PQ+2 April 2025 Issue by PQ+2

Written by: Joshua Litke

PHARM V DENT

Pharmacy triumphed over Dentistry in the annual interfaculty hockey match, following Pharm’s disappointing loss last spring. This may in part be owed to the return of Dr. John Ussher as head coach, which lifted spirits in the dressing room. Pharm was able to open up the scoring with an early goal from Terrell Vekved From there, Pharm extended their lead with goals from Max Albrecht, Blair Bysouth, and Eric MacMahon Dent kept the fight alive to the finish with 1 goal in the second and 2 more in the dying minutes of the third, but Pharm held strong till the final buzzer to close out the game. Huge thanks go out to Captain Joel Ray and Rebecca Johnston for organizing the event, and Shopper’s Drug Mart for sponsoring tickets, raffles and more! 4-3 PHARM WIN!

WHAT WAS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL EVENT?

I think the most successful thing from PAM this year would be kickoff I’m sure every CAPSI Sr would say the same, but I think this year was a particularly interesting situation because we had a sponsor come out for kickoff, (Loblaw’s) which doesn’t normally happen. Along with that, they sponsored Taco-in-a-Bag, an event that hasn’t been offered since pre-COVID. I had to go back to our 2018 records to take a look at anytime we ever hosted a Taco-in-a-Bag before That was definitely a surprise to me and I was really glad that it executed so well Definitely couldn’t have done it without the help from Miguel Mariano (CSHP Rep) and his mom from Taco Time I don’t know if we’ll be doing that event again because of the complexity of it, but I am very appreciative of all the work that was put in by the PAM committee, especially Max Albrecht, Miguel, Vincent Chiang, and everyone else who helped out

I was also very happy with how the pins and stickers turned out this year, even with the lower number of design submissions. I am very appreciative of everyone who submitted their awesome designs. I would like to shout out Rebecca Johnston for really nailing those queer pharmacy designs every year.

I think everyone was really happy with kickoff and I like to see that everyone enjoys themselves at these kind of events. PAM kickoff has always been a highlight of PAM for me, and particularly this year where things have really changed.

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT STUDENT EDITION

Designed by Abdiel Castillo

Maged Kharouba

Hello Everyone!

I am a senior PhD student in the Neuro-ARC study, supervised by Dr. Sherif Mahmoud, focusing on the phenomenon of Augmented Renal Clearance (ARC). Our research aims to determine the prevalence of ARC and its impact on the pharmacokinetics of selected drugs in critically ill patients. ARC is a critical condition accompanying severe illnesses, characterized by enhanced kidney function, which accelerates drug elimination and leads to subtherapeutic levels of renally cleared medications This can result in therapy failure, posing significant risks to patient outcomes

To date, our findings reveal a high prevalence of ARC, affecting up to 82% of the ~300 patients recruited so far. One key concern is the inefficacy of levetiracetam, an antiseizure medication, in these patients. Our data suggest that standard dosing is insufficient, and we are working to establish evidence-based recommendations for higher doses to ensure therapeutic effectiveness. Additionally, we are investigating the impact of ARC on other critical care medications

One of the major challenges in this research is managing the variability in critically ill patients, as individual responses to drug therapy differ significantly. However, the ultimate goal of our work is to optimize dosing strategies and improve patient outcomes, making this research both impactful and rewarding.

A A Year Year in Review in Review

We’ve come a long way since the Fall of 2024. Let’s see some of the highlights from this year!

By: Remi Hou

SDM Welcome Back (Sept 9)

We started the year with our annual Welcome Back BBQ sponsored by Shoppers Drug Mart!

Saving Second Base (Sept 21)

No September is complete without our annual baseball game!

October - Familiar + New Faces

CIBC Run for the Cure (Oct 6)

24 people took part in the Run for the Cure, our initiative to raise money for breast cancer research.

First Breakfast Club (Oct 8)

No one goes hungry as APSA kicked off it’s first Breakfast CLub! Props to those slicing bread.

Mint Monster Competition (Oct 31)

From witches to pill bottles, there was no lack of creativity from our pharmacy students!

Sports + Socials - Core Memories

From the first and second-year Assassins game to winning Gold at intramurals volleyball and dodgeball, the semester was full of so many fun activities that a few pages cannot do it just. Here are a few to highlight some of these core memories of this year in pharmacy school!

PQ+2 Farewell

As the year comes to a close, us from the PQ+2 team want to thank you for reading and participating in events. We couldn’t have done it without the support of all of you. Thank you for providing us feedback when there was something you wanted us to do differently. With PQ+2 moving to a committee next year, we hope to see some of you join us as we immortalize our pharmacy experience. This is a farewell from us to you.

PQ out!

-The PQ+2 team

CSHP Interdisciplinary Talk

CSHP is proud to present its annual Interdisciplinary talk. This event highlights the role of each healthcare professional in a team, and demonstrates the effectiveness of teamwork in the hospital setting.

During the event, the speakers shared a sample patient case to show the integration of all the healthcare professionals. It truly speaks to the value each profession offers to a patient's overall care. It showcases the moment various disciplines, including physicians, pharmacist, dieticians, and nurses, come together to collaborate and share their insight into various speciality cases. It ensure patient safety is the main aspect driving our collaboration and indicates how not one discipline can fulfill all the roles available.

Written by: Marissa Mikhail

Thanks to everyone for participating in the Mint Cup Competition this year! We had tons of fun with you all––from Orientation shenanigans to Halloween Scary-oke (you all actually have beautiful voices) to wearing your colour with pride at the Mint Cup Wrap Up Party––we were more than happy to organize these events for such an awesome group of students! Of course, a huge thank you to Mint Health + Drugs for helping us make it happen! Cheers!

- Jayden & Julie

MINT CUP LEADERBOARD

LLGBTQ+PhSC GBTQ+PhSC PRIDE&PHARMACY PRIDE&PHARMACY

Writtenby:JoanaCruz

Fun Fact: March is Pharmacy Appreciation Month (PAM), the same month in which the University of Alberta hosts its annual Pride Week.

Another Fun Fact: The PharmD program has its very own LGBTQ+ Pharmacy Student Club!

We invited Joseph Lam and Sarah Phan, the Co-Presidents of the LGBTQ+ PhSC to reflect on their pharmacy journey so far

01

The LGBTQ+ PhSC was founded in 2021, and aims to support queer, trans and allied students in PharmD through community-building and advocacy Joseph joined the club in his first year of pharmacy, and later invited Sarah to join as well As Co-Presidents, they and the Executive team have hosted many fun events this year, such as the Valentine’s Day Candy Grams, PharmDnD, and the Inclusive Care Presentation with Jyoti (Harjot) Palak.

02

COVID-19 moved many undergraduate courses to online delivery in 2020 up until 2023 Student groups on campus were similarly halted, which made it difficult to access queer spaces This lack of community in their early university experience greatly informed Joseph and Sarah’s decision to join the LGBTQ+ PhSC.

“I’ve been part of the club since first year. By my second year, I decided to get more involved,” Joseph explained, “and that’s when I invited Sarah. Working together, we formed a bond.”

A sense of belonging has always been an integral part of the queer community Feeling supported makes a difference in both education and well-being, especially in a program as rigorous as PharmD. Sometimes, with how fast paced the school week can be, it’s easy for faces to blur together in the hallways, but student clubs including the LGBTQ+ PhSC provide the opportunity to get to know your fellow peers outside of class. Whether it’s through group study sessions during exam season, or board game nights to relax after a long day, there’s always something for everyone to enjoy.

“You see familiar faces and form close connections with the people who come to our events,” Sarah remarked feat.

EVENT

As Salaamu Alaykum/Peace Be Upon You! As you may know, the Muslim Pharmacy Students’ Club (MPSC) is a group focused on supporting Muslim pharmacy students; as well, educating both muslim and non-muslim, pharmacists, students, and other healthcare professionals in Alberta and beyond on the unique health needs of Muslim patients. Our main goal is creating a community for Muslim pharmacy students in the program to fall back on and have a sense of belonging.

When planning our first ever Ramadan Iftar, we were beyond excited to have an event to bring everyone together, including faculty, graduate students, and students in pharmacy. We wanted to dedicate this evening to fostering meaningful connections, learning, and reflection. The event started off with a few remarks from our MC, Mustafa Abougoush, a 3rd year pharmacy student, and the MPSC’s treasurer. We then had the MPSC co-presidents, Ammar Burhani (2nd year) and Hadeel Mohamed (4th year), share a few words about the MPSC and Ramadan. The MPSC also had the honour of having Heba Aref, and Dr. Sherif Mahmoud as our guest speakers. Everyone then had some delicious food and spent time with each other.

Overall, the iftar created an opportunity to gain insight into the observance of Ramadan, and explore how we, as future healthcare providers, can support patients who are fasting, and in general support those around us.

5 Tips for Rotation

Written by: Omnia Rajab and Remi Hou

Ask your preceptor for more learning opportunities

They don’t know what you already know, so be proactive and seek out opportunities.

If you are given a break, take it. Standing for 8 hours a day and wracking your brain for that one piece of therapeutic knowledge is extremely tiring

Interact with not only your preceptor but also the other staff members at the pharmacy. Learning is everywhere!

“Don’t” tell your preceptor that you are going to overthrow their reign and conquer their pharmacy

They will laugh so hard that they will cry, and then assign you 4 extra care plans as punishment

If your preceptor goes on paternity leave 2 weeks into your rotation, do not take this as a “Home Alone” style opportunity to goof around Your preceptor is always watching. Seriously. They know everything and they have eyes everywhere.

Easter

Featuring: THe Pharmacy Christian Fellowship

Written By: remi hou + PCF contributors

Culturally, Easter is often seen as a holiday highlighted by a long weekend, time spent with friends and an Easter bunny who brings around chocolate eggs. While these are definitely fun, Easter means a lot more to Christians. It is centered around the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and Jesus sacrificed himself to cover our transgressions.

Easter can mean something different to everyone. Here is what Easter means to some of the members of the Pharmacy Christian Fellowship.

“Easter to me is a season of so much more than just bunnies and chocolate eggs, to me it's a season of joy and hope. For by Christ's suffering on the cross, and resurrecting on the third day, we have a hope and joy like no other. Our Savior came to save us from the bondage of the enemy and conquered death by His death. The feast of the resurrection is when we get to suffer with Him to then rise up in eternal glory by Him.”

Shirley (Class of 2028)

“”Easter to me is a time of reflection. It is a time of thankfulness to what God has done for us. We do not deserve his sacrifice, yet he showed mercy to each and every one of us when He bore that cross. To be with family during this time is an extra blessing, however, the main one is the unconditional love that god has shown us.”

Abdiel (Class of 2028)

“for me, easter shows christ’s sacrificial love for all mankind its when i truly remember that He took what is ours and He gave us what is his. his love saved us from death and separation from him. he saved us from our sin and humbled himself to the point of death on the cross. we rejoice that christ has risen from the dead, Truly he is risen. this is our reason for life, to love him and live for him.”

Marissa (Class of 2027)

what is PCF?

We are a group of students who want to grow in our faith as we journey through the pharmacy program and into our future careers. we provide a safe environment where students can ask questions regarding faith and what that means when it comes to healthcare professions.