I feel honored to be included among this distinguished group of critical care practitioners,” Juang said, “especially because my recognition reflects the vital role of pharmacists in critical care medicine.”

“Dr. Juang has done an excellent job advancing pharmacist involvement in critical care both at Missouri Baptist Medical Center and, now, Barnes-Jewish Hospital,” said Tricia Berry, Pharm.D., BCPS, chair of the department of pharmacy practice and professor. “It’s wonderful to see his clinical and academic expertise being recognized.”

Juang was officially inducted during the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s 45th Critical Care Congress in Orlando, Florida, in February 2016.

PROFESSOR and PLAYWRIGHTSpades, a play written by Eric Robinson, assistant professor of history, received second place in the Best Short Play category at the 2015 Downtown Urban Theater Festival in New York.

The one-act comedy features Robinson’s characterizations of writers Rudolph Fisher, Langston Hughes, Bruce Nugent, and Wallace Thurman. It is set during the Harlem Renaissance, when Harlem was a cultural center of African-American writers, artists, musicians, and scholars. The play was presented at the theater festival under the direction of Patricia Floyd.

2 S P R I N G 2 0 1 6

I was very pleased with the director’s and actors’ interpretations,” Robinson says. “I enjoyed and loved what they did. It is gratifying to know that my work means something to someone else.

CENTER FOR INTERPROFESSIONAL PRACTICE AND EDUCATION ESTABLISHEDWith the goal of improving patient safety and providing comprehensive health care, three institutions – Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis – have created the Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education (CIPE) at Washington University Medical Center.

The Center will enhance the ability of faculty to function as interprofessional educators, advance curricular opportunities within the three schools, conduct educational research into interprofessional education, and rapidly enhance patient outcomes.

“Traditionally, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care professionals have been trained separately. However, they are expected to work as high-functioning teams as they care for a patient,” said Heather Hageman, MBA, inaugural director of the CIPE, which brings together students in medicine, pharmacy, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and audiology and deaf education.

“The CIPE recognizes and respects the important roles and responsibilities of each profession and encourages a more

cohesive approach to the health care team,” Hageman said.

For students, interprofessional learning involves an array of teaching methods ranging from lectures and small groups to simulated and real clinical care experiences.

News Briefs

VISUAL BRAND UPDATETo complement the physical and curricular enhancements occurring on campus, the College’s visual brand and marketing materials have been updated to reflect the energy and momentum at STLCOP. The goal of this update is to project the College’s forward-thinking attitude, rooted in rigorous academics, innovative research, and collaborative health care partnerships. This new look will better represent who we are as an institution and the bright future ahead of us.

Melanie VanDyke, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, was published in Psychology online in September for her research on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the impact it has on family members of those with the illness.

The article, “Brief Consultation to Families of Treatment Refusers With OCD Symptoms: Does it Impact Family Accommodation and Quality of Life?” reveals results from a study conducted by VanDyke and her research partners: C. Alec Pollard and Kyle Conlon. The team evaluated treatments on the ability to help families cope when loved ones with symptoms of OCD refuse to seek help.

“This study gives clinicians an approach to help families of treatment refusers who may feel hopeless to change their situation,” VanDyke said.

VanDyke and her colleagues are developing a book, titled Therapist’s Manual for Consultation to the Families of Treatment Refusers with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, based on their research.

S C R I P T M A G A Z I N E 3

Nicole Gattas, Pharm.D., BCPS, associate professor of pharmacy practice and assistant director of experiential education, has been elected to the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management (APhA-APPM).

“I’m involved with APhA because the Association is a change agent in helping pharmacists achieve provider status,” Gattas said. “I love giving back to APhA in this way because we are helping to shape the future of the pharmacy profession for students and patients.”

In her role with APhA-APPM, Gattas will help make decisions related to the Academy, including education opportunities. She will serve a two-year term as a member-at-large.

Gattas was installed at the APhA Annual Meeting in Baltimore in March 2016, where she was also recognized as an APhA-APPM Fellow. Fellows are recognized for demonstrating exemplary professional achievements and service to the pharmacy profession. APhA has more than 62,000 members, which makes it the largest association of pharmacists in the country.

LE ADING IN THE PROFESSION

“ This study gives clinicians an approach to help families of treatment refusers who may feel hopeless to change their situation.”

Professor Published in Psychology

from TRANSLATIONAL BASIC SCIENCE to CLINICAL TRIALS

Opportunities in

Pain Research

C risp sunlight filters through the windows of the sixth floor in the newly completed Academic and

Research Building. Airy and open with clean lines, floor to ceiling windows, and modern, minimalist décor, the office and lab space of the Center for Clinical Pharmacology emanates the energy and potential of a blank canvas.

In a joint effort to address the rational use of existing and new medi-cines to accelerate the translation of basic research to clinical treatment for improving patient care, St. Louis College of Pharmacy and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have created the Center for Clinical Pharma-cology. “The Center is a coalescence of

several unmet needs, desires, and aspirations,” explained Evan D. Kharasch, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center.

The College hopes to develop and advance a research and scholarship agenda, while expanding both the College and School of Medicine’s portfolio of expertise and research abilities. “Clinical pharmacology, in general, is a domain that focuses on the interface between basic science and clinical medicine,” Kharasch detailed. “It has roots in each. In a more specific sense, as we now talk about personalized or precision medicine, clinical pharma-cology is one of the action arms by which we can implement the concept of precision medicine.”

As a joint clinical pharmacology research program between two separate institutions, “the Center for Clinical Pharmacology builds upon the existing strengths of both institutions,” Kharasch said. “It creates a new research focus, new opportunities for researchers and students, and a new paradigm of collabo-ration with an inherent opportunity for synergy, growth, and expansion over

4 S P R I N G 2 0 1 6

from TRANSLATIONAL BASIC SCIENCE to CLINICAL TRIALS

time. We have a tremendous degree of freedom in how we address clinical pharmacology. You can define clinical pharmacology very narrowly as the study of drugs in patients, or you can stretch it out across a continuum. This continuum starts at translational basic science. The translation elements are to take basic science, marry it with large and small molecules to see how you can influence, change, and modulate physiology or disease processes. The next step is to do this clinically,” Kharasch said.

Karen Seibert, Ph.D. and co-director of the Center, describes how the Center for Clinical Pharmacology provides a diverse set of opportunities for those trained in pharmacy to get involved in drug research and development. From participating in large clinical trials to participating in the policy setting, the Center creates opportunities to expand the understanding of the role of the pharmacist. “Clinical pharmacology research is something neither the College nor the School of Medicine was doing before. The partnership has

a unique deliverable around therapeutics,” Seibert noted.

With the Center newly completed and five laboratories to be filled, Kharasch and Seibert are eager to begin recruiting faculty in the area of analgesics and pain relief. “Clinical pharmacology is inherently multidisci-plinary; it crosses every specialty and subspecialty in medicine and pharmacy,” Kharasch explained. “There is a challenge in creating a clinical pharmacology unit because of the breadth of health care issues that clinical pharmacology addresses. To be as efficient and effective as possible, we made the decision to focus, initially, on pain relief. Other research areas may follow. We’re starting to think about the kind of faculty we want for the Center. Ideally, we are recruiting not for the science of today, but for the science of tomorrow,” Kharasch said.

According to a report from the Institute of Medicine published in 2011, about 100 million American adults suffer from chronic pain, costing the nation up to $635 billion each year in medical

treatment and lost productivity. Chronic pain remains a major health care issue on both micro- and macro-levels. “As clinicians, we deal with very powerful drugs that have the ability to relieve pain and suffering,” Kharasch said. “The challenge is in how we adequately treat pain, and at the same time, prevent side effects.”

“We want to bring forward new mechanisms to provide enhanced patient care. I hope the Center will bring in investigators who are ready to drive new approaches into that translational space and garner the attention of partners for clinical trials, industry-sponsored trials, and institutionally-sponsored trials,” Seibert said.

The presence of the Center for Clinical Pharmacology on the College campus is the physical manifestation of the expanding possibilities for students and faculty. “The emerging role of the pharmacist is the clinical role,” Seibert explained. “It is deliving patient care and policy making, but there is another opportunity for pharmacists around research.”

Clinical pharmacology research is something neither the College nor the School of Medicine was

doing before. The partnership has a unique deliverable around

therapeutics.

karen seibert, ph.d. co-director of the center

On Campus

S C R I P T M A G A Z I N E 5

P3 student Jessie Nia Hwang serves as an example to her peers through her leadership and dedication to the profession of pharmacy.

With a spirit for adventure, Hwang always knew she wanted to help people. As SNPhA national president, she recognizes that she has a platform to not only make a difference nationally, but also to impact her peers at the College. During her undergraduate program at Spelman College, Hwang witnessed firsthand what it was like to work with patients who could not afford medications and health care services. After learning more about the challenges patients face in getting proper health care, she was inspired to help underserved communities. “I want to make a difference in the communities that have raised me. I believe there is a responsibility to pour back into communities that have poured into me,” Hwang said. Unsure of how she wanted to change the world, Hwang worked as an insurance agent where she learned to understand risks, delegate tasks, and connect with people. She went the extra mile to maximize every opportunity to help others fully understand their insurance policies. Through her love of people, she was able to grow in the insurance business and was eventually offered her own agency. She turned down the offer knowing that she wanted to make a difference in the lives of patients through a health care career. With some encouragement from her friends, Hwang left the insurance agency and transferred to the College. “There’s a saying that ‘life begins at the end of your comfort zone.’ I recall my transition from Atlanta to STLCOP as being initially uncomfortable, but providing me with an excellent opportunity to grow,” she said. “If I did not have those experiences, I recognize that I would not have been able to excel.”

Her deeply rooted passion for community service guided her toward joining SNPhA. Empowered by colleagues and faculty and having served the year prior as the national president-elect, Hwang took on the role as the 2015-16 national president. SNPhA is a student-driven, nonprofit organization focused on serving communities across the nation, while promoting diversity in the profession of pharmacy. It consists of 92 chapters across the nation, is made up of nearly 6,000 student pharmacists, and is constantly growing. As national president, Hwang has implemented this year’s G.O.A.L.S. theme, an acronym for globalization, outreach, advocacy, leadership, and scholarship. Through her presidential address, she outlined her vision of creating cross-cultural relationships in order to encourage pharmacists globally to serve underrepresented populations. Before finishing out her term, she hopes to initiate the growth of SNPhA’s outreach internationally. “Struggling communities and pharmacy students do not only exist within our country’s borders but also around the world,” she said. “We will always be students of our profession, and it is our obligation to ensure that we continue to pay our abilities forward.” By sharing her experience and dedication to advocacy, Hwang is able to serve as a positive voice for underserved communities and educate other student pharmacists on how they can improve health care in the St. Louis area. “As a national officer, I must set an example of the expectations that I would like SNPhA to instill in the communities we serve,” she said. “As a pharmacist, I believe privilege is attached to being educated, therefore I consider it an honor to serve our patients to improve their health care.”

Skydiver, Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) national president, licensed insurance agent, and student pharmacist

are just a few ways to describe P3 student Jessie Nia Hwang. The Atlanta native transferred to St. Louis College of Pharmacy three years after completing her bachelor of science degree in biology at Spelman College to pursue her desire to advocate for underserved communities

and pave a way for others who were once in her shoes.

JESSIE NIA HWANG

story KEAGAN KRISTOFF | photos LINDA MUELLER

Student Profile

S C R I P T M A G A Z I N E 7

Kramer’s love of sign language began in the eighth grade when he joined the ASL Club. After learning how to sign the song We Are the World for a school talent show, he knew he wanted to advocate for the Deaf community. “We performed the song with music playing, but then we purposefully had the music stop and continued signing, so that those in the audience could experience being deaf,” Kramer said. “It was so quiet in the audience that you could hear a pin drop. That moment really touched me.”

While attending O’Fallon Township High School in O’Fallon, Illinois, Kramer sparked interests amongst his peers and tried to implement an ASL organization, but was unable to find a teacher to sponsor his program. He then enrolled in sign language courses and joined the ASL Club at Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC). After attending STLCOP New Student Orientation this past summer, he spoke with Toni McMurphy, vice president of culture and campus life, and explained his dream of starting an ASL organization on campus. McMurphy agreed to sponsor his organization. After four years of waiting, Kramer’s dream was finally becoming a reality. As president of the ASL Club, he is tasked with educating nearly 30 members on how to help the Deaf community as future health care professionals. “Through special guests and presentations, members learn basic sign language skills and about technology that has been created to better serve the Deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind,” Kramer said. Through his membership in the SWIC ASL Club, Kramer was able to help bring two ASL interpreters to the College’s fall play, The Curious Savage, in order to provide a deaf-friendly event. He looks forward to the new opportunities the STLCOP ASL Club will provide in connecting the College with the Deaf community.

“I hope to make more events deaf-friendly and eventually work with faculty to incorporate sign language into academic courses as a way to help prepare future pharmacists to better serve those with hearing loss,” he said.

“Steven with a ‘v’ for victory, not a ‘ph’ for phony. That is unless you know a Stephen with a ‘ph’, then it stands for sophisticated. I don’t like to make enemies the first time I meet someone.”

Freshman Steven Kramer introduces himself by signing his introduction. His passion for

American Sign Language (ASL) is evident from the moment you meet him.

STEVEN KRAMER

Freshman Steven Kramer, president of the ASL Club, signs the words “St. Louis College of Pharmacy.”

Student Profile

8 S P R I N G 2 0 1 6

In the future, the ASL Club will also work with other STLCOP student organizations, SWIC ASL Club, and the Deaf community in St. Louis to raise awareness and understand the needs of the Deaf community.

STLCOP FALL 2015 STATS

FRESHMAN STATS

OVERALL STUDENT STATS

ALUMNI STATS

203

number of freshman students

61% female

39% male

1,389

total student body

60% female

40% male

average act score

27

average high school gpa

3.59

3/4 practicing pharmacists in the st. louis metro area

are stlcop graduates

32

states represented

countries represented

10

48

states represented

countries represented

14

>> Learn how to sign “St. Louis College of Pharmacy” at stlcop.edu/signstlcop.

S C R I P T M A G A Z I N E 9

Feature

10 S P R I N G 2 0 1 6

MAKING THE CALLHOW TWO FACULTY MEMBERS AT

ST. LOUIS COLLEGE OF PHARMACY ARE HELPING REDUCE HOSPITAL READMISSION RATES.

FIVE MINUTES ON THE PHONE. THAT’S ALL IT TAKES FOR AMY DREW, PHARM.D., BCPS, OR JAMIE PITLICK, PHARM.D., BCPS, TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE A PATIENT’S CHANCES OF BEING READMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL. PHARMACISTS, PHYSICIANS, HEALTH CARE EXECUTIVES, AND EVERYONE IN BETWEEN ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE BEST WAYS TO KEEP PATIENTS OUT OF THE HOSPITAL AS THEY RECOVER. DREW AND PITLICK BELIEVE THEY’VE FOUND A WAY TO DO SO. The two associate professors of pharmacy practice recently completed a study, presented at the 2015 American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Global Conference on Clinical Pharmacy, in which a pharmacist or pharmacy student called patients shortly after discharge to review medications. Pharmacist-led calls have been studied closely, but Drew and Pitlick noticed a gap.

“No one had looked at doing those calls in an outpatient setting,” Drew said. Both practice at clinics in the Mercy hospital system. Drew is at Mercy Clinic Family Medicine, which is physician-based. Pitlick works at Mercy JFK Clinic, a hospital-based clinic serving patients who are uninsured or covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

Their study first looked at whether a pharmacist’s involvement in post-discharge counseling services led to a reduction in hospital readmission rates. While the findings on that question were not statistically significant, Drew recognized a trend toward reducing re-hospitalizations. The two were encouraged to find that pharmacists made a noticeable impact on a group of patients who had a follow-up visit with a physician within two weeks of going home. Among those patients who had an office visit, there was a reduction in readmissions for those patients who had talked to a pharmacist before their physician visit.

“Though not what we initially set out to look for, it’s what we’re most excited about,” Drew said. “Pharmacists are making a big difference on hospital readmissions.”

Drew and Pitlick attempt to contact every discharged patient by phone. They’re able to talk with the majority. In addition to reducing readmission rates, the pair are helping patients avoid serious complications. Drew was able to expedite the authorization

of a medication vital to the survivor of a stroke. Pitlick caught a situation where a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) didn’t realize he was taking duplicate therapy.

Physician ReactionBuy-in from their physician group was no problem, according to Drew and Pitlick. “Other health care professionals can uncover some big picture issues,” Drew said. “A pharmacist can make decisions based on the medications and expectations of the

patient’s health. It’s important to cover all the big counseling points, especially if it is a new prescription.”

Opportunity to LearnPharmacy students on rotation with Drew and Pitlick make their own calls after a period of observation and training. “They practice assessing a patient’s

needs over the phone and have the opportunity to improve their listening skills and written communication

when documenting the call,” Drew said.

Students follow the script developed at the beginning of the project. During the course of the call, they review

the discharge notes, talk about new medications, and confirm that the prescriptions have

been received by the patient. The biggest question, according to Drew,

is whether the patient started any new medications.

Next StepsThe study, which was first mentioned in the Spring 2013 issue of Script, caught the attention of Pharmacy

Times and several other media outlets. Drew and Pitlick’s next steps

include submitting for publication and sharing their findings with their

physician group. “We’re careful not to make assumptions about applying this to a

larger practice setting or patient population, but this is working for us,” Drew said.

Feature

S C R I P T M A G A Z I N E 11

MO

RE TH

AN 43% OF PATIENTS IN THE STUDY

WERE RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITA

L W

ITH13

AT LEAST

MEDICATIONS

PATIENTSWITH 13 OR MORE

MEDICATIONS WERE

MORE LIKELY TO BEREADMITTED

50%

40%LESS LIKELY TO BE

READMITTED

PATIENTS WERE

After talkingwith a pharmacist

following hospital discharge,

to the hospital.

12 S P R I N G 2 0 1 6

A Lasting Legacy

For 46 years,

Evelyn Becker-Meyer

has been inspiring her biology students

to do their best in the classroom with

a unique combination of humor,

evelyn becker-meyer

Faculty Profile

encouragement, and

hands-on learning.

S C R I P T M A G A Z I N E 13

Evelyn Becker-Meyer ’88/’93, Pharm.D., professor of biology, started her teaching career while she was a graduate student

at Washington University in St. Louis teaching biology to medical students. Now the longest-serving faculty member, Becker joined St. Louis College of Pharmacy as a biology lab instructor in 1970 after completing her master’s degree in biology.

She later became the first female, full-time professor at the College and also enrolled as a student while maintaining a full-time teaching schedule. Complet-ing her bachelor’s degree in pharmacy in 1988 and her Pharm.D. degree in 1993, Becker’s experience as a student and professor at the College has given her a unique perspective and enabled her to form a deeper connection with her students.

Drawing on her multidisciplinary education, Becker has an amazing ability to add context and depth to her teaching, successfully integrating basic sciences and pharmacy practice through practical applications. “One of the biggest influ-ences for me as a teacher was going through the curriculum myself, mostly because I know what is expected and how the students will need to apply the material,” Becker explained. “I’ve had my teaching assistants work with me to create collab-orative assessments, which are pharmacy applica-tions of a basic biology principle.”

A three-time recipient of the Alumni Association’s Joe E. Haberle Outstanding Educator Award, Becker’s warm and supportive teaching style has made her a favorite among current and former students. Her great passion for teaching and deep connection to her students is evident in every story and insight she recalls about her time at the College. “I’ve learned so much from my students over the years. I can’t even describe it,” Becker noted. “For me, the big thing is being a part of their lives. I’ve kept in contact with a lot of students that I’ve had in class and that’s really special, sharing in their lives.”

Becker credits her successful career as an educator to providing a supportive, hands-on learning environment where students are encouraged to

strive for their best. “My philosophy is that a good teacher is essentially a coach,” Becker said. “It’s important to set high expectations and provide the resources and support system to help them reach their goals. So, teaching assistants have always been a critical part of my teaching philosophy.” Becker has long been an advocate for tutoring and teaching assistant programs, and has helped train many of the students who assist in these roles.

Another essential element to Becker’s teaching style is humor. “I think a little

humor lightens things up, so students are less tense,” Becker said. “It’s one way to develop trust and show the nurturing part of your personality.” The other important ingredient in Becker’s recipe for success is food. “I give them

treats when they have a hard exam. It makes a huge difference,”

she said. “It’s hard to feel intimidated when your mouth is full of brownies.”

As a longtime advisor for the College’s chapter of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA), Becker worked to promote diversity among faculty, staff, and students. She also helped establish Knit ’n Nosh, a service group where students and faculty knit hats and blankets to donate to the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington Univer-sity School of Medicine. The group has become a meaningful connection point for students in different classes.

After a remarkable career building a lasting legacy at the College, Becker will be retiring at the end of the 2015-16 academic year. She is looking forward to traveling with her husband and spending more time with her daughters and grandchildren. Becker also plans to get more involved in volunteer initiatives she is passionate about, such as the Immigrant & Refugee Women’s Program, an organization that provides in-home English tutoring to female refugees in St. Louis. Becker is sure her retirement will be bittersweet in many ways, “I will definitely miss my colleagues, but I will miss interacting with the students every day most of all,” she said. “If you asked me what I am, I would say I am a teacher. So, the fact that teaching will no longer be a daily part of my life will absolutely be what I miss the most.”

evelyn becker-meyer

14 S P R I N G 2 0 1 6

Paying it Forwardlucia tranel

Lucia Tranel has been making a difference

one student at a time at the College for 38 years.

With a natural ability to motivate and connect

with her students,

Tranel has devoted

her career to

ensuring students are being taught how they learn best.

Faculty Profile

S C R I P T M A G A Z I N E 15

the faculty respect evey and lucia greatly and appreciate their longevity and experience at stlcop. students absolutely love them! they will be greatly missed as colleagues, teachers, mentors, and friends. richard mccall, ph.d. basic sciences department chair, professor of physics

having both of these professors in my first year was the most rewarding opportunity for me. i was taught more than biology and anatomy, but also how to challenge and appreciate myself. that, i am forever grateful for. and i know i am not the only one who can attest to that.lisa boone, p3 student

L ucia Tranel, associate professor of biology, first recognized her love for teaching after getting the opportunity

to instruct biology labs while pursuing a graduate degree in physiology and virology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She was then recommended for a position at St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Tranel has since taught a variety of classes in the Department of Basic Sciences, including microbiology, physiology, anatomy, and histology. “Over the years, my position has changed and evolved,” Tranel said. “I’ve had a lot of different positions and that’s been so wonderful.”

With an engaging, student-centered approach to teaching, Tranel has been a constant and inspiring example of what it means to be a successful educator. The recipient of two Joe E. Haberle Outstanding Educator Awards from the Alumni Association, Tranel has dedicated her career to creating a fun and supportive environment where students are held to high standards. “It’s so important to change and adapt to meet the students’ needs, recogniz-ing that they all come in with different skills, percep-tions, and histories,” Tranel said.

Tranel has spent years studying how students learn best. “I find educational research very rewarding. For a number of years, I’ve studied what helps students understand and remember the material,” Tranel explained. “We typically think of students as visual learners, but I’ve found that many are really more kinesthetic learners, that is, they learn more through hands-on activities.”

Students describe Tranel as a wonderful mentor and teacher who genuinely cares for them and understands their point of view. She has served as an advisor for Pharmakon, a student newspaper, and also chaired a

subcommittee with the goal of improving communications at the College as outlined in the Academic Strategic Plan.

Over the years, Tranel has become one of the most beloved teachers among students, and the feeling is mutual. “Just as I’ve developed a family relationship with the people I work with, that becomes the case with many of the students that enter your life,” Tranel said. “There are a number of students who stay in touch. It’s very satisfying and special to know that you’re still important to them.”

Tranel has a truly inspiring outlook when it comes to the power of education and the responsibility that comes with it. “Education is a huge commodity. It’s a tool, but it’s also a gift,” she explained. “Being educated opens up so many doors and empowers students to make

a difference. We admire philanthropists who give their money to worthy

causes, but you can also give back using your education. If you give

money, it’s gone from your pocket. If you give an educa-tion, you don’t lose your education, in fact you may actually augment your

education in the process. I think that’s so important to

get our students to think about, passing on their educations from a

philanthropic point of view,” Tranel said.For nearly four decades, Tranel has shared her

knowledge and expertise with hundreds of students at the College. She will be greatly missed as she retires this spring after the 2015-16 academic year. Tranel is looking forward to spending more time with her children and grandchildren and traveling with her husband to visit relatives.

“The most consistent things I will remember about my career at the College are the great relationships I’ve developed and the sense of mentoring with my peers,” she said. “It feels like a family. That will be my longest lasting memory of the College.”

Paying it Forwardlucia tranel

i feel so fortunate to have learned from both of them in the classroom and as a colleague. they truly inspire students while never lowering their expectations. i will certainly miss their advice, insight, and smiling faces around campus. anastasia armbruster ’09, pharm.d.assistant professor of pharmacy practice

dr. becker and mrs. tranel have been there for me in times of need and have pushed me toward reaching a deeper understanding throughout my education. i constantly see both of these women caring for students and truly perpetuating the community atmosphere on our campus.dane fickes, p2 student

With 1,685,210 new cancer cases expected to be diagnosed in 2016, according to the American Cancer Association, the necessity to expand our knowledge of cancer biology to improve treatment is undeniable. Simply learning more about the biology of cancer is not enough; it is only one piece of the puzzle. An emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration on cancer research and treatment has led to a more holistic understanding of every step of the cancer research and treatment process. A closer look at the current clinical practices and the discovery research that paves the way for future treatments provides a clearer view of how interdisciplinary collaboration affects cancer treatment from the beginning stages of research to the clinical manifestation of those discoveries.

16 S P R I N G 2 0 1 6

A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO

CANCER TREATMENT AND RESEARCH

Understanding Cancer with a Personalized Approach

As health care providers move toward a more team-based approach to cancer treatment

that focuses on the patient’s physical, mental, and spiritual needs, research organizations are

following suit. The National Cancer Institute has recently implemented an initiative to foster

collaboration among researchers from different disciplines to attract new investigators. From

interdisciplinary care and targeted drug therapies to basic research on neuron degeneration, the

interdisciplinary team-based approach becomes an ever-present guiding light to treating cancer now and in the

future.

Janelle Mann ’09, Pharm.D., BCOP, is an assistant professor of pharmacy practice and the clinical oncology pharmacist for an interdisciplinary team at the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. “Physicians lead the team, but there are so many additional players in the process,” Mann explained. “It’s about treating not only the cancer but the patient as well.” Social workers assist patients with the social and economic barriers to cancer treatment, such as answering questions relating to insurance or financial issues and addressing practical challenges within the continuum of care. Personalized care and management are addressed by the nursing staff and health care practitioners through routine visits and daily phone conversations. “I enjoy my ability to provide support to the team through medication recommendations and patient education,” Mann said. “As a team, we have the patient in the front of our mind, and together we can provide enhanced patient care.”

HITTING A MOVING TARGETLooking at patients as a whole becomes increasingly important when other disease states are present, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, or diabetes. The potential for drug interactions makes recommending medications for cancer treatment feel like hitting “an ever-moving target,” Mann said. “I need to consider the patient’s current cancer treatment recommendations along with other therapies treating their high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. All of these medications need reevaluation. I also evaluate whether current maintenance medications contribute to changes in the lab work assessed prior to each treatment,” explained Mann. Recommending medication becomes a constantly evolving process. “Ongoing evaluation puts pharmacists in a good position to recommend therapies that will help reduce side effects or harmful

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S C R I P T M A G A Z I N E 17

A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO

CANCER TREATMENT AND RESEARCH

Understanding Cancer with a Personalized Approach

“ As a team, we have the patient in the front of our mind, and together we can provide enhanced patient care.”

— Janelle Mann ’09, Pharm.D., BCOP

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drug interactions,” Mann detailed. “Pharmacists can help coordinate care and management among their patient’s numerous specialty physicians and primary care provider. Being up to date on pharmacotherapy and disease state management, along with a knowledge of oncology pharmacology helps to bridge the specialty arena with primary care.”

REVISITING TRADITIONWith the ability to perform additional genetic testing of a patient’s tumor, the opinion on how different cancers should be treated is changing. “Traditionally, patients with lung cancer were treated one way and patients with breast cancer were treated another way,” Mann described. “This approach is no longer the best direction for treatment. We need to look at the tumor itself, check the markers, and consider what the drivers are for the patient’s tumor.” A less restricted approach presents many treatment options, creating a challenge for the pharmacist. “I now have to think about the medications in terms of what mutations does it target, what disease states has it been studied in, and how to marry those two together,” Mann explained.

Unlike traditional chemo treatments that affect all fast-growing cells, another class of drugs called targeted agents are being introduced into therapy regimens.

“There has been encouraging advancement with new drugs in oncology, but it’s changing how you practice,” Mann said. Advancements in tumor genomics continue to change the landscape of oncology and push the development of nontraditional drug therapies and treatments. As part of an interdisciplinary team that conducts human trials for drugs coming from bench research, Mann is able to learn early on how to manage the toxicities of these new drugs.

“Working with these drugs in the trial phase, and seeing them progress into the market, we’ve nearly developed a protocol to manage side effects,” Mann explained. However, some side effects, like long-term nerve damage, are still problematic to manage effectively. According to the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, one out of three people undergoing cancer treatment experiences pain. With pain as such a prevalent side effect, researchers are focusing on the molecular mechanisms that cause nerve damage during chemotherapy, in hopes of discovering a way to prevent it.

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S C R I P T M A G A Z I N E 19

From a genetic screen done by Bhattacharya

and her collaborators at Washington University

School of Medicine in St. Louis, Bhattacharya has

discovered a gene, TMEM184b, that promotes axon

degeneration. To ensure that the function of this

gene was conserved in mammals, Bhattacharya

used a mouse in which the TMEM184b gene

was deleted. She discovered that mice without

TMEM184b preserve their axons longer after

injury, but “the molecular function of the gene is

still not clear, and that is the grant proposal I will

write next,” Bhattacharya said.

As the list of genes key to axon degeneration is

refined by Bhattacharya and her collaborators,

it is critical to understand how these genes

are connected. “We anticipate a connection

between these genes because they are involved

in the same process,” Bhattacharya explained.

“It is a matter of discovering those connections

to better understand how to inhibit the

degeneration process.”

CLOSING IN ON THE SIDE EFFECTSProfessor Discovers New Gene

“ Traditionally, patients with lung cancer were treated one way and patients with breast cancer were treated another way. This approach is no longer the best direction for treatment. We need to look at the tumor itself, check the markers, and consider what the drivers are for the patient’s tumor.”

— Janelle Mann ’09, Pharm.D., BCOP

TRACING THE PATHWAY BACKWARDSVincristine and paclitaxel (taxol) are common chemotherapies that are very effective in stopping cell division, but not without damaging nearby neurons. Martha Bhattacharya, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, is researching the degeneration of neurons exposed to drugs like taxol and vincristine. “My work is basic discovery research,” Bhattacharya explained. “To model the process of nerve damage after chemotherapy treatment, I treated fruit flies with taxol and studied the degeneration of axons in their peripheral nervous system after they were treated.” This degeneration can cause

chemotherapy patients to feel pain or experience thinking and memory difficulties commonly

referred to as ‘chemo brain.’

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Studying the effects of this treatments in fruit flies allows Bhattacharya to see these processes occurring in the context of the whole organism, as opposed to putting cells in a culture dish. “I had the axons labeled with fluorescent protein so I could look at the axons as they started to fragment, swell, and be lost,” Bhattacharya noted. Focusing on the self-destruction process that occurs in the axon after taxol exposure may lead to the identification of a drug target that could be used in patients to block nerve degeneration. “If we know what those molecules are, we may be able to stop them from being activated, or hold them in an inactive state while someone is taking a chemotherapy drug,” Bhattacharya proposed.

WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITYBhattacharya’s collaborators in the labs of Aaron DiAntonio, M.D., Ph.D., and Jeffrey Milbrandt, M.D., Ph.D., at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that once axon injury was induced, neurons in a dish appeared to experience no change for the first three to five hours, but at hour five or six “everything goes haywire,” Bhattacharya explained. “Signals are transmitted in the neuron in that first couple of hours. If you cut the axon, you will see a change in certain molecules in 10 minutes. But, you don’t see changes occur if you’re looking at the axon as a whole for almost six hours.”

The window of time to inhibit axon injury in a patient is not yet clear to Bhattacharya and her collaborators. “In terms of treating any of these situations where axon degeneration happens, chemotherapy treatment is the simplest and easiest one to deal with because you’re not trying to intervene in a neurodegenerative disorder where severe damage has already occurred by the time the patient is diagnosed,” Bhattacharya said. “The patient knows when they’re going to start taking this treatment that is going to be toxic. They also know when they are going to stop taking it. Trying to protect neurons during chemotherapy treatment is the first application of anything that comes out of the discovery work.”

When Bhattacharya began her research in 2008, she knew the applications for neuron degeneration research were vast. She describes how input from specialists was key in deciding what direction to take with her findings. “During my post-doctoral research at Washington University, I would often talk to a colleague who is a pediatric oncologist,” Bhattacharya explained. “I needed his input on what direction would have the biggest impact on patients.”

20 S P R I N G 2 0 1 6 1 6

“ Trying to protect neurons during chemotherapy treatment is the first application of anything that comes out of the discovery work.”

— Martha Bhattacharya, assistant professor

of biology

Research can sometimes feel like “you’re wandering into dark woods, not knowing where your next beam of light is going to hit,” Bhattacharya described. Approaching research as a shared, interdisciplinary endeavor, expands the team of wanderers. As Bhattacharya continues to publish her discoveries on axon degeneration, she hopes that researchers from other disciplines will apply her discoveries to their research and expand the scientific community’s understanding of axon degeneration. With a holistic mindset from basic discovery research to the pharmacy, improving current cancer treatments and advancing the treatments of tomorrow becomes a community hike rather than a lost wanderer in the woods.

S C R I P T M A G A Z I N E 21

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22 S P R I N G 2 0 1 6

There’s not an inch to spare in the latest construction project at St. Louis College of Pharmacy. To be precise, and everyone involved in building the

Recreation and Student Center (RAS) is just that, there’s not one thirty-second of an inch to spare.

The RAS will consist of a seven-story, 193,000-square-foot student center, residence hall, and recreation facility built to those exacting specifications. Amy Luchun, project architect at St. Louis-based Forum Studio, was tasked with fitting four very different, significant needs into the building: a competition gymnasium, student center, residence hall, and dining facility. Even though the building’s entire square footage is nearly 40 percent larger than the field the Cardinals play on at Busch Stadium, there is not a lot of room to spare when incorporating so many features into the building. “The biggest challenge was bringing all four functions together and how they could relate to each other and share amenities,” Luchun said.

To meet that challenge, work started more than a year before any dirt was moved. Following meetings with students, faculty, and staff, decisions were made about the needs of each function and how to best integrate them into the RAS. The entire building was first designed on a computer using the latest modeling programs.

Combined, the RAS and recently completed Academic and Research Building (ARB) will be the new front door for the College and physically represent the next chapter in the College’s more than 150-year history. The first thing many visitors will see in the RAS is the 400-seat cafeteria, which will take up most of the ground floor in

the eastern portion of the building. When the weather is nice, there will be spaces for outdoor dining and studying as well.

A new kitchen area will serve expanded meal offerings and cater to a large, multi-purpose event space on the second floor. Luchun and her team of 10 were able to recreate and update some of the most-used spaces from the old Cartwright Student Center including the former Carlisle meeting rooms.

The College’s athletic and recreation facilities will see a vast upgrade from years past. The facilities have been designed to support students’ health and well-being while encouraging the Eutectic spirit. The competition gymnasium on the first floor will seat more than 1,000 spectators. Fans will enjoy a welcoming entryway and dedicated space for concessions and ticketing. There will be expanded athletic training rooms, separate home and away locker rooms, and space for officials. Students involved in the College’s popular intramural leagues will enjoy a gym on the second floor, which overlooks the competition gym. In addition to hosting NAIA Intercollegiate Athletic events, the competition gym will be used for a variety of campus events.

On the third floor, the 200-meter running track will wrap around the western side of the building and look down into both the intramural and competition gyms. The rest of the third floor will be dedicated to the fitness center.

An expansive view of the growing Cortex business district, downtown St. Louis, and the Gateway Arch will serve as motivation to those taking advantage of a line of treadmills and rowing machines. An exercise room will be created for group fitness classes.

“It covers everything we had in the old gym and weight area, and more,” said Eric Knoll, Ph.D., assistant vice president of college services.

Students who commute to campus each day will have space to store and heat up food on the fourth floor, as well as a large lounge area. Counseling, student development, tutoring, and the Student Success Center connected to the Office of Culture and Campus Life will round out the fourth floor. A multicultural student center and quiet serenity room will be available to all students, faculty, and staff for personal or group prayers and reflection.

The top three floors will be home to more than 200 students. A double-loaded corridor means every resident will have a window. Each floor will have several study rooms and a laundry facility will be on the sixth floor. Access to the upper floors will be controlled through ID card access.

With the glass-lined walls and sharp angles, the building’s design is meant to complement the ARB, as well as stand out among the many new buildings in one of the country’s preeminent biomedical complexes.

Fitting it All Together

Phase II of the master plan to transform the campus

of St. Louis College of Pharmacy is quickly coming

together. When complete, the College will have added more than 400,000 square

feet of classrooms, labs, study areas, recreation

facilities, and living space in just three years.

S C R I P T M A G A Z I N E 23

24 S E A S O N 2 0 1 X S C R I P T M A G A Z I N E 25

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Alumni Profile

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24 S E A S O N 2 0 1 X S C R I P T M A G A Z I N E 25

Christopher smith ’08 doesn’t remember a

transformative moment when God Called him

Closer. there were no bolts of liGhtninG or a

definitive siGn from above or the sort of

epiphany that Can lead to a life of prayer and

refleCtion. he was a younG man, already a

Graduate of st. louis ColleGe of pharmaCy

when, little by little, life—and the pull of

somethinG biGGer than himself—seemed to be

nudGinG him in a different direCtion.

Smith had been practicing pharmacy for six years. “I enjoyed working as a pharmacist,” Smith said. “When I think back over my time working in pharmacy, I felt most fulfilled when I was talking with a patient one-on-one, and not necessarily making a measurable impact on the entire scope of their health care needs. They approached me with their problems, and sometimes it wasn’t even something I could fix with my pharmacy knowledge, but I was able to help them in a way that they weren’t finding anywhere else. I was someone who could say, ‘You’re doing okay. You’re doing the right thing. Stick with it, and it’s going to get better.’”

When he was a senior in high school, he started working at Walgreens and continued to do so while obtaining his Pharm.D. degree. His high school chemistry teacher had suggested pharmacy, and it all seemed to fit and make sense given Smith’s aptitude for math and science.

Alumni Profile

S C R I P T M A G A Z I N E 25

Alumni Profile

Smith moved to St. Louis 18 years ago, after spending much of his childhood near Los Angeles. His family was Christian, attending a nondenominational church sporadically, doing due diligence on Christmas or Easter. “I always felt like I had a relationship with God, even when I wasn’t practicing my faith,” Smith said. “That’s always been part of who I am.”

Smith is a pensive, soft-spoken man who exudes warm interest and kindness. In the halls of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, he is decidedly approachable to his fellow classmates of theology. He enrolled in the fall of 2014, when he began his discernment to be a priest.

During his fourth year at STLCOP, Smith was invited to a Mass by a friend. Even in that very first Mass, there was something about the Catholic Church that resonated with him. The tradition, the liturgy, the music—everything about it spoke to a deep-rooted part of himself that he didn’t even know was missing or that he’d been looking for. He spent a year learning more about the Catholic faith, going through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, and then joined the church. After a couple of years of sitting in the pews on Sundays, he started to get more involved in activities at his parish. By then, he’d graduated

from STLCOP and, after attending a retreat, he felt called to serve the church in a deeper way.

“I didn’t know what that meant at the time, but I felt I needed to do more,” Smith said. “I started praying more about that and, after another two years of staying involved in the church, my thoughts began shifting toward the priesthood. After I’d been a practicing Catholic for about four years, I was pretty sure that I wanted to at least try the seminary.”

Smith’s most significant encounter occurred during a pilgrimage to Rome in 2010. Someone gave him tickets to a concert at the Vatican. Divine intervention or not, Pope Benedict (who was in attendance at the concert) came directly to the section where Smith was sitting and shook his hand. The call to serve was becoming louder, and he needed to take the intuition he’d been feeling to the next level. When he returned home, he met with the vocation director for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, who walked him through the application process, the first steps of discernment, and figuring out his calling. Yet his journey, in some ways, began much earlier with an unexpected illness.

When he was 12, Smith was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Based on his symptoms, Smith’s doctors had scheduled what they thought was a routine appendectomy but instead discovered the inflamed bowel tissue. He was already septic, and the disease was so advanced, portions of his small and large intestines had to be removed. He spent two weeks in intensive care and was hospitalized for

26 S P R I N G 2 0 1 6

“ i appreCiate the eduCation i reCeived. i enjoyed my time at stlCop, and felt it did a Good job preparinG me for praCtiCe.”

Alumni Profile

four weeks after that. Over the course of the next year, Smith endured two more surgeries. His health care team worked with him for another two years, attempting to find a medication regimen that would keep the Crohn’s disease under control. Smith’s prolonged recovery and struggle to regain his health fueled his interest in pharmacy, and there is no escaping the influence it has had on his relationships.

“I’ll be able to sit down with someone and say, ‘I know what it’s like to feel like it’s not going to get better and there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, but there is,’” he said.

At Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, Smith attends classes with about 100 other seminarians. Right now, he’s in the second year of pre-theology studies. There will be ample time and discussion during the six-year program for Smith to determine if he is truly called to be an ordained priest. He meets every two weeks with a spiritual director, a priest who can be a sounding board and confidant. Once a month, he also meets with a formation advisor, who reports on Smith’s progression.

At the end of each year, Smith will sit down with administrators of the seminary, along with his formation advisor, to discuss evaluations from teachers and classmates. By the end of his fifth year of studies, he will be ordained a deacon, and it will be presumed at that point that he will be ordained a priest after another year of classes. “There’s someone supporting you or helping you ask questions,” Smith said. “It’s designed in every step.”

Smith is fully aware of the responsibilities of priesthood as well as the questions and resistance he might get from others, including his family.

“If I weren’t Catholic, I wouldn’t understand why someone who went to pharmacy school and had a high-paying job would give that all up,” Smith conceded. “My parents never said, ‘Absolutely don’t do this.’ I know they want me to be happy, to see me succeed and flourish in whatever I do. It was more of a struggle for them initially. But it’s definitely gone from being asked every time I see them, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ to ‘If this is where you feel called, keep doing it.’ There’s been a softening, an opening up to it.”

Smith plans on maintaining his pharmacist’s license. But if everything goes according to God’s plan, he probably won’t be able to practice pharmacy once he’s involved in full-time ministry as a priest. At the same time, you never know. “I am interested in bioethics and have been looking into getting my certification,” Smith said. “I could see myself as either a hospital chaplain or doing consultation on bioethical issues. My pharmacy education and expertise would very easily lend itself to these roles.”

Smith’s experience working as a pharmacist played an important part in his journey, empowering him to discover a passion for helping people by relating to them in meaningful ways. “As a pharmacist, I had the opportunity to empathize with patients, meet them where they were, and ease their suffering. In the future, God willing, I hope to do that as a priest,” Smith said. “I’m not turning my back on pharmacy. If I hadn’t gone to pharmacy school, who knows if I would have even become a Catholic, let alone become a priest. Something I’ve learned is that the obvious and simple track in life—the path of least resistance—is very rarely the most fulfilling and not the direction we need to take.”

“ it Gave me a unique perspeCtive, to be able to empathize with patients, to meet them where they are. i think havinG that experienCe is invaluable as a pharmaCist and in the future, God willinG, it will be as a priest.”

S C R I P T M A G A Z I N E 27

Alumni News

28 S P R I N G 2 0 1 6

Golf Tournament (June 7, 2015)

Blues Game (Nov. 21, 2015)

Reunion (Nov. 7, 2015)

S C R I P T M A G A Z I N E 29

BLACK HERITAGE DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDS

RHONDA (ALEXANDER) DRIVER ’93 Rhonda Driver has always been passionate about health care and helping others in underserved communities. She credits her success to her St. Louis College of Pharmacy education. “STLCOP was an incredible training ground and afforded me the opportunity to follow my dreams to become a pharmacist and make a difference in the world,” Driver said.

ART PERRY ’72While working at Kean Drug, Art Perry was encouraged by David ’52 and Bernard ’48 Kean to enter pharmacy school. Since graduating, Perry has become passionate about social justice and his community. He is committed to the advancement of the pharmacy profession and ensuring the diversity of pharmacists in the St. Louis area. He is also a proponent of increasing the health literacy of student pharmacists by promoting their interaction in federally qualified health clinics.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDS

MICHAEL MORTON ’75Dedicated Service to the Community

Michael Morton has always been dedicated to serving others. He started his service to the community in the United States Air Force for four years, after which he enrolled at St. Louis College of Pharmacy. He opened his own pharmacy, Medicine Shoppe, in 1984. It was the first pharmacy in Marion County to offer free blood pressure screenings and to test cholesterol, hearing, stress, and for skin cancer. It also was the first area pharmacy to open a health clinic within the pharmacy. Morton credits his STLCOP education for giving him the ability to serve the community as a health care

professional and to meet and help so many people for more than 40 years.

EVELYN BECKER-MEYER ’88/’93 Dedicated Service to the College

Evelyn Becker-Meyer has been a part of the STLCOP community for 46 years, making her the longest-serving faculty member at the College. Becker was the first female, full-time professor at the College. She also enrolled as a student while maintaining a full-time teaching schedule. She earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy in 1988 and her Pharm.D. degree in 1993. Becker will be retiring from teaching after the 2015-16 academic year.

KAY (CAMPBELL) KYLLONEN ’80 Dedicated Service to the Profession

Kay Kyllonen has dedicated more than 30 years as a clinical pharmacist in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and currently serves as the NICU clinical specialist pharmacist at the Cleveland Clinic. Kyllonen says STLCOP was the start of her clinical inspiration. “Dr. Keef-ner was my preceptor on my clinical rotation at St. John’s Mercy Hospital,” she said. “Because of that rotation, I sought employment with clinical aspects to it; it all started at STLCOP.”

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

WILLIAM KATSIYIANNIS ’90 William Katsiyiannis serves as president and chairman of cardiology at the Minneapolis Heart Institute, where he also practices as a cardiac electrophysiologist. In this role, he diagnoses and treats patients with heart rhythm disorders, performs radiofrequency ablation procedures, and implants pacemakers and cardioverter defibrillators. He credits the faculty at STLCOP for helping him follow his passion, specifically Deans Barnes ’51 and Lindhorst ’51 and Drs. Naeger ’63/’65, Haberle, Martinez, Cooper, Zuzack ’83, and Grotpeter. “It [STLCOP] set the foundation from which I had limitless professional opportunities,” Katsiyiannis said.

YOUNG ALUMNUS AWARD

KARA (THOMA) KING ’04/’05 As the outpatient pharmacy manager at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska, Kara King oversees a staff of 21 pharmacists and 19 technicians and manages the daily operations of the medical center. King had a rotation in Alaska and discovered her passion for public health. She moved there after receiving her Pharm.D. in 2005. “My time at STLCOP taught me that breaking a sweat for something makes it more rewarding,” she said.

From left to right: Rhonda (Alexander) Driver ’93, Kara (Thoma) King ’04/’05, William Katsiyiannis ’90, Evelyn Becker-Meyer ’88/’93, Kay (Campbell) Kyllonen ’80, and Michael Morton ’75. (Not pictured: Art Perry ’72)

2015 AWARD RECIPIENTS

SAVE THE DATE Reunion Celebration 2016

Saturday, November 5All alumni and friends are invited to attend this year’s Reunion Celebration on Saturday, Nov. 5.

This event will specifically recognize class years ending in “1” and “6.”

Members of the class of 1966 will be inducted into the Gold Alumni Club in recognition of the 50th anniversary of their graduation from the College.

For more information, visit stlcop.edu/reunionInterested in helping plan this year’s reunion? Contact Stephanie Hoffmann, director of alumni relations, at 314.446.8419 or shoffmann@stlcop.edu.

Join Us!

Do you know of a fellow alumnus who is committed to the profession of pharmacy and has a passion for St. Louis College of Pharmacy?

The STLCOP Alumni Association is now accepting nominations of candidates for election to the board of directors. Nominees should demonstrate service and leadership, commitment to the mission of the Alumni Association, and dedication to the pharmacy profession,

students, and the advancement of the College.

Nominate a candidate for electionVisit stlcop.edu/2016BOD by Friday, April 8. Ballots of nominees

will be sent to alumni with email addresses on file in April.

Update your informationContact Stephanie Hoffmann, director of alumni relations,

at shoffmann@stlcop.edu or 314.446.8419.

Class Notes

S C R I P T M A G A Z I N E 31

Tell your STLCOP friends and classmates about the latest news in your life.

Enjoy reading about your classmates in Class Notes? Share some news about your work projects, new jobs or promotions, marriages or children, awards, vacations, or hobbies. You also may send an email to alumni@stlcop.edu, or submit news online at stlcop.edu/classnotes.

Rising Star

Evan Schnur ’12 received the Rising Star award at the Next-Generation Pharmacist Awards Gala in Orlando, Florida, on Aug. 6, 2015.

Schnur is the director of commercial contracting for the payer relations team at Walmart in Bentonville, Arkansas, where he is responsible for building relationships and negotiating agreements with pharmacy benefits managers, state governments, and health plans. Schnur was selected from among three finalists in the Rising Star category.

“Receiving this award was a humbling experience,” Schnur said. “I’m fortunate to have many great mentors, including several from the College, who have helped me get to where I am today, and I can’t thank them enough for their support. It is exciting to be a part of a great profession, and it is an honor to be recognized.”

The Next-Generation Pharmacist Awards honor pharmacists, technicians, student pharmacists, and industry advocates who are defining the future of pharmacy. This year, nominations were received across 11 award categories. The awards were presented by Parata Systems and Pharmacy Times and were selected by an independent panel of judges.

1970s

Robert Lawrence Salter ’70 has been appointed to the faculty at Washington University in St. Louis as adjunct professor of strategic management and planning. Robert is also president of the St. Louis College of Pharmacy Alumni Association and senior consultant at Higher Education Market Strategies, LLC.

Ned Randle’s ’73 short story, “Clyde,” was accepted into Soundings Review, a creative writing magazine published by the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts MFA program in January. Ned and his wife, Rita, live in Smithton, Ill.

Daniel Schell ’74 recently earned the rank of eighth-degree black belt grand master in Tae Kwon Do.

2010s

Eric Venker ’11 received his M.D. degree from Yale School of Medicine in spring of 2015. Eric is currently an internal medicine resident at Columbia University in New York City.

Mary Murphy ’14 and Zach Moser ’14 were married Oct. 3, 2015, at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Rolla, Mo. They honey-mooned in Marco Island, Fla. Zach is the director of pharmacy at Salem Memorial District Hospital. Mary is a staff pharmacist at Walmart in Salem, Mo. Mary and Zach raise Angus cattle on their 55-acre farm in Jadwin, Mo. Mary is the daughter of

Tim Murphy ’82/’94 and his wife, Lucy.

Heather Kindermann ’15 and Jordan Powell ’15 were married May 23, 2015, at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Downers Grove, Ill. Heather is a pharmacy practice resident at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wis. Jordan is a staff pharmacist at Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital in Oconomowoc, Wis. The couple resides in Waukesha, Wis.

Jayme King ’15 married Ivan Lich, July 25, 2015, in her hometown of Mt. Zion, Ill. Jayme works as a pharmacist for CVS Pharmacy. Ivan is attending nursing school at Rasmussen College. The couple lives in Fort Myers, Fla.

In Memoriam

Mary E. (Knewitz) Reed ’37 died on Dec. 19, 2015, in Belleville, Ill.

Jean Douglas Brown ’48 died Nov. 5, 2015, in Marshall, Mo.

MURPHY

KINDERMANN

KING

SCHELL

Class Notes

32 S P R I N G 2 0 1 6

G. Harold Crall ’49 died June 22, 2015, in Jonesboro, Ark.

Stanley J. Ferguson ’50 died Oct. 21, 2015, in St. Louis.

Stanley R. Chudomelka Jr. ’51 died June 3, 2014, in Marshfield, Mo.

Takashi Toda ’51 died May 10, 2015, in Wailuku, Hawaii.

David Honigberg ’52 died March 23, 2015, in Lincolnwood, Ill.

Jose J. Zamudio ’52 died Apr. 14, 2010, in Brownsville, Texas.

Arden E. Cox ’53 died Jan. 20 in Ballwin, Mo.

Stanley R. Fagin ’53 died Apr. 17, 2015, in St. Louis.

Stanley B. Gold ’53 died July 26, 2015, in Amherst, N.Y.

Richard N. Hori ’53 died May 29, 2015, in Kaneohe, Hawaii.

Thomas E. Brockett ’59 died Jan. 3 in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Michael Komar ’59 died Sept. 27, 2015, in Ironton, Mo.

Gordon H. Price ’59 died June 24, 2015, in St. Louis.

Sr. M. Jane Ratermann ’59 died July 22, 2015, in Red Bud, Ill.

Robert D. Seibert ’59 died Dec. 27, 2015, in Springfield, Mo.

Viranchilal M. Parikh ’62 died Sept. 28, 2012, in New Brunswick, N.J.

Daniel L. Holloway ’66 died Jan. 6 in Herrin, Ill.

Samuel C. Grear ’73 died Sept. 17, 2015, in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Michael E. Whittler Sr. ’73 died March 27, 2015, in Columbia, Mo.

Elizabeth A. (Costa) Kapnick ’79 died June 12, 2015, in Springfield, Ill.

Stephen M. Webb ’79 died June 4, 2015, in Louisville, Ky.

In 2003, Patrick Tharp ’61/’62 founded Pharmacists Preventing Suicides (PPS), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing pharmacists with the knowledge and tools to help prevent patients from taking their own lives. Three other St. Louis College of Pharmacy alumni, Pete Hueseman ’73, Robert Salter ’70, and Erhard Amann ’74, also serve on the board of PPS.

The goal of PPS is to reduce the number of suicides by taking a proactive approach. Through training, PPS educates pharmacy students, pharmacists, and other health care professionals on depression treatment

options, signs to look for, counseling, and suicide prevention practices.

Tharp’s passion for instructing fellow health care professionals has been evident through his presentations at the College, community efforts, and dedication to raising awareness about suicide prevention. In recognition of his commitment to saving lives, the College has awarded him two Distinguished Alumni Awards for Service to the College ’04 and Service to the Community ’12.

To learn more about how you can get involved with PPS, visit: pharmacistspreventingsuicides.com.

STLCOP Opens Doors to Success

Amy Bricker ’99, was named to St. Louis Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 class of 2016. Each year, the Journal recognizes 40 outstanding St. Louis businessmen and women for their contributions to the community.

“I have been fortunate in my career to meet so many talented and inspirational people,” Bricker said. “I am honored to be recognized in this incredible way.”

Bricker has been acknowledged as a top St. Louis businesswoman for her role as vice president of supply chain strategy at Express Scripts Inc. and for her dedication to supporting philanthropic programs.

At Express Scripts, Bricker is responsible for identifying strategic initiatives across retail providers and working with pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide clients and members with quality medications and services. Most recently, she has worked on behalf of clients to promote cost-effective alternatives to expensive therapies.

“My pharmacy degree has opened all of the doors that have led to my current position,” she said. “While my career path isn’t traditional in a sense, my degree in pharmacy has been the basis from which I established myself in the industry. I am proud of that experience and the opportunities that education has afforded me.”

Pharmacists Preventing Suicide

looking back1915These proud and confident members of 1915’s junior

class are standing in front of STLCOP’s Lucas Place Building. The Lucas Place Building was the College’s home from 1892-1927 until moving into today’s Jones Hall in 1927.

These students had the good fortune of being taught by one of the finest pharmacy faculties in the country. Their dean was Henry Whelpley ’83, who regularly quizzed them about their daily lessons. Otto Wall ’68 taught them materia medica (the history and uses of natural products), Latin, and other electives. Leo Suppan ’91 taught them chemistry. Francis Hemm ’75 taught them practical pharmacy, as it was known then. James Good also taught them theoretical pharmacy. By 1915, Whelpley, Wall, Good, and Hemm had more than 150 years of combined teaching experience and service to STLCOP.

Notice the three women in the front of the photo. STLCOP admitted its first female student in 1881 and averaged three female graduates per year until 1964. Today, more than half of the students at STLCOP are female.

information provided by bob zebroski, liberal arts department chair, professor of history

Otto Wall Class of 1868

Francis Hemm Class of 1875

Henry Whelpley Class of 1883

Leo Suppan Class of 1891

4588 Parkview Place St. Louis, MO 63110-1088 T 314 367 8700 F 314 446 8304 stlcop.edu

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PAIDSt. Louis, MO

Permit No. 1931

Sunday, June 5Stonewolf Golf Club

Fairview Heights, Illinois

Join us for our largest fundraiser for student scholarships. STLCOP Alumni Association is hosting a scramble-style golf tournament that will include lunch, drinks, and dinner.

To register, visit stlcop.edu/golf.

golf classic stlcop alumni association