Rising Stars Astellas VP speaks at annual Ebert Lecture by Alex Kantorovich Albert Ethelbert Ebert was a graduate of what is now the UIC College of Pharmacy and, in my opinion, was one of the greatest pharmacists of all time. He devoted his life to organized pharmacy and strived for the best interests of his fellow pharmacists. He was not only a pharmacist, but also a scientist, educator, and powerful leader in American pharmacy, having served as both the vice president and president of the American Pharmaceutical Association. He was a universal contributor to pharmacy, and his ideas became guiding principles for the uniform and ethical practice of the profession. Each year, the Phi Chapter of the Rho Chi Society at UIC hosts the wellattended Albert Ebert Memorial Lecture, which focuses on the future of the profession, in April. This year, the Phi Chapter was very fortunate to welcome guest speaker William Fitzsimmons, bs ’83, pharmd, ms, senior vice president of U.S. Development at Astellas Pharma Global Development, Inc. After completing his bachelor’s in pharmacy at UIC, Fitzsimmons went on to earn his PharmD from Virginia Commonwealth University and his master’s in clinical research design and statistical analysis from the University of Michigan. He is a registered pharmacist in Illinois and has authored more than 50 peerreviewed publications. A member of the American Society of Transplantation, Fitzsimmons is also chairman of the board of the Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization and sits on the Dean’s National Advisory Board for the College. Fitzsimmons’ talk, “Working Towards Better Patient Care: Personalized Medicine and the Pharmacist,” focused on using diagnostic tests to design medication regimens, the intervariability patients may have to specific medications, and what may lie in the near future for clinicians in terms of choosing therapies for patients. Afterward, attendees were invited to a Q&A luncheon with Fitzsimmons. Overall, the 39th Annual Albert Ebert Memorial Lecture was a great success. The lecture would not Alex Kantorovich, P4, Rho Chi President; Bill have been possible without the hard Fitzsimmons, bs ’83; Dean Jerry Bauman; and Rho Chi Advisor Patricia West-Theilke, pharmd ’97, attended work of the entire Rho Chi executive this year’s Ebert Lecture. board, the Office of Advancement at the College of Pharmacy, and Fitzsimmons, who serves as motivation for all of us students to strive to not only succeed for ourselves, but also for our profession. On behalf of the Phi Chapter of the Rho Chi Society, we look forward to seeing you at the 40th Annual Ebert Lecture on March 30, 2012. See back cover for details. 12 | UIC Pharmacist | Winter 2012 | pharmalumni.uic.edu
UIC triumphs at ISPOR At the 16th Annual International Meeting of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, held this past May in Baltimore, Sapna V. Rao, ms ’11; Shengsheng Yu, ms ’09, phd ’11; and doctoral candidates Fang-Ju Lin, Olaitan Ojo, pharmd ’01, Vardhaman Patel, and Lin Zhan; along with Assistant Professor Daniel Touchette, were recognized as scientific poster finalists for their project titled “A Decision Modeling Approach to Evaluate the Costeffectiveness of Prasugrel vs. Clopidogrel in Patients with Planned Precutaneous Coronary Intervention.” Lin was also recognized as a scientific poster finalist for her project titled “Impact of Cognitive Impairment on Functioning, Medical Resource Utilization, Adherence and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Schizophrenia.” Other student poster presentations included “FDA Regulations and Antidepressant Utilization” by Chris Campbell, pharmd ’11, with Associate Professor A. Simon Pickard and Professor Glen Schumock; “Economic Analysis of Alvimopan for Prevention and Management of Postoperative Ileus” by F. Yoojung Yang, pharmacy administration fellow, with Touchette and Clinical Assistant Professor William Galanter. Yu, partnering with Lin, Galanter, and Professor Bruce Lambert, also offered her podium presentation, “Evaluation of Clinical LaboratoryPharmacy Linkage Decision Support in the Use of Potassium Supplements.”