FROM THE DEAN
How UIC Pharmacy is Making a Difference BY DR. GLEN T. SCHUMOCK
Founded in 1859, one of the defining qualities of the College of Pharmacy is its rich history. The high ranking of the College – 6th in the nation – is another fact about which the faculty and staff, students, and alumni are very proud. But history and ranking are only part of the story. Perhaps a more important measure is the value that the College brings to society. The difference that we make. There are many ways to define the value of the College of Pharmacy, but a starting point is what we say we do. We educate and train the next generation of pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, and pharmacy leaders. We conduct research to discover new treatments and ways to improve health. And we provide care, serve, and lead in our local, national, and global communities. This issue of UIC Pharmacist provides examples of how the UIC College of Pharmacy is making a difference. Our lead article describes how UIC faculty are making a difference in combating one of the greatest health crises of our time, the opioid crisis. In the article “Elevate,” you will read about the new curriculum that we launched in Fall 2016, with the first cohort graduating in Spring 2020. The changes to the curriculum serve to enhance an already highly successful PharmD program by updating pre-pharmacy coursework, focusing on new competencies and outcomes, and adding new courses. Additionally, the new curriculum
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facilitates the use of new approaches to teaching. Those approaches are best exemplified by the work of Dr. Samantha Spencer, who earned the College’s Frederick P. Siegel Innovative Teaching Award earlier this year for her innovative instructional efforts. However, we don’t educate only pharmacists; we are also one of the largest producers of pharmaceutical scientists by way of our well-respected Masters and PhD programs. The article “Windows into Industry” describes ways the College is making a difference by creating opportunities for hands-on job experience in the pharmaceutical industry for our graduate students. The Pharmacology Industry Internships for PhD Students (PIIPS) is one way that we do this. PIIPS places our PhD students in summer internships at partner pharmaceutical companies. Besides PIIPS, our longstanding programs in health economics and outcomes research, conducted with both Takeda and Abbvie, have also been stepping stones to industry careers. I hope these articles highlight how the College of Pharmacy is making a difference. First-class curriculum and classroom experiences. Hands-on and practical, career-focused training opportunities. Real-world research and practice-based solutions. We are not just about our history and ranking—we are about making a difference and bringing value today. We are the UIC College of Pharmacy.
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The Pharmacist would like to hear from you and welcomes your letters: UIC Pharmacist (MC 874) 833 South Wood Street, Room 184KM Chicago, Illinois 60612-7230 E-mail: pharmacy@uic.edu
Letters are edited for length and clarity. All reader correspondence to the magazine and its editorial staff will be treated as assigned for publication unless otherwise specified.
