Deans’ Columns

DILIGENT AND RESILIENT: ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

Renae Chesnut, EdD, MBA, RPh

Dean Drake University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences As we reflect on the past several months and the numerous changes made due to the pandemic, we are proud of the pharmacy profession in the state of Iowa for coming together and being resilient and diligent in providing a high level of patient care. We are also appreciative of the numerous preceptors who continued to provide our students outstanding educational experiences, even though it often meant additional work. The dedication shown to our students’ education has been nothing short of inspiring.

While the pandemic also had an impact on our campus courses and operations, we continued to deliver on our mission of preparing today’s learners to be tomorrow’s health care leaders. Our faculty and staff transitioned to virtual instruction and mentoring last spring and created hybrid learning experiences this fall. Our experiential department dealt with hundreds of changes in experiential education schedules and devoted additional time, ensuring students fulfilled their requirements. Our students demonstrated their resilience, patience, agility, and openness to new ways of learning. As a result of all of these efforts, the College swiftly adapted to the circumstances while serving our community.

One such effort was the organization and completion of COVID-19 tests for 1,400 students before the start of the fall semester, along with ongoing testing of approximately 100 students each week to support the surveillance efforts. Students, faculty, and staff will continue these efforts prior to and during the spring 2021 semester as well. The College has also partnered with Hy-Vee, allowing our faculty and students to administer COVID-19 vaccinations to eligible community members at the new Harkin Institute building on Drake’s campus.

A few of the other partnerships, new educational opportunities, and highlights from the past year: • A Master of Science in Health Informatics and Analytics program launched this past fall semester. This 30-credit hour online degree can be completed as a stand-alone program for practicing professionals, or along with the PharmD for current students. • We celebrated the one-year anniversary partnership with Tabula Rasa HealthCare® (NASDAQ: TRHC) that created a clinical intelligence center and new opportunities for our students to provide additional patient care services. • In the latest U.S. News and World Report’s “Ameri-

ca’s Best Graduate Schools,” the pharmacy program advanced to 4th place among private programs, an advancement from 5th place in 2017.

Our students continue to excel in obtaining residencies, highly competitive fellowship positions, and other post-graduate positions. Several students were also the recipients of national honors: • Leah Bishop (P2) was one of five pharmacy students in the nation among 689 applicants to receive a CVS Health Minority Scholarship. • Jesse Upton (P4) was accepted into the AACP Walmart Scholars Program. • Nevin Radechel (P3) was accepted as a student scholar for the Academia-CPESN Transformation (ACT) Pharmacy Collaborative Midyear Meeting. • Drake’s chapters of Phi Delta Chi and Kappa Psi both ranked in the top 10 chapters of their respective fraternities’ national chapter awards.

Recent recognitions and awards for the faculty include the following: • Sarah Grady received the national Phi Delta Chi Chapter Advisor of the Year. • Sally Haack was elected the AACP Council of Faculties Secretary of Knowledge Management. • Renae Chesnut was installed as Chair-elect of the AACP Council of Deans and joined the AACP Board of Trustees. • Several grants and contracts were received, including Pramod Mahajan, who was awarded a $345,013 grant for the SoapyCilantro® STEM Scale Up Program. • Ron Torry was the recipient of the 2020 Drake Madelyn M. Levitt Teacher of the Year.

Congratulations as well to national pharmacy leader, Charlie Porter, PH’70, who received the 2020 Lawrence C. and Delores M. Weaver Medal of Honor, the highest honor given by the College.

As a result of all the work of our faculty, staff, preceptors, alumni, and students that led to these collaborations and accomplishments, the Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences continues to live up to its mission and take an active role in overcoming COVID-19. To all the IPA members who support our College and assist us in these endeavors, thank you for your diligence and resilience! ■

Leah Bishop

THE CALM IN A TUMULTUOUS STORM

In a recent communication to our Hawkeye Pharmacy family, I noted that I had run out of adjectives to describe the events of 2020. Indeed, let us hope humankind never again is called upon to endure another year like it!

It would be easy for me to wax on about the many accomplishments of our faculty, staff, and students this past year despite the tremendous challenges imposed by the pandemic. Instead, I would urge readers to view recent issues of HawkScripts, our College’s publication, that nicely captures many of those successes.

In honor of those who have been on the front lines, I prefer to devote this column to pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists both domestic and across the globe. On countless occasions, they have been the ‘calm in a tumultuous storm,’ responding to the medication needs of patients in ways too numerous to mention. Creativity, resilience, and perseverance abound.

All spectrums of the profession have been on full display, from acute care to ambulatory care, from rural to urban, from logistics and operations to patient-specific therapy, from bench-to-bedside, and from the classroom to the emergency room. No aspect of our profession has been spared the challenges imposed by this pandemic. Throughout it all, pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists utilized their intellect, talents, and skills to bring to the fore feats that many believed unattainable.

New methods of care delivery were established, and new drugs and vaccines were developed in an unimaginable timeframe, all serving as testament of a profession that goes about its business with little to no public recognition for its efforts, yet its overwhelming impact upon humankind deserves such recognition. In this regard, I was touched deeply by a simple yet poignant recent social post by one of our faculty, Professor Laura Knockel, who simply noted: “This is what we do…we plant the seed and watch them grow,” in referencing the powerfully important interface between student and faculty. No fanfare – Just going about one’s business…The Calm!

I would be remiss if I didn’t also note the vitally important role that IPA has played throughout the past year. From delivering high quality education, to relentless advocacy, to serving as the master weaver of our professional fabric, whose efforts to interlace us through an ongoing virtual social interface has never been more important as pharmacists across the State have often felt isolated and overwhelmed. I know I speak for many in offering a heartfelt salute to our IPA colleagues for their dedication and resolute commitment to the profession!

While there are rays of sunshine and glimmers of hope emerging almost daily, the storm is far from over. Our profession will continue to be challenged in ways currently unimaginable. However, as we continue to strive to defeat this relentless adversary, one thing is clear: Pharmacy…practitioners, scientists, educators, and the many others who comprise our profession…is at its best when faced with a common foe. We pull together, we support each other, and we serve as the one profession which represents calm in times of turmoil. ■

Laura Knockel

Donald Letendre, BS Pharm, PharmD, FASHP

Dean University of Iowa College of Pharmacy

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