University & Alumni News

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Midwestern University College of Pharmacy

Mitchell R. Emerson, PhD

Dean, Midwestern University CPG

Greetings from the Midwestern University College of Pharmacy. We have many reasons to celebrate this past quarter as we welcome the summer. In April, Dr. Suzanne Larson, Midwestern University and Dr. Janet Cooley, The University of Arizona hosted a free Continued Education program where attendees learned about technology used on rotations including tools for both in person and remote learning. Thank you to all our alumni, preceptors and friends who joined us. On June 2nd, we celebrated our newest graduates, the Class of 2022! We wish our newest alumni our sincerest congratulations as they start their next journey. Prior to graduation, on May 13th, we recognized many from the Class of 2022 on their accomplishments and awarded the Faculty Mentor of the Year to Dr. Titilola Afolabi. Additional honors included the Preceptors of the Year awarded to Kevin Carrasco, Pharm. D., MPH, Banner University Medical Center Phoenix (Preceptor of the Year), John (Sean) McHale, Pharm. D., Soleo Health (Rookie Preceptor of the Year), and Kelsey Buckley, Pharm.D., BCACP, Associate Professor and Ambulatory Care Pharmacist (Faculty Preceptor of the Year). A sincere thank you and congratulations to those who make such a difference for our students. The end of May and beginning of June are a whirlwind of activity at the college as the same week we celebrated the Class of 2022 we welcomed Class of 2025. Orientation and “Bootcamp” were hosted the week of May 30th and classes began June 6th. Our newest class comes from diverse backgrounds and nearly every state and several foreign countries. We’re looking forward to helping them become exceptional pharmacists and health care providers. Rounding out a busy month, on June 17th, we hosted the Midwestern University Alumni and Friends Dessert Reception in conjunction with the AzPA Annual Meeting. The cherished event made a triumphant return after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. As always, we enjoyed plenty of sweet treats and reconnecting with our alumni, preceptors, and friends. We also celebrated many of our faculty and alumni who are making an impact in pharmacy in Arizona through presentations at the meeting: • Roger Morris – Adjunct Faculty • Ariane Guthrie – PGY-2 Resident • Dawn Gerber – Presenter and Leadership

Track Coordinator • Mark Boesen – Adjunct Faculty • Suzanne Larson – Director OEE • Matt Cheung – Community Partner • Sophia Galloway – Alumni • Kelly Fine – Adjunct Faculty • Holly Van Lew – Alumni • Erin Raney – Faculty continued on next page

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• Vanthida Huang – Faculty • Andrew Vogler – ID Fellow • Tho Phan – ID Fellow • Maura Jones Wolken – Faculty • Melinda Burnworth – Faculty • Adrienne Waibel – Alumni

The College is well represented on the AzPA Board of Directors as the following were sworn in for 2022-2023: • Dawn Gerber – President • Mike Dietrich – College of Pharmacy Representative • Lyndy Abdelsayed – MWU Student Liaison The College looks forward to another outstanding year for AzPA under the leadership of Dr. Gerber! In addition to presentations and leadership, several members of the MWU family were recognized. Maura Jones received an AzPA Appreciation Award, and Ron Woodbeck and Mike Dietrich were inducted into the AzPA Hall of Fame for their years of dedicated service to AzPA and the profession. We are looking forward to catching up with all of you and connecting at a future event. To follow us and learn more about our events and wins, join the CPG social media community: Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram 

Creighton University School of Pharmacy

Amy Wilson, PharmD

Dean, Creighton University SOP

Health care partnership a win-win

Creighton health sciences students are finding they benefit as much as those they serve through a partnership the University has with an organization in Phoenix dedicated to fostering independence for adults with autism and other neurodiversities.

Through the agreement between Creighton University Health Sciences Campus–Phoenix and First Place AZ, Creighton health care providers offer services and education to residents of First Place–Phoenix, an innovative residential community. Many adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Down syndrome, traumatic brain injury and other neurodiverse abilities face unique challenges in daily living. First Place–Phoenix is designed to nurture a sense of community, independence and interdependence within a supportive and caring environment. It also offers sites for education, training and creative expression. "This collaboration helps build a supportive community culture so that health care providers not only understand autism but also people with autism through its many forms and expressions," says Denise Resnik, founder and president/CEO of First Place AZ. "Our partnership with Creighton offers valuable insights into the lives of health science students while providing them with experiences that deepen their understanding of neurodiverse populations and appreciation for the challenges inherent in navigating systems of care." Residents received flu shots last fall from pharmacy faculty in a familiar setting at First Place–Phoenix, with students offering additional support to help them understand more about the vaccine and possible side effects. In 2022, pharmacy and occupational therapy faculty and students have begun working with First Place residents to provide medication history and education, as well as how to improve daily activities with OT support. Students review residents' medications and learn about their daily activities. Throughout the conversation, the residents and students work together to set goals and recommendations to work toward more lifestyle independence. In one case, after the medication review, an occupational therapy student identified that a resident was having trouble opening a pill case. The pharmacy student then noted

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that the medication was being filled and mailed from another state. Together, their recommendation was to find a physician in Arizona to support the person's medication needs and to acquire a different, larger pill case for easier opening. The School of Medicine offers an innovative elective rotation with First Place–Phoenix called "Minding the Gap." Randy Richardson, MD, regional dean of the School of Medicine in Phoenix, says the goal of the course is to improve the continuity of care for adolescents and adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental delays. "There is often a well-organized pediatric team that cares for these patients during their childhood, but their care often is nonexistent or poorly coordinated as they move from pediatric to adult care," Richardson says, "which is the 'gap' mentioned in the title of the course." He says Caroline Kim Kupfer, MD, assistant professor of medicine who directs the course, helps students understand the challenges and opportunities in the health care system for treating and caring for "this underserved, underrepresented and often underestimated cohort of patients." Amy Friedman Wilson, PharmD'95, dean of the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, says the partnership with First Place has given students a "fantastic" opportunity to serve the community in an interprofessional manner alongside health sciences colleagues. And students are finding satisfaction in helping empower the residents to become more independent. Says Sarah White, a first-year occupational therapy student: "Independence–that's the key word." 

Rick G. Schnellmann, PhD

Dean, University of Arizona COP—Tucson

Celebrating 75 Years of Excellence!

The University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy is celebrating its 75th anniversary during Homecoming this October. Much has changed since the first class of 84 students started in September 1947. When the school opened, it was housed in Temporary Barracks Building T-3, a surplus army prefabricated hut located just west of Bear Down Gymnasium, where the ScienceEngineering Library now stands. Today, the Coit College of Pharmacy resides on two campuses. In Tucson, Roy P. Drachman Hall and Skaggs Pharmaceutical Sciences Center. In Phoenix, the Phoenix Bioscience Core. Between both campuses, the College of Pharmacy has contributed to science and advancing health through its world-class scientists, educators, and alumni. To help celebrate the 75th anniversary, the College of Pharmacy has been collecting and sharing memories of the college and highlighting some of the achievements and events of the school, its students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. One of the first memories shared was from Steven Dudley, PharmD, DABAT. Dr. Dudley is a 2015 Pharmacy School graduate, a clinical toxicologist and the Director of the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center. “One of my favorite things from pharmacy school was actually being able to apply what we learned in the classroom to real life scenarios. I remember participating in the Pharmacy Day on the Capitol event and meeting with Senator Steve Farley to discuss the value of pharmacists and the impact we can have in healthcare. It was great to see his and his staff's eyes light up when they recognized all the ways pharmacist involvement improve patient care. It felt great to advocate because if we don't fight for our profession, who will?" If you have a memory and photograph to share about your experience with the Coit College of Pharmacy, please send them to jjavier@pharmacy.arizona.edu. Collected memories and photos will be shared with the PharmCat family in newsletters, social media and through the website.