NEWS
This Issue: Research
Mercer is at the forefront in nanotechnology, drug delivery and cancer research. Page 6 A
P u b l i c a t i o n
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Faculty Essay
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Right Drugs,
Dean’s Column New Admissions Requirements
Right Patient
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Work Simulated The College’s new sim lab
b y : Kat h ry n M o m a r y
Pharmacists have long been using personalized medicine in the provision of patient care. We routinely considered body size, comorbid conditions, and drug interactions when assessing and recommending medication therapy for our patients. Now, we routinely do pharmacokinetic monitoring of medications to ensure patients are receiving the precisely correct dose. The very heart of personalized medicine is the RIGHT drug at the RIGHT dose for the RIGHT patient. However, a new term has recently become synonymous with “personalized medicine”—pharmacogenetics. Pharmacogenetics refers to the hereditary basis for inter-individual variation in drug response. We all have anecdotal experiences seeing patients have varied and unique responses to medications. A group of patients can receive the same drug; some will experience intolerable adverse effects while others
will gain no benefit at all. The objective of personalized medicine and pharmacogenetics is to identify those patients with aberrant drug response and treat them appropriately. Recently, the area of pharmacogenetics has been garnering a lot of attention. This is driven by several factors, but one of the most important is the Food and Drug Administration’s recent encouragement of voluntary genetic data submission with new drug applications. Specifically, this encourages the pharmaceutical industry to submit pharmacogenetic data beyond what is currently required in the drug approval process. The goal of voluntary genetic data submission is to help the FDA understand how to include genetic information in future regulatory decisions and prescribing information. There are currently 99 medications with pharmacogenetic information in their official label. This number will only continue to grow as more pharmacogenetic studies are done during the drug development process.
PT Residency Program
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News Briefs
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Faculty Essays What Can a PA Do for You? New Year’s Resolution? Ask A PT
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New Research Center Aims to Advance Drug Design, Discovery ATLANTA – The Mercer University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has launched a research center charged with designing new drugs and developing new computer-based design methods to advance novel drug discovery. The Center for Drug Design will focus on all aspects of drug design research and teaching, ranging from software development to the application of computer-based methods that will predict biologically active compounds prior to laboratory testing. The Center will serve as a resource for universities, industries, and agencies Dr. J. Phillip Bowen interested in new drug design and the enhancement of existing drug candidates. Using state-of-the-art computer technologies, Mercer’s new Center will become one of the premier academic facilities involved in drug design research, teaching and discovery. The Center will use powerful computers and sophisticated graphics workstations to pursue fundamental problems and methodologies at the interface of chemistry, biology and physics. In fact, several drugs currently on the market and used to treat various disease states were developed using similar computer-assisted drug design methodologies. Dr. J. Phillip Bowen, one of the nation’s leading scholars in the area of computer-assisted drug design, is the Center’s director. Bowen joined the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences’ faculty this past August as a full professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He is the author of over 90 publications and several patents in the areas of organic, medicinal and computational chemistry, as well as computer-assisted drug design. Continued on page 3
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Right Dose,
pharmacogenetics: the newest tool in your tool kit
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Cancer Research Intensifies At College
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COPHS News is published biannually and provides the most current news and accomplishments of Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences students, faculty and alumni. Please send your latest news and questions to: David Hefner Senior Director of Marketing and Communications hefner_dn@mercer.edu 3001 Mercer University Dr. Atlanta, GA 30341-4415 678.547.6244
President William D. Underwood, J.D. Dean & Vice President for the Health Sciences Hewitt W. “Ted” Matthews, Ph.D. Sr. Associate Dean Candace Barnett, Ph.D. Editor David N. Hefner Editorial Support Genice Johnson Shavonne Davis Design Cooperworks, Inc. Contributing Photographer Erik Lesser
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Student News
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PA Student Essay PT Student Essay
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PA White Coat Ceremony Calendar of Events In Memoriam
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Alumni News
Issue No.
Right Dose,
Right Drugs, Right Patient
Letter from the Dean
If you listen carefully,
perhaps you can hear it. It’s my visceral sigh of relief that our inaugural alumni newsletter is now a reality, and I couldn’t be more elated. Sure, the academy is filled with publications from countless universities and professional schools that chronicle the daily achievements of dedicated alumni, faculties and students. But our hope is that this newsletter will be different. Two of the most powerful things we offer in the academy are hope and innovation, which are both by-products of knowledge. Our collective responsibility as teachers, practitioners, scholars and scientists is to take what we know (and discover), and apply them to the everyday lives of ordinary people. Indeed, the scientific community has even developed a word for it – translational research. As professors, we train our students to become outstanding practitioners and researchers so they might serve patients selflessly and leave an undeniable impact on our world. Founded in 1903, Mercer’s pharmacy program is one of the oldest in the nation. Our alumni, faculty and students have served – decade after decade – with distinction. In 1981, we were the first pharmacy school in the Southeast to offer the Doctor of Pharmacy degree as our sole professional degree. In recent years, our faculty has been among the leaders in scholarly activities and research. Today, we’re ranked nationally among the best pharmacy schools in the nation. Then, in 2006 and 2010 respectively, we launched Physician Assistant and Physical Therapy programs, and both programs have already distinguished themselves. Yet, despite having so many great things to share, we have remained focused on the work and have not sufficiently shared it with the world. This publication changes that. It’s designed to serve our alumni, friends, and ultimately our patients. We will use it to show how our alumni, faculty and students are making a difference in the world. We hope our research article on pages 6 & 7 exemplifies that. It is through that lens of how we’re impacting others that I hope this publication is different. Let us know what you think. Yours, Hewitt W. “Ted” Matthews, Ph.D.
Ted Dean
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The growing body of pharmacogenomic literature and the increasing number of medications with pharmacogenetic information in the package insert make this area important for pharmacists. In addition, to truly understand pharmacogenetics requires an understanding of pharmacology and pharmacokinetics. Therefore, pharmacists are well-suited to assess genetic information and apply it to patients and their drug therapy. Warfarin is one of the most frequently cited examples of pharmacogenetics effecting drug response. Warfarin is commonly prescribed, however there is significant variation in warfarin dose requirements. Patients can require anywhere from 1 to 15mg/day. Traditionally, all patients are started on 5mg/day, which represents a significant over or under dosing for some patients. The cytochrome P450 enzyme, CYP2C9, metabolizes the more active warfarin isomer (S-warfarin). There is genetic variation in CYP2C9 that results in significantly decreased ability to metabolize medications. The two most common variants are designated CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3, and they are associated with significantly lower warfarin dose requirements. There is also genetic variation in the active site for warfarin, vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1). Patients can have increased warfarin dose requirements if they have the genotype VKORC1 -1639GG and lower warfarin dose requirements if they have VKORC1 -1639AA. When CYP2C9 and VKORC1 genotypes are considered together with other clinical factors (i.e., body size, concomitant medications) approximately 50 percent of the variability in warfarin dose requirements can be predicted. In addition, this genetic information explains the different warfarin dose requirements by race that we’ve long seen. Specifically, Asians commonly have the VKORC1 genotype associated with lower warfarin dose requirements and African Americans have the genotype associated with higher warfarin dose requirements. Some clinics are now genotyping patients at initiation of warfarin therapy to better predict patients’ dose requirements and decrease the risk of under or over anticoagulation. Pharmacogenetics, in combination with other patient specific information, can help us better treat our patients. Examples have been provided here for how pharamacogenetics can help us pick the RIGHT dose for patients and help us prevent unnecessary serious adverse drug events by not giving a patient the WRONG drug. Pharmacogenetics is simply another tool pharmacists can use to provide “personalized medicine” to patients. If you would like to learn more about this topic, the Pharmacogenetics Knowledge base (pharmgkb. org) is a free online reference that provides a wealth of reliable pharmacogenetic information. In addition, a review article in the American Journal of Health System Pharmacy provides a good summary for pharmacists (Shin J, et al. Pharmacogenetics: from discovery to patient care. Am J Health-Syst Pharm. 2009;66:625-37.). Dr. Kathryn Momary is an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
New Admissions Requirements Students enrolling in the pharmacy program at Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences are now required to have 90 undergraduate hours of pre-pharmacy coursework. With this change, Mercer is the only pharmacy program in Georgia that requires students have 90 hours, or three years of college, prior to enrolling in its pharmacy school. Mercer’s decision to increase its pharmacy admissions requirements is driven by a changing health care delivery system that demands health care providers work well in integrative teams that are adaptive and patient-focused. The changes—fueled in part by huge shifts from inpatient to outpatient care as Americans live longer lives—require more competent practitioners with advanced problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. As baby boomers age, the demand for pharmacists will increase in primary care services, …an innovative hospitals and nursing homes, and non-patient care services such as private industry, academic academia and government, according to a recent report. experience that The pharmacy school’s new curriculum, which faculty members have begun developing, will require all first-year pharmacy students be better prepared in exchange for an will produce innovative academic experience that will produce superbly trained pharmacists. The superbly trained new 90-hour requirements, and the new curriculum, take effect August 2012. pharmacists.
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New SimLab Prepares Students for Rotations and Practice
Two first-year pharmacy students in the new simulation laboratory are involved in an exercise in researching patient history.
b y : dav i d h e f n e r a n d b e t s y l a m b
With an eye toward developing patient-centered pharmacists, the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences recently implemented a clinical skills and simulation laboratory in the first-year curriculum. The SimLab, as it’s called, is expected to better prepare first-year pharmacy students for their second and third years while providing them critical skills applicable to any practice environment. The College’s development of a SimLab comes at a time when pharmacists are taking a more active role in providing patient care. Moreover, preceptors are increasingly saying pharmacy students need additional patient-assessment skills. In response, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education announced in March 2011 new guidelines that allow structured simulation hours to count toward introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs). Now, approximately 60 hours of IPPEs can be spent in a SimLab where pharmacy practice is directly connected to a simulated, standardized or virtual patient. “Our new simulation lab is an excellent environment for our students to learn in preparation for their rotations,” said Dean Hewitt W. “Ted” Matthews. “By providing activities in counseling and assessment, the lab ultimately helps them understand what it means to be patient-centered.”
The College constructed the fully operational Sim Lab in the DuVall Building last summer, and classes began August 2011. The nearly $40,000 wireless lab allows students to perform point-of-care testing for glucose and cholesterol; blood pressure, chest and lungs, and skin assessments; patient counseling and order verifications; and chart reviews and medication reconciliations. Students perform these tests and assessments on mannequins, a simulation man, blood-pressure arms, through role pay, and on virtual patients. Additionally, the lab is equipped with several mock pharmacy stations with built-in computers, an instructor’s station, and a smart board. Dr. Christine Klein, clinical assistant professor and director of Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences, said the simulation laboratory “increases the practice rigor of the IPPE curriculum.”
“Up until this point, we’ve helped students to acquire these skills along the way,” Klein said. “We’re now front-loading them with skills, so it increases rigor, and increases the quality of students who are going to be out there later on in real-life practices. It really evens the playing field for a lot of our students.” Dr. Michell Butler, clinical assistant professor and director of Community Pharmacy Residency Programs, agrees. “We now have a way of making sure that all students get the same exposure and the same information that will help them in the additional second and third years.” Editor’s note: Betsy Lamb, a sophomore communications major, was a 2011 summer intern with the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
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“I believe we are in a unique position at Mercer University to make meaningful contributions in drug design because of our growing emphasis on the medical, pharmaceutical, and other health sciences programs,” said Bowen, who earned his doctorate in synthetic organic chemistry from Emory University. In addition to pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, Mercer has health-related graduate and professional programs in medicine, nursing, physical therapy, physician assistant studies and public health. “I am looking forward to working with colleagues at Mercer, and other university and industry scientists to accomplish some exciting drug discovery research,” Bowen said.
Dr. Joe Donnelly
Physical Therapy Program, Shepherd Center Launch Residency in Neurologic Physical Therapy
The Department of Physical Therapy and the Shepherd Center are now offering a post-professional residency in neurologic physical therapy. The 13-month residency program, which is one of only 14 in the United States, helps physical therapists accelerate their expertise in evaluation, examination, diagnosis, prognosis, intervention, and management of patients with neurologic dysfunction. Developed for new professionals and physical therapists with one or more years of practice, the program combines contemporary, evidence-based coursework with highly individualized, advanced clinical mentoring under the supervision of experienced clinicians. Residents will receive advanced training in managing adults with the following neurologic disorders: spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, stroke, balance and vestibular disorders, and various neuromuscular diseases. The residency program is a collaborative effort by the Shepherd Center and the Department of Physical Therapy in Mercer’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Mercer’s Physical Therapy Department was established last year to offer the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree as well as post-professional residency and fellowship programs. Along with the neurologic residency, the department also offers a residency in orthopaedic physical therapy, the only such credentialed program in Georgia associated with an academic institution. Dr. Joe Donnelly, director of post-professional programs in Mercer’s PT department, said, “This collaborative partnership allows us the opportunity to provide a stellar clinical and didactic program for advanced practice and scientific inquiry with ongoing clinical supervision and mentoring.”
The Center has six goals: • To collaborate with university and industry scientists interested in the design of novel drugs; • To serve as an umbrella structure to foster research collaborations within Mercer and with other drug discovery groups; • To develop and create applications of various computer-based methods used in drug design; • To carry out computer-assisted studies of important biological compounds and systems and to translate fundamental research into information that may be used to design potential therapeutic agents; • To serve as a national, state and regional resource in computational chemistry, computer-assisted drug design, and related computer-based informatics and bioinformatics methods; • To provide continuing education activities for scientists interested in learning computer-assisted drug design methods, including seminars, workshops and short courses. “Under the leadership of Dr. Bowen, this new center has profound implications in terms of how we understand and develop new drugs that ultimately make it to the market and into the hands of patients,” said Hewitt “Ted” Matthews, Ph.D., dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and vice president for the Health Sciences at Mercer.
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News Briefs
FEBRUARY 2011 Two Mercer pharmaceutical scientists each receive $50,000 cancer research awards Chalet Tan, Ph.D., and Hailing Zhang, Ph.D., both assistant professors of pharmaceutical sciences, were selected by the Georgia Cancer Coalition to be among 12 recipients of the 2011 Cancer Research Awards. Tan and Zhang received $50,000 each toward research on encapsulating anticancer drugs in nanocarriers for drug delivery and targeting.
APRIL 2011 Mercer symposium explores the use of nanotechnology in fighting infectious diseases The College hosted the Third Annual Georgia Symposium on Nanotechnology and Infectious Disease on April 1 on the University’s Atlanta campus. Designed to promote interaction and collaboration among scientists, the symposium brought together scholars from across the state and nation in the fields of nanotechnology and infectious diseases. It was sponsored in partnership with Emory University, Georgia Tech, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and the University of Georgia.
Dr. Kathryn Momary
FEBRUARY 2011 Pharmacy faculty member receives prestigious ‘new faculty’ research award Kathryn M. Momary, Pharm.D., assistant professor of pharmacy practice, was awarded the highly selective New Pharmacy Faculty Research Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. The $10,000 grant was awarded to no more than 15 pharmacy faculty from across the nation, and it provides start-up funding for research programs by junior faculty at U.S. colleges and schools of pharmacy.
Residency in orthopaedic physical therapy receives national recognition Mercer University’s Residency in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy was recognized by the American Physical Therapy Association at its national meeting on Feb. 9 in New Orleans. It was one of 11 newly credentialed orthopaedic residencies in the United States and is the only university-based physical therapy residency program in the state of Georgia. The residency program was established and is run by the Department of Physical Therapy in Mercer’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Pharmacy program increases admissions requirements to address changing health care landscape Students enrolling into the pharmacy program at Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences will soon be required to have 90 undergraduate hours of pre-pharmacy coursework. With this change, Mercer will be the only pharmacy program in Georgia that requires students have 90 hours, or three years of college, prior to enrolling into its pharmacy school. (See story on page 2)
MAY 2011 Pharmacy, physician assistant grads earn degrees in campuswide commencement About 180 College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences students earned their degrees in May during the University’s first campuswide commencement at the Cecil B. Day Atlanta Campus. Of the graduates, 148 earned their Doctor of Pharmacy degree, six earned their Doctor of Philosophy degree in pharmaceutical sciences, and 30 earned the Master of Medical Science degree in physician assistants. This is the PA’s second graduating class since the program began in 2006.
JULY 2011
Dr. Joseph T. DiPiro
MARCH 2011 Nationally recognized scholar, pharmacist delivers Van Greene lecture Dr. Joseph T. DiPiro delivered the 2011 G. Van Greene Distinguished Lecture of Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences on March 31. Dr. DiPiro is executive dean of the South Carolina College of Pharmacy and author of some 200 journal papers, books and editorials. The title of his presentation was “Preparing Pharmacists to Improve Health Outcomes.”
Summer program exposes high schoolers to pharmacy profession, careers High school students intrigued by biology and chemistry, and their applications to health and wellness, attended a three-day pharmacy summer program in July at Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. The program targeted students from underrepresented minority groups thanks to a $10,000 gift from Walgreens designed to foster diversity in the field of pharmacy.
AUGUST 2011 Physical therapy program, Shepherd Center launch residency in neurologic physical therapy The Department of Physical Therapy and the Shepherd Center are now offering a post-professional residency in neurologic physical therapy. The 13-month residency program, which is one of only 14 in the United States, helps physical therapists accelerate their expertise in evaluation, examination, diagnosis, prognosis, intervention, and management of patients with neurologic dysfunction. (See story on page 3) First-year pharmacy, physical therapy students receive white coats, begin classes Nearly 200 first-year students received white coats in August in the pharmacy and physical therapy doctoral programs. The group included 153 incoming pharmacy students and 36 first-year students in the physical therapy program. Pharmacy alumnus Joshua D. Kinsey ’05 was the keynote speaker of the pharmacy white coat, and Ben. F. Massey Jr., executive director of the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners, addressed the incoming PT class. The College also enrolled six new Ph.D. students this fall in its pharmaceutical sciences graduate program.
OCTOBER 2011
L–R: Matt Swiqtowicz, Chris Thomas and Arlene Salman
PA students kick off national PA week with state proclamation Students and faculty in Mercer University’s Physician Assistant Studies program kicked off national PA Week on Oct. 6 when they visited the state capitol to attend Gov. Nathan Deal’s signing of a proclamation officially declaring PA Week in Georgia. National PA Week is observed each year from Oct. 6 – 12 to celebrate the significant impact PAs have and continue to make in health care. The week also helps expand awareness of the PA profession and salutes its outstanding growth.
JUNE 2011 PA Team Wins 1st Place in National Medical Challenge Bowl A three-member team of students in the Physician Assistant Studies program captured first place in a national medical challenge bowl held at an annual physician assistants conference in Las Vegas. Of the 48 teams that competed in the challenge bowl, including Yale, Duke, Wake Forest and Baylor universities, Mercer’s team hoisted the championship trophy after defeating three teams in the final round, including a team from Emory University.
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DECEMBER 2011 16 students present at ASHP midyear meeting In an impressive showing from one school, 16 pharmacy students presented research projects at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ Midyear Clinical Meeting in December. Of the 16 students, all 14 Advanced Clinical Track students presented.
JANUARY 2012 50 incoming PA students receive white coats Fifty first-year physician assistants students received their white coats in January, officially beginning their 27-month journey toward becoming one of the nation’s leading health care professionals. The class is the largest PA class since the program started in 2006 and is considered the ideal class size.
Faculty Essays
The Role of Physician Assistants in Health Care Delivery
b y : J i l l M aT T I n G ly
I step into the exam room where an elderly woman is sitting and, with a handshake and a smile, I introduce myself. “Hi, I’m Jill, Dr. Smith’s PA. What brings you in to see us today Mrs. P?” Then it happens. Mrs. P. slowly closes her Good Housekeeping magazine, adjusts her bifocals to examine the name badge on my white coat and inquisitively asks, “What’s a PA”? This exchange happened regularly in the early days of my career, but I am glad to say more and more people are becoming familiar with physician assistants as part of the medical team. During an interview of potential PA students, I usually borrow Mrs. P’s question to determine if the applicants have done their homework. “What is a PA Miss Jones”? Miss Jones straightens her posture, relieved that this is one interview question she has prepared for, and confidently gives the proper definition. “A physician assistant is a health care provider who is trained in the medical model, not the nursing model. The physician assistant is licensed to practice medicine under the supervision of a physician, which means the PA is not an independent medical provider.” That would be a sufficient answer for the interviewing team and probably for Mrs. P., but there is so much more to physician assistants and their function as an integral part of the health care system. The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) Annual PA Census report indicated that there were 83,466 physician assistants in the United States in 2010 with female PAs outnumbering their male counterparts by nearly 17,500. The 2010 graduates numbered around 5,964 with almost 40 percent choosing a primary care setting. A majority of those graduates achieved a master’s degree in approximately 27 months, passed a national certification examination and obtained licensure in the state in which they chose to practice. What a PA can contribute to any practice setting is stated best by AAPA President Robert Wooten, PA-C. “PAs are the
Let A Physical Therapist Help With Your Health and Fitness Resolutions
b y : d A v i d T ay l o r
David Taylor, P.T., D.P.T., is clinical assistant professor in the Department of Physical Therapy in Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
profession is the ability to laterally move into other medical or surgical disciplines without additional training. The future is bright for physician assistants, especially as the demand for medical providers in the primary care disciplines continues to rise. The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Mercer University is rising to the challenge of training top-shelf medical providers. The Department of Physician Assistant Studies has graduated two classes of physician assistant students since its inception in 2006 with the degree of Master of Medical Science. As an essential part of the health care system, the Mercer PA will be an integral part in the changing landscape of the medical field in the years to come. Commitment to increasing patient access to health care, improving patient outcomes and decreasing national health care disparity is the focus of this growing profession. In the course of their career, Mercer PAs may not have to explain what a PA is to their patients, but if that question is asked of them they will straighten their posture and, with a smile, confidently educate their patient.
only health care providers educated and credentialed with a primary care focus, providing a strong foundation for any specialty in which they may choose to practice.” The responsibilities of a PA include eliciting patient medical histories, performing physical examinations, ordering and interpreting labs and diagnostic tests, managing acute illness and chronic disease, prescribing medication, writing patient orders, performing patient education and counseling, assisting in surgery, and performing specific clinical procedures. A PA can carry this approach to patient care into any of the many specialty practices, as well as the subspecialties, and perform with excellence. One of the most appealing aspects of the
For many people, planning the new year presents an opportunity to make resolutions involving fitness and wellness. Whether it’s weight loss, participating in an event such as the Peachtree Road Race marathon, using equipment purchased for a home gym or using a gym membership, we looked to begin the new year with a healthier outlook. However, the numbers don’t support significant success with health-related resolutions. Forty percent of Americans do nothing related to exercise (physical activity is not always exercise). Fifty percent of individuals starting an exercise program drop out after six months, and health clubs experience a 40 percent attrition rate annually.1 So why can’t we make the changes we’ve resolved to make? There are as many reasons as there are individuals trying to make the change, but they include fear and lack of confidence, lack of social support, unclear exercise guidelines, and often a failure to link
the exercise to the consumer’s perceptions of health. What should you do? Buy the new video, treadmill, gym membership? Consider physical therapy. Why physical therapy? Nothing hurts or is broken. I don’t need crutches or a walker. I’m not an athlete; I just want to be healthier. That’s precisely why you should see your physical therapist. Health promotion, fitness and wellness have always been part of the physical therapists’ practice. The prescription of exercise, enhancing performance, setting reasonable and measureable goals, and partnering with the client to establish and implement a plan are at the heart of physical therapy practice. Whether body composition, muscular fitness, cardiorespiratory fitness, or flexibility, a physical therapist has the skills and knowledge to partner with you in your personal health and wellness plan. A recent study showed physical therapists exceeded both the Centers for Disease
referenCeS
1. American Academy of Physician Assistants (2010). 2010 AAPA Physician Assistant census. Alexandra, vA. 2. PA Professional (october 2011) AAPA releases new PA census & salary reports 3. Physician Assistant education Association (2010). 26th Annual report on Physician Assistant educational Programs Preliminary data, 2009-2010. baltimore, md.
Jill Mattingly, M.M.Sc., PA-C, is clinical assistant professor and academic coordinator in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies in Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Control recommendations for their own exercise, and that of other health diagnosing professions.2 In the Mercer University Doctor of Physical Therapy program, health promotion across the lifespan is an integrated curricular thread throughout the eightsemester program. The course prepares students for both competency in provision of care and advocacy for health promotion, wellness, and fitness. Currently, 24 states have specific language in their physical therapy practice acts stating health promotion, wellness, and fitness are within the scope of the physical therapist practice.3 The State of Georgia made this change in 2006 and clarified that fitness and wellness services provided by a physical therapist do not require a referral or prescription from another health care provider. 4 This allows anyone in Georgia to seek out a physical therapist of his or her choice for services related to health promotion. This point usually raises
the question of payment for services. Some insurance plans will cover wellness services provided by a physical therapist, and physical therapists can bill third party payers for these services. The reality is most of these services, like those of other providers in this area, are cash based. The current health care environment is evolving. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 seeks to move the nation from health care focused on sickness and disease to one of wellness and health promotion. Physical therapists are recognized experts in treatment of movement impairments and dysfunctions and strive to maximize health and wellness via exercise prescription and performance. So as March begins and your resolutions take shape, look to your physical therapist as your partner in meeting your health promotion, wellness and fitness goals.
referenCeS
1. gamboa Jm. fitness,wellness, and health Promotion: Payment models in Physical therapy. rehab essentials:wellness and health Promotion dvd. 2011. 2. chevan J, haskvitz em. do as i do: exercise habits of physical therapists physical therapist assistants and student physical therapists. Phys ther. 2010;90:726–734. 3. American Physical therapy Association. health,wellness, and fitness in state Practice Acts. http://www.apta.org/stateissues/healthwellnessandfitness/statePracticeActs/. Accessed october 3, 2011. 4. o.c.g.A § 43-33-18. http://sos.georgia.gov/acrobat/Plb/laws/15_Physical_therapists_43-33.pdf. Accessed october 3, 2011.
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Cancer Research Intensifies at College as Scientists Seek Answers for Patients b y : dav i d h e f n e r
Dr. Chalet Tan has spent her entire adult life pursuing solutions to vexing problems. It started April 1989, when Dr. Tan, then a freshman and the president of her student class at the Shanghai Medical University in China, helped coordinate nationwide student protests for social change. Months later, on June 4, the student efforts erupted into the massacres in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, a stunning turn of events broadcast across the world that profoundly awakened democracy in China for years to come. Dr. Chalet Tan, above, is among an emerging number of Mercer pharmaceutical scientists involved in cancer research. Dr. Tan’s research integrates nanoscience technology and cancer biology to more effectively deliver cancer drugs.
“I don’t know how we did it,” Dr. Tan recalls. “There was no social media, but we were well organized, and we synchronized a movement. It was a big deal.” Nearly 20 years later, in her new home in the United States as a pharmaceutical scientist at Mercer University in Atlanta, Dr. Tan is now pursuing solutions to another profound problem. Cancer, a global killer that makes no distinctions of ethnicity, gender or class, is a different but perhaps far more vexing problem. Dr. Tan, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Mercer’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, is a member of an emerging team of Mercer pharmaceutical scientists whose cancer research has far-reaching implications for patients. “Cancer remains one of the world’s most devastating diseases, with more than 10 million new cases every year,” Dr. Tan says. “Over the past few decades, our knowledge on the etiology of cancer has increased exponentially. The improved understanding of the processes that are central to the malignant transformation and tumor genesis has resulted in the development of several new classes of antitumor therapeutics.” Basic science research like that being conducted by Dr. Tan and other Mercer scientists is significantly enhanced by the College’s integration of pharmaceutical sciences and cancer biology, Dr. Tan says. Often, pharmacy schools focus on pharmaceutical sciences – namely drug formulation and delivery — while medical schools focus on biology — namely disease states. At Mercer, scientists like Dr. Tan integrate the two, which Mercer believes enhances the ability to take research from bench to bedside, from the lab to the patient. Dr. Tan’s research integrates nanoscience technology and cancer biology to more effectively deliver cancer drugs in a way that could offer patients a better quality and longer quantity of life. Her Mercer colleague, Dr. Diane Matesic, is exploring two novel cancer drugs as antitumor agents that target important pathways in cancer cells. Both scientists have secured research funding from the National Institutes
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of Health. Dr. Tan’s research is funded in part by a three-year, $470,000 NIH grant that expires in 2013, and her lab is supported by the National Cancer Institute. Also, last year the Georgia Cancer Coalition awarded Dr. Tan a $50,000 grant for her research. In 2004, Dr. Matesic’s research earned R01 funding from the NIH, the most difficult and distinguished NIH funding to secure. The three-year, $350,000 award expired in 2007, but in 2009 the NIH subsequently awarded Matesic a R15 grant for $230,000 over three years. Other Mercer pharmaceutical scientists doing cancer research include Dr. Martin D’Souza, who also is receiving NIH funding and is studying the formulation of vaccines for breast, ovarian and prostate cancers; Dr. Hailing Zhang, whose image-guided drug delivery cancer research was also awarded a $50,000 award from the Georgia Cancer Coalition; and Dr. Nader Moniri, whose research on receptor pharmacology has broad implications for understanding cancer and other diseases. “I can see a tremendous increase in research funding,” said Dr. Ajay Banga, chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. “We have many young, motivated faculty who have submitted a significant number of grants. It is a very healthy environment for research.”
Nanotechnology and cancer biology Using a novel approach, Tan’s research places multiple anticancer drugs in nano-sized carriers — about a few hundred times smaller than a cell — that carefully deliver cancer drugs directly to the cancer cells. Acting as a protective shield, the nanocarriers keep the drugs enclosed until the nanocarriers reach the cancer cells, after which the medication is deployed directly into the cells. One of the problems with the current delivery of cancer drugs is that these highly toxic medications are exposed and dispersed throughout the body before reaching the cancer cells. This reduces the efficacy that the drugs have on the cancer cells and produces serious toxicities
in the body. Toxicity is a critical concern because cancer patients often die from highly toxic cancer drugs that, over time, undermine the functions of major organs such as the bone marrow, liver, kidneys and lungs. It is Dr. Tan’s research surrounding this novel nanocarrier delivery system that promises to provide a system to better attack the progression of the disease while reducing or eliminating the toxic side effects of today’s cancer medications. “The ultimate benefit of my research is the patient will no longer have any exposure to the toxic organic solvent,” Dr.
“The ultimate benefit of my research is the patient will no longer have any exposure to the toxic organic solvent.” – Dr. Chalet Tan Tan says. “That in itself is a huge improvement. And, hopefully, the patient will receive fewer injections because the drug is going to stay in the tumor much longer.” During her doctoral studies at the University of Georgia, Dr. Tan’s research focused on pharmaceutical sciences. After earning her doctorate, she received training in cancer biology as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md. After being a research faculty at Emory University School of Medicine for a few years, Dr. Tan joined Mercer’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2007. “The use of nanoparticles for drug delivery and targeting is one of the most exciting and clinically propitious areas in nanotechnology,” says Dr. Tan, whose lab includes a postdoctoral fellow and three graduate students in the Ph.D. program. “To address the challenges of targeting tumors with
Dr. Martin D’Souza
P r o fess o r Dr. Souza’s research examines the oral delivery of vaccines, proteins and peptides. His research laboratory is preparing sustained release nanosphere or microsphere formulations that are coated to prevent degradation in the stomach. His lab has recently formulated and conducted preliminary testing of the efficacy after oral vaccination in cancers such as melanoma, breast, ovarian and prostate.
Dr. Diane Matesic
P r o fess o r Dr. Matesic’s research has discovered tumor therapies targeting specific signaling pathways that are over-activated in cancer cells. One of the therapeutics that Dr. Matesic is testing is a novel cancer drug that is a natural product isolated from a plant fungus. A second, synthetic drug she is testing has shown remarkable antitumor capabilities and has been effective in inhibiting growth in model tumor cell lines.
Dr. Nader Moniri
assistant pr o fess o r Dr. Moniri’s research examines the role of the omega-3 fatty acid receptor in regulating cell growth and proliferation, which if uncontrolled can lead to cancer. His laboratory is investigating the role of various dietary fats in the promotion of gastrointestinal cancers such as colon cancer. One of the hopes of this study is determine whether the omega-3 fatty acids can, in fact, prevent the formation and growth of colon cancers.
Dr. Hailing Zhang
assistant pr o fess o r Dr. Zhang’s research uses an infrared-like imaging of a dye used in medical diagnostics to determine where an anticancer drug is and how much of the drug has been dispersed in cancer cells. The research seeks to eventually be able to guide the delivery of anticancer drugs directly to cancer cells. Such a delivery strategy has the potential to achieve personalized medicine by monitoring drug accumulation in real-time fashion and releasing anticancer drugs at different times for each patient.
nanotechnology, it is essential to combine the rational design of nanocarriers with the fundamental understanding of tumor biology. By combining approaches in pharmaceutical sciences and cancer biology, we aim to identify highly effective nano-sized drug delivery systems with broad applicability to improve the efficacy of anticancer drugs.”
Experimental Therapeutics Dr. Matesic’s research has discovered tumor therapies targeting specific signaling pathways that are over-activated in tumor cells. In the past, the idea has been to kill the tumor cells, but that approach also destroys normal cells that are critical to helping the body fight illness. Dr. Matesic’s research targets specific pathways to selectively attack the cancer cells. One of the therapeutics that Dr. Matesic is testing is a novel cancer drug that is a natural product isolated from a plant fungus. The non-synthetic tumor therapeutic was first discovered by Dr. Horace Cutler, a former pharmaceutical scientist at Mercer who was a member of the college’s Natural Products Discovery Group. “They screened their isolated compounds for growth inhibition in plants,” Dr. Matesic says of the group. “And they needed to farm their drugs out to look for applications, so when I came to Mercer I assayed a lot of their compounds. One experimental cancer therapeutic I’m now testing is one that I screened for tumor cell growth inhibition. It looked promising as a possible antitumor agent, and the more we work on it, the more interesting and promising it looks. Now, we’re going to the next phase of testing. The interesting thing about this drug … is that it doesn’t just target a single commonly altered signaling pathway in tumor cells, it targets two very important pathways that are often dysregulated. And it’s targeting them in the direction that leads to growth inhibition. Dr. Matesic is also studying a second novel drug, a class small molecule that a Mercer colleague, Dr. Stanley Pollock, worked on for years in collaboration with a Georgia Tech
professor. This synthetic drug, which is a derivative of butenoic acid, has shown remarkable antitumor capabilities and has been effective in inhibiting growth in model tumor cell lines. And like the natural therapeutic that Dr. Matesic is studying, the second drug also targets two different signaling pathways important in cancer. “This experimental drug is showing similar structural properties to a cancer drug on the market today,” says Dr. Matesic, emphasizing the low toxicity of the drug. “But we think ours is more selective for tumor cells over normal cells compared to the current drug on the market. But with cancer, you need an arsenal of drugs because of the body’s eventual resistance to many therapies.” Dr. Matesic, who earned her doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, has graduate students and one pharmacy student working in her laboratory. “When I applied here, I saw that there was drug research going on, and I knew that I was working in an area that had potential,” Matesic says. “And being here has been very good for getting this research on track.”
Emerging Collaborations In many ways, the research being conducted in Dr. Tan’s and Dr. Matesic’s labs complement each other. Though Dr. Tan’s research is driven by her deep understanding of cancer biology, its novelty rests in the ability to insert one or more cancer drugs in nanocarriers that effectively deliver the drugs directly to cancer cells. Dr. Matesic’s research seeks to develop more effective cancer drugs themselves. Combining the two research areas – the more effective drug delivery system and the more effective cancer drug — is something both researchers want to explore. “Both Dr. Tan and I have been very busy with our research and our teaching assignments, but we plan on getting together to discuss ways we can collaborate,” Dr. Matesic says. “More of Mercer’s research labs are now focusing on cancer, and I
anticipate more collaborations.” Dr. Banga, department chair of the pharmaceutical sciences, says the increased research in cancer was not planned but is welcomed. “We didn’t necessarily plan it this way, but it’s happening that a number of faculty have cancer research as a common theme.”
After Tiananmen After Tiananmen Square, Dr. Tan set her eyes on coming to America and being a scientist. She completed her bachelor’s degree from Shanghai Medical University and began working for one of only four patent agencies in China that handled international patent applications. It was 1992 and all Chinese college graduates were required to do five years of mandatory service to China. After two years, however, the Chinese government relaxed the five-year service requirement. Within months of the change, Dr. Tan took the required exams and was accepted to the doctoral program at the University of Georgia in Athens. She chose Georgia in part because the 1996 summer Olympics would soon be in Atlanta. “I have always been inspired by Albert Einstein,” Dr. Tan laughs. “Einstein started his career as a patent agent. So I used to tell people that I was just doing what I needed to do to eventually become a scientist. So I was always inspired by Einstein, even though I’m not the same level of scientist.” For cancer patients, perhaps that’s relative for now.
e x perience m o re Scan this QR code to view our movie-quality research video, and learn how our students are gaining extraordinary experience in cancer and Alzheimer’s research.
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Student News
16 pharmacy students present at ASHP meeting In an impressive showing from one school, 16 pharmacy students presented research projects at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ Midyear Clinical Meeting in December. Of the 16 students, all 14 Advanced Clinical Track (ACT) students presented. The students included: Houda M. Aboujamous, Robert Boswell, Susiana Mulyadi Eng, Rebecca K. Feng, Carissa Fisher, Brian M. Franchio, Brooke T. Gabel, Jenna Hap, Risa Hiroshima, Delmas Jenkins, Mirena Kovacheva, Brian Nelson, Deepa V. Patel, Brian Peifer, Ashley L. Williams, and Robert H. Witcher.
2011 Graduation Awards Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Phi Lamba Sigma awarded grant from Target The College’s chapter of Phi Lambda Sigma was recently awarded a $2,500 grant from Target to hold a student leadership workshop. Target’s “Talent Acquisition” team supports programs and organizations that directly impact diversity, leadership, academics and volunteerism on campus.
Reuben C. Hood Award recipients: • Mary HarperColeen Hart • Amanda Martinez • Katherine McQueen • Vian Nguyen
TEVA Pharmaceuticals USA Student Award • Amir Khan
About the Reuben C. Hood Award The Reuben C. Hood Award is the highest scholastic award offered to graduating pharmacy students by the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. It is given in honor of a founder and longtime Dean of the College.
Special Awards recipients sponsored by pharmaceutical companies
Ph.D. students earn recognition, awards at national conferences Two Ph.D. students, M. Abla and A.K. Banga, won a third-place poster award of $2,000 at the New York
Mylan Pharmaceuticals Excellence in Pharmacy Award • Joe Lamb
Facts & Comparisons Award of Excellence in Clinical Communication • Meagan Barbee Lilly Achievement Award • Rebecca Spivey
About the Special Awards This group of award recipients distinguished themselves over the last four years in pharmacy school. The Honors, Awards, and Scholarships Committee selected them for their demonstration of superior communication and patient caring skills, professionalism, leadership, and scholastic achievement.
Physician Assistant Studies Humanitarian Award A person who seeks to promote the welfare of humankind by eliminating pain and suffering • Martha Johnson Leadership Award A person who is a pathfinder and encourager of success • Christopher Thomas
Merck Award • Melissa Denno • Lauren Riley • Destin Sampson
Heritage Award A person willing to establish excellence and strengthen traditions • Kirstin Pender
Society of Cosmetic Chemists’ Technology Transfer Conference in November. The presentation was titled, “Skin penetration and quantification of antioxidants of varying lipophilicity.” Similarly, six Ph.D. students earned awards during a recent conference of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists. Suprita Tawde and Lipika Chablani received an award to participate in the AAPS graduate student symposium in biotechnology, where they presented research during a podium presentation. The $1,250 award, sponsored by Pfizer, includes travel, cash and a plaque. Anushree Herwadkar and Ruhi Ubale received a travel award of $750 each. And Prathap Nagaraja and Prasanna Kolluru each received awards of $705 and $1,000 respectively. Mercer also received second-position recognition as an outstanding student chapter of AAPS. The recognition included a $300 cash award.
2010-2011 Organization Awards
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COPHS NEWS
Awareness Challenge. The chapter also was the winner of the inaugural Operation Heart Award. The Gamma Psi chapter of the Kappa Psi pharmaceutical fraternity was awarded the 2009-2010 “Chapter of the Year” award as the No. 1 internationally ranked chapter for the second consecutive year.
2010-11 Student Awards and Recognitions Jill Augustine and faculty adviser Dr. Lisa Lundquist were chosen for the AACP Walmart Scholars Program. The goal of this scholarship program is to strengthen the recipient’s skills and commitment to a career in academic pharmacy through participation in programming and activities at the 2011 AACP Annual Meeting and Seminars. Augustine was also selected to receive the APhA Student Leadership Award. Ashlyn Bozeman and Erin Woodard were among only five students selected nationally to receive Zada M. Cooper Scholarship awards by the Kappa
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Mercer’s APhA-ASP chapter was named the national winner of the Heartburn
Epsilon Foundation. The award is given to pharmacy students who demonstrate “superior achievement” in the classroom and community. Sonanarom “Belle” Kumsaitong received the Georgia Society of Hospital Pharmacists Outstanding Pharmacy Intern/Extern Award for 2010. Juan Lopez was installed as the national vice president of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association. Neelam Patel and Kelly O’Neal were chosen to complete a five-week Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience
with Proctor & Gamble during the 2011-12 academic year. April Britt Sheppard was selected by the Centers for Disease Control to complete a five-week Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience during the 2011-12 academic year. Austin Tull was selected for a two-year term on the National Student Leadership Council of the National Community Pharmacists Association. Geoffrey Turner was accepted for the Sid Anderson Community Pharmacy Internship. He was selected
by the Georgia Pharmacy Association’s Academy of Independent Pharmacists and the Georgia Pharmacy Foundation. Annise Williams-Narin (PA) was elected to the Student Board of Directors as the Director of Diversity for the Student Academy of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, the national organization for physician assistants.
Student Essays
Service Learning Key to Developing Good Communications Skills with Patients by: lAurA GolD A physical therapist once told me that the key to being effective with patients and clients is being a good communicator. He told me that you can be the smartest, most knowledgeable clinician in the world, but it does not matter if you cannot establish effective, honest, and open lines of communication with your patient. As medical professionals, physical therapists also need to communicate effectively with other health care providers, payers, families, and the public. The development of communication skills is woven throughout the Doctor of Physical Therapy curriculum at Mercer, but for me, the best opportunity to hone these skills comes through service-learning experiences. The service-learning series of courses in the College’s Department of Physical Therapy gives students exposure to a variety of environments that require us to communicate with different types of people at different levels. In my first semester at Mercer, I worked on a needs assessment project for the Good Samaritan Health Center, a clinic that serves residents of Atlanta who are uninsured or cannot afford care. Our goal was to determine the general health and wellness needs for the Good Sam community and to lay the foundation for a future partnership between our two programs. In pursuing this goal, my teammates and I conducted interviews with several health care providers at the center, as well as many patients. After collecting our data, we prepared a report and presented our findings to the Good Sam administration. Over the course of the project, we faced challenges in learning to communicate effectively and professionally with the providers. In conducting patient interviews, we often faced language barriers and had to work with interpreters or alter our questions so that we could communicate effectively with those whose English-speaking abilities were limited. Another service-learning opportunity that was part of my first semester at Mercer was participation in the Huntington’s Retreat at Camp Twin Lakes in Winder, Ga. In this service-
learning experience, students spend a Saturday conducting exercise and relaxation classes and lead other outdoor activities for adults with Huntington’s Disease. At the retreat, we each had one or two individuals with whom we spent several hours that day. The experience was very enjoyable for all the students who participated, but throughout the day we often had to choose our words carefully and show compassion in our interactions with individuals coping with what is ultimately a very debilitating disease. Over the summer, my service-learning experience took me to Cathedral Towers, a residential community for older adults located in Atlanta. With the assistance of faculty members, eight other students and I conducted weekly exercise classes for residents at Cathedral Towers. Working with an older adult population was easily my favorite exercise in communication thus far. While it was important for us as budding PTs to practice teaching exercises to clients, the most rewarding part of the experience was meeting these wonderful and interesting people and listening to their stories. Our service-learning courses certainly have a focus on providing service to our community, but my belief is that students gain far more than they give from these experiences. So with one semester of service-learning left ahead of me, I look back at all that I have already gained. For me, the experiences have been about learning to tailor the way I speak and listen to all those with whom I have interacted, and I am confident that this will help me to become an effective physical therapist. Laura Gold is a second-year student in the College of Pharmacy and Health Science’s inaugural Doctor of Physical Therapy Class of 2013.
What can a PA do for you?
Most Americans are finally beginning to understand that primary care and prevention are essential parts of the solution to our nation’s health care crisis. b y : g w e n d o ly n S h e a r e r
Imagine you’re a car. You’re heading south on the highway because you heard about a mechanic who knows how to make you feel like the day you drove off the lot for a very reasonable price. But every other car in the city heard too…and traffic is heavy…and the shop closes in an hour. As health care consumers, this scenario of urgent need and limited resources is unfortunately a very familiar one. The shortage of primary care providers (PCPs) we face as a part of this nation’s health care crisis is not a new concept. Most of us probably can recall recently having trouble getting an appointment with our health care provider. With the recent passage of the Affordable Care Act expecting to further widen the gap between supply and demand, utilization of physician assistants (PAs) will become a vital part of the future of our health care system. By using their comparable education and diagnostic skills, PAs can help fill the gap between the increased patient-care demand and decreased supply of PCPs . PAs are highly trained in primary care, which is the backbone of preventive health care and the key to driving down preventable, chronic illness. Currently, 39 percent of PAs choose to practice in primary care, rural, and underserved areas. The Affordable Care Act provides $250 million in funding to increase the primary care workforce, with $32 million of that to support PA programs, and $1.5 billion to increase PCPs in underserved areas. With this increased support for PAs, especially those who choose to enter primary care in underserved areas, more PCPs will be going where they are needed. Most Americans are finally beginning to understand that primary care and prevention are essential parts of the solution to our nation’s health care crisis. Chronic and most often preventable illnesses continue to plague our population while the number
of PCPs continues to decline. The goal of creating a nation one-step ahead of the many preventable illnesses that hamper us today is itself hampered by the current shortage of PCPs. PAs are an integral part of changing the focus of our health care system to preventive care and will be instrumental in helping drive prevention of chronic illness. As a PA student, I am discouraged that much of the public is unaware of the PA profession, what PAs can do, and how they can be utilized to meet the profound need for thorough, accessible, preventive primary care. As members of health care teams, PAs are health care professionals who practice medicine with the supervision of physicians. PAs are trained to deliver a broad range of medical and surgical services. PAs can perform physical exams, diagnose and manage acute illnesses and chronic disease, order and interpret tests, prescribe medications, counsel on preventive health care, and assist in surgery. PA training programs last an average of 27 months and require an undergraduate degree as well as previous clinical experience prior to admission. There are currently over 83,466 PAs in the country and the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts PAs to be the second fastest growing health profession in the next decade. So the next time you find yourself in the doctor’s office and someone asks if you would be willing to see the PA, say yes and see what a PA can do for you! Gwendolyn Shearer is a second-year PA student in Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Atlanta.
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Fifty Incoming PA Students Receive White Coats in January Nearly 200 pharmd, pt and phd students enrolled in august
Dean Matthews
Congratulations Dean H. W. “Ted” Matthews RECIPIENT
2012 American Pharmacists Association, Academy of Student Pharmacists
Outstanding Dean Award
Fifty students enrolled in the Physician Assistant Studies program in January 2012 and recited the Pledge of Professionalism. In August, the College enrolled 153 new pharmacy students, 36 new physical therapy students, and six new Ph.D. students.
Fifty first-year physician assistant students received their white coats in January, officially beginning their 27-month journey toward becoming one of the nation’s leading health care professionals. The class is the largest PA class since the program started in 2006 and is considered the ideal class size. In August, nearly 200 first-year students in pharmacy and physical therapy received white coats. The group included 153 incoming pharmacy students and 36 first-year students in the physical therapy program. The College also enrolled six new Ph.D. students this fall in its pharmaceutical sciences graduate program. The white coat ceremony traditionally marks a student’s transition from the study of pre-clinical to clinical health sciences, symbolizing the conversion of a lay person into a member of the health care profession. “Mercer has a strong reputation for producing excellent health care practitioners, many of whom become leaders and advocates in their fields,” said Jim Bartling, Pharm.D., associate dean for Student Affairs and Admissions. “We are pleased to welcome our new students to the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.”
Upcoming eVeNTS
This award is selected by students to recognize a school or college of pharmacy dean who has made significant contributions to the APhA-ASP chapter and promoted with distinction the welfare of student pharmacists through various community service, leadership, and professional activities. Dean Matthews was formally presented with the award during the 2012 APhA Annual Meeting in New Orleans, La., March 9-12, 2012.
In Memoriam We give tribute to all of our alumni who passed in the years 2010 and 2011. We thank them and their families for gracing our University with their presence.
1940s
Guy E. Adair, 1943 Decatur, Ga. Nan F. Freemon, 1945 Roswell, Ga. Donald E. Wender, 1949 Atlanta, Ga.
1950s MARCH 14 29
Alumni Association Board Meeting Mercer University – Atlanta Campus Dr. G. Van Greene Distinguished Lecture Day Hall Auditorium, Mercer University – Atlanta Campus
APRIL 6
Good Friday
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Council of Students Spring Picnic Mercer University – Atlanta Campus Pharmacy Senior Class banquet 755 Club, Turner Stadium (Invitation Only) Dean’s Ice Cream Social DuVall Building, Mercer University – Atlanta Campus
MAY 7
Pinning Ceremony, Pharm.D., Class of 2013
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Hooding Ceremonies for PA and Pharm.D. Graduates Sheffield Center Mercer University – Atlanta Campus (PA ceremony starts at 11 a.m.; Pharm.D. ceremony starts at 2 p.m.)
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Commencement 10 a.m. Mercer University – Atlanta Campus COPHS Alumni and Friends Classic (Golf) Tournament Whitewater Creek Country Club Fayetteville, Ga.
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COPHS NEWS
George D. McFarland, 1959 Dunwoody, Ga. Mary F. Walker, 1959 Cedartown, Ga.
1960s
George Burrows Jr., 1951 Amory, Miss.
William M. “Bill” McClure, 1962 Knoxville, Tenn.
Austin T. Chitwood Jr., 1951 Bullhead City, Ariz.
Donald R. Sherwood, 1962 Buford, Ga.
Ben C. McEwen, 1951 Gainesville, Ga.
William R. Barnette, 1964 Clifton Forge, Va.
L. Cooper Schaudies, 1951 East Point, Ga.
Charles W. “Bill” Wilson, 1966 Glennville, Ga.
Oscar S. Croker, 1952 Anderson, S.C.
1970s
Thomas M. McCleskey Jr., 1952 Villa Rica, Ga.
Joe B. Moore, 1971 Bowdon, Ga.
Winston O. Bullard, 1953 Newnan, Ga.
Alvin Leroy Toliver, 1972, 1974 Conyers, Ga.
Don E. Keenum, 1953 Woodstock, Ga.
Corinne L. Kitchens, 1976 Macon, Ga.
Jack W. Airheart, 1954 Concord, N.C.
Leland B. Lacy, 1976, 1977 Pembroke, Va.
Warren E. Beal, 1955 Dillard, Ga.
Michael P. Watts, 1979 Johnson City, Tenn.
William B. Maurer, 1957 Smyrna, Ga. Donald Hudnall, 1958 Seminole, Fla. James C. Price, 1958 Rock Spring, Ga.
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George A. Kemp, 1959 Augusta, Ga.
2000s
Michael W. Waldroup, 2000 Fletcher, N.C. Jan J. Barreto, 2001 Largo, Fla.
News & Notes
Alumni News
Schutter ’77 receives industry award for life sciences
Lovvorn ’86 gives $15K for endowed scholarship
Edward Schutter, R.Ph. ’77, M.B.A., received the 2012 Industry Growth Award by the Georgia Bio board. Georgia Bio (GaBio) is a non-profit, membershipbased organization that promotes the interests and growth of the life sciences industry. Schutter, president & CEO of Arbor Pharmaceuticals, is being honored as a successful entrepreneur and leader of Georgia’s bioscience community.
Brandall Lovvorn, Pharm.D.,’86, recently gave $15,000 to establish an endowed scholarship for a deserving Mercer pharmacy student. The scholarship is called The Brandall S. and Dana C. Lovvorn Endowed Scholarship, named for Dr. Lovvorn and his wife.
Dean Matthews, right, with President Henry Lewis at Lewis’ inauguration in February 2012.
Henry Lewis, Pharm.D., Class of 1978, was named president of Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens, Fla. Dr. Lewis served as dean and professor in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Florida A&M University (FAMU) for 15 years and as interim president of FAMU from January to June 2002.
Prather ’70 named president of Ga. Board of Pharmacy William L. “Bill” Prather, BSPHM ’70, is the new president of the Georgia Board of Pharmacy. He takes over from D. Steven “Steve” Wilson, BSPHM ’76, Pharm.D., ’77, M.B.A., ’82, whose board term recently expired.
Professor Emeritus Mercer University Recognition Dr. Richard A. Jackson Class of 1969 Dr. John M. Holbrook Class of 1969 Dr. Earl S. Ward, Jr. Class of 1978
Courtesy of GPhA
Courtesy of GPhA
Dr. Lovvorn grew up working in Lovvorn Pharmacy in Bremen, Ga., owned by his father, W. Robert “Bobby” Lovvorn, BSPHM ’54. Dr. Lovvorn subsequently closed Lovvorn Pharmacy and opened Brandall Lovvorn Drugs down the street in Bremen.
Joe S. Moore’s Medical Center
Dunn ’78 named GPhA president Jack Dunn, Jr., R.Ph., ’78, was installed as the 2011-2012 president of the Georgia Pharmacy Association (GPhA). Dunn is the owner of Jasper Drug Store in Jasper, Ga., and has been an influential leader in pharmacy for many years. “We are excited to have Jack serving as our president for the next year,” said Jim Bracewell, GPhA executive vice president/CEO. “Jack is known for his vision for the future of pharmacy, and he has a unique ability to inspire and motivate others. He is prepared to lead us forward as we navigate the changes in the future of health care.” Dunn’s father, Lee J. Dunn Sr., is a 1952 Mercer pharmacy alumnus, and wife, Terry Dunn, is a 1978 Mercer pharmacy graduate. Their son, Brent Dunn, is currently a second-year Mercer pharmacy student.
2011 GPhA Awards given to COPHS Alumni Innovative Pharmacy Practice Award
Drew Miller, R.Ph., CDM, Class of 1980, for his work to increase the health and well-being of his patients through innovation.
Bowl of Hygeia Award
R. Andy Rogers, R.Ph., Class of 1974, for his service to the profession and his community.
Academy of Employee Pharmacists Pharmacist of the Year Award
Compounding Pharmacy and Health Center in Cleveland, Tenn., recently earned accreditation from the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board. Mr. Moore earned his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Mercer in 1981. Edward Schutter receives 2012 Industry Growth Award (Courtesy of Georgia Bio)
Schutter began his career with a start-up, Reid-Provident Labs in Atlanta, and then was vice president of Global Business development for Solvay Pharmaceuticals before leading two start-ups: Sciele Pharma and now Arbor Pharmaceuticals. Sciele had grown to more than 900 employees when it was purchased by Shionogi for more than $1 billion. Arbor, a specialty pharma company focused on cardiovascular and pediatric medicines, has experienced rapid growth since Schutter assumed the position of president & CEO in 2010 and moved the company from North Carolina to Atlanta. Schutter is also being honored for his contributions to the bioscience community as chair of the Georgia Life Sciences Summit and CEO Roundtable.
Edward J. Schutter, Jr., BSPHM, Class of 1977, president and CEO of Arbor Pharmaceuticals, was chair of the 2011 Georgia Life Sciences Summit, the premier event for the Southeast’s bioscience community. The event attracted approximately 1,000 professionals from industry, academia and government.
COPHS Alumni Association Awards
2011 Young Alumni Award
Recognizes the accomplishments and commitment of an alumnus who graduated within the past 10 years
Marvin R. Smith, Pharm.D. Dr. Smith is a 2000 graduate of the College and the National Deputy Director for the Bahamas National Drug Agency. He was instrumental in helping the College establish an international rotation site in the Bahamas and is an active recruiter for the College. In 2009, Dr. Smith was named Volunteer of the Year for Kappa Psi Fraternity Association and is actively involved in helping our Kappa Psi chapter achieve No. 1 status in the nation.
2011 Alumni Meritorious Service Award
Presented to an alumnus of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences who has served the profession of pharmacy and the Alumni Association in an outstanding manner
M. David Upshaw, R.Ph. Mr. Upshaw is a 1965 graduate of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, where he received the College’s top academic award, the Reuben C. Hood Award. He spent his entire professional career at Eli Lilly, where he worked from 1965 to 1998, carrying out various medical, sales and marketing responsibilities. Since his retirement, Mr. Upshaw is actively involved in supporting his church and enjoys fishing, hunting and snow skiing. He is a lifetime member of the Mercer University President’s Club and a past member of the College’s Alumni Board of Directors. Mr. Upshaw established an endowed scholarship at the College that bears his name.
2011 Carlton Henderson Award
Recognizes an individual who has contributed to the reputation and enhancement of the profession of pharmacy in the state of Georgia
D. Steven Wilson, Pharm.D., M.B.A. The owner and pharmacist of Carter’s Pharmacy in Smyrna, Dr. Wilson is president of the Georgia Board of Pharmacy. Appointed by then Gov. Sonny Purdue, he is one of the seven licensed practicing pharmacists who serves on the board that is responsible for the regulations of pharmacists and pharmacies in the state. Dr. Wilson holds three degrees from Mercer University. He earned the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree in 1976, the Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 1977 and the Master of Business Administration degree in 1982 from the Stetson School of Business and Economics. Dr. Wilson has remained actively involved with his alma mater. For more than 25 years, he has been an adjunct faculty member and a preceptor for the Doctor of Pharmacy program. He has also served as president of the College’s Alumni Association. The Alumni Association has recognized his commitment to the pharmacy profession and the College, awarding him the Young Alumni Award in 1987 and the Alumni Meritorious Service Award in 1991.
Tracie D. Lunde, Pharm.D., Class of 2008, for her professional Lunde
integrity and commitment to GPhA.
Send Us Your Alumni News! Please send your COPHS alumni news to cophsAlumniNews@mercer.edu. We would love to share your accomplishments with others.
2011 Preceptor of the Year Award Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience
Vicky R. Pan, Pharm.D., M.B.A. Dr. Pan earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Georgia State University, and her M.B.A. (2005) and Pharm.D. (2006) degrees from Mercer. While in pharmacy school, Dr. Pan interned at CVS/Pharmacy and Northside Hospital. Dr. Pan has been a Mercer IPPE preceptor since 2008. In 2010, CVS/pharmacy named her the Preceptor of the Year, and she received the district Paragon Award. She was recently promoted as the CVS District 5 Pharmacy Supervisor. College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | Mercer University
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The latest faculty, student and alumni news at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
INSIDE: Cancer Research Intensifies at College College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Mercer University 3001 Mercer University Drive Atlanta, GA 30341-4155 678.547.6304
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