RESEARCH Research Poster Competition 2012
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New PhD from the School of Pharmacy In December, Abeer Ahmed defended her PhD thesis, “Polycyclic Angular Thieno, Thiazeto, Thiazolo and Furo benzo [h] quinolines; Design, Synthesis, In Vitro and In Silico Evaluation” for her examination committee and supervisor, making her the second person to receive a PhD from the School of Pharmacy.
The 2012 Annual Pharmacy Research Poster Competition was held in February in the Professional Practice Laboratory at the school. There were five undergraduate and two graduate posters presented in this competition. The presentations were judged by three independent judges. The winners: • Stephanie Hewitt (class of 2014) will receive the CSPS 2012 National Summer Student Research Program Award Sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Inc. for her poster, “Analyzing the potential neuroprotective effects of antioxidants.” • Sarah Way (class of 2012) received the AFPC-Pharmacy Student Research Poster Award for her poster, “Home visits – Optimizing Medical Care in the Elderly (HOME Study): A pilot study on the effects of an inter-professional primary care program on emergency room visits and hospital admissions in the frail elderly: Phase 1.” • Catherine Orr (class of 2013) received the School of Pharmacy Undergraduate Research Poster Award for her poster, “The effect of repeated exposure to vaporized ethanol on long-term motor co-ordination.”
A citizen of Egypt, Dr. Ahmed has been conducting her research at Memorial University since 2007 under the guidance of her supervisor, Dr. Mohsen Daneshtalab. The research presented in Dr. Ahmed’s thesis is based on the design and synthesis of small quinolonebased molecules with potential anticancer profile, followed by in vitro biological activity evaluation and description of the observed results using a molecular docking approach.
areas. But while our faculty are often concurrently involved in many exciting research projects, their primary roles are those as teachers, and we are so pleased that last year the university chose to recognize one of our own with its highest teaching honour: our associate dean of undergraduate studies, Dr. Leslie Phillips, was one of only two individuals to receive the President‘s Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2010. You can read in the annual report more about why Leslie‘s teaching methods earned her this prestigious award. “Another important factor to measure the school’s success must be to look at our students.
“So I am also here tonight to thank you. Thank you for all you have done, all that you do, and all that you will do for the School of Pharmacy at Memorial University. “Together we are truly working together towards a healthy tomorrow. “Thank you.”
“Representing the best and the brightest of the hundreds who apply for admission to the school each year, our students are also leaders in the area of compassion and caring. “Because of our students, we like to think of ourselves as - the little school that could. With only 160 students, we represent less than one per cent of the entire student body of the university. Yet given the numerous contributions our students make to the community, their impact rivals that of much larger groups. “For instance, at last year’s Relay for Life held on campus, six of the 82 teams registered were from the School of Pharmacy. This effort represented participation from one-third of all of our students and raised almost $9,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society – which was 12 per cent of the total raised that day. “This is just one example of the giving nature of our students which illustrates the kind and compassionate pharmacists they will become. Again I encourage you to refer to our annual report for a more complete picture of how our students are making a difference. “Before I bring my state of the union address to a close, I would like to finally reflect on one of the school’s most essential and important aspects, that may seem at times overlooked – you.
Front row: Dr. Lili Wang, School of Pharmacy, Memorial University internal examiner; Dr. Abeer Ahmed, Dr. Linda Hensman, dean, School of Pharmacy. Back row: Dr. Mohsen Daneshtalab, supervisor; Dr. Paris Georghiou, Department of Chemistry, Memorial University, internal examiner.
“Ultimately, as a school, it is you, as a community, that we serve - and not just through the provision of your retirement replacements!
“Yes, you are a part of the School of Pharmacy, and as I said in the beginning, it doesn‘t matter if you are alumni or not. “You are the people who serve as preceptors and contribute to the hands-on training of our students.
The Prescription Contributors Editor: Jennifer Deon, ABC Communications Co-ordinator, School of Pharmacy Tel: 709 777 7302, jdeon@mun.ca Publication Design: Jennifer Armstrong, HSIMS Photography: Chris Hammond, Image Services John Crowell, HSIMS Darcy McMeekin, School of Pharmacy Contact Information: School of Pharmacy Memorial University of Newfoundland 300 Prince Philip Drive St. John’s, NL A1B 3V6 Canada Tel: 709 777 8300 pharminfo@mun.ca www.mun.ca/pharmacy 090-019-03-12-1,200
“You participate in our admission interviews to help evaluate and choose the next generation of pharmacists.
Catherine Orr presenting her poster.
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“You support our students through your contributions to our scholarships and awards.
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