Keeping Tabs

Table of Contents Annual Recap

page 3

It’s Time to Rewrite History for Collegiate Athletes

page 4

GHOT – Project Audiology

page 4

GHOT – Ayuda Nicaragua

page 5

GHOT – Project Haiti

page 5

GHOT – Project Yucatan

page 6

Operation Heart Recap

page 6

Study Abroad – PharmUK

page 7

Big Changes

page 8

Legislative Days Recap

page 9

Children’s Mental Health

page 10

Region 3 Recap

page 11

Member Spotlights

page 12

Contributors

page 13

Executive Board and Organization Officers

page 14

National and Local Project Chairs

page 15

Annual Recap Michael Finnick There are few words that can describe APhA Annual when you experience one as a University of Florida student pharmacist. Feeling the passion and inspiration of your peers as they see their accomplishments come to fruition is nothing short of spectacular. 139 Chapters were considered for various awards at a national level, and the University of Florida College of Pharmacy has always stood out as an exemplary chapter. However, when you get the highest recognition a chapter can receive from APhA-ASP, it pushes you to live up to that potential again and again.

But the excitement of being called “Chapter of the Year” didn’t just start with the weekend in San Francisco.

It started with the members of our chapter working tirelessly to make themselves do great things and to live up to the mission of APhA-ASP. We were the collective voice of student pharmacists when members attended Legislative Days to advocate for our profession as no other individual could. With every health fair and every screening event or every counseling

and wellness service we provided, we promoted patient care as a selfless service for the betterment of our community. We upheld the standards of professionalism with poise and dignity, wearing our white coats as symbols of service for our patients and respect of our responsibilities. With every policy and proposal, we promoted the advancement of our profession.

Every APhA Annual is a unique experience that keeps you coming back to see what other amazing things can happen. In my first APhA Annual in Baltimore, I represented as an Operation Diabetes co-chair who only recently got the position and was still in the formative stages of my leadership role. At APhA2017, I was the seasoned Patient Care Vice President who shared his experiences over the past year with those who were in a situation like my first. It was the collaborative mentality of everyone present that renewed my passion for developing our members and planning innovative events to implement in the future.

While patient care workshops, executive board development and policy deliberations were all filled with enough information to fill an entire

Patient Care course, they were only the tip of the iceberg. There were opportunities for networking with pharmacists and new practitioners, chances to socialize with fellow student pharmacists in more relaxed settings, and even times for getting free pharmacy swag! But one of the most impactful moments of every Annual meeting is the elections for the next National Executive Committee.

Hearing student pharmacists voice their passion and their willingness to serve the nation of their peers is a very moving experience. It is their words and their drive that push others to do great things.

At the end of the conference, I heard stories of renewed inspiration for projects and events. I knew of student pharmacists who were taking the ideas of the various workshops to bring to their own positions, using the new information to enhance the extent and capabilities of their position. I, myself, had a better sense of who I am as a leader and as a member of APhAASP. APhA Annual changes a student for the better, regardless of if you go only once or if you dedicate yourself to one weekend of involvement a year.

Pro-Tip: go to APhA Annual every chance you get.

It’s Time to Rewrite History for Collegiate Athletes Meagan Balding and Jennifer Parmar The use of drugs or other substances for performance enhancement, better known as doping, dates to times even before organized sports existed. Performance-enhancing drugs can include the typically-thought-of illegal and prescriptions drugs but also dietary supplements and other compounds available online and over-the-counter.1 History of brandy and wine mixtures can be found in Ancient Greek texts (3rd century BC) along with the consumption of hallucinogenic mushrooms with sesame seeds for enhanced athletic performance.

The modern era of doping began in the early 1900s with the illegal drugging of racehorses for performance enhancement.

More recent doping scandals can be found with the annual Tour de France cycling race and the Olympics.

With this history on doping kept in mind, we must realize that the misuse of drugs in athletes is not only for enhanced athletic performance. Many athletes misuse drugs to self-treat untreated and unreported mental illnesses or to deal with mental stress brought on by the pressure to perform exceptionally, injuries, or even retirement. Several of these issues can be seen in collegiate athletes and many drugs and substances are used in college athletics to cope with it all. In a variety of

studies conducted in 2014, the use of alcohol was self-reported in 85% of college athletes in the prior year. Similarly, cannabis, smokeless tobacco and stimulants were used in 28%, 23%, and 3% of college athletes in the prior year, respectively. Anabolic steroids were also used in college athletes by anywhere from 0 to 5% depending on gender and sport.

As student pharmacists and future healthcare professionals, we must be aware of this problem and actively search for ways to help reduce the percentages stated above. Typically, at the beginning of each school year, collegiate athletic programs will have, on average, an hour-long presentation on NCAA banned substance and education on how limiting alcohol intake and correct use of medications can benefit the athlete in banned substance and education on how limiting alcohol intake and correct use of medications can benefit the athlete in their playing career, as well as their personal life.

Unfortunately, a short learning session only reaches some student athletes and a handful succumb to the full throttle life of a collegiate athlete. Below we have an example of an average day of a student athlete. As you can see, their day is full and is limited for any personal time to relax or do anything outside of their sport and school.

For some this fast-paced life, can be a huge burden and cause more problems for the athlete in mental health and potentially performance on the field. Our

new challenge is targeting those athletes that do not benefit from the short presentation style of learning and those that may have a harder time dealing with the combined pressures of school, sport and personal life to prevent doping or misuse of medications. So, our challenge to you, the student pharmacist, is to find new and innovative ways to educate student athletes and always be aware of those who may need some extra attention or may be at risk. These student athletes, as well as their peers, are our future and it is our job to help educate them on healthy practices as they mature into an adult.

A Day in the Life of a Collegiate Athlete

• • • • • • • • • •

6 a.m. - 7 a.m. Weight Lifting or Agility Training 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. Class 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Individual Training 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. Lunch 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Class 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. Practice 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Study Hall 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. Dinner 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. Study 10 p.m. - 5 a.m. Sleep

Reference: Reardon CL, Creado S. Drug Abuse in Athletes.

Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation. 2014; 5: 95-105.

GHOT – Project Audiology Shannon Stittsworth Project Audiology was a unique trip in that we partnered with Audiology and Speech and Language Pathology students to provide hearing tests, speech counseling, and medication counseling to 1,440 Mayan people throughout the northwest corner of the Yucatan peninsula. Not only did I hone my cultural competency skills by learning to communicate in a different language through a translator, but I learned more about hearing and the anatomy and physiology of the ear than I had ever learned before. Each day we traveled to see patients that normally didn’t have much access to medical services. From a school for disabled children, to a local University, to a convention center in the beach town Campeche, everyday brought a new adventure and a different patient demographic. Before coming to “La Farmacia”, each patient was screened for tympanometry (testing how the eardrum moved), otoscopy (looking into the ear), and audiometry (measuring their hearing), and had their blood pressure and glucose taken. In the pharmacy, we “MAC-ed” each of the patients we saw, and determined if they were candidates for medications.

Without a physician present on most days, the counseling sessions really tested our “refer or treat” judgement. We also learned how to treat ear wax build-up, ear fungus and ear infections. I will forever be grateful for being given the opportunity to participate in project Audiology. It was a life-changing experience, one in which I learned invaluable skills that will undoubtedly make me a better practitioner in the future!

GHOT – Ayuda Nicaragua Stacey Curl I was fortunate enough to participate in the Ayuda Nicaragua trip over spring break this year. I knew that I wanted to participate in a Global Health Outreach Trip from the first time I heard about the opportunity, but I honestly had no idea what to expect once I got there. My experience far exceeded any of the expectations that I had held beforehand. Our trip consisted of 5 clinic days where we travelled and set up clinics in remote villages surrounding the city of Matagalpa. Each day we worked alongside an interdisciplinary team of physicians, pharmacists, pharmacy students, medical scribes, a medical student and a nurse to deliver free health services to these rural communities. I believe our trip is unique because it is a pharmacy-led team with the majority being pharmacy students. This allowed us the unique opportunity to be able to get experience working at each station of the clinic. One of my favorite parts was being able to work alongside the physicians.

After watching the physician work up a patient, he would then ask us to select which drug therapy we would prescribe for each patient. This was a really interesting learning opportunity that you do not get every day in the classroom. We also gained a lot of valuable experience in patient counselling and calculating appropriate drug dosing in the pharmacy. My favorite part of the trip however, was being able to meet and interact with the wonderful people of Nicaragua and provide free health services to these communities in need. It was an extremely humbling experience and I am so grateful I was able to be a part of our amazing team. I would highly recommend the GHOT trips to anyone who has the opportunity to participate. I believe this experience truly helped me to grow both personally and as a future healthcare provider.

✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️ GHOT – Project Haiti Aliza Tan Project Haiti is a medical mission trip established since 1996 to provide free healthcare to the people of Haiti. This year the trip comprised of 38 students of different health professions within the University of Florida such as medical, dental, pharmacy, and physician assistance. Over the past several years, Project Haiti started a partnership with on-the-ground site in Fond-Parisien called Haitian Christian Mission which has its own medical center and pharmacy. HCM also provides housing, food, and transportations for Project Haiti team for the duration of the trip.

Each clinic day was spent at a different site in the rural villages. The clinic was divided into stations in order of work flow: triage, adult medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, dental, labs, and central pharmacy. We had triage to check patients in and obtain vital signs and chief complaints. Patients then referred to each specialized station per their needs. There were several medical students at each station to do patient work up, diagnose and prescribe under supervision of attending physicians. Patients who had severe conditions or needed surgery were referred to HCM for further evaluations. Pharmacy is the last station that patients would visit, and essentially all patients were prescribed something, at least a month supply of multivitamins. This year, there were four student pharmacists and one pharmacist on the pharmacy team. The student pharmacists reconstituted antibiotic suspensions, determined appropriate treatment and dosing, made recommendations to medical team, filled and checked prescriptions, and counseled patients all under the supervision of the pharmacist. During the span of 5 days, the team saw over 800 patients.

At the end of each day, there was a team debriefing meeting to reflect on what students learned from the clinic, and there was also “snap time” where everyone would anonymously write down positive comments about another person. The pharmacy team received many “snaps” for being organized, smoothly operated, fast, and an essential part of the team. Overall, Project Haiti is a great example of an interdisciplinary team where all health professionals work collaboratively together to care for patients.

GHOT – Project Yucatan Melissa Catalano Global Health initiatives are exceptionally important to me, especially as a future pharmacist. As one can imagine, each trip comes with unique challenges and successes. My most recent trip to Mérida, Mexico was contrasting to my previous trips to Terrier Rouge, Haiti and La Ceiba, Honduras in many ways. Chiefly, this is the first trip I have taken as a student pharmacist.

It was extremely edifying to see how much information I have learned in just the first year of pharmacy school, and the extent to which I was able to counsel and support patients was exponentially greater. As a Spanish speaker, I also had the opportunity to help translate for patients, as well as counsel in their native language to ensure they received the best possible care. One of the most memorable instances in which I cared for patients was performing vision exams to find the correct strength of reading glasses for patients that were far-sighted. The overwhelming joy once these patients realized they could see was infectious. Perhaps the most unique aspect of this trip was the ability to work with the Mexican UADY pharmacy and medical students. US students collaborated with Mexican students resulting in exposure to healthcare abroad, while also expanding and ensuring patient centered care. Together, students provided care to almost 1,400 patients! Overall, this trip helped me further my counseling and dispensing skills, but more importantly, it helped me give back to a commendable community.

Operation Heart Recap Leah Anklam As the new chairs of Operation Heart, Madison, Missy, and I have enjoyed spearheading the several events that have already taken place this semester. We were thoroughly pleased seeing all of the enthusiasm surrounding our social media campaign during American Heart Month! Cardiac Cuddles at the Jacksonville Dog Cafe was also another great success. Thank you again to everyone who participated in all of our events this past February!

Looking forward, my co-chairs and I want to expand upon the different types of outreaches and events that Operation Heart takes part in. Our Tacky-Cardia 5K Run that was held on the 15th of April has helped us to begin financing our very own cholesterol meter and supplies. As an operation, we are very excited to begin working on this endeavor, as the meters themselves are pricey, but more importantly, this will provide us with more opportunities to counsel patients on their heart health. One of the tools that we like to utilize at our screening events is the ASCVD Risk Calculator, which requires the patient’s cholesterol values to give an accurate estimated risk assessment. Most often, patients do not know what their cholesterol panel looks like and we have to plug in a “what if” scenario. With our own meters, we can give patients a more individualized response on how to manage their cardiovascular health. Showing patients that even as students, we are capable of testing their cholesterol levels will also make a huge impact on what patients think a pharmacist can do. Once we have raised enough money and put together our own cholesterol screening kit, we will be having a training session on how to use the equipment. Be on the lookout for updates this upcoming fall semester!

When coming into a chair position, I was slightly intimidated by how difficult it might have been to plan, prepare, and execute events for Operation Heart, but with the help of my awesome co-chairs, I am amazed at the number of things that we have be able to accomplish in just a few short months. With just the little bit of experience that we have had so far, Madison, Missy, and I have decided that one of our goals for the operation is to be recognized at the regional level, at the least. We are proud of the several successful and creative events that we have had so far and want to continue the trend. In order to do this, we hope that you all, as our peers, continue to have the same enthusiasm for Operation Heart events that you have shared in the past. We would also like to participate more in collaborating with the Operation Heart events on the other UF campuses to make a more cohesive unit.

As the semester comes to an end, we would like to extend a thank you to everyone who has participated in any of our events thus far. As with the pharmacy profession, running a patient care operation takes teamwork, and Missy, Madison, and I appreciate all of your help. We hope you look forward to our upcoming events as much as we do!

Study Abroad – PharmUK Brooke Knapp Many people are interested in the study abroad opportunities offered here through the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, but are hesitant to sign up without getting more information as to what it entails. Here, I will share with you my own personal experience with the PharmUK program, where we traveled to England, Scotland and Ireland. I can assure you that this is an experience that you will not regret, is well worth the cost, and full of memories that will last a lifetime.

Though the program is considered a ‘short’ study abroad program (2 weeks), they packed as many experiences in as possible to really get the most out of that seemingly brief time. The main goal of the program is to get a look into the world of Pharmacy in the countries you are visiting. We had a practicing Pharmacist affiliated with the College lead us on the trip; who served as a valuable resource and mentor throughout the program. She helped us bridge the gap with knowledge about current pharmacy practice in the US that we had not yet learned in school. We started out with a trip to Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland; where we learned about the history of the profession in Ireland as well as the Pharmacy program there. We met various professors from the college and got a tour of the facilities. They had an entire ‘mini pharmacy’ in their lab

where students got to practice simulated patient interactions, very similar to what we have in skills lab here at the Jacksonville Campus. We also got to visit various regulatory bodies in the UK to see how the practice of pharmacy is mandated, as well as learn a little bit about the healthcare systems there and how it plays into the practice of pharmacy.

We visited various community pharmacies to see how things run as well as services offered. Notably, in Boots Pharmacies in the UK, every location has a ‘Consultation Room’ where patients can have a private interaction with the Pharmacist. I was really amazed at how focused they were on direct patient interaction, it was an area I thought we in the United States could learn a lot from them. I got the opportunity to meet and shadow an Infectious Disease Pharmacist at St. James Hospital in Dublin, as well as a Pharmacist at the outpatient Pharmacy or ‘Medicine Chest’ as they called it, at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Not only did we get to learn about pharmacy in the UK, but we also got to share with some faculty and students a little bit of our knowledge at University of Glasgow, where we gave a presentation about Pharmacy in the United States. Overall, it was amazing to see all the similarities and differences in pharmacy between the US and the UK. In many ways, we’re very progressive, while in other areas

we seemed to have surpassed them.

Though the trip was packed with educational experiences, it did not fall short on getting to explore the places where we were visiting as well.

We took a trip to the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, which offers the most spectacular views I’ve ever seen.

Other cultural experiences included Edinburgh Castle, Stonehenge, a Harry Potter Studio tour, as well as various tourist spots in London. We got the opportunity to do exploring on our own as well, and group excursions were agreed upon by everyone before they were scheduled, and many of these activities and meals are covered by the cost of the trip. There were students on the trip that traveled to Athens before the program and went to Paris afterward, so it is also a good to keep in mind that this is an opportunity to travel to other parts of Europe if you want to. Another bonus is that this program counts at 2 hours of elective credit, so you will have 1 elective block already completed that you will be able to have off whenever you choose to do so in future semesters. In closing, I really can’t say enough good things about this amazing opportunity that the College of Pharmacy offers. This is a chance to expand your pharmacy knowledge to a global level, while getting to see and experience other cultures and interact with students from other campuses, all while getting course credit.

Big Changes Mark Nazareno Over the last decade, obesity has risen to a dangerous level in the world and especially in the United States.

Subsequently, weight management has become a topic most people in our country can relate to in some way. I have a personal experience with both. During most of my adolescence, I battled with constant weight fluctuations and at one point reached a staggering 280 pounds.

Like many obese adolescents, I endured some psychological stress and social anxiety associated with the extra weight.

This was followed by a rollercoaster ride of weight loss and weight gain. At the end of the day, I was still a normal person who wanted to do normal things. I attempted to play sports despite feeling exhausted much sooner than my peers.

Unfortunately, I also suffered many more sports related injuries than my peers, most likely due to the excess weight.

Overall, I was very involved in sports and played on organized teams, so I did not lack physical activity. However, like many Americans, I lacked a healthy and balanced diet. I usually consumed large amounts of food in one sitting. Neither of my parents are obese, so my weight problem most likely stemmed from a poor diet consisting of many fast foods, sugary drinks, deep fried food, candy and snacks.

You might ask: What changed?

There is no magic button to fix a lifetime of bad habits. It took many years (about 12) to finally overcome this obstacle.

Losing any amount of weight requires a lifestyle modification and serious dedication.

Unfortunately many people, including myself, get discouraged when diets don’t produce the desired results. Despite the adversity, I did not use a fad diet or fancy weight loss supplements. I did not have liposuction or bariatric surgery. My method was simple. I used good old fashioned diet and exercise to meet very small short term goals over a long period of time. After stringing together many good days, I went for good weeks. Then months and then years. What I did may seem extreme, but it worked for me and I would love to share my story. This is not a weight loss or nutrition 101, but rather a summary of my journey to a healthier version of me.

Diet: The first thing I did was cut down on my portions. Over eating was a bad habit I formed as a child and one of the hardest to break. I began to eat until I was satisfied, not until I was full. This may be a difficult task if you eat out frequently. Eating half and taking the rest home will help cut down those calories (thank you, Dr. Motycka). The biggest challenge was giving up my favorite foods.

These included; pizza, french fries, chicken tenders, steak, and ice cream to name a few. At first I cut down on them and then eventually excluded them from my diet. The next thing was to improve the quality of the food I ate and counting calories. This meant no more fast food either. As a

Dollar-Menu-naire, it was hard to let go of these cheap and convenient food options. Minimizing use of sauces and condiments helped reduce calories as well. Probably the most unusual change was not using the microwave to heat up food anymore. Stove or oven only. More recently, I also stopped drinking beer. A light beer can have over 100 calories and a college student (like me) could easily consume 6 or more on a Friday night!

All these calories and empty carbs really added up. I can go on forever about diet, but basically I cut out the junk most days and pigged out occasionally. I emphasized rewarding myself at least once a week with a “cheat meal”. We all have them, it’s perfectly fine and it won’t ruin your gains.

Exercise is very important too but I won’t get into my routine because I think the biggest component to my transformation was changing my diet.

I began with 30 minutes of cardio at least 3 times a week and that is a good starting point for beginners. I set SMART goals and challenged myself to exceed these goals. In conclusion, staying active helped supplement my weight loss but changing my dietary habits was the major key. Strict diets sound boring but there are many healthy food options that still taste amazing. Small changes can go a long way and they made a huge difference in my life. It takes hard work to reach fitness goals, but I believe anyone with motivation can accomplish them.

Legislative Days Recap Ashlan Kunz Coyne

On March 14th and 15th, student pharmacists from every college of pharmacy in Florida descended on the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee, determined to advocate for the pharmacy profession and our patients. The University of Florida alone had over seventy student pharmacists make the trip to Tallahassee, with students from the Jacksonville campus making up a large percentage of that total! While at the Florida Capitol, UF student pharmacists completed over 30 legislative visits to discuss a number of bills currently up for vote in the Florida House and Senate that have the ability to directly impact pharmacy practice, the care of our patients, and healthcare costs.

For these reasons, advocating as future pharmacy and healthcare leaders is more important than ever!

Legislative Days offers a multitude of learning opportunities for student pharmacists not offered in our curriculum.

These experiences expand our knowledge of the complex intricacies that have an effect on our profession and how important our voices are in creating change when and where needed. When preparing for legislative visits, it is important to build your knowledge of the current bills that may impact pharmacy so that you are confidant in presenting the information to legislators. Confidence in your presentation of the bills will facilitate rapport and increase the likelihood that the legislator will turn to you for insight into

how the bill will impact pharmacy and our patients. Stay up to date on legislative updates by visiting the APhA, FPA, and FSHP websites and don’t forget to utilize your APhA-ASP local, regional and national leaders! A majority of questions that I receive from students on our campus are ones that I have to research the answers, so asking questions is often a learning opportunity for everyone involved.

In addition to two days of legislative visits, UF student pharmacists also completed a variety of health screenings including but not limited to blood glucose, cholesterol, bone density, and blood pressure screenings at a health fair held on the second day of Legislative Days.

Current second year student pharmacist, Michael Finnick, commented that some of the best opportunities to advocate for your profession are when you are across from a patient or legislator during a screening. He stated that in these moments you can provide both education and care simultaneously. If advocating for your profession by meeting with legislators is intimidating to you, start by educating patients during health screenings. If you do not know how to begin the conversation, consider asking the patient what they know about a career in pharmacy. Our lives currently revolve around our path to becoming a Doctor of Pharmacy.

Share with your patients all that you

Are learning and the care student pharmacists and pharmacists are trained to provide patients!

Just because this year’s Legislative Days has come to a close, our responsibility to advocate for our patients and profession is far from over.

The senators and representatives that we visited in Tallahassee have local offices that we can visit throughout the year, so I encourage students to schedule appointments with your senator and representative. To locate your legislator, enter your address into flsenate.gov and myfloridahouse.gov, and the website will provide you with necessary district and legislator information. YOU are the constituent so legislators depend on YOU for reelection votes.

Your APhA-ASP policy team in Jacksonville is hitting the ground running in preparation for next year’s Legislative Days. Our goals for the next year are to increase student pharmacist contact time with legislators by setting up group meetings at local legislative offices and inviting legislators to speak at policy events.

Furthermore, we want to make policy more exciting for all APhA-ASP members! We would love to hear your feedback regarding what you enjoyed and did not from Policy Week and Legislative Days this year. You can share your input with our Policy VPelect, Lindsey Sinnett, and/or with me.

Thank you and policy on!

Children’s Mental Health Ishani Patel and Jeremy Obordo It is estimated that 1 in 5 children are affected by mental disorders or illnesses every year. These illnesses can last a lifetime and often have major impacts on overall health and development. For example, children who go undiagnosed may have issues at home, in school, and in forming relationships. Of all youth diagnosed, 1 in 8 has occurring substance abuse problems. Despite mental illness affecting so many children and teens, around 79% do not receive any mental health care.

There are many barriers to meeting the needs of this patient population. Some of these include gaps in insurance, private and public limit coverage for mental health services, and substance abuse treatment. The Department of Health and Human Services also reported that “the system for delivering mental health and substance abuse is fragmented.” There are many different systems and it can be confusing for families to navigate the process of attaining mental health services.

Childhood mental illness has a variety of treatment options. Treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), behavioral parent management training, psychosocial therapies, and medications that improve cognitive performance. CBT is a kinesthetic approach to problem solving that works to improve a patient’s pattern of thinking. In many controlled trials, CBT has been proven effective against depression, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and more. Behavioral parent management training is a commonly used form of psychotherapy that trains parents to modify their own behaviors in order to increase their child’s compliance. Psychosocial therapy includes counseling intervention that works to better develop a child’s interaction with their social environment. Medications that modify neurotransmitters and other brain chemicals related to mood and behavior are known as psychotropic medications. Typically a patient benefits from a combination of these various treatment options. Optimal treatment of mental health varies between patients. It is important for a parent or guardian to discuss a treatment plan with the pediatrician in order to achieve the best outcomes for the child.

The good news is that even with these challenges, there are still things families can do to get the most effective treatment. If there is a suspected mental illness, it is important to talk to the child’s pediatrician and ask for a comprehensive check-up. Some mental health symptoms may be due to physical conditions such as endocrine problems or head injuries. It is important to rule these conditions out. If the pediatrician believes there is a problem, they may recommend treatment or refer the child to a mental health specialist.

Operation Pediatrics chose this topic in preparation of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, an annual event from May 1st -7th to raise awareness of the issues and causes regarding children’s mental health. The National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health has announced that this year’s theme is “Partnering for Health and Hope.”

References: http://www.ffcmh.org/copy-of-education-resources-5 Weisz, J. R., McCarty, C. A., & Valeri, S. M. (2006). Effects of Psychotherapy for Depression in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(1), 132–149. http://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.1.132 http://ac.els-cdn.com/S000578949680013X/1-s2.0-S000578949680013X-main.pdf?_tid=f087363e-15c4-11e7-ab39-00000aacb360&acdnat=1490932305_f0ab9980153dae9728b1885838177b8d

REGION 3 RECAP A P h A - A S P U p d a t e s f ro m A ro u n d t h e C o u n t r y

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STUDENT PHARMACISTS

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ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES

BEGIN YOUR LEGACY Each year, the APhA-ASP National President develops a theme that helps direct the organization and bring all student pharmacists together for a common goal. The year the theme is “Begin your legacy.” Legacy is comprised of 3 things - What we do for our career, what we do for our community (including friends, and family) and what we do for ourselves (including our mental wellbeing). As Michael Murphy, the National President of APhA-ASP said during his innaugural address, “Your legacy isn’t the leadership position you hold. It is the way you grow the leaders around you.” How will you #beginyourlegacy this year?

M R M 2 0 1 7 - S AV E T H E D AT E

2017 - 2018 NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President: Michael Murphy President-Elect: Nimit Jindal Member-at-large: Allyson Cagle Speaker of the House: Jason Gaines Member-at-large: Meryam Gharbi

Join Region 3 in Charleston, SC November 3-5 Theme: TBA MRM Coordinator - Kelci Rosenzweig Regional Delegate - Derrick Lewis Member-at-large - Shannon Stittsworth

UPCOMING MEETINGS

APhA Institute on Alcholism and Drug Dependencies June 1 - 4 Salt Lake City, UT

Meagan Balding

Megan Van Fleet

Jennifer Parmar

Brooke Knapp

Summer Leadership Institute July 14 - 16 Washington, DC

Vivian Nguyen

Shannon Stittsworth

Member Spotlights Award Recognition Spring semester superlatives

This semester, our members and officers worked extremely hard to make a difference in our community and in the profession of pharmacy. From volunteering at patient care events, to attending legislative days and the APhA Annual meeting, each and every member really embodied the values and mission of APhA-ASP. At our April General Body Meeting, 3 members/ officers were recognized for their outstanding service to our Chapter!

E-Board Member of the Semester

Patient Care Chair of the Semester

Member of the Semester

Khurrum Qureshi

Leah Anklam

Juan Castellanos

Khurrum is our Chapter’s

Leah is the Operation Heart Chair

While Juan does not hold an official

Membership VP. He consistently

and has attacked her position with

leadership position, he fearlessly

goes above and beyond to

“insane enthusiasm” since day

exhibits many leadership qualities

spotlight and recognize our officers

1. We are lucky to have such a

by showing up and participating in

and members on social media!

passionate officer!

our Chapter’s many events!

Not only is Ashlan an exemplary leader in APhA-ASP as the Policy VP but she is also a member that others look up to and strive to emulate. Her ability to transmit her

Member of the Year Ashlan Kunz

passion about a topic to others is a valuable asset and helps to further the values and mission of APhA-ASP. This year, she played a huge role in increasing attendance at Legislative days, helped prepare student pharmacists for MRM and played a vital role in our chapter winning back the PAC and Chapter of the Year! Time and time again, Ashlan goes above and beyond, and we are lucky to have her on the team!

Thank you!

Editor Megan Van Fleet

Designers Ishani Patel Mymoona Mohsin Shannon Stittsworth

Cover Design Leah Anklam

Writers Michael Finnick Meagan Balding Jennifer Parmar Shannon Stittsworth Stacey Curl Aliza Tan Melissa Catalano Leah Anklam Brooke Knapp Mark Nazareno Ashlan Kunz Coyne Ishani Patel Jeremy Obordo

From the Keeping Tabs Team:

Good luck on your IPPE rotations! We hope you have a great summer!!

Look out for the next issue at the end of the Fall 2017 Semester!!