Prescriptives
Traditions in Transition New Leadership in Pharmacy Summer 2014
3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058 209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679821480 865132823066470938446095505822317253594081284811174502 841027019385211055596446229489549303819644288109756659 334461284756482337867831652712019091456485669234603486 104543266482133936072602491412737245870066063155881748 815209209628292540917153643678925903600113305305488204 665213841469519415116094330572703657595919530921861173 819326117931051185480744623799627495673518857527248912 279381830119491298336733624406566430860213949463952247 371907021798609437027705392171762931767523846748184676 The number of students 694051320005681271452635608277857713427577896091736371 graduating with their Doctor of Pharmacy 787214684409012249534301465495853710507922796892589235 degree in 2014 420199561121290219608640344181598136297747713099605187 072113499999983729780499510597317328160963185950244594 553469083026425223082533446850352619311881710100031378 387528865875332083814206171776691473035982534904287554 687311595628638823537875937519577818577805321712268066 130019278766111959092164201989380952572010654858632788 The number of scholarship dollars awarded by the 659361533818279682303019520353018529689957736225994138 School of Pharmacy in the 2012-2013 academic year 912497217752834791315155748572424541506959508295331168 617278558890750983817546374649393192550604009277016711 390098488240128583616035637076601047101819429555961989 Current School of Pharmacy faculty members are U.S. News and World Report 467678374494482553797747268471040475346462080466842590 UConn Board of Trustees ranks the UConn School of Pharmacy 694912933136770289891521047521620569660240580381501935Distinguished Professors as the top pharmacy school in New England 112533824300355876402474964732639141992726042699227967 823547816360093417216412199245863150302861829745557067 498385054945885869269956909272107975093029553211653449 MILLION 872027559602364806654991198818347977535663698074265425 278625518184175746728909777727938000816470600161452491 921732172147723501414419735685481613611573525521334757 FEDERAL RESEARCH SUPPORT RECEIVED BY UCONN RESEARCHERS AMY ANDERSON & DENNIS WRIGHT TO STUDY THE DRUG-RESISTANT 418494684385233239073941433345477624168625189835694855 DISEASE BACTERIA CARBAPENEM-RESISTANT ENTEROBACTERIACEAE 620992192221842725502542568876717904946016534668049886 272327917860857843838279679766814541009538837863609506 The dierent countries of birth for the 800642251252051173929848960841284886269456042419652850 PharmD Class of 2017 222106611863067442786220391949450471237137869609563643 P 2
Pharmacy
94
#
by the Numbers
134,388
3
AGE
10
1
14
0
4
1
4
0
Jim became the eighth dean of the school on June 1. His wife, Li Wang, thinks this is wonderful, because 8 is a lucky number in Chinese culture.
Jim speaks fluent Swedish. In fact, he earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Uppsala University in Sweden.
4
0 -
5
Pharmacy Five fun facts about… 3
Before his official start date, Jim was visiting campus when the Huskies brought home dual national championships in basketball. He was atGampel Pavilion to welcome the men’s team home.
Jim’s prior leadership experience includes associate dean in a pharmacy school and department chair in a medical school.
5
4
Jim received the Bernard B. Brodie Award in Drug Metabolism in 2010. Presented biennially by the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, the award recognizes outstanding original research in drug metabolism and disposition, particularly those having a major impact on future research in the field.
Jim Halpert Dean
2
On the Cover: Members of the BS in Pharmacy Studies Class of 2014. This Page: One of the many sites in China visited during the Traditional Chinese Medicine Course Opposite: Children in Mae Sot, Thailand
Prescriptives is the official magazine of the UConn School of Pharmacy.
Contributors: Elizabeth Anderson, Mary Ann Dolan, Shamara James, Ryan McLean, Jennifer Osowiecki Editor: Elizabeth Anderson, Director of Marketing & Communications Photo Credits: Elizabeth Anderson, Kim Bova, Thomas Buckley, Dan Buttrey, Diane Burgess, Kristen Lamb, Peter Morenus
UConn Pharmacy Traditional Chinese Medicine
Working with Refugee Populations
“Who wants scorpion on a stick?” asks one student at the Wangfujing Night Market in Beijing. Visiting the market, located in one of the city’s most famous shopping districts, is only one way that UConn students participating in the Study Abroad Program immerse themselves in Chinese culture. Since 2007, the Traditional Chinese Medicine elective, conceived by Diane Burgess, Ph.D., has brought students to Beijing to study pharmacy from a different philosophical point of view. “We tend to think of TCM as herbal medicine,” says Burgess. “The process really starts with getting in tune with your body through the five channels. Herbals are actually a measure of last resort.”
Tom Buckley’s Pfizer Global Health Fellowship at the Mae Tao Clinic in Thailand ignited his passion for working with immigrant and refugee populations. “Most of the 500 people working in the clinic are themselves refugees from Burma (now Myanmar),” he explains. “With no health care background, they rely on outside training.” By collaborating with foreign health professionals, they are able to diagnose and treat a range of maladies, including pneumonia, malaria, and diarrhea.
Fei Wang, Pharm.D., who shares responsibilities with Burgess, lauds the cultural engagement. “The students learn basic Mandarin, as well as the science and philosophy of pharmacy in China,” says Wang. “They also have the opportunity to explore the culture through guided tours to places like the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Art District.” Burgess and Wang see this as more than just a learning opportunity for the students. “It’s a chance for us to develop professional relationships as well,” say Wang. “I work with the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association when I visit. We have many opportunities to learn from one another.” Preceptor development and primary care pharmacy are two areas where UConn can offer expertise. Wang hopes the continuing relationship with sisterschool Peking University will develop into a full, student exchange program some day. In addition to the TCM class, UConn students have been on clinical rotations at both Third Hospital and Tasley Pharmaceuticals. “It takes work, but all of us can see the opportunities for working together,” says Wang.
Buckley was so moved by his experience that he became an assistant clinical professor here at UConn to continue his work. In addition to returning periodically to Thailand, he has assisted alumni, such as Steve Bendel ‘11, who want to volunteer there. “I give him a lot of credit,” Buckley says emphatically. “He could be working as a pharmacist in the United States, but he took time out to volunteer, instead.” Closer to home, Buckley advocates the linkage of global efforts to local efforts, by working with Khmer Health Advocates, a Cambodian-American health care organization in West Hartford, Conn. An understanding of the cultural heritage of Cambodians, who have endured hardships similar to Burmese, gives him some insight into their health dilemmas. He seeks to bring his experiences overseas and apply them in a home setting--to achieve a sense of cultural humility, while simultaneously reaping better patient outcomes. Students on rotation with Buckley get first-hand experience with medication therapy management, cultural competence, and community pharmacy practice. “These populations have special needs,” says Buckley. “Introducing our students to this type of work benefits not only them, but the entire community. It makes them global practitioners.”
A Global Community
PAGE 5
Advisory Board Offers Expertise to the School of Pharmacy From a Barron’s-named “World’s Best CEO” to a member of the UConn Board of Trustees, the School of Pharmacy Advisory Board, established in 2002, has gifted the school with its knowledge and expertise. The board provides input on important strategic issues, makes annual leadership gifts and secures financial contributions, supports intellectual partnerships and faculty research projects, networks with key industry and health care sectors, and participates in school activities. Comprised of both alumni and non-alumni friends of the school, members come from diverse backgrounds and experiences, including academia, retail and hospital pharmacy, manufacturing, research and development, government and public health, trade associations, consulting, legal, and regulatory compliance. As a result, the Advisory Board provides the school with a dynamic and multifaceted resource, a bridge to a wealth of practice settings and elements affecting pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, and an outside-the-box perspective on ilde the school’s mission and activities. W r
do
O
elf. ”
n; i t
is
ev sca
a n y u se t o o n es
it o pas s
ad v
w it hg
ood
Current Chair Mark Brackett ’78 agrees. “After many years of being relatively inactive with the school, my involvement with the Advisory Board has reinvigorated me with the passion to help improve the school and take it to an even higher level. I have been pleasantly surprised to see many of the ideas developed during one board meeting are already instituted by the
ice is
“The Advisory Board is an impressive collection of individuals, each with a sincere interest and passion for the School of Pharmacy,” said Jennifer Osowiecki ’85, the Advisory Board’s current vice chair who assumes the chair in the 2014-15 academic year. “Members generously support the school not only with financial contributions, but also with their time, accessibility, thoughtful participation, and sharing of perspectives from their areas of expertise.”
n
of r e
time
to of the next g n i “The only good th meeting, which
the board appreciates. In addition, I have met several individuals on the board who have opened many horizons for me personally in the broad field of pharmacy. I can honestly say this board is a real working one with a defined purpose.” The Advisory Board meets on campus at least twice a year, but members are involved with the school throughout the year. Osowiecki presents an annual Law Review for the newly-graduated Doctor of Pharmacy class to assist with their preparation for the NAPLEX. Both she and Brackett have spoken at school events and attend many alumni and student functions.
Commenting on the recent arrival of Dean James Halpert Osowiecki noted, “We are looking forward to working with the new dean and learning about his vision for the school. The Advisory Board remains firmly committed to the school’s continued success and national prominence under Dean Halpert’s leadership. The future is bright, and the Advisory Board is proud to be part of shaping that future while tangibly, and substantially, supporting the school in the here and now.”
Jennifer Osowiecki, vice chair, and Mark Brackett, chair, have both served on the Advisory Board since 2007.
Alternative Spring Break
By: Shamara James
T
here are many things in our society that we take for granted, such as indoor plumbing, clean water, and even steaming hot showers. In countries such as Honduras and Nicaragua, however, many individuals view the aforementioned items as commodities. These are things that they are lucky to have, and do not come by every day. While a student, Kristen Lamb ’14, traveled to Latin America with Global Brigades, a student-run organization whose mission is to “empower volunteers and under-resourced communities to resolve global health and economic disparities.” Her first trip was to Honduras, where she was able to set up temporary clinics with stations for triage, consultations, and pharmaceuticals. Patients were free to come in and receive aid from these stations, and leave with vitamins and often ibuprofen or Tylenol. Kristen’s amazing experiences in Honduras encouraged her to journey to Nicaragua. She took part in both a medical and public health brigade, working with a small group to build a latrine and septic tank. In many parts of Nicaragua there is no plumbing and the water is infested with parasites. With little access to health care, medical conditions go untreated. The work of Kristen and others in Global Brigades is, therefore, particularly important. With their help, individuals in Nicaragua and Honduras are receiving the aid they truly need. Kristen was amazed to see that individuals in Nicaragua still travel by horseback, and many houses are more like shacks. Animals are in and out of the homes, which are essentially just one room with dirt floors. Nevertheless, there was a very strong sense of community, and the people were truly appreciative of everything the Global Brigades group was doing. Since taking part in this trip, Kristen is sure that pharmacy is the best fit for her. She hopes to continue with this work once she is a licensed pharmacist, as it will give her a chance to step back every once in a while and build strong relationships with under-served populations.
PAGE 7
I
The Ins and Out of R
t’s the number one comedy in America and the second most-watched show in the country, so The Big Bang Theory certainly shapes our conception of scientific researchers as “nerds in labs.” At the UConn School of Pharmacy, some of our most prolific researchers love being outdoors as much as they love being in the lab. This brings them clarity of focus and an appreciation for overall health.
Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Debra Kendall, from the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, spends her time outside of the lab planting trees. She has planted hundreds of them from seedlings to 22-footers. “I find them breath-taking,” says Kendall who conducts research on cannabinoids and their affect on G proteincoupled receptors.
Kendall’s research may ultimately lead to designing compounds that are highly targeted and can provide specific benefits without unwanted side effects. There are many different cannabinoids and it is difficult to generalize health benefits since only some produce psychotropic effects. The human cannabinoid receptor one (CB1), for example, can help modulate appetite, reduce neuropathic pain, help manage multiple sclerosis, and to prevent drug abuse relapse. Kendall collaborates with researchers in other departments to design in vivo studies that test her findings.
I
n the Department of Pharmacy Practice, Professors Craig Coleman and C. Michael White are co-directors of the Health Outcomes, Policy, and Economics (HOPE) Collaborative. They, along with other faculty members and research fellows, use meta-analysis and economic models to look at the comparative effectiveness of certain drugs or to assess the long-term economic benefits to the health care system of, for example, choosing one drug over another.
Some members of the collaborative have specific research interests. White, for example, conducted studies in cardiothoracic surgery and the use of statins. Coleman, on the other hand, considers himself to be “disease-state agnostic.” He is intrigued by study design and current methodology including ‘network meta-analysis’ that allows researchers to compare like drugs head-to-head, rather than matching them against placebos.
These researchers share a common love for th Burgess bicycles and runs, Coleman loves anima Kendall is fascinated by trees, Pikal hikes in th
Coleman takes pride in the fact that the group has a reputation for delivering results on-time and within budget. He also appreciates the opportunities to work with fellows and students in small group settings. “I like that our students have the chance to be actively engaged in real research and are not only working on mock projects.” These projects can have long-term effects not only from a costsavings standpoint, but also on patient health and safety.
ts Research B
oard of Trustees Distinguished Professor Diane Burgess and Pfizer Distinguished Endowed Chair in Pharmaceutical Technology Michael Pikal, both work in the field of pharmaceutics, the science and engineering of drug delivery. Pikal, known as an international expert in the technology of freeze-drying pharmaceuticals, stumbled into the field by accident. “I went to work at Eli Lilly and their expert had just left the company. I was the only one in the room that knew how to use a vacuum pump so I was drafted,” laughs Pikal as he explains the beginning of his life-long passion. Many compounds are unstable and this technology allows the formulation of drugs that are stable and have a longer shelf life. “In addition to cost savings, think of the importance of stabilizing drugs, such as vaccines, that might be stored for a long time, or shipped to a country without adequate humidity or temperature controls.” It’s significant work.
Just as important to Pikal is his role as an advisor to the FDA on the merits of the technology. Both he and Burgess regularly consult with the agency on policy as well as developing test methodology. Burgess focuses on ‘quality by design’ during the manufacturing process rather than ‘quality by testing’ which waits until the product is finished to test. “If you can ascertain that things are correct during certain points in the production process, it can save time and money, ultimately leading to lower drug costs.” Burgess also is working on interdisciplinary research to develop a tiny glucose monitoring system that is implantable via hypodermic needle. Her group has developed a smart gel coating for this biosensor which allows the sensor to do its work by preventing the body’s natural reaction to build a protective coating around a foreign substance. Continuously monitoring and studying the signals is the first step to creating an artificial pancreas sometime in the future. “It’s helping us move toward personalized medicine and taking a whole-body approach to health.” Burgess, who also conceptualized the school’s Traditional Chinese Medicine study abroad program, is a firm believer in “exercise to keep your body and mind healthy.” Medicines are important to combat disease and manage health problems, however, eating well and going outside and exercising are key to achieving and maintaining health.
e outdoors. ls and enjoys horseback riding with his family, he mountains, and White is a rock climber.
PAGE 9
Advancing Pharmacy Practice at the Point of Care The rising costs of health care across the nation are putting an economic strain on families, employers, and government alike. In an attempt to provide more effective services while reducing costs, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center was created as part of the Affordable Care Act to “test new payment and service delivery models, evaluate results and advance best practices, and engage a broad range of stakeholders to develop additional models for testing.” One specific program, the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative (CPC), is a multi-payer initiative fostering collaboration between public and private health care payers to strengthen primary care. Marie Smith, the Henry A. Palmer Endowed Professor of Community Pharmacy Practice and assistant dean for practice and public policy partnerships, recently completed a faculty leave at the CMS Innovation Center. As a senior adviser to center, Smith worked on an interdisciplinary team of health care providers. The only pharmacist on the team, she interviewed pharmacists working at the practice sites. “There are 497 primary care practices in the CPC demonstration, and 29 CPC practices indicated they had pharmacists on their health care team. However, little was known about the pharmacists’ services and level of integration with CPC teams,” said Smith. “I got in touch with the pharmacists to get their story of what they were doing. The numbers were
few, but what they were doing was extraordinary. They worked closely with the clinicians in the practice, and focused on patients with high-risk medications, complex medication regimens, or insufficient response to treatment.” Pharmacists were able to directly access and document their services in the patient medical records. “When pharmacists worked with patients in the primary care office, patients and other health care professionals considered the pharmacist as an integrated member of the health care team.” In January 2014, as a result of Smith’s work, the CPC program rolled out a three-year, national integration plan for pharmacist-provided medication management services in 497 primary care practices across the seven CPC regional markets. Smith believes her experience at the CMS Innovation Center will lead to other opportunities to promote the integration of medication management services into direct patient-care settings. She was recently contracted to work with the Connecticut Office of Health Care Innovation to facilitate the Connecticut Practice Transformation Taskforce and serve on the writing team for Connecticut’s State Innovation Model Test application to CMMI. These statewide initiatives focus on team-based primary care programs, including innovative medication management services. “I am committed to bringing the national focus on primary care innovations and new, team-based care models to our state-level dialogue and programs as we transform health care delivery and payment reform in Connecticut.“
Affordable Care Act Prompts Launch of HealthyCT
K
By: Shamara James
Ken Lalime ’79 knows that the topic of health care is controversial, but he does not shy away from the issue. “So long as the debates continue to spur positive, needed changes,” he is ready to keep talking. Lalime is the chief executive officer of HealthyCT, Connecticut’s non-profit, health insurance company created as a provision of the Affordable Care Act. He revels in the fact that there are no typical days in his office; one day he is meeting with government officials, doctors, or brokers to talk about HealthyCT’s value, and the next he is entrenched in meetings with staff members working on strategy or operational details. After receiving the loan for HealthyCT in the summer of 2012, Lalime has faced challenges and opportunities on a daily basis. Not only was he charged with building the company, but they also had to be ready to enroll customers by October 1, 2013. The grueling hours spent shaping the company were not in vain; the plan for HealthyCT was fully executed as people rushed to secure enrollment.
Lalime sees the recent changes in the health care system as “long overdue.” He is excited for this opportunity to embark on a different path. “I think all parties involved – employers, providers, insurance companies and consumers – finally agree that it’s time to work together on a solution that benefits everyone. I see this as a very exciting time for health care in our state and our country. It’s a chance to take a different path and engage everyone in a different way.” Currently, the problems in the system are such that insurance premiums are increasing, and higher costs have not translated into better quality medical care. The new developments in health care provide a unique opportunity to resolve many issues. The programs implemented under the Affordable Care Act will potentially “stimulate the development of innovating and market-based solutions.” Lalime is confident that once everyone assumes their responsibility of understanding health insurance and how it is effectively delivered, we will achieve “better outcomes than other industrialized countries.” Lalime has utilized the knowledge he gained here at UConn to secure a vital role in health care. He hopes to continue affecting change that will benefit the people of Connecticut at large. Lalime was the keynote speaker for the Class of 2015 White Coat Ceremony. He advised students to maintain their professionalism while actively engaging in the moments that will shape the rest of their lives. Lastly, he provided students with a list of lessons, including the importance of volunteering, being on time, and being passionate. These are all strategies that Lalime has employed in his professional and personal life, all of which have played an important part in his success.
PAGE 11
Alumni Notes
1970s John Capuano, BS ’73, MBA is currently a pharmacist with Apothecary & Wellness Center at the YaleNew Haven Hospital, St. Raphael Campus. John continues to volunteer at the School of Pharmacy and serves as a director for the UConn Pharmacy Alumni Association.
1980s Barbara Lane Giacomelli, BS ’83, Pharm.D., MBA,
We Want to Hear from You! Share your news using the form on our website, or via email at: pharmacy@uconn.edu School of Pharmacy Alumni News 69 North Eagleville Road Unit 3092 Storrs, CT 06269-3092
Submissions may be edited for clarity or length.
FASHP was elected as chair of the American Society of HealthSystem Pharmacists Section of Pharmacy Informatics and Technology. In this role, Barbara will oversee the section dedicated to improving health outcomes through the use and integration of data, information, knowledge, technology and automation in the medication use process. Barbara is currently employed as a managing consultant with McKesson Pharmacy Optimization and is an adjunct professor for the Rutgers University School of Nursing.
1990s Jason Poquette, BS ’93 is
currently manager of the new outpatient pharmacy program at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Mass. He is also the creator/author of The Honest Apothecary: www. thehonestapothecary.com where he writes about issues related to the profession of pharmacy.
2000s Christopher Fortier, Pharm.D. ’03, FASHP
has been named the chief pharmacy officer at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Mass. Chris and his family have returned to New England after spending 10 years in the Charleston, S.C. area while he was employed by the Medical University of South Carolina.
Tiriza Saziru, Pharm.D. ’05 is director of pharmacy
with Comprehensive Pharmacy Services, Springwoods Behavioral Health Systems, in Fayetteville, Ark.
Meghann Jones, Pharm.D. ’08 moved to
Australia and is currently the head pharmacist at Metcentre Amcal Chemist, a retail pharmacy located in Sydney.
Clayton English, Pharm.D. ’09, BCPP,
an assistant professor at the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences’ Colchester Campus, was named the 2013 Vermont Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists Pharmacist of the Year. Clay also serves as an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Vermont Medical School Department of Psychiatry, and the UVM School of Nursing.
Kailly Thull, Pharm.D. ’09 is currently district
manager with CVS Caremark Corporation in the Greater Boston area. Kailly started at CVS as a pharmacy intern while she was at UConn, and has already celebrated nine years with the company.
2010s Nadine Jaber, Pharm.D. ’12, BCPS has joined
UMass Memorial Hospital in Worcester as a critical care clinical pharmacist. Previously, Nadine was a poison information specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Robert Pawlik, Pharm.D. ’12 recently moved to
Texas. Robert is currently ambulatory care clinical pharmacist at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.
In Memoriam 30s
Saul Schine ’38 August 11, 2013
Albert Amato ’40 June 29, 2013
Merece LeGeyt Goodwin ’58 January 26, 2014
Sheila J. Russell Teske ’59 September 15, 2013
Daniel Gabriele ’40, DDS January 19, 2014
Theodore W. Skolnick ’62
Edward Cornell, Jr. ’42 April 27, 2014
60s
April 22, 2014
Anthony Spasiano III ’67
Carmelo Vasquez ’43
September 28, 2013
September 1, 2013
40s
Jennie Rickert ’46
Peter Merchant ’70 August 12, 2013
May 5, 2014
William Berman ’47
Peter Cummings ’73 October 29, 2011
July 22, 2013
Patricia Barbuto Karlak ’48 October 3, 2013
Regina HoldstockKaplan ’74 March 15, 2013
Michael Bergantino ’51
70s
Stanley Gaj ’77 May 12, 2013
January, 23, 2013
Joseph Powers ’51, MS ’56 October 13, 2013
Samuel Bellin ’52 April 6, 2014
William L. Swain Jr. ’09 August 21, 2013
10s
Matthew Thomas Smith Student, Pharm.D. Program July 13, 2013
Ronald Lesnikoski, Sr. ’53 February 3, 2014
Edward T. Kelly, III
Col. Ted H.T. Reinsch ’53 April 3, 2014
50s
Francis D. Berard ’56 December 22, 2013
Associate Professor Emeritus November 5, 2013
faculty
Michael Bottacari ’56 May 9, 2012
Stanley Labinger ’57 August 1, 2013
Eudien Clymer ’58 August 7, 2013
PAGE 13
Transitional Leadership…
W
hen John Morris was named interim dean of the School of Pharmacy, he made his position clear. “I’m here to serve the school for one year, or less, if we can fill the job sooner.” Morris’ insistence on truly being an interim helped him to advance key projects while maintaining tradition -- no easy feat given the budget constraints of the university. One of his most significant accomplishments was advancing the school’s academic vision both in pharmacy practice and the pharmaceutical sciences. “My job has been to preserve our traditions while helping us transition to a Next Gen mentality,” says Morris. The school is well-positioned to take advantage of the growth in STEM education and to help build a workforce in these fields, one of the goals of Next Generation Connecticut. Educational institutions across the nation are beginning to focus on STEM, but UConn is ahead of the curve with the Connecticut legislature’s funding of the Next Generation initiatives. “Pharmacy is science from drug discovery to patient care; it’s the full spectrum.” A 32-year UConn veteran and Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, Morris served as discipline coordinator, head of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and assistant dean of research at the School of Pharmacy before taking the post of interim dean. A prolific researcher, his studies on the inhalation toxicity of chemicals have helped shape national policy. He sits on two National Research Council/National Academy of Science Panels, one reviewing the National Toxicology Program risk assessment document on formaldehyde, the second reviewing styrene. Morris won’t be able to rest on his laurels after stepping down on May 31. This spring, he was elected to national office in the Society of Toxicology (SOT), the largest international organization of academic, governmental, and industrial toxicologists trying to make the world a safer and healthier place. As he begins his four-year ascendency to the presidency, Morris will continue with his thoughtful, no nonsense leadership approach. “John is a down-to-earth guy who focuses on the important issues,” says colleague José Manautou. “He will provide continuity to the long tradition of engagement by UConn faculty through science and leadership at SOT. John’s election to the SOT presidency chain further strengthens UConn’s visibility in the global toxicology scientific community as one of the top institutions dedicated to training and research in this field. It is one of the reasons he has been so successful in his career. UConn is lucky to have him.”
PAGE 14
Balancing the Past and the Future
NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID STORRS, CT PERMIT NO. 3 69 North Eagleville Road, Unit 3092 Storrs, Connecticut 06269-3092
Visit our website at www.pharmacy.uconn.edu for news, events, and social media connections.
White Coat Weekend October 25, 2014
For more information, contact us: pharmacy@uconn.edu 860-486-9190
Join us for a full-day of pharmacy festivities! Alumni Luncheon & Awards Campus Tours Professional Development Meet the New Dean Reunion Class Recognition Inaugural Pharmacy Gala
Save the Date