The Pharmacists - Fall 2020

pharmacist the

FALL 2020 | VOLUME 43 | ISSUE 1

THE MAGAZINE OF UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CHICAGO COLLEGE OF PHARMACY

COVID-19: Tales from the Front Lines UIC Pharmacy Alumni in the Public Sector Research Opportunites Give PharmD Students an Edge

CONTENTS

contents 02

Dean’s Letter

03 Events 04

College News

06

Student News

08

COVID-19 Tales

22

Pharmacy in the Public Sector

26

Career Spotlight

28

Research Opportunities

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Innovation Spotlight

31

White Coat Ceremony

34

Alumni Profiles

36

Catching Up with the Class of 2018

38

Ask an Alumnus

40

Alumni News

45

In Memoriam

In September of 1868, our college published the first issue of a trade journal simply named The Pharmacist. The magazine you see before you is named in honor of that historic journal.

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EDITORIAL CREDITS

PUBLISHER Glen T. Schumock, PharmD, MBA, PhD Professor and Dean EDITORS Robert Hoff UIC Creative and Digital Services Ben Stickan, MBA, CFRE Associate Dean of Advancement PROOFREADERS Nate Downing Deb Fox Chris Gummert Imani Watson CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jessica Canlas Jacqueline Carey Michael Dhar Sharon Parmet Daniel Smith PHOTOGRAPHY Barry Donald Jim Young DESIGN Godfrey Carmona UIC Creative and Digital Services

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The Pharmacist 833 S. Wood St. (MC 874) Chicago, Illinois 60612 (312) 996-7240 pharmacy@uic.edu ©2020. All rights reserved.

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FROM THE DEAN

Through Uncertain Times, We Persevere

BY DEAN GLEN SCHUMOCK

The students, faculty, and staff of the UIC College of Pharmacy are well into a fall 2020 semester—a semester like none other. The world around us seems to be spinning in multiple directions—with protests for social justice and the end of racism, the personal and society-wide health and economic consequences of the continued COVID-19 pandemic, and political divisions intensified by the looming election. Our students, faculty, and staff are not immune to these— in fact, like you, they are personally involved and impacted. Yet they also recognize that as a college, we have a unique and essential purpose, and we need to fulfill our mission. It has required enormous effort, creativity, and perseverance. You will learn more as you read this issue.

These advances are not temporary; they will change how care is delivered long after the pandemic is over, and not just at UIC but across this country.

On August 24, 2020, we welcomed the incoming class of 2024, 186 of the best and brightest new pharmacy students, and they are receiving the top-quality education for which UIC is known. Our faculty are using new and innovative teaching methods and platforms to deliver content, interact with students, and assess learning—across both remote and in-person courses. I can guarantee you that the skills these students are acquiring, and their fluency with technology, will change how pharmaceutical care is delivered in the future.

In this issue, you will read not just about the impact of our students, faculty, and staff but also of our alumni. Ultimately, what our alumni do is the true reflection of the school and its greater effect. And our alumni have done so much for the profession of pharmacy, patients, and society—across the spectrum of settings where they practice and work. None are more noteworthy than those that go into the public sector where they selflessly serve the greater good, as highlighted in the article on that topic.

Our research programs are also in full swing. We are proud to have our research ranking climb to #7 nationally. More importantly, the work of our scientists is making a profound difference. Several drugs discovered by our faculty are currently in clinical trials, and one— that you will read about within—was recently approved by the FDA for marketing. And another, highlighted within, was just approved for Phase 1 clinical trials.

These drugs represent significant advances in treatment and are emblematic of how the work done at the UIC College of Pharmacy changes lives.

Finally, before you dive into this magazine, let me thank those of you who have continued to support the college even as we all struggle with the economic fallout of COVID-19. As noted within and in our enclosed Annual Report, there

And with the new academic year, our clinical faculty and students have redoubled their efforts to serve patients and our community. Just like our teaching programs, we have had to develop new ways to provide pharmaceutical care, both in-person and remotely.

Online pharmacy.uic.edu go.uic.edu/PharmFBChicago go.uic.edu/PharmFBRockford go.uic.edu/PharmTwitter go.uic.edu/PharmLinkedIn go.uic.edu/PharmInstagram go.uic.edu/PharmYouTube

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Got News?

Change jobs? Get a promotion? Publish a paper? Publish a book? Get married?

Have a baby? We want to hear about it all! Now you can send your news directly to the magazine editor.

We’ll do our best to fit it into our publications and/or social media! If you don’t see it in The Pharmacist, please go to go.uic.edu/PharmNews.

are heroes among you who have recognized these difficulties and established new endowed scholarships or funds for students with financial need. An example is the new SNPhA scholarship described in this issue, which was established by former faculty advisors of that student organization. And I highlight this also because SNPhA and NAPhA (the national organization) have a mission of improving health for underserved and minority communities. It is a mission that we all need to embrace as we seek to create a more equitable and just society.

PH A R M ACY TECHNICI A N CE PROGR A M S Twenty-two ACPE-approved pharmacy technician continuing education programs. For more information, please visit go.uic.edu/PharmTechCE. PH A R M ACY TECHNICI A N CE PROGR A M S

Twenty-nine ACPE-approved pharmacist continuing education programs. For more information, please visit go.uic.edu/PharmacistCE.

Alumni Reunion 2020 Postponed to 2021

FIVE-POINT VISION

Provide unparalleled pharmacy education and training

The University of Illinois Chicago College of Pharmacy Office of Continuing Education and Meeting Services (OCEMS) has released the following programs:

EVENTS

CE Opportunities

Advance the profession through leadership and advocacy

It is with sadness, but likely no great surprise, that we announce the annual Alumni Reunion event that was to be celebrated on October 10, 2020, has officially been postponed until October 2021. During the 2021 Alumni Reunion, we will honor the classes ending in -0, -1, -5, and -6. More details to come, but we cannot wait to see everyone in person when public health allows.

Save the Date: November 6 Virtual 2020 Research Day Lead the nation in pharmaceutical research that impacts health

Be the epicenter of innovative pharmacy services

Our Digital Edition issuu.com/uicpharmacy

Foster a culture of excellence, collaboration, and inclusiveness

The UIC College of Pharmacy recognizes the significant challenges that COVID-19 has placed on the clinical, scientific, and educational communities. Following state and university guidance, Research Day will be a virtual event. Poster sessions, award ceremonies, and the keynote lecture will still be presented live and in real-time; however, they will be held online to maintain social distancing and minimize risk to our community. At this time, we would like to put out a call for judges for our annual poster competition, without whom we would not be able to hold this event. If you are willing to judge, RSVP to Lindsey McQuade (lmcquade@uic.edu) by Friday, October 23. Poster sessions will be held from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. One week before Research Day (October 30), there will be two virtual training sessions (10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.) to ensure judges are confident entering/exiting Zoom sessions during Research Day. For more information, please see researchday.pharmacy.uic.edu or contact Lindsey McQuade.

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COLLEGE NEWS

Dr. Vicki Groo led the development of a new American College of Cardiology Infographic titled “Perioperative Management of DOACs.” Available at acc.org/infographics.

Dr. Keith A. Rodvold was recently named

Dr. Kevin Rynn was appointed to the State of

distinguished professor of pharmacy practice and medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago. It is a well-deserved honor that recognizes his long record of scholarship, creativity, and leadership.

Illinois Adult-Use Cannabis Health Advisory Committee.

The committee aims to discuss and monitor changes in drug use data in Illinois and the emerging science and medical information relevant to the health effects associated with cannabis use.

DRS. JEFFREY MUCKSAVAGE and ELJIM TESORO were honored with the college’s 2020 Frederick P. Siegel Innovative Teaching Award for their innovative teaching and learning methods displayed in their Pathophysiology, Drug Action, and Therapeutics (PDAT) 10: Advanced Disease Management course.

Drs. Eljim Tesoro and Jeffrey Mucksavage

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Dr. Matt Rim

was sworn in as chair of the Section of Specialty Pharmacy Practitioners, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

P H A R M A C Y.U I C . E D U

The UIC College of Pharmacy is thrilled to announce the investiture of

DR . EDITH A . NUTESCU — AS THE—

Michael Reese Endowed Professor of Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy

Dr. Jessica Tilton

and the Medication Therapy Management Clinic have been featured in the Faces of 340B campaign. This 340B Health campaign allows patients and providers to share how the savings from the 340B program help to improve patient outcomes.

They showed how participation in MTMC resulted in a drop in cardiovascular events by a factor of 10, a reduction of at least $500,000 in direct medical costs, and an increase in patients’ life expectancy.

 The Michael Reese Endowed Professorship is very special to the UIC College of Pharmacy. It is a new professorship, but it is linked to a long history between the Michael Reese Hospital and the college.

The legacy of the Michael Reese Research & Education Foundation’s incredible gift to the college will be the advances made by Dr. Nutescu and those faculty who are honored to hold this professorship in the years to come. The research and scholarship in pharmacotherapy that will be enabled by the funds generated from this

Dr. REBEKAH ANGUIANO, clinical assistant professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, was appointed as a member of the Editorial Advisory Board Member for the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy.

Dr. RODRIGO BURGOS, clinical assistant professor and HIV PGY-2 Residency codirector, is now a member of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force. As an HIV pharmacotherapy specialist and pharmacy residency director, Dr. Burgos is committed to expanding opportunities to support pharmacists who serve minority communities.

Dr. GREGORY CALIP was promoted to associate professor with tenure in the Department of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes, and Policy.

Dr. ROB DIDOMENICO was promoted to assistant head for faculty affairs and strategic initiatives in the Department of Pharmacy Practice.

Dr. MICHAEL GABAY was promoted to clinical professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice.

endowment will—without a doubt—improve the treatment of cardiovascular disease and improve health.

Congratulations to Dr. Nutescu, our Michael Reese Endowed Professor of Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy, and thanks again to the Michael Reese Research & Education Foundation for this tremendous and enduring investment in our mission!

Dr. RICHARD GEMEINHART was appointed editor for Pharmaceutical Research in July.

Pharmaceutical Research is the official journal of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.

Dr. JAMES LEE was promoted to the rank of clinical associate professor.

Dr. JIN HAN was promoted to clinical associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice.

Left to Right: Dr. William Chamberlin, Chairman of the Board, Michael Reese Research & Education Foundation; Dr. Edith Nutescu; and Dean Glen Schumock

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COLLEGE NEWS

Dr. HYUN LEE was promoted to research associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

STUDENT NEWS

Drs. TODD LEE and SIMON PICKARD have been awarded a subcontract to continue their collaborative work with the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) program. This initiative

Nicole Fuchs

Dr. Kaily Kurzwell

NICOLE FUCHS, P4, was appointed as a 2020–21 national student officer for the Industry Pharmacists Organization (IPhO).

Dr. NITA MUKAND, PharmD ’20, was selected to be a 2020 AACP Walmart Scholar. The goal of the program is to strengthen the recipient’s skills and commitment to a career in academic pharmacy.

ALEC THOMPSON, P3, was elected as as the student representative of the Drug Information Association's Americas Regional Advisory Council.

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extends the federal response to the opioid epidemic, continuing the collaboration Drs. Lee and Pickard established with the State of Illinois through Prevention for States funding that began in 2015. Over a three-year period, Drs. Lee and Pickard will lead a team responsible for evaluating and reporting the impact of the OD2A activities in Illinois to the CDC.

Dr. Tiffany Wu

STUDENTS WIN TECHNOLOGY AWARDS Several pharmacy students recently received UIC Office of Technology Management–sponsored awards for their research production/

Clinical associate professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, MARY LYNN MOODY was promoted to associate dean for professional and governmental affairs.

Dr. RYAN RODRIGUEZ promoted to clinical associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice.

Dr. LAURA SANCHEZ was promoted to associate professor with tenure in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Alec Thompson

excellence during the COVID pandemic. Those honored include PhD candidate KYLE MANGANO, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Advisors: Drs. Shura Mankin and Nora Vazquez-Laslop); PhD candidate, Dr. CONNIE YAN (PharmD ’17), Department of Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes, and Policy (Advisor: Dr. Lisa Sharp); and P3 ALESIA VIALICHKA, Department of Pharmacy Practice (Advisor: Dr. Eric Wenzler).

STUDENT NEWS 2019–2020 PGY1 Residents

PGY1 RESIDENCY SPOTLIGHT KAILY KURZWEIL, PharmD, RES ’20, and TIFFANY WU, PharmD, RES ’20, were honored at the college’s Residency and Fellowship Certificate Ceremony held on June 18. They received the Richard Hutchinson Award for Excellence in Pharmacy Practice and John McBride Award for Excellence in Hospital Pharmacy Practice, respectively.

We also proudly note that our 2020 PGY1 residents matched at a 100% rate to continue on for either

a PGY2 or fellowship! Our 2020 trainees and their next stops follow: Drs. KATIE DALTON (PGY2 in critical care at UIC); MELISSA DURST (PGY2 in solid organ transplant at University of Wisconsin–Madison); MARK EDWARD JAO (PGY2 in oncology at SCCA/University of Washington Seattle); HANNAH KIM (PGY2 in emergency medicine at UIC); KAILY KURZWEIL (PGY2 in oncology at UIC); JASMINE MANGRUM (academic fellowship at the University of Washington

Seattle); JANE MCCULLOUGH (PGY2 in oncology at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin); DANA PIERCE (PGY2 in solid organ transplant at UIC); NICOLE SACCONE (PGY2 in cardiology at UIC); MELODY SAUNDERS (PGY2 in pediatrics at Duke University); CORINNE SONGER (PGY2 in pediatrics at UIC); and TIFFANY WU (PGY2 in infectious disease at Henry Ford Health System).

Two Students Earn Scholarships from GoodRx HAMNA KHAN, P2, and JENNA BAKER, P4, have each earned a $1,000 scholarship from the GoodRx Pharmacy Innovation Scholarship Program. The scholarship supports up-and-coming pharmacists and pharmacy technicians looking to make a real impact in their communities. Congratulations to you both!

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COVID-19 TALE B Y

D A N I E L

P.

S M I T H

Dr. Glen Schumock

COVID-19’s arrival brought unprecedented times to the UIC College of Pharmacy, challenging the ways students learn, researchers progress, faculty teach, and clinicians practice. Despite a fluid, fast-changing public health situation, the college remained steadfast in its mission to educate, to conduct cutting-edge research, and to provide innovative patient care.

In a series of first-person essays, members from across the college community—administrators, faculty, clinicians, and students alike—detail the novel coronavirus’s impact on their lives and how they worked to adapt amid trying circumstances. Shining with resolve and purpose, their stories underscore the persevering spirit so engrained in the college’s DNA. D R. G L E N

S C H U M O C K

A member of the UIC College of Pharmacy faculty since 2000, Glen Schumock succeeded Jerry Bauman as dean of the college in January 2018.

It might come as no surprise to you, but for most of my first two years as dean, it felt like I was swimming upstream. As much as I thought I was prepared for this role, the reality of it was the opposite. The huge responsibility and many moving parts were disorienting.

However, by the end of 2019, I felt that I understood the scope of the job and had learned to lean on a highquality team of associate deans, department heads, and many willing faculty and staff across the college. With most of the building blocks in place, I walked into 2020 more comfortable and confident in my role.

Then, COVID-19 appeared and changed everything.

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Like most, I followed COVID-19’s emergence overseas.

Still, I had no idea of the impact the virus would have on all of us. While I was visiting my mother in the Pacific Northwest in February, metro Seattle reported its first COVID-19 cases. That’s when this virus’s potential impact started to hit home.

Things happened quickly after that. With news coming in everyday about how the disease might affect us and how other universities were preparing, it became clear that life would need to change. And that brought a flurry of activity that demanded constant concentration, focus, and sustained effort that continues to this day.

To gather input, make decisions quickly, and implement changes, we formed a College of Pharmacy Emergency Response Team comprising associate deans, department heads, and other key leaders. The group met daily for several months to address the myriad

ES:

UIC College of Pharmacy community members share firsthand accounts of the pandemic’s impact

Dr. Andy Donnelly

challenges created by COVID-19, and we found ourselves revisiting decisions and pivoting to new information and policy changes at the campus, city, state, or federal level on a near-daily basis. Even now, we continue meeting several times a week. That group has been invaluable to helping the college successfully navigate this crisis.

The pandemic made us reevaluate everything. It reminded me of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—a pyramid-shaped model of human needs I first learned about in high school psychology. At the base of the pyramid sit basic functions like safety and security.

We needed to make sure those basic functions were met to survive this crisis. Are pharmacy staff in the hospital and clinics working in safe environments? How do we get faculty the resources they need to quickly convert to online courses? Who checks the research specimen refrigerators or other equipment in our labs?

Is the building secure with limited staffing? These and many other questions weighed heavily on me and our leadership team.

I think sometimes people assume the dean clutches some privately held information that shapes and informs the decisions we make. I can assure you there is no such top-secret file—or Google drive. Even so, I understood people needed reassurance and guidance.

We tried to provide this through communications— e-mails, town hall meetings, and social media. The

notion that there can never be too much communication was evidently clear.

I also learned that while people needed information, they also wanted distractions—ways to take their minds off the crisis and onto something more “normal.” I felt this personally and found comfort in conversations with my fellow deans across UIC and at other colleges/schools of pharmacy. I was pleased to see so many organic efforts at this being taken by our students, faculty, and staff as well—efforts to boost morale and create positivity. Many of these were occurring on social media, and so I tried it myself with my “Yoga Everywhere” videos—and I’m clearly terrible at yoga. Doing poor yoga poses at various spots across the college generated at least one “like” from my college-aged daughter.

I found inspiration, motivation, and perspective in our college community. People across the college rose to the occasion. Faculty and students adapted to online learning. Pharmacists reported to work on the frontlines at our sites. Researchers continued pursuing scientific work, including some investigating treatments for COVID-19. Staff persevered amid the many challenges of remote work.

Through it all, we completed the spring term and our P4 class graduated on time. And though we missed the traditional commencement ceremony, the virtual celebration was fun and appreciated by our students.

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“ T H I S CR I S I S H A S S H A R P EN ED U S , A N D I B EL I E V E W E A R E A S T R O N G ER , M O R E

Dr. Vicki Groo

By June, we reopened our research labs, albeit with a range of controls to keep people safe—installing hand sanitizer stations, removing furniture, and creating lab schedules among the many COVID-prompted interventions.

It has been and continues to be overwhelming to see people sacrifice to sustain our teaching, research, and service mission and to do so without complaints.

I am humbled—truly, sincerely humbled—to be in a position to watch this happen, to be a part of it, and to serve the people who are putting our mission into action. It awakened a reality that might be too often underappreciated: our people drive UIC’s status as one of the world’s top pharmacy schools. This crisis confirmed that.

And now, we march ahead.

Navigating uncertainty remains our most significant challenge and we must balance reestablishing some normalcy with ensuring the safety of our students, staff, and the entire college community. We have crafted plans—and numerous contingency plans—addressing the myriad interrelated pieces necessary to ensure a safe environment as well as the ever-looming threat of COVID-19’s aggressive resurgence. Classrooms that once held 175 students now hold 40 to accommodate social distancing, while class schedules are staggered to avoid crowds. In the age of coronavirus, it is difficult to plan even a month ahead. Still, delivering a quality education regardless of the circumstances remains an unrelenting priority.

This crisis has sharpened us, and I believe we are a stronger, more resilient, more purpose-filled college today than we were at the start of 2020. We are more advanced in our use of technology, committed to

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exploring novel ways of expanding access and sharing knowledge. We have a heightened sense of our duties as clinicians while our healthcare partners and the public at large increasingly recognize the unique skill set and value pharmacists bring to patient care. We more acutely understand our important role as innovative researchers. We are more aware of our surroundings.

From the throes of crisis, I carry two unshakable thoughts into the future. One, our college is a dynamic, robust institution filled with world-class people committed to our mission, and two, I am beyond grateful and proud to be part of it.

D R. A N D Y

D O N N E L LY

Andy Donnelly has served as the director of pharmacy at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System since 2002. As pharmacy director, Donnelly, who is also the college’s associate dean for clinical affairs, oversees the central hospital pharmacy and its four satellite locations, its seven outpatient pharmacies, and the clinical pharmacy services provided to patients in the hospital and clinics.

In my four decades as a pharmacist, I never experienced anything like COVID-19. Here was a new virus that was not going away. None of us knew how to best treat it—or if we even could. The drugs that we did have produced mixed results. The stress felt by everyone was palpable, and we knew early on this would be a tough, lengthy battle.

Monitoring the happenings overseas in the first months of 2020 made me aware of the potential magnitude of this virus. Yet, COVID-19 far surpassed my expectations, and I certainly never envisioned what became our reality once the first patient arrived at our hospital on March 13: a medical intensive care unit soon filled with critically ill patients; substantial drug shortages; and an

R E S I L I EN T, M O R E P U R P O S E- F I L L ED CO L L EG E TO DAY . . . ”

intense, still-ongoing effort that has demanded flexibility, teamwork, and vigilance to ensure patient care and staff health, which is something we take very seriously.

COVID-19’s impact was swift and significant, forcing us to react and prepare as best as possible for the expected rapid influx of patients. As our number of COVID-19 patients increased, we had to convert several units to COVID-only patient care areas and expand the number of MICU beds, hopeful those changes would provide the necessary capacity. Drug shortages, meanwhile, were immediate and severe. We needed medications such as fentanyl, midazolam, and neuromuscular blocking agents for the ever-increasing number of intubated COVID-19 patients, yet had difficulty obtaining those medications in the timeframe needed and in the quantities desired.

This forced us to develop guidelines and algorithms to ensure that the medications we did have were used on those patients needing them the most with alternatives available for those less severely ill.

While we continued to provide the most thorough care possible, the unrelenting drug shortages weighed heavily on me and many members of my leadership team. As pharmacists, one of our primary responsibilities is to provide medications for our patients, and we wanted to accomplish that. The pandemic’s firm grip on the nation and the world, however, tested our ability to fulfill that mission and demanded creativity, planning, and resolve.

Then, as Easter weekend approached, hospital administration asked us to be ready for upwards of 100 COVID-19 patients. Such projections intensified an already stressful work environment. I was concerned about having enough medications for a patient load of this magnitude and what this could mean for our staff charged to take care of these patients.

Dr. Michael Federle

COVID-19 TALES

Dr. Scott Benken

DR. GLEN SCHUMOCK

While those forecasts never came to bear, a heavy COVID-19 case load remained throughout the spring.

My focus remained on having enough medications to meet our patients’ needs, ensuring that our patients received the best drug therapy possible, and keeping my staff safe and healthy. Eleven-plus hour days became the norm, and save Easter and Memorial Day, I was at the hospital working every day from the middle of March well into June.

Throughout the pandemic, I have been proud of our pharmacy team’s resilience and commitment. In a demanding and draining environment that required their best effort, they delivered that each and every day.

They overcame obstacles thrown before them and kept patient care top of mind. Numerous process changes had to be made in our outpatient pharmacies to allow our staff to safely fill and dispense prescriptions as well as to counsel our patients, including developing a special workflow for our COVID-19 patients. Process changes were also implemented in our central and satellite pharmacies that enabled our staff to carry out services as close to pre-COVID levels as possible. Our clinical pharmacists continued to follow patients in the clinics and hospital, either via telehealth or by being physically present on patient care units, as was the case for those covering the MICU.

As the number of COVID-19 patients dropped in June, the organizational mindset shifted from surviving COVID-19’s initial surge to “reopening” the hospital and clinics. Surgery and procedure volumes began to work their way back to pre-COVID numbers, while clinics balanced the use of telehealth and on-site appointments.

The push to reopen the hospital brought an added layer of complexity to our pharmacy operations since many of the

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“ WITHOUT QUESTION, COVID-19 TESTED US— OUR RESILIENCE, OUR COMMITMENT, A

Dr. Kyle Mork

drugs used in the operating room and procedure areas are the same ones needed to treat intubated COVID-19 patients. To ensure we could service all patient needs and support the hospital’s reopening strategy, we created our own backstock of key medications. We built a two-week supply for our COVID-19 patients based on historical use alongside a five-day supply for our operating room and procedure areas. Maintaining such inventory levels demanded some creativity in storing the excess supplies, including lining the College of Pharmacy’s basement with multiple pallets of CRRT solution.

As we move forward, we do so mindful of COVID-19’s ongoing presence and the threat of additional surges.

We need to remain careful, focused, and vigilant, especially in monitoring our medication supply and addressing inventory levels with a critical eye on the data. We need to keep our staff safe and healthy by continuing to provide appropriate personal protective equipment, by practicing social distancing, by ensuring high-touch areas in our pharmacies are routinely cleaned, and by installing contact barriers between our patients and staff where needed.

For as much stress and angst as COVID-19 delivered, it is worth noting that the pandemic also strengthened our organization. I believe we learned from this experience and are now much better prepared to effectively and efficiently manage any similar situations that might arise. We have made thoughtful changes to many of our pharmacy department processes and have developed a robust drug shortage dashboard. The analytics developed for assessing drug use on the dashboard will inform our efforts moving forward. This September, meanwhile, we will implement Epic, our new electronic health record that was initially scheduled for a May 9

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launch before COVID-19 forced its postponement.

We are excited to move to Epic as it contains useful COVID-19 functionality.

Without question, COVID-19 tested us—our resilience, our commitment, and our capabilities as individuals as well as a collective unit. I cannot thank my ambulatory and hospital pharmacy senior leadership teams enough for responding to the many challenges that we faced to ensure that our patients received the care they needed and that our staff remained as safe as possible. We persevered. We cared. We endured.

Given everything COVID-19 threw at us, that’s no small feat. In fact, it’s a lively testament to the unshakable vigor of our pharmacy department and its people.

D R. V I C K I

G R O O

A clinical associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, Vicki Groo has served as a clinical pharmacist at the UIC Heart Center since 2004, a role in which she oversees experiential learning for both PharmD students and residents.

As the calendar shifted from February to March earlier this year, I knew little of COVID-19 and, truth be told, stood naïve to its potential impact. Like many others, I discounted this virus’s ability to wash over us and rattle our daily lives.

By March 9, however, my miscalculation became apparent.

That day, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) cancelled its annual meeting scheduled to begin on March 28 in Chicago. (Just four days prior, it’s worth noting, the ACC announced it would proceed with the event as planned, a nod to the fast-changing nature of

ND OUR CAPABILITIES AS INDIVIDUALS AS WELL AS A COLLECTIVE UNIT”

D R . A N DY D O N N E L LY

COVID-19 TALES

Dr. Chris Schriever

things as COVID-19 penetrated the United States in rising numbers.) As the ACC moved discussions and content online, I listened to doctors from China share poignant firsthand accounts of their experiences battling COVID-19.

Those tales awoke me to the seriousness of this disease, while around-the-clock reports of cases exploding in European nations, rising fatality numbers, and travel restrictions confirmed the virus’s far-reaching impact.

interaction so central to making that annual rite of passage a rich learning experience. Still, those students showed resiliency and flexibility, qualities I am certain will prove valuable as they progress in their careers.

The subsequent days, weeks, and months required adaptability as my work on both the academic and clinical side at the college shifted at a rapid pace. New rules. New schedules. New communications platforms.

New work environments. Realizing I could not be stuck in my ways—changes were being thrust upon me whether I was ready or not, whether I liked it or not— I adopted a go-with-the-flow attitude.

During the week of March 23, only two of six Heart Center patients arrived for their appointments. The following week, no one showed. We consolidated into teams and reassessed every patient on the schedule, moving follow-up appointments back. As a clinician, the no-shows concerned me as did delaying appointments.

As so many of our patients are already in a precarious health state, I wondered about the potential downstream effects of people delaying their healthcare. Might people be sicker than expected when we finally do see them back in the clinic? Here in the fall, this concern continues swirling around my mind.

With word that classes would be moving online, I transferred documents and course materials over to the cloud. Having never taught online before, I explored different ways to present lessons and recorded lectures in front of empty classrooms, a truly odd experience of talking into vacant space after years of lively face-toface engagement with my students. Without a home office and with my forced-to-work-remote husband taking over the dining room, I commanded a card table in our home’s backroom. When I wasn’t trying to piece together class lessons or clinical projects on that card table, I rolled up a gray tablecloth and tackled different 500- or 1,000-piece puzzles—a different mental exercise to escape, if only temporarily, the escalating tension this pandemic delivered.

The biggest challenge I encountered on the academic side came with the recitation sections in April. With that being tackled online, we lost the individual group dynamic and

At the Heart Center, where I am accustomed to seeing a full slate of patients three days a week, operations changed drastically.

We did, of course, introduce telehealth into the mix at the Heart Center. Through our transition of care service, we typically see patients within seven days after their hospital discharge. Because of COVID-19, we began visiting with these patients remotely. While telehealth has its definite appeal, and I am glad our trainees are receiving early exposure to this likely here-to-stay technology, I worry that we miss things in the digital world that we would otherwise notice in a face-to-face visit.

For example, a resident pharmacist charged to follow up with some of our high-risk patients and to perform transition of care reviews found one patient who had been without her water pill for five weeks and gained 15 pounds as a result. Had we seen this patient as

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Dr. Alan Gross

scheduled, we would have caught this. With telehealth expected to remain for the foreseeable, albeit cloudy, future, my colleagues and I will continue to explore ways to be more thorough and comprehensive with care. If this is our reality, then we want to thrive in this environment.

As the Heart Center’s satellite clinic remains closed, we must continue to adapt on the training side as well. We are regularly integrating P3 and P4 students as well as PGY1 and PGY2 residents into our clinic, but how do we fit them all in and deliver a beneficial learning experience, especially with a limited number of patients even coming into the clinic? Here again, we continue to adapt, pivot, and evolve. In the Heart Center’s pharmacy clinic, which is fully telehealth, I have trainees listening in on a group video chat with patients during the first week before leading calls during subsequent weeks.

While things that typically take place in an exam room are now happening via a multimedia connection, we remain eager to unlock ways to incorporate more trainees into our clinic amid social distancing guidelines.

We understand how powerful direct patient access and interaction with other healthcare providers can be for our trainees, and those in-person experiences are something we want to provide whenever safely possible.

As much as we can accommodate that in a prudent way, we will.

COVID-19 has demanded adaptability with uncertainty being the only sure-fire certainty. Despite encountering new guardrails, we continue to navigate within any newly set boundaries to serve our students and our patients. That, of course, remains our mission in good times and bad.

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A clinical associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and clinical pharmacist in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) at the University of Illinois Hospital, Scott Benken rounds with the MICU team recommending medications for patients, takes on residents in service, and teaches researchrelated courses in critical care.

I won’t soon forget Friday the 13th.

That morning—Friday, March 13—I received an e-mail from my children’s school about a potential closure. That was my first touchpoint with COVID-19. Like many others, I heard the reports of COVID-19 bubbling overseas and then saw it capture more and more national attention Josiah Baker throughout February and into March. But until that March morning, the virus seemed a distant worry.

That afternoon, our MICU received its first COVID-19 patient: a relatively healthy young man only two years older than me. I was stunned, not only that this novel virus, which I had previously only known through news reports and occasional chatter with colleagues, had officially infiltrated my life, but that it had invaded someone so like me. That reality jarred me, signaling that COVID-19 was here, unlikely to disappear anytime soon, and even more serious than I ever imagined.

Within two weeks, our MICU was overflowing with COVID-19 patients, an influx that quickly became so great that we converted the pediatric unit into a second MICU. The depth and breadth of patients and the severity of this virus shifted every aspect of the MICU. Save rounding with the team, no aspect of my work was “typical.”

The MICU, an inherently complex environment, became even more complex as we were overrun with critically ill

A S W EL L A S A D D ED P U R P O S E B EH I N D M Y AC T I O N S .”

patients, breathing machines, and drug shortages that forced us to implement nontraditional practices. We worked tirelessly to come up with treatment plans and alternative medications. Can we use this? How do we get it? To ensure a normal flow of medications and address drug shortages, you need to be forward thinking and discover solutions. Our team and pharmacy department did that with tremendous thoughtfulness and strategy.

Amid the early COVID-19 onslaught, we continued to incorporate pharmacy residents. The nature of the medical ICU is that residents need to be on the floor. Looking back upon those early weeks battling COVID-19, the residents’ presence helped to keep us from drowning.

Name an emotion and I encountered it this past spring.

At times, I felt defeated and stretched to my max. I saw people near my own age confront this invisible enemy and die, while others passed after weeks of futile medical effort. It reminded me of the frailty of life and offered an appreciation for each breath. At one point, I had to quarantine for 72 hours. While I tested negative for the virus, that reality-check situation forced me to pause. I have a wife and three children under the age of six. The thought of potentially infecting them stirred angst and pushed me to be extra diligent, careful, and focused upon my return to the MICU. At times, the outpouring of love, support, and positivity directed at our MICU team as well as those success stories of patients pulling through and walking out of the hospital proved uplifting. We needed those little moments of celebration amid disheartening times, especially as we saw more COVID-19 patients expire than leave our doors. While the MICU is no stranger to end-of-life events, losing such battles on a daily basis

Tony Rosella, P3

tested our hearts and minds. During such a merciless, wearing struggle, my faith provided perspective, drive, and comfort.

COVID-19 TALES

Lisa Wendt, P4

LISA WENDT

By mid-May, about eight weeks into this fight, we achieved some stable footing. Though our COVID-19 patient count remained high, we had developed a better sense of the disease process and patient care. We had also worked with purchasers and buyers to address our drug shortages, even creating our own stockpile. Those combined efforts sparked some relief and minimized anxiety. By July, COVID-19 patients no longer dominated our MICU. We had survived the storm, but hesitated to relax, especially as COVID-19 cases jumped in states across the country, including Illinois, throughout the summer.

Today, the big-picture questions fill my mind. Will we ever get back to normal? What does normal even look like? Yes, we know how to better care for patients and have addressed drug shortages, but COVID-19 continues lurking around us. Will it strike again? When and how severe? The ongoing threat looms and it’s overwhelming to think about additional surges.

COVID-19 exposed cracks in our healthcare system, including our MICU operations. We had to expand the MICU and borrow staff from elsewhere. Relying heavily on residents and cross-coverage provides a temporary, but ultimately unsustainable, solution. Moving ahead, I see personnel as the biggest challenge we face. Are we able to make an investment in staff so we are not just getting by, but can flex as things ebb and flow? That’s something I hope we continue to address.

To be certain, COVID-19 sparked some positive takeaways, too. Our cohesiveness from a departmental standpoint has never been higher. The pandemic forced

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us to reevaluate protocols and guidelines for our MICU patients and things we do from a systems standpoint.

We made progress building out electronic systems and created order sets that bring new providers quickly up to speed. We optimized the way we care for patients in the MICU, and with more providers, more patients, and an aggressive disease, this needed to happen. We’re a better, stronger unit moving forward because of that.

From that Friday the 13th and throughout the spring and then into the summer months, clinical pharmacists remained an ongoing presence in the MICU and stood on the frontlines of care. Oftentimes, I encouraged the pharmacy residents to note that and to recognize the important, vital role we play in patient care. I hope that motivated and inspired them because we need competent, engaged pharmacists now more than ever.

COVID-19, after all, won’t be the last crisis we face.

D R. M I C H A E L F E D E R L E Michael Federle is a professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and director of the Center for Biomolecular Sciences. His lab investigates quorum sensing, which is how bacteria coordinate gene expression and behavior across microbial populations through chemical communication.

I compare COVID-19 to a slow-motion train wreck.

Initially, I thought the derailment would be a modest disruption. “Only a week or two,” I told myself. It’s clear now my optimism exceeded the reality.

In March, active lab work came to a near-complete standstill as we were forced to work remotely. Without access to our lab, we adjusted to keep our brains engaged in progress and to sustain different research projects as best as possible.

We shifted to interpreting on-hand data sets and pursuing grants. We wrote, including making substantial headway on numerous manuscripts. We read, using the time to get deep into the literature on our own projects and to consider new efforts. We had some forwardthinking students begin learning bioinformatic and statistical programming languages, which are powerful skills in the age of big-data science.

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I, and certainly my colleagues, were as busy as ever with meetings, grant reviews, paper reviews, editorial work, student thesis committees, administrative meetings, and trying to keep our teams motivated and challenged.

In the interest of reducing anxiety and providing encouragement, I arranged one-on-one virtual meetings each week with members of my lab team, while we also connected virtually as a group through weekly happy hours. I felt for the students and postdocs and this disruption to their careers.

But as the weeks passed, I could sense simmering unease and digital fatigue, especially as the days became consumed by managing e-mail and rushing to the next virtual meeting. We’re a hands-on, experimental bunch eager to interact with each other, excited to pursue new ideas and advance science. Not being in the lab zapped our spirits.

Fortunately, we began a progressive process of reopening the research labs in late June, albeit with a litany of accommodations from maintaining social distancing to working in shifts. The opportunity to return to the lab, to resume hands-on research and regenerate that stream of productivity, has been invigorating, though it has not been business as usual. We are doing our best within the constraints, simply grateful we’ve been able to pursue quasi-normal operations.

While I try to keep fear from consuming my mind, the future does concern me. So many of our students and trainees face substantial questions about current projects as well as their career trajectory. Collaboration and idea sharing, so important to scientific research, have been curtailed. We’re not working freely alongside one another in the lab, attending conferences, or welcoming visitors. And while there has been an overall surge in scientific papers being submitted, I wonder if the work is as thorough as it otherwise would be.

The coronavirus has hampered science, and it could take some time to see progress restored. I do believe science and pharmacy can emerge better from these challenging times. More resilient. More determined. More focused. I place my faith in that and sincerely hope that becomes a positive result of these unprecedented times.

D R. K Y L E M O R K Over the last decade at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System, Kyle Mork has graduated from float pharmacist to clinical pharmacist to his current position as ambulatory care pharmacy coordinator. At the Wood Street pharmacy, Mork, under the supervision of Kit May, oversees pharmacy staff and pharmacy operations.

When I reflect on the impact of COVID-19 to my role in the pharmacy world, a single word leaps to mind: adaptation.

As the novel coronavirus emerged from distant threat to present reality and demanded operational changes, as civil unrest shuttered local pharmacies, and as new information and recommendations about COVID-19 emerged, our Wood Street pharmacy adapted in a seamless way. That it did so remarkably well stands a credit to the professionalism and focus of our staff.

Immediately upon COVID-19’s confirmed appearance in the Chicago area, we split our staff into on-call and on-site teams. That way, our entire squad would not be compromised by one positive test. One after another, we integrated new procedures, policies, and environmental changes into our workflow: installing a sneeze guard to separate patients from pharmacy staff; requiring face masks for staff and offering face coverings to visitors; capping the waiting room capacity at four people; training pharmacists on how to temperature screen patients in a contactless method. All of this as our script volume jumped as the hospital became more efficient with discharges to accommodate the COVID-19 wave.

Throughout the spring and into the summer, we continued adapting and evolving our actions to protect staff and patients. We planted a staff member at the

DR. KYLE MORK

COVID-19 TALES

C H A N G E S I N S T R I D E T O S E R V E O U R PAT I E N T S .”

front of the pharmacy to screen all visitors, accelerated our mail order dispensing to minimize in-store visits, and moved select staff to alternative work sites on campus.

There is no end in sight to the precautions we are instituting, and we plan to indefinitely operate with patient and staff safety as our foremost priority, even as typical hospital operations resume and our volume rises above pre-COVID levels. As this virus has not disappeared, neither can our vigilant response to it.

While COVID-19 certainly triggered some unease, the pandemic also drove us to become a more focused, efficient operation. For example, large brainstorming sessions among the management team have given way to more concentrated meetings. We now set our agenda, hammer out a plan, and go.

Time and again, we adapted, taking a barrage of challenges and changes in stride to serve our patients.

When many local pharmacies proactively closed or temporarily ceased operations after looting tied to May and June’s social unrest, our Wood Street pharmacy remained one of the few pharmacies open on the city’s near west side. We established ourselves as the pharmacy that did not close, and that brought a stream of new patients into our doors.

The constant changes and ongoing grind could have decimated our spirit as pharmacy professionals. Instead, I watched these times inspire and empower our team.

We were essential workers on the frontlines, and individually as well as collectively, we embraced that responsibility and executed with a commitment to our patients and to one another.

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“. . . N OW, M O R E T H A N E V ER , I F EEL C A L L ED TO U S E M Y L I C EN S E TO ED U C AT E , D R. C H R I S S C H R I E V E R Chris Schriever is a clinical assistant professor at the UIC College of Pharmacy’s Rockford campus, where he chairs the Infection Control Committee and precepts pharmacy and advance practice students.

I like things neat and orderly, but those preferences clash with the innate fluidity a global pandemic like COVID-19 brings. Since March, unease has hovered over my life, a result of swirling uncertainty about what I would be tasked to do and when.

With Rockford lagging about two to four weeks behind the Chicago area in terms of COVID-19 cases, the Winnebago County Health Department, concerned that local hospitals could be overwhelmed by patients rushing in for testing, reached out to the College of Pharmacy and College of Medicine in mid-March about setting up a triage site on the UIC Rockford campus.

Together with my College of Pharmacy colleague Annette Hays and partners from the College of Medicine, we assembled a comprehensive plan for triage, testing, and transferring patients that included conferring with county officials as well as local police and fire departments. The assignment represented an interesting turn from my typical duties. Rather than discussing medications, I found myself contemplating issues such as staff and resource management to construct a triage site that could handle upwards of 500 people each day.

With that plan in place, including supplies in hand and tents arranged in the parking lot, we then waited for state or county orders to open the site. The anticipation dragged on me. My wife and I discussed plans for how our family, which includes four children, would deal with the prospect of me living out of a hotel room for an indeterminate number of weeks. Nothing about that would be neat or orderly.

On April 24, the governor ordered the triage site to open, though our anticipated role shifted. The state charged the National Guard to oversee that site and handle all the testing, while my team of pharmacists was assigned contact tracing. Soon after, I helped lead an effort at Crusader Community Health, where I work as a contract clinical pharmacist, to create a similar triage center to accommodate the west side of Rockford. There, I actively swabbed hundreds of patients throughout the summer months. These respective efforts highlight our team’s ability to produce thoughtful plans and rally community partners. Better yet, the framework now exists for us to administer mass vaccinations when a vaccine becomes available.

Though some would suggest the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, I confess the feelings of unease linger. COVID-19 has not disappeared, and the very

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real threat of an uptick in positive cases leaves me apprehensive and guarded. Yet, I’m learning to cope with the untidy nature of such anxiety.

As a healthcare provider acutely involved in this process, my duty is to be a voice of reason amid the uncertainty, to share scientific data and display positivity. Recent months have shown me I can reinvent myself in the face of evolving public health needs and be of greater service to my community. And that’s a good drill if, or rather when, something like this happens again.

D R. A L A N G R O S S A clinical associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, Alan Gross is a clinical pharmacist who specializes in infectious diseases.

Neither healthcare nor pharmacy has experienced anything quite like the COVID-19 pandemic, a once-ina-lifetime event that has challenged us all to go beyond our perceived limits. On a daily basis, our understanding of the disease shifts and new questions emerge. Frankly, we have but one legitimate response: to drive ahead with a relentless focus on patient care.

As COVID-19 began washing over the University of Illinois Hospital in March, addressing this unknown enemy became my singular focus. While our physicians have unique expertise in diagnosis, it stands as a near-impossible effort to comprehensively review every new study, especially against the backdrop of such an intense medical crisis and with an illness as fast-moving as COVID-19. In such an environment, pharmacists play a key role as the drug information experts, and providers looked to me for insights and direction.

I reviewed and evaluated the literature, shared key findings with the healthcare teams, collaborated with pharmacist colleagues, and led the development of treatment guidelines for the swelling number of patients with COVID-19 filling our hospital. As new literature arrived and certain drugs became more difficult to obtain due to shortages, I adjusted plans accordingly and made recommendations for alternative therapies. I wanted to be as flexible and adaptable as possible but, above all, root my work in sound evidence and provide solid, actionable recommendations our teams could execute.

The amount of effort required to combat COVID-19 has been simply incredible. Recent months have given me a deeper appreciation for the critical role everyone on the healthcare team plays—physicians, nurses, and pharmacists alike—and the valuable expertise and perspective we each bring to the table. The word team has never meant so much to me or seemed so vitally important in the healthcare ecosystem.

I believe my hospital colleagues sense that as well, specifically as it relates to pharmacy. I see heightened

recognition and greater appreciation for what we have been providing and increased understanding of the meaningful contributions pharmacists make to patient care. With both providers as well as patients, I hope we continue to share that story and demonstrate our value. Every interaction with providers opens the door to building trust and showcasing pharmacists as valuable, skilled partners, while every interaction with patients enables us to explain our role and share our expertise to generate confidence and comfort.

Amid this pandemic, pharmacists have been stepping up, having an even greater presence, and advancing perspectives of their work. Individually as well as collectively, I hope we continue to seize those opportunities moving forward to optimize patient outcomes. Pharmacists can help with the eventual COVID-19 vaccinations, provide education, and serve as a reliable resource for healthcare partners, patients, and the public at large.

As pharmacists, we pledge a lifetime of service to others through our profession. May we all continue to do that with spirit and substance.

JOSIAH BAKER A fourth-year PharmD student at UIC’s Chicago campus, Tennessee native Josiah Baker works as an inpatient pharmacy intern at Rush University Medical Center and recently completed a one-year term as president of the Illinois Council of HealthSystem Pharmacists’ (ICHP) UIC student chapter.

As early as February, my two roommates and I, all of us UIC PharmD students, were tracking COVID-19’s devastating global developments. Fascinated by the international spread of the novel coronavirus, we had earnest conversations about the ability of the United States’ healthcare system to address the virus and our population’s readiness to acknowledge COVID-19 as a public health emergency very distinct from the common flu. Our shared fear, especially as other nations struggled to contain the virus and care for patients, was that the United States would squander the opportunity to learn from happenings elsewhere.

Sadly, our fears turned into reality.

By late March, the typical cadence of my life quickly shifted. Classes and student organization events moved online, clinics closed, and my rotation experience abruptly ended. At Rush, where I primarily conduct medication reconciliations, I switched to interviewing patients over the phone rather than at bedside, eliminating the opportunity to gauge body language, smile, and cultivate an empathetic relationship with the patient.

I also saw fear strike society, as common supplies flew off grocery store shelves and I received a flood of

TONY ROSELLA

questions from friends and family: What should I do?

Is this a hoax? How long might this last? I immersed myself in the literature to be as prepared as possible for those conversations. Others’ accelerating anxiety and their trust in my insights reinforced the concept of being an independent learner and critical thinker, but also compelled me to consider public health’s role in confronting such widespread uncertainty.

It all seemed so unfortunate. And yet when I reflect upon recent months, I consider myself fortunate—an admittedly odd perspective given the upheaval of the COVID-19 era.

Fortunate that I maintained my own health as did many others around me.

Fortunate to have started my first three P4 rotations on site. Heading into these rotations with an open mind and committed to soaking up as much knowledge as I possibly could, I found rich and rewarding experiences that have diversified my skill set—telehealth being one notable example—and expanded my patient care abilities.

COVID-19 TALES

I N F O R M , A N D S U P P O R T OT H ER S .”

And finally, fortunate to have experienced this pandemic as a UIC pharmacy student with access to some of the best hospitals, educators, and clinicians around. I choose UIC three years ago because of its deep focus on patient care and its intense desire to reimagine the traditional role of pharmacists. Throughout this pandemic, I have observed pharmacists push drug development and discovery, clinical innovations, and education, while asserting themselves as medication experts and trusted clinicians whose services save lives and contribute to a more efficient, effective healthcare system. This has emboldened my desire to be a part of patient care and cemented my commitment to the profession.

Here, at the doorstep of beginning my pharmacy career, I find that a particularly fortunate gift.

TONY ROSELLA Tony Rosella is a third-year pharmacy student at the College of Pharmacy’s Rockford campus.

Back in March, I had a seasoned pharmacist tell me that this pandemic would forever influence how I practice pharmacy. Months later, I see the truth in her words and, even more, that this pharmacy path I am pursuing is much more of a calling than I ever realized.

I spent much of the spring navigating two fast-changing worlds: my end-of-the-year course work and my job as a pharmacy technician at SwedishAmerican Hospital in Rockford. As I adjusted to remote learning, a challenge given my extroverted personality and how much I enjoy the in-person classroom experience, I also tracked the evolving environment at SwedishAmerican, which was making swift changes in preparation for COVID-19’s

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“ T H I S H A S EM B O L D EN ED M Y D E S I R E TO B E A PA R T O F PAT I EN T C A R E A N D C EM EN T ED M Y C O M M I T M EN T TO T H E P R O F E S S I O N .” J O S I A H B A K E R arrival in Rockford. One floor of the hospital became the designated COVID-19 floor. Hospital management shared daily updates about new procedures and protocols. And pharmacists trained in different areas to ensure we would have ample coverage. Amid this, my work hours accelerated to counter the increasing COVID-related efforts, while my job shifted as well.

Rather than talking to patients about their medications at bedside, I did so from a hospital phone.

I often found myself wishing I could do more, that I could have a bigger impact on a strained healthcare system.

But there are limits to what I, a young pharmacy student, can do. That’s inspired me to prepare for the future.

And it is the future I spend a lot of time thinking about now—at least when I am not fully consumed by presentday demands.

COVID-19 TALES

I have thought a great deal about how America and Rockford have responded to this pandemic. While I am proud of my community for their diligent work to increase the safety of everyone, the lack of critical decisionmaking skills displayed by some troubled me. With so much misinformation about COVID-19 swirling around us, it seems many people struggled to stay adequately informed. This highlighted the importance of public trust in healthcare and has motivated me to consider how I might play a positive role in reducing gaps in knowledge.

It is clear healthcare professionals like pharmacists need to do more community outreach, to provide accurate medical information to people in a clear, unbiased way. I want to be cognizant of building that trust and credibility in my career. Perhaps, it might be something as simple as setting up a vaccine consultation table at community events. There, I could provide information on vaccines, but also offer people a valuable opportunity to talk to a healthcare professional and explain things like medical evidence or the collaboration of healthcare teams.

So, while I am excited to continue my studies, I am most excited to become a pharmacist. This pandemic has already influenced my pharmacy career. It awoke me to pressing issues in the healthcare system and public health at large, and now, more than ever, I feel called to use my license to educate, inform, and support others.

LISA WENDT

Lisa Wendt is currently a P4 student at the College of Pharmacy’s Chicago campus. She works as an inpatient technician at the University of Illinois Hospital while simultaneously sharpening her pharmacy skills at a local CVS outlet.

When I entered pharmacy school three years ago, the term “essential worker” was not as ubiquitous as it is today. And yet, I knew I wanted to be one of those

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essential workers in healthcare, a needed professional both colleagues and the public at large looked to for help.

Now, after the recent months we have endured because of COVID-19, I have a renewed sense of what it means to be an essential worker as well as added purpose behind my actions.

After going about my business as usual—addressing course work, readying for exams, and training on the hospital’s new computer system, the world around me seemingly changed overnight in mid-March. Classes moved online and the traditional student experience soon followed into the digital world, including the tutoring program I lead at the college and all student organization activities. When I completed my last final in May—also online—I found myself missing the typical postexam lobby gathering with my classmates to discuss finals and celebrate the semester’s completion.

It was not the ideal end to the year’s didactic learning, but the college did so well adapting in the moment.

When I received my P4 rotation schedule in April, I hesitated to get too excited. I feared the opportunities I had looked forward to would be drastically different than I imagined. That I was able to begin my first three assigned rotations—first at an oncology clinic in Lincoln Park after Memorial Day before moving onto the UIC Dialysis Center and the University of Illinois Hospital’s Medical Intensive Care Unit—on time and on site with direct patient interaction was an absolute blessing. I know some of my peers were not so fortunate.

COVID-19 compelled me to reflect on how normalcy exists amid a crisis and how the pharmacist fits into that world. Whenever I changed around the medications typically stocked in the hospital’s MICU to make room for the most in-demand medications needed for COVID-19 patients or sent over-the-counter medications from my CVS store to our COVID-positive patients recovering at home, I felt I was contributing something positive, something valuable. Although simple acts, they were vital.

As I embark upon my final year in the PharmD program and contemplate postgraduation plans, I take the lessons of COVID-19 with me. This pandemic taught me the importance of being flexible, underscored the value of collaboration on healthcare teams, and made me more excited about what pharmacists can offer. I watched pharmacists provide knowledge and perspective. I saw firsthand the impact so many pharmacists had on those they work with, and I gained a deeper understanding of the meaningful role pharmacists play. As these past few months have strengthened my resolve, I realize that the work pharmacists do is not only important, but that it is essential.

“ What made us want to give was gratitude and remembrance: gratitude for the education we received at UIC and the remembrance of our parents who ignited a flame in us for higher education.”

— SHIRLEY FELDER, BS PHARM ’84, PHARMD

The Felder family—Michael Felder, future UIC student; David Felder, BS ’21; Tony Felder, BS ’76, civil and materials engineering; Shirley Felder, BS ’84, pharmacy; Aarti Felder, BA ’11, psychology; and UIC Engineering clinical assistant professor of bioengineering Anthony Felder, BS ’11, PhD ’17— in front of POZEN Plaza and the UIC College of Pharmacy.

Create a legacy.

Fulfill dreams.

Help current and future generations of UIC students like the Felder Family. Make a gift through your estate, an IRA beneficiary designation, or appreciated stock. Many planned gifts provide tax benefits and can also provide income.

Contact James Shuba, Director of Gift Planning

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(312) 413-3394

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shuba@uif.uillinois.edu

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PHARMACY IN THE College of Pharmacy alumni find compelling opportunities in government ranks B Y

D A N I E L

P .

S M I T H

Among the UIC College of Pharmacy’s vast network of some 10,000 alumni, a growing number are making contributions, leading innovative efforts, and driving care in the public sector.

Scattered across the government ranks at places such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Veterans Health Administration, College of Pharmacy alumni are dictating medication protocols for thousands, if not millions, of individuals, running research programs related to drug safety and outcomes, and shaping wide-reaching policy that impacts care for large populations. For UIC College of Pharmacy dean Glen Schumock, those professional endeavors stand as an incredible source of pride.

“We are always proud of our alumni that make contributions and lead in their respective areas, and for those doing so in the public sector, it is perhaps more so because of the altruistic motivations that often govern such work,” Schumock says. “We take satisfaction in knowing that the College of Pharmacy contributed in some way to their careers and the wide impact their efforts have on improving human health.”

While not the traditional path many former College of Pharmacy students, residents, and fellows pursue, public sector work has emerged a more appealing and well-traveled path over recent years—and for a multitude of reasons.

Some alumni, for instance, see greater practice opportunities in the public sector or are intrigued by the prospects of moving around the country

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to maximize their career trajectory. Others, meanwhile, are drawn to public service and the opportunity to help more people and, in particular, vulnerable populations without the threat of cost-benefit analyses or corporate profitability overrunning decisions.

To be certain, however, public sector work presents its challenges. It requires pharmacists consciously shift their focus from the specific problems of an individual to care for an entire population, while also demanding pharmacists divorce themselves from their personal beliefs in the name of making objective, fact-based decisions.

“Working in the public sector, you need skills and perspectives that allow for long-range, big-picture thinking as well as the patience to deal with bureaucracy,” Schumock allows.

Through the electives, mentorship, extracurriculars, and other opportunities the College of Pharmacy provides, including access to competitive residencies and fellowships, Schumock says, the College fosters the necessary skills and mindset for alumni to thrive in the public sector.

“UIC opens the door for our alumni to excel in these types of positions with government agencies,” he says.

And excel they do.

E PUBLIC SECTOR CHRISTOPHER DAO, PHARMD ’16 Assistant Health Services Administrator U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS)

FRAN CUNNINGHAM, PHARMD, RES ’88, FEL ’89 Associate Chief Consultant for Pharmacy Benefits Management, Director of the Center for Medication Safety, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

After 10 years—and tenure—as a UIC College of Pharmacy faculty member, Dr. Cunningham left the west campus in 2000 for a too-good-to-be-true job with the VA. “I thought I’d be in academia for the long haul, and it was pure serendipity that this job developing a national outcomes research program at the VA appeared before me.”

In her role with pharmacy benefits management, Cunningham works on medication safety surveillance and outcomes. The primary emphasis is on veteran care and VA policy, though she also supplies information for congressional members and hearings. At the VA Center for Medication Safety, meanwhile, Cunningham oversees the VA’s entire comprehensive pharmacovigilance program, which includes collaborating with other federal agencies on medication and vaccine safety and directing a research program focused on medication safety issues pertinent to pharmacy. “Being able to directly help veterans, giving back to those who have given to us, is the reason I do it and the reason I stay.”

Cunningham developed the VA’s Active Surveillance Program, which tracks adverse drug events utilizing databases, as well as a dynamic prospective medication-use evaluation program that allows for tracking the safe and appropriate use of medications in real time. “Programs like these are why I came to VA: to help patients on a large scale.”

Dr. Dao hadn’t given much thought to government work until he read an APhA article about pharmacists employed in the Bureau of Prisons. “The opportunity to help different populations and to do something nontraditional seemed exciting.” His interest accelerated further after gaining different perspectives from alumni guest speakers and enjoying clinical rotations at the VA. Dao began working at the federal prison in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2019 after two years as a staff pharmacist at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas. Today, he oversees health services, including a team of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, paramedics, and other healthcare providers, and drives care for the prison’s 1,300 residents. “I love the environment and using my knowledge to make the best clinical decisions for a truly underserved population.”

Much of Dao’s work revolves around ensuring that healthcare systems in the facility run smoothly, which means anticipating problems and crafting creative solutions. His forward-thinking leadership allowed the Phoenix prison to avoid a single case of COVID-19 throughout the spring months. “I’m forced to imagine different scenarios, mind the details, and problem solve, which is challenging, yet rewarding work.”

Currently leading an interdisciplinary team, Dao’s grateful for a UIC education that introduced him to the entire spectrum of patient care—from a provider’s assessment to a medication order to follow-up care—and allowed him to see beyond the pharmacist’s role.

“That helped me understand the important roles different professionals fill and taught me how to communicate with providers, staff, and patients.”

Cunningham credits her UIC residency for advancing her clinical skills and her fellowship for propelling her research skills. “I always tell my staff that you can’t design a good research or surveillance project without being a sound clinician first.”

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KARINE ROZENBERG, PHARMD ’92 Hepatitis C/Advanced Liver Disease Task Force Manager for VISN 12 and Chair of the National Advanced Liver Disease (ALD) Dashboard Coordinators U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

After a six-month stint at Osco following graduation, Dr. Rozenberg jumped at the chance to join the VA. The Israel-born daughter of Holocaust survivors first served veterans on the medicine floors at Chicago’s Lakeside VA Hospital before moving to the hospital’s ambulatory care clinic. “Veterans are the most important reason for this country’s freedom, and their continued sacrifice can’t be overstated.”

In her current role with VISN 12, Rozenberg collaborates with an interdisciplinary team of providers to care for veterans with viral hepatitis and advanced liver disease. Notably, she worked with a clinical informatics pharmacist to develop a dashboard that identifies and links Hepatitis C (HCV) patients in the VISN 12 network to care.

After attending a VA HCV meeting in 2011, Rozenberg learned other VA networks did not have dashboards.

She worked with a team of developers to deploy the HCV dashboard systemwide, subsequently propelling treatment for more than 100,000 veterans infected with HCV. “At the end of the day in clinic, you can only impact the patients you reach personally. The dashboard allowed me to be a part of helping veterans by the thousands.” As chair of the National ALD Dashboard Coordinators, Rozenberg continues unveiling dashboards to manage other disease states.

At UIC, Rozenberg learned to be a flexible, creative problem solver. “What I do today would not be possible without the strong training in pharmaceutical care I received at UIC.”

SONAL GOYAL, PHARMD ’10 Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

As a service-oriented PharmD student, Dr. Goyal was intrigued by a career with the CDC. “I could see the impact that the CDC had on improving population health and my goal was to improve the health and wellbeing of as many people as I possibly could.”

Over the last two years at the CDC, Goyal, who also holds a master’s in public health, has led epidemiologic investigations, studied public health threats, and assessed current public health practices largely related to home births and opioid use among women of reproductive age. “I love knowing

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that the work I do is purposeful and has the potential to impact many lives.”

In a recent project with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Goyal led an evaluation of the state’s substance-exposed newborn surveillance system. She spearheaded the development of case definitions, data collection forms, and medical chart abstraction from 15 birthing hospitals before leveraging that data to inform surveillance as well as maternal and newborn care for the seven million residents across state. “I enjoy being able to use data to answer difficult questions.”

Goyal’s time at UIC ignited her curiosity in statistics and analysis, while also allowing her to hone skills like problem solving and emotional intelligence. “Having the opportunity to interact with and learn from students and professors from varied backgrounds and identities expanded upon my understanding of the world and improved my communication skills, which has been key to establishing partnerships and creating sustainable, long-term solutions.”

BEN LE, PHARMD ’11 Lieutenant Commander U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS)

As a first-year pharmacy student at UIC, Dr. Le listened as a USPHS officer introduced government service. Le was immediately drawn to the opportunity and selected experiential rotations applicable to that career. “I liked the idea of public service and saw a chance to apply my strong work ethic to opportunities in and beyond pharmacy like informatics, contracting, finance, environmental health, public health, and leadership.”

Le currently serves as the chief pharmacist at the Nevadabased Elko Service Unit of the Indian Health Service (IHS). Supervising the ambulatory care pharmacy department, Le educates patients on nutrition, physical activity, and

medication therapy; leverages his technical background to educate coworkers on software and troubleshoot system errors; and directs contracting and finance processes. He is also now expanding the department’s pharmacotherapy collaborative practice agreements.

“We want to become an even greater asset for the health center, and I enjoy the opportunity to learn from and teach others, so we’re fully supporting our mission.”

Le, who received his environmental health specialist certification in 2018, also serves as the Elko Service Unit’s safety officer. He works closely with the tribal lessor housekeeping and maintenance staff, which includes everything from shoveling snow to partnering with architectural, electrical, and civil engineers to complete a facility condition assessment. “In a career to advance public health, it’s important to improve clinical and leadership skills, and my education at UIC prepared me well for the different roles I have with IHS.”

to be deployed to an emergency situation, the possibilities excite. “One week, I am an ER pharmacist, and the next, I could be responding to a national disaster. Helping people in need is a real passion of mine and something this career enables.”

Deraedt credits UIC with providing him a strong clinical background, while a three-year experience working with Drs. Larry Danziger and Keith Rodvold exposed him to valuable research methods. “My time at UIC set me up for success with so much background knowledge to build upon.”

NAZIA FATIMA, PHARMD ’07 Consumer Safety Officer U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

MATT DERAEDT, PHARMD ’17 Lieutenant U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS)

After completing a PGY1 residency with the Indian Health Service (IHS) in Anchorage, Alaska, Dr. Deraedt remained at the Alaska Native Medical Center as an emergency department pharmacist. A go-to resource for all pharmacotherapy questions from both providers and patients, Deraedt attends to medical emergencies and practices at the top of his license in a fast-paced, diverse environment. “I like being challenged and empowered to use everything I learned in school and during my residency to provide the best patient care.”

Deraedt helped launch the ER pharmacy program at Alaska Native, an effort for which he leaned on a network of ER pharmacists and UIC alumni he had met during his PharmD years. “That network has been so critical in discussing procedures, treatments, and how to handle different situations.”

Deraedt has seen USPHS coworkers sent to Puerto Rico to assist after Hurricane Maria and others recently dispersed to COVID-19 hotspots across the United States. While Deraedt has yet

At UIC, Dr. Fatima gained a strong scientific background— “Everything that I do stems from that.”—and also enjoyed a clerkship that sparked a postgraduate job with Ovation Pharmaceuticals. Over seven years in industry with Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals (formerly Ovation), Fatima participated in the launch of seven drugs.

After earning her MBA from Northwestern University and contemplating different career opportunities, Fatima joined the FDA in 2013. She admits it was a notable shift, moving from a private startup to a large regulatory agency.

Though she admittedly second-guessed her decision at the onset, those days have long passed. “It’s truly an honor and privilege to serve in a public service role.”

At the FDA’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP) in Maryland, Fatima is a subject matter expert in oncology advertising and promotional review. She evaluates materials submitted by industry and has been involved in at least 70 new drug and/or supplemental approvals. “It’s been a very humbling experience to be part of the drug approval process, especially knowing the impact that these drugs can have on patients and families.”

Fatima fully embraces the weighty nature of her work. “The FDA’s mission is to protect public health, and I take this responsibility seriously. Being part of a regulatory agency that is at the intersection of science, policy, regulatory, and medicine is challenging, but also very exciting.”

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CAREER SPOTLIGHT

Maulik Navatany, PhD ’89, MBA A thirst for knowledge has led Boston Scientific’s Neuromodulation Division President around the world and back again

BY JESSICA CANLAS

But he didn’t stop there. After earning his PhD, Navatany realized that he “just didn’t have the patience to wait for a number of years to make an impact, being on the research side.

“It didn’t suit the time horizon in which I wanted to make a difference.”

So, in his lifelong quest to uncover his life’s passion, Navatany joined Baxter International and “did everything,” he says. “I started out in regulatory, because that, to me, was in between science and business, understanding research and understanding business strategy.”

Maulik Navatany, PhD ’89, MBA, describes himself as an “optimistic paranoid.”

Referencing Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Grove, one of the founding fathers of Intel, Navatany uses the descriptor to explain his philosophy behind his work.

“How do you continue to drive innovation? It’s OK to fail, but just make sure you fail fast and move onto what you want to do next.”

As president of Boston Scientific’s neuromodulation division, Navatany has the opportunity to pursue his quest as innovation leader in microelectronic implantable technologies.

“It is something that allows me to really make an impact in terms of creating products, creating therapies, and making a direct impact on patients,” he explains. “We have the ability to shape the field, so to speak, and bring innovation to patients and physicians.

“It is exciting.”

Navatany, whose father and uncle had been chemical and mechanical engineers, chose to pursue studies in pharmacy because he was interested in its “crossdisciplinary path.”

“I liked the life-sciences part of it, and I liked the engineering side of it, the technical side, so I felt that it was a better path for me.”

Born in Switzerland and raised in India, Navatany came to UIC to earn his master’s degree. But, after fulfilling his course requirements and thesis work in nine months, he realized that his thirst for knowledge hadn’t been satisfied. He “didn't think he’d learned enough,” he recalls, so his advisor convinced him to go for his PhD.

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He went on to delve into clinical development and biologics, and after earning his MBA at the University of Chicago, he worked in business development on mergers and acquisitions. Navatany then relocated to head up operations for Baxter Japan before joining Boston Scientific in 2005 as its vice president for corporate strategy for Japan, where he led business transformation and increased operational efficiency.

By the time he joined Boston Scientific, Navatany had touched a variety of different aspects of pharmaceuticals, biologics, and drug delivery and had gained expertise in regulatory, business development, and operations.

“I allowed my curiosity and learning mindset to keep going,” he says. “A lot of times, when you move from field to field, though it’s exciting, you realize you don’t know much about this, so your back is against the wall and you’re afraid to fail.

“That’s when you learn the most.”

Navatany has since returned to the United States to work in the company’s Valencia, California, location. He admits that he was lured there, once again, by his desire to seek a new experience. “[Neuromodulation] was one of the businesses I didn’t know anything about. I felt this may be the technology of the future, so that’s what interested me the most.”

Navatany describes neuromodulation as an industry where “you’re learning to dose with electricity instead of pharmaceuticals.” By modulating or stimulating the nervous system, the neuromodulation tech that he works on focuses on treating pain, thus replacing the need for medication and extending quality of life.

“The potential for the field is enormous,” he says.

UIC COLLEGE OF PHARMACY

VIRTUAL

2020 2020 Keynote Speaker

Dr. gerry wright Keynote Speaker Dr. gerry wright Director- Institute for Infectious Disease Research and Professor-Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University DirectorInstitute for Infectious Disease Research and Professor-Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University

UIC COLLEGE OF PHARMACY

833 S, Wood St. Chicago, IL 833 S, Wood St. Chicago, IL

2020

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2020 schedule FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2020 9:00 am - 10:30 am Registration/Check in Dr. gerry wright schedule Keynote Speaker 9:00–10:30 a.m.

Director- Institute for Infectious Disease Research and Professor-Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University

9:00 am - 10:30 am

10:30 am - 11:30 10:30–11:30 a.m. am 10:30 am - 11:30 am 11:45 am - 12:45 p.m. pm 11:45 a.m.–12:45

Registration/Check 833 inS, Wood St.

Instructions for checking in will Chicago, IL Instructions for checking in will be sent via email prior to the event be sent via e-mail prior to the via Google Form form.

Registration/Check in event via Google Instructions for checking in will Poster Session #1 be sent via email prior to the#1 event Poster Session (Odd Numbers) via Google (OddForm Numbers) via viaZoom Zoom

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2020 schedule

9:00 am - 10:30 am Registration/Check in Poster Session #1 Instructions for checking in will Poster Sessionbe#2 #2 sent via email prior to the event (Odd Numbers) Poster Session via Google Form (Even via Zoom (Even Numbers) Numbers) 10:30 - 11:30 am via Zoom viaam Zoom

Poster Session #1 (Odd Numbers)

via Zoom

(Even Numbers)

11:45 am - 12:45 pm 12:45 pm - 1:45 12:45–1:45 p.m. pm

Poster Session #2via Zoom Lunch Break (Even Lunch Break 11:45 am Numbers) - 12:45 pm Poster Session #2

2:00 pm - 3:30 2:00–3:30 p.m. pm 12:45 pm - 1:45 pm

Dean's WelcomeAddress Address Dean’s Welcome 12:45 pm - 1:45 pm Lunch Break Glen T. Lunch GlenBreak T. Schumock, Schumock, 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm MBA, Dean's PharmD, PhD Welcome Address PharmD, MBA, PhD Glen T. Schumock, PharmD, MBA, PhD Dean's Welcome Address Glen T. Schumock, Hans W. Award HansAward W. Vahlteich Award Hans W. Vahlteich Vahlteich PharmD, MBA, PhD Keynote Lecture via Zoom Keynote Lecture Keynote Lecture Hans W. Vahlteich Award via Zoom 3:45via pmZoom - 4:15 pm Graduate Student &

2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

via Zoom

Poster Awards

T O J O I N , visit the NEWS section on pharmacy.uic.edu, and you will be directed appropriately.

Q U E S T I O N S or to receive Zoom links for these events, please contact Dr. Lindsey McQuade at lmcquade@uic.edu.

T O V O L U N T E E R as a virtual judge for our annual poster competition, please contact Dr. McQuade by Friday, October 23, 2020. Poster sessions will be held via zoom from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. One week before Research Day (October 30, 2020), there will be two virtual training sessions (10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.) to ensure judges are confident in entering/exiting zoom sessions during Research Day and entering scores online.

SPONSORS SPONSORS

T H A N K YO U to the companies and organizations for their generous support of this worthwhile event!

3:45 pm - 4:15 3:45–4:15 p.m. pm 3:45 pm - 4:15 pm

SPONSORS

Keynote Lecture Graduate Student & Graduate Student via Zoom Poster Awards & Poster Awards via Zoom

via viaZoom Zoom

Graduate Student & Poster Awards via Zoom

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

Assuming the Advantage COP research opportunities give PharmD students an edge

BY JESSICA CANLAS

her experience inspired Hays to apply to the College of Pharmacy.

Now, as a faculty member, Hays regularly participates in the first session of the colloquim to explain to students why understanding how to conduct resarch is so important in pharmacy.

“I believed I couldn’t be the best pharmacist I could be unless I knew how things operated on that end and how much work goes into developing drugs and exploring new drug pathways, so that was what really drove me to continue in research,” she explains. “To see what goes into that process helps me better cater to to my patients and students.”

At the UIC College of Pharmacy, the research conducted by students, trainees, and faculty stand as a pillar of the institution’s pedagogy and are a vital aspect of the advancement of the profession as a whole. The college’s research endeavors set it apart as one of the most respected schools of pharmacy in the world.

Students have a wide variety of research opportunities available to them. And though attending pharmacy school this fall may look a bit different than past years, John Nitiss, professor and assistant dean of research at the Rockford campus, doesn’t expect this to change. “[Research] is certainly the sort of thing that only students at one of the top colleges of pharmacy would have the opportunity to experience,” says Nitiss. “So we try really hard to make sure that any student who wants to participate in research has the opportunity,” he says.

As an introduction, students can participate in a colloquium that introduces them to the broad range of research activities in the college, including laboratorybased research, clinical studies, and examination of outcomes, pharmacoepidemiology, and population studies.

“It is the one class in the professional program where virtually all lectures take place in Rockford. That course works very well online, and it will be completely online this year.”

Clinical assisant professor Annette Hays is a graduate of the PharmD program who first came to UIC as an undergraduate at Rockford University in response to a call for work-study students in the sciences. She applied for and landed a position as a lab assistant for associate professor Les Hanakahi. The positive impact of

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Besides the educational advantage Hays feels her experience gave her, she also feels that the mentorship she received from Hanakahi and Nitiss in the lab helped her grow both personally and professionally.

“It laid the foundation for me to be able to work on a team in any environment, whether in a lab or in my outpatient ambulatory care clinic,” she says. “I was also able to develop my own mentorship skills, and I was inspired to go into teaching and do the same for other students.

“I never would have chosen to go into academia if I hadn’t pursued research and had the opportunity to have such close mentorship relationships.”

Students interested in a more intensive experience can also apply for a Riback Fellowship. The David J. Riback Fellowship for postdoctoral students is a 10week summer program intended for PharmD students interested in a research career in biomedical sciences.

The student receives a $5,000 stipend and $1,000 for supplies. Training includes hands-on research conducted in the labs or clinical practices of faculty, and fellows present their research results during our minisymposium held in early August and during our annual College of Pharmacy Research Day held the first week of November.

Like Hays, Nitiss believes the research component is invaluable to modern pharmacy.

“What I think is cutting edge in the practice of pharmacy, is, in fact, the ability to take some of the concepts that we’re now accepting in terms of evidence-based medicine and applying these into professional practice,” says Nitiss. “If you don’t have the attitude in terms of resarch, you’re not going to be able to bring that to bear.

"We really mean it when we say that we want to be training the leaders of the next generation.”

INNOVATION SPOTLIGHT

Professor Don Waller’s Drug Discovery A next-generation contraceptive for women

BY JESSICA CANLAS

“It started us on this path toward something that could inhibit sperm, but prevent STDs as well.” What they ended up with accomplished this in an even simpler way.

The pH level of the vagina, Waller explains, is already naturally hostile to sperm as well as most pathogens.

When introduced to the vagina, semen alters its pH, neutralizing acidity and lowering defenses against pregnancy and infection.

“If we have the capacity to maintain the pH of the vaginal vault so that it would not allow sperm to be active, we also deactivate viruses and pathogens.”

When retired UIC College of Pharmacy professor Donald Waller, along with his best friend, Lourens Zaneveld, began working on their next-generation contraceptive for women, they sought to fill a simple but widespread need in the market.

“What we tried to do was develop an on-demand contraceptive for women that could be used when needed that wasn’t a steroid or implant and could provide additional protection against sexually transmitted disease. We wanted something inexpensive, easily made and available to everybody,” Waller recalls.

“That was what was really important to us. That’s what we achieved.”

As of this past May, Waller and Zaneveld’s discovery, called Phexxi, became the world’s first and only nonhormonal prescription gel approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of pregnancy and a potential to prevent sexually transmitted disease.

Waller, who teaches at UIC as a professor of pharmacology and toxicology in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, began developing the idea behind the gel with Zaneveld, of Rush University Medical Center, 15 years ago.

“At the time, we thought the concept was naive, but worthwhile,” Waller recalls. “If you look at the mechanism that sperm uses to penetrate the egg, it’s a similar process that pathogenic organisms use to gain access to tissues and infectivity. We thought we had something.”

Waller recalls that, also at that time, Zaneveld had been doing some work with acrosin inhibitors. Acrosin is an enzyme that plays a key role in the sperm’s penetration of the egg. When the researchers decided to look into whether or not those same substances were effective on pathogens, their suspicions were confirmed.

Waller and Zaneveld’s concept, which is copatented by UIC and Rush, was licensed to Evofem Bioscences, Inc., in 2003. Evofem developed the gel for commercial use through clinical trials and FDA approvals. While Phexxi is not yet FDA-approved for STD prevention, Waller expects that time will bear out its potential. And, even though he admits the concept is “very low-tech,” Waller believes this gives the contraceptive an edge.

“High-tech may be good for the United States or Western Europe, but not for the developing world, which needs something inexpensive and easily produced,” says Waller, who became involved with contraceptive research early on in his career through a grant from the World Health Organization. “If you look at the components, there’s nothing there that’s unusual.

They’re all easily obtained products.” Those products include lactic acid, citric acid, and potassium bitartrate.

An additional product is currently being developed using a similar philosophy but with a more robust activity against sexually transmitted diseases.

As a result, Waller and Zaneveld have essentially created a tool by which women around the world will be provided the ability to take control of both their reproductive rights as well as sexual health.

“A lot of subtle things go into developing these products.

As scientists, we must also consider the behavioral and sociological aspects that will impact the success or failure of this type of a product, which spans both contraception and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.”

“My hope is that women feel empowered with a new option to protect themselves.”

According to Evofem, Phexxi is expected to hit the market in September, alongside a telehealth support service to educate and support access for women.

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INNOVATION SPOTLIGHT

Phase 1 Trials Suggest UIC-developed Breast Cancer Drug Is Safe, Effective

BY SHARON PARMET

Tonetti, together with Dr. Gregory Thatcher, the Hans W. Vahlteich Chair of medicinal chemistry at UIC and coauthor on the paper, developed the new drug, called TTC-352. Preclinical studies showed that TTC-352, which is a selective human estrogen receptor partial agonist, causes complete tumor regression, but unlike tamoxifen, may pose a reduced risk of uterine cancer development.

Drs. Debra Tonetti, UIC professor of pharmacology, together with Gregory Thatcher, the UIC Hans W. Vahlteich Chair of medicinal chemistry, developed TTC-352, a new breast cancer drug being studied in clinical trials.

A new type of breast cancer drug developed by researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago can help halt progression of disease and is not toxic, according to phase 1 clinical trials. The drug is specifically designed for women whose cancer has stopped responding to hormone therapy.

The results are published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.

Breast cancer affects one in eight women in the United States, and while there are many types of breast cancer, around 80% are categorized as estrogen receptorpositive, or ER-positive. This means the cancer cells have receptors—molecules that can receive signals from chemicals in the body—that are sensitive to and react to the hormone estrogen.

In the case of ER-positive breast cancer, this means that estrogen fuels cancer growth. To treat this type of breast cancer, doctors prescribe medication to block hormone production in the body or interfere with the effect hormones have on cancer cells. This type of treatment is called hormone therapy. However, nearly half of women treated with hormone therapy become resistant, leaving traditional chemotherapy and its side effects as the only option for treatment.

“While there are many treatments for breast cancer, about half of women with ER-positive cancers become resistant to hormone therapy, leaving them with few treatments other than chemotherapy with its well-known toxic side effects,” said Dr. Debra Tonetti, professor of pharmacology at the UIC College of Pharmacy and an author on the paper.

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In the phase 1 clinical trial, 15 women who had metastatic breast cancer and previously were treated with several rounds of hormone therapy and in some cases chemotherapy, including a CDK4/6 inhibitor, were enrolled. The researchers found that there were no toxic side effects, even at the highest doses.

In total, six patients experienced stable disease with a lack of disease progression: two for six months and four for three months.

“This is very encouraging because these participants were at an advanced stage of their disease, and we saw that their cancers stopped growing for a significant amount of time,” said Tonetti, who is also a member of the University of Illinois Cancer Center.

The doses given to participants were in line with what the researchers believe are therapeutic levels—in other words, participants received doses equivalent with what patients would be given to treat their disease.

“The results of the phase 1 trial indicate that TTC-352 is a safe and tolerable alternative to chemotherapy— therefore, without the side effects of chemotherapy—for patients who have already been treated with hormone therapy,” Thatcher said.

Participants were enrolled at Regions Cancer Care Center, HealthPartners Institute, St. Paul, Minnesota; HonorHealth Research Institute, Scottsdale, Arizona; Sanford Health, Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

TTC-352 was approved as an Investigational New Drug by the U.S Food and Drug Administration in 2017. UIC has licensed the drug to TTC Oncology, LLC., which funded the study, for human clinical trials.

Drs. Li Liu, James Fischer, and Elizabeth Wiley of UIC; Drs. Arkadiusz Dudek and Randolph Hurley of Health Partners Institute; Dr. Robert Venuti of TTC Oncology; and Dr. Ruth O’Regan of the University of Wisconsin are coauthors on the paper.

A Coat, a Career, a Calling On September 2, the UIC College of Pharmacy Class of 2024 took the Pledge of Professionalism during our annual White Coat Ceremony.

Given the virtual nature, we did not have coaters this year. Still, we did have several alumni and friends share welcome videos with the class.

Our thanks to Kathy and Paul Blahunka, BS ’83 and ’81 and PharmD ’87 and ’91 respectively; Al Edwards, BS ’69, PharmD; Norm Garges, PharmD ’93; Ken Joseph, PharmD; Mary Moody, BS ’79; Suzy Soliman, PharmD ’04; Dean Glen Schumock; and Dan Salemi, BS ’80, for this virtual welcoming. And an incredible and special thanks to Jewel-Osco for their longstanding support for this momentous welcoming of our student pharmacists to the profession!

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UIC College of Pharmacy SNPhA Established by The Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) was founded nationally in 1972 and is affiliated with the National Pharmaceutical Association (NPhA), which itself was formed in 1947. The missions of both organizations focus on supporting the profession of pharmacy and improvement of the health, educational, and social environment of minority communities.

The UIC College of Pharmacy’s SNPhA chapter was formed in 1994, and several former faculty advisors, including Drs. Deborah Harper-Brown, BS ’83, PharmD ’85; Miriam Mobley Smith, PharmD ’95; Charles McPherson, PharmD; Daphne Smith Marsh, PharmD ’97; Tiffany Scott-Horton, PharmD, MHA; and the newly appointed advisor Dr. Jewel Younge, PharmD ’17, recently came together to extend their legacy by gifting the college an endowed scholarship to support SNPhA students for years to come.

Many of the group remember their time in either NPhA or SNPhA as students themselves. The organizations meant a lot to their pharmacy school experience and was the insperation for them to serve as advisors, and Dr. Younge notes, “[The] UIC COP SNPhA is in a time of transition. As the demographics of the membership have changed, we discover ourselves in new communities. Recent events compel us, increasingly, to find our Dr. Jewel Younge

Dr. Deborah Harper-Brown

“The mission and vision of SNPhA and NPhA, its parent organization, are more relevant than ever.” identity in the virtual realm. Who, and where, are the people who need SNPhA the most? We evolve, yet our dedication to our communities remains unwavering.”

The UIC College of Pharmacy SNPhA Scholarship will be focused on the mission and vision of both SNPhA and its parent organization, NPhA. Dr. Mobley Smith notes, “The mission and vision of SNPhA and NPhA . . . are more relevant than ever. These organizations focus on the pharmacist’s and [the] pharmacy profession’s efforts to improve the quality of healthcare for underserved and minority communities. The NPhA Foundation provides scholarships to student members of SNPhA in support of academic excellence, leadership development, pharmacy

Scholarship several historical faculty advisors

Dr. Miriam Mobley Smith

Dr. Charles McPherson

practice innovation, and career success. Accordingly, the historical faculty advisors of the UIC-SNPhA chapter felt that it was important to endow a scholarship for SNPhA students consistent with NPhA and foundation goals. Representation of views and ideas of minority pharmacists and student pharmacists on issues affecting healthcare and their chosen pharmacy profession is critical. This scholarship is designed to support students during their journey toward academic and professional success.”

Though initially established by the former faculty advisors, the group is hopeful that former students, alumni, and friends will reflect upon their own experiences and join them in support of current and

Dr. Daphne Smith Marsh

Dr. Tiffany Scott-Horton

future SNPhA leaders. Your support for the scholarship fund will enhance the educational experience of current and future SNPhA members.

Dr. McPherson summed up his support for the scholarship by using the words of Les Brown, “To achieve something that you have never achieved before, you must become someone that you have never been before.”

These six people made a statement. By joining them, YOU can make a statement too. The impact that you can make together is far more important in our ultimate students’ success. Please join Deborah, Miriam, Charles, Daphne, Tiffany, and Jewel in igniting student success at giving.pharmacy.uic.edu.

Contact Nate Downing at ndowni2@uic.edu with questions or to discuss further supporting this vital scholarship and life-changing student organization.

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ALUMNI PROFILES

Dr. Perez White Follows Signal Pathways from Cancer to Pioneering Skin Research Dr. Bethany Perez White, PhD ’12, knew the first time she saw a laboratory that she wanted to wear that white coat and run her own lab. Now an assistant professor at Northwestern University, she does just that. Along the way, she’s been surprised by the path she’s been able to forge—from cancer research to dermatology.

“I knew actually long before [doing my PhD] that I wanted to go into academic science,” she said. “I wanted to be a principal investigator that ran their own lab, that taught, that mentored students.”

Perez White finished her PhD in biopharmaceutical sciences in 2012 but worked with the College of Pharmacy much earlier. As a UIC undergraduate in biology, she worked on breast cancer studies with the UIC Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research. Perez White remained dedicated to breast cancer research through her master’s at the University of Cyprus and PhD back at UIC with pharmacology professor Debra Tonetti.

Mastering the cell signaling pathways central to breast cancer biology led Perez White to the next unexpected step in her career—a dermatology fellowship at Northwestern University.

“It wasn’t the cancer field that I was used to, but it really sparked my interest, because it dealt with all the signaling

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pathways and basic biology that I had learned as a cancer biologist,” she said.

“So, I went to the interview and was just blown away . . . that I could take something I had learned for so long and apply it to healthy signaling and homeostasis.”

Now a tenure-track professor in dermatology and an associate director in Northwestern's Skin Tissue Engineering and Morphology Core, her work involves growing “organotypic skin cultures.”

“Basically, what I tell people is we can grow skin,” she said. That is, her lab uses primary skin cells to build 3D models mimicking real human skin for disease research. Perez White said she hopes her skin models can provide a vital investigative resource. “I want to put the 3D models as that critical hub from getting from cells on plastic to animal models.”

She traces her research success to her early lab experience at UIC and other professional-development opportunities at the college. Perez White served as chair and vice chair of the college's AAPS chapter, presented at national conferences, and mentored through the Urban Pipeline Program.

“The College of Pharmacy really gave me everything I needed to set me up for success,” she said.

For Dr. Myron Laban, art and pharmacy share at least one core value: empathy. The 2018 PharmD graduate aims to embody that value in both his work as a Walgreens pharmacist and his uplifting murals.

Project, the effort pairs paintings of strangers on the El with audio interviews with each one. That all comes together in short films made with a collaborator.

Laban’s completed the project three times.

Chosen by the Chicago Reader as the Best New Visual Artist in 2017, Laban was also recently featured in a PBS segment about his life-affirming pieces. In April 2020, shortly after shelter-in-place guidelines hit Chicago, Laban finished the second of his “You Deserve to Be Happy” murals. PBS wanted to share the message with a stressed-out city.

“The whole purpose is to appreciate that the people in front of you are people,” he told WGN in 2018. “These strangers have stories, and they’re just as complex as you.”

“Some people . . . are not necessarily in a place where they experience joy," Laban told PBS. “This is just a gentle reminder that, hey, you do deserve to be happy.”

The West Side piece joins Laban’s original “You Deserve to Be Happy” mural in Bucktown. Both center on the titular phrase amid Laban’s signature Uplift characters. These colorful figures, often portrayed with one person lofted atop another’s shoulders, also appear in Laban’s paintings, prints, and merchandise.

They represent his outlook on life, he said. “It’s this idea of perseverance and continuing to move through your struggle and have an optimistic outlook. Because eventually, things will get better.”

Laban’s other major art project brings empathy to the forefront. Called the CTA

D R . M Y R O N L A B A N · P H A R M D ’18

Pharmacist and Muralist Dr. Myron Laban Offers Healing through Art

Drawing inspiration from Chicago street artists like Sentrock and J.C. Rivera, Laban calls himself semiformally taught.

While he doesn’t have an art degree, he did sit in some art classes while completing pharmacy prerequisites at UIC. And even during his PharmD, Laban continued to paint and draw, host art shows, and pursue his craft.

Studying at a school as diverse as UIC, Laban added, did more than train him well in pharmacy—with some time left over for art. It also taught him to empathize with a wide range of people.

“Going to UIC allowed me to appreciate the diversity in the world. It gave me an education in life,” he said. “So I take that with me wherever I go, whether I’m working in the pharmacy or I’m making art.”

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Catching Up with the Class of 2018 D· M

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Tom Hopkins Learned to Love Health Outcomes Research at UIC

Paula Bielnicka Pursues Both Inpatient and Outpatient Paths

Dr. Jyoti Gill spent her summers in pharmacy school powering through marketing projects and financial accounting math. Completing the PharmD-MBA program in four years, instead of the joint program’s typical five, she worked just as diligently postgraduation to launch her career in the healthcare startup world.

Dr. Tom Hopkins fell in love with health outcomes research thanks to the investigative experiences the college made available, he said.

Dr. Paula Bielnicka learned that choosing one career path doesn’t have to mean forgoing another.

At Swedish Hospital (part of NorthShore), she both serves as an inpatient clinical staff pharmacist and runs an outpatient anticoagulation clinic.

Now a client relationship manager at Kalderos, Gill works to keep healthcare costs low. The startup, which finished series B funding in mid-2020, uses AI to ferret out erroneous duplicate discounts in the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program. Gill helps hospitals and clinics ensure that they follow 340B requirements so discounts go to the right parties.

Gill said she was drawn to Kalderos’s work because she could see the problem of rising healthcare costs while still in school. Thanks to UIC’s joint PharmD-MBA program and the range of professional experiences the college provides, she was able to pursue that issue in her career.

Now, Gill said she looks forward to helping Kalderos grow and address the problems she identified as a student. “I think Kalderos is going to make a huge impact, not only in the 340B space but in healthcare as a whole,” she said.

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“I’m really grateful for the opportunities that UIC and especially the PSOP [Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes, and Policy] department gave me throughout pharmacy school,” said Hopkins, who started a senior research manager position at Takeda Pharmaceuticals in mid-2020.

“Without that, I definitely would not be where I am right now.”

For three years, Hopkins worked on health outcomes research studies under Drs. Simon Pickard and Glen Schumock, even publishing a paper as a student.

That experience helped him land an internship with Takeda in Deerfield, Illinois, he said. Hopkins went on to complete a fellowship and master’s degree in health outcomes research in Seattle before returning to Takeda at the company’s Boston offices. He now manages global evidence and outcomes research (Takeda’s term for HOR) in gastroenterology.

Already working diligently with Takeda researchers ahead of a looming FDA submission, Hopkins is also finishing up his own 10-year retrospective study on uterine fibroids. Looking ahead, Hopkins said his duties with Takeda will evolve to see him helming a specific research area, making the call on which studies his team tackles.

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Bielnicka said she shares her experience with pharmacy residents, telling them they can pursue multiple interests. “You do not have to choose just one path,” she tells them. “You can still be inpatient and outpatient at the same time. You can find a position or even make a position in the future that will fit your interests.”

For Bielnicka, doing that at Swedish involves owning and managing a clinic where pharmacists take charge of patients’ anticoagulation treatment, “essentially . . . managing their entire therapy,” she said.

“The unique part about this clinic is that the pharmacists are actually allowed to prescribe the anticoagulants.”

Meanwhile, her critical care role has shown Bielnicka how much her peers value pharmacists’ input.

“The clinicians, they truly do trust our opinion. They truly care what the pharmacist has to say and their input for patient care.”

Clinicians aren’t the only ones who value Bielnicka’s input. Her words of wisdom for residents earned her 2019–2020 preceptor of the year honors.

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Internships Propel Gergana Georgieva into Medical Affairs Leadership For Dr. Gergana Georgieva, UIC opened up valuable early research and industry experience that not only set her apart in the job market, but also helped put her on her career path.

Georgieva built a network of mentors within UIC and took advantage of opportunities offered by professors. She served as a research assistant at UIC’s Department of Physiology and Biophysics and completed back-to-back internships with medical device company Baxter Healthcare.

UIC professors “provide students with very unique opportunities, even very early in their PharmD journey,” she said. Her internships exposed Georgieva to pharmacists in medical affairs whose work she was drawn to, she said. That affinity led to a senior medical information associate position at Astellas Pharma,* with a promotion in less than two years to medical information manager, focusing on oncology.

“I’m very fortunate to have worked with very bright leaders . . . so early after graduation. It is truly empowering,” she said. * Georgieva is not an Astellas spokesperson and the opinions shared are her own.

The UIC College of Pharmacy earned a record $24.2 million in research awards in 2019, improving our position in the recently released American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy rankings. Take a look at our new rankings:

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ASK AN ALUMNUS

Scott A. Meyers, BS ’76, MS, RPh, FASHP Executive Vice President, Illinois Council of Health-System Pharmacists As the chief executive officer of ICHP, Scott Meyers is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the council, serves as a liaison to the Illinois State Board of Pharmacy, and is or has served as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Committee at the University of Illinois Chicago, Midwestern University, SIUE School of Pharmacy, Chicago State University, and Roosevelt University Colleges of Pharmacy. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board, Inc., which has certified over 700,000 pharmacy technicians nationally since 1995 and is currently its vice chair. Meyers currently serves as a voting member and vice chair of the Collaborative Pharmaceutical Task Force appointed by the Illinois General Assembly to address a variety of issues concerning updating the Illinois Pharmacy Practice Act and Rules.

As a pharmacist, how can I best prepare to adapt to the inevitable changes ahead in the next 20 years?

What was the most important thing you learned while in pharmacy school? Who has influenced your career?

Be flexible and willing to take on new responsibilities. Always look to learn new things from new people, places, and experiences. Wherever you land, always look outside that environment to help find solutions to problems, answers to questions, and for friends who can help you and who you can help too!

You can work at a place for 20 years and still be well informed and connected if you reach outside to others.

But if you stay in one place and only look for solutions inside, you will eventually develop tunnel vision and lose perspective on future change.

I’d like to say that it’s not what you know but who you know, but that’s not completely true.

What I learned is that you don’t really know what you have to know until you get where you want to go. What I’m saying is that if you want to be a good clinical practitioner, you obviously need to know the therapies inside out, but if you want to be a great clinical practitioner, you also need to know how to treat patients, work well with coworkers, collaborate with physicians and administrators, and appreciate what everyone on the team contributes. If you want to be a good manager, you need to know how to manage people, but if you want to be a great leader, you need to have a vision, build up and trust your staff, and still retain enough clinical knowledge to understand what the patients need.

How does your pharmacy degree inform your leadership style?

Because I graduated 40 plus years ago, my degree made a huge impact on my early years within the profession. It taught me to serve my patients with compassion and caring. It taught me to consider alternatives when you hit a wall. And it taught me that the degree itself was merely the ticket into the game and that where I sat or what position I took on the field was up to me. It helped me choose to be a player and not just a spectator.

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As for who influenced my career? Probably the first person was assistant dean Conrad Bloomquist, who convinced me to attend UIC COP when I was a freshman at U of I in Champaign-Urbana! He was a zoologist; he wasn’t even a pharmacist. But he was warm and caring, and we hit it off the first time we met. The most significant influence, though, from UIC and later from ASHP, was Dr. Henri Manasse. I think I had Henri as a professor in four or five classes my last year in school, and we truly connected. He made me stretch, work harder, and most importantly, think more than I probably would have for any other instructor. Then

Do you have advice for our current student pharmacists?

Never say never. Very early in my career, I swore I would never work in another hospital and then ended up working almost all of my career there or close to it. Don’t pass up a chance to improve yourself just because you think you might not like it.

Another important nugget is don’t burn any bridges in pharmacy. Don’t talk disparagingly about someone else in pharmacy unless you know who everyone is that can hear you! And then don’t do it anyway. You never know who you will need in the future of your career. Pharmacy is a very small world but with endless opportunities.

What does it mean to you to be an alumnus of the UIC College of Pharmacy?

It means you have lots of alumni brothers and sisters all over Illinois and the country. Many of them well-respected leaders in the profession. It means that you made it through one of the best pharmacy schools in the nation. It means that your school has been around for a very long time and will be for much, much longer!

What motivates you to support the college?

The college gave me a great education despite myself (it was the ’70s). UIC has been there my whole career, coming back within a year of graduation to gather information to share with my new hospital employer, through the years providing students for rotations at my various workplaces, offering great continuing education learning opportunities, and most importantly providing a place to network with my original pharmacy school classmates and friends. Some of my classmates, upperclassmen, and underclassmen have become some of the country’s most influential pharmacists, not to mention my friends. When I graduated, I had no thought that I would ever be this connected back to the U. and I am so glad I’m wrong!

So the college gave me the foundation to build a great network of mentors, leaders, and friends. I have to give back to something that important in my life!

Please help us to honor Dr. Nick Popovich!

when he came to ASHP, he continued to engage me and encourage me and still does today. I’ve had many other influencers/mentors in my career, William Zellmer, David Lorms, Marcia Palmer, Bruce Dickerhofe, Sister Margaret Wright, Kevin Colgan, and more. Almost all of them because of my participation in ICHP as a member and staff!

Dr. Nicholas G. Popovich has been a constant mentor, resource, and advocate for countless pharmacists.

On June 27, 2019, the UIC College of Pharmacy celebrated the retirement of Dr. Nick Popovich. If you’re a graduate of the college from the past two decades, a classmate of this three-time alumnus, or fellow Kappa Psi brother, you are sure to recall Dr. Popovich and likely with a quick smile.

Given his extensive and impactful career, the college hopes to further ensure Dr. Popovich’s legacy of mentorship with a $25,000 endowed scholarship in his name. But we need your help.

To make a donation to the Professor Nicholas G. Popovich Endowed Scholarship Fund, please visit GIVING.PHARMACY.UIC.EDU. And please be sure to note how he made a difference in your life on the contribution form.

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ALUMNI NEWS

ALI ALOBAIDI, PharmD ’18, MS ’20, successfully defended his capstone project to complete his master’s degree in pharmacy with a focus in health economic outcome research (HEOR).

PAULA BIELNICKA, PharmD ’18, won the Preceptor of the Year Award for the 2019–2020 PGY-1 pharmacy residency class at Swedish Hospital (part of NorthShore).

Dr. Ali Alobaidi

Dr. Allison Blackmer

Dr. Paul Blahunka

Dr. Al Edwards

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SALLY (CONNOR) BINK, PharmD ’05, recently started a new position as a clinical pharmacy analyst with Pharmacy Benefits Management Clinical Informatics Department at the Marion VA Medical Center.

In addition, she is a member of the National Drug File Team and comanages the Pharmacy Interaction System knows as Pharmacy Enterprise Customization System (PECS).

ALLISON BLACKMER, PharmD ’08, is the recipient of the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy Excellence in Precepting for Ambulatory Care Pharmacy award. Dr. Blackmer is an associate professor of pharmacy at the CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy and a clinical pharmacy specialist at the Special Care Clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado.

PAUL BLAHUNKA, BS ’81, PharmD ’91, a principal investigator at Astellas, led a clinical development team in the successful submission and funding of a multiyear NIH grant

Dr. Tom Kanyok

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with the National Institute on Drug Abuse titled “Evaluation of the Safety and Efficacy of a New Oral Small Molecule GABAB Receptor Positive Allosteric Modulator (PAM) as an Addon Maintenance Therapy for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).” The grant is part of the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative, or HEAL Initiative, an aggressive transagency effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national opioid public health crisis.

KATIE BREESE, PharmD ’19, started a new position as clinical pharmacist in the Emergency Department at Palos Community Hospital.

NICK BURGE, PharmD ’11, is now the PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency director at Hines VA. JOAN (PETERSON) CANNON, PharmD ’97, began her term as president of the Board of Directors for the Center of Enriched Living.

DANIEL CASTRO, PharmD ’19, started a new position as a pharmacist at Elements Pharmacy.

TOMMY CHIAMPAS, PharmD ’11, started a new position as a medical scientist at Gilead Sciences.

LAUREN CUNNINGHAM, PharmD ’18, started a new job as a clinical pharmacist/clinical assistant professor at the UIC College of Pharmacy.

On June 24, AL EDWARDS, BS ’69, PharmD, RAC, FRAPS, and

Dr. Henri Manasse

TOM KANYOK, BS Pharm, PharmD, RES ’90, FEL ’93, participated in the UIC Alumni Exchange where they presented “COVID-19: The Path to a Vaccine.”

MARILYN GASKE, PharmD ’18, completed her Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

Dr. Gaske also recently started a new position at DartmouthHitchcock Medical Center as the ambulatory pharmacy manager.

SHELBY (DUNCAN) HANDLEN, PharmD ’17, started a new job as a PACT clinical pharmacy specialist at Jesse Brown VAMC, a VISN 12 Clinical Resource Hub. JOSHUA HENKIN, PhD ’19, received the 2020–2021 Fulbright award. Dr. Henkin, who currently serves as a research associate at the Field Museum, is scheduled to start nine months of Fulbrightsupported research in March 2021.

BOB HEYMAN, BS ’52, has officially hung up his pharmacy license after 68 years of practice.

SAM HONG, PharmD ’19, completed his master’s degree in pharmaceutical outcomes research and policy at the University of Washington.

CHRISTI (CUMBA) JEN, PharmD ’07, was appointed chair for the ASHP Council on Therapeutics for 2020–2021.

Charles Pfau

SOOJIN JUN, PharmD ’13, started a new position as a patient advocate at NorthShore Patient Advocates.

ALISSA LEE, PharmD ’19, started a new position as regulatory affairs associate II at Kite Pharma.

ATTIYA (KHAN) MAJEED, PharmD ’18, accepted a position as a critical care pharmacist at OSF Healthcare.

Professor Emeritus HENRI MANASSE, BS ’68, PhD, recently presented the keynote address at the Texas A&M College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmacy Practice’s strategic planning retreat. Henri’s talk was titled “From Global to Local: Creating a Future Vision.”

RYAN PEARSON, PhD ’14, assistant professor, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, was recently recognized as the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology & Education as their 2020 Rising Star Scholar.

JENNIFER (SCOTT) PERRY, PharmD ’98 has joined TG Therapeutics, Inc. as their Vice President, Hematology Oncology Sales.

CHARLES PFAU, BS ’77, retired on July 1, 2020, after 43 years of practicing pharmacy. Pharmacy

continues in the family with both his daughter, Rosemary (Pfau) Geier, and his daughter-in-law, Kelly (Kinder) Pfau, both PharmD ’14, practicing in the profession.

ANNA PURDUM, PharmD ’98 started a new position as the Executive Director, Global Market Access at Kite Pharma.

CHRISTOPHER SIKES, PharmD ’96, was promoted to field director at Janssen Medical Affairs.

DIMA QATO, PharmD ’01, accepted a position as the Hygeia Centennial Chair and Associate Professor of Pharmacoepidemiology at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Pharmacy and as a Senior Fellow with the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics.

EVANA ROBBANI, PharmD ’14 started a new position as Medical Science Liaison II - Dermatology with UCB. SHIVANI SALVI, PharmD ’17, started a new job as senior clinical research scientist at Optinose.

RINA SHAH, PharmD ’05, was named one of 2020’s Most Influential Minority Executives in Healthcare by Fierce Healthcare.

TRISHIA SHAW, PharmD ’09, was installed as president of the

Chicago Pharmacists Association on February 26. Dr. Shaw also just received the Chicago State University 2020 Ntesi/Mate Mase Heritage Ball Award for Outstanding Faculty Member.

MICHELLE SMITH, PharmD ’19, started a new job at AMITA Health as a clinical specialty pharmacist.

Dr. Rina Shah

ANNA SUWALA, PharmD ’18, started a new position as an oncology clinical pharmacist at Advocate Aurora Health.

HELEN SWEISS, PharmD ’18, started a new position at the University Health System in San Antonio as a solid organ transplant pharmacy clinical specialist.

Dr. Helen Sweiss

KARINA SZYMULANSKARAMAMURTHY, PhD ’15, coauthored an article titled “Lean Stability Case Studies—Leveraging Science- and Risk-Based Approaches to Enable Meaningful Phase Specific Pharmaceutical Stability Strategies,” which was recently published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Innovation.

Dr. Jifang Zhou

Former Fellows Recognized for Excellence in Achievement Former infectious disease fellows Drs. JOMY M. GEORGE, FEL ’07, and MANJUNAT H (AMIT) P. PAI, FEL ’01, were honored by the American College of Clinical Pharmacology’s (ACCP) Excellence in Achievement program, which serves to acknowledge ACCP members whose engagement with ACCP events and committees and contributions to the organization are deserving of recognition. Dr. George is the director of the Clinical Pharmacokinetics Research Laboratory and Postdoctoral Pharmacokinetics Research Fellowship at the NIH. Dr. Pai is currently a professor and chair of clinical pharmacy and deputy director of the Pharmacokinetics Core Laboratory at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Congratulations to Drs. George and Pai on their noteworthy achievements and contributions to ACCP.

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ALUMNI NEWS

inducted into the Millikin University Athletic Hall of Fame.

SCOTT WIRTH, PharmD ’07, started a new position as a medical science liaison at TG Therapeutics, Inc. DAN WOJENSKI, PharmD ’11, is now the Oncology Pharmacy Residency Program director at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

JOHN TOKARSKI, BS ’84, PhD ’96, recently received the Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award from the R&D Council of New Jersey for his work underpinning tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitors. John is a member of Bristol Myers Squibb’s Discovery Team that was recognized for the U.S. patent that encompasses a series of compounds that can selectively inhibit the TYK2 enzyme, which plays an important role in immune signaling.

BENITO VALDEPENAS, PharmD ’18, started a new position as a clinical pharmacy specialist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

ANIL VOOTKUR, PharmD ’00, joined Engrail Therapeutics as vice president for corporate development in March 2020.

ELISE WILDMAN, PharmD ’15, is one of five student-athletes (women’s basketball) recently

SARA WORMLEY, PharmD ’11, started a new position as a clinical pharmacist at UW Specialty Mail Service Pharmacy in Middleton, Wisconsin.

VLADIMIR YURUKOV, PharmD ’18, started a new position as a clinical pharmacy specialist at Sutter Health in Modesto, California.

Congratulations to JIFANG ZHOU, PhD ’20, for starting a new position as an associate professor in the School of International Pharmaceutical Business at China Pharmaceutical University.

Pharmacy Leaders from Coast to Coast MIRIAM MOBLEY SMITH, PharmD ’95, has accepted a position as the interim dean for the School of Pharmacy at Northeastern University’s Bouvé College of Health Sciences located in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Mobley Smith is responsible for leading the college forward in the years ahead to further its teaching, research, service, and global engagement mission. In addition, Dr. Mobley Smith will serve as a visiting professor in the Department of Pharmacy and Health Systems Sciences. Throughout her career, Dr. Mobley Smith has held various leadership roles, serving as a former faculty member and the director of experiential education at the UIC College of Pharmacy, as well as the director of strategic alliances for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board in Washington, D.C. She

was a tenured professor at the Chicago State University College of Pharmacy, serving as dean until 2015. Dr. Mobley Smith is a leader in numerous professional pharmacy organizations, serving as the chair of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Professional Affairs Committee; vice chair of the Illinois State Board of Pharmacy; chair of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Council on Education and Workforce Development; a member of the Institute of Medicine Committee on the Future Healthcare Workforce for Older Americans, Pharmacy Workforce Center, Inc., Technical Advisory Panel; chair of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Advisory Panel on Outreach and Education; and member of the

Professional Examination Service Board of Directors. Congratulations, Dr. Mobley Smith!

DESI KOTIS, BS ’83, PharmD ’94, recently joined University of California, San Francisco Health as chief pharmacy executive. Dr. Kotis will work to develop and implement a comprehensive plan for UCSF and the UCSF Medical Center’s Department of Pharmaceutical Services. Dr. Kotis also serves as an assistant dean at UCSF, working to provide high-quality education for their PharmD program.

Congratulations, Dr. Kotis!

Dr. Kotis

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SEAN CHAN, PharmD ’11, and AMANDA SEDDON, PharmD ’12, welcomed their first child. Son Oliver Thomas Chantarapanont was born on June 10.

CASSANDRA (CLEMENT) DAVIS, PharmD ’12, and her husband, Mac, welcomed their first child. Son McKenney “Kenney” Davis was born February 21 at 6:42 p.m. weighing 7lbs and 21 inches.

BETHANY (DAILY) KEYS, PharmD ’13, and husband, Chip, welcomed their third child. Daughter Andrea Ruth Keys was born on May 14 weighing 8 lbs and measuring 21½ inches. Andrea joins big sisters Rosie (4) and Caroline (2).

Oliver Thomas Chantarapanont

STEPHANIE DWYER, PharmD ’15, and her husband, Myles Kaluzna, welcomed their first child. Daughter Lucy Rose Kaluzna was born August 16 weighing 7lbs 9 oz.

PAUL, PharmD ’16, and DAWN HYATT HODUR, PharmD ’17, welcomed their first child. Son Hunter Jude Hodur was born July 21 at 2:34 a.m. weighing 7 lbs 13 oz and measuring 20 inches.

DEREK LIU, PharmD ’13, and his wife, Gayatri, welcomed their second child.

Daughter Veera Sarina Liu was born on May 21. She joins big sister Aruna (7).

NANETTE GAMAZON MASANGCAY, PharmD ’10, and husband, Jeff, welcomed their third child. Daughter Skylar Rae Masangcay was born on July 5 at 11:39 a.m. weighing 6 lbs 14 oz and measuring 20 inches. She joins big brothers Lincoln (4) and Iverson (2).

TAHA TAHA, PharmD ’20, PhD ’20, and Lana Taha, PharmD ’20, welcomed their first child. Daughter Natalia Maryam Taha was born on April 27 weighing 7 lbs 1 oz and measuring 19 inches.

Veera Sarina Liu

Samson Varda

BRAYDON THOMPSON, UIC COP finance director, and his wife, Amber, welcomed their first child. Son Jonas Kim Thompson was born on July 9 at 9:06 a.m.

JOSEPHINE KOCHOU VARDA, PharmD ’16, and husband, Yosip Varda, welcomed their second child. Son Samson Varda was born on March 19.

He joins big brother Malachi (2).

Malachi Varda

SCOTT AND PRIYA WIRTH, both PharmD ’07, welcomed their fourth child.

Daughter Amara Pearl was born on April 6. She joins siblings Dhilan (8), Maya (5), and Kiran (3).

Lucy Rose Kaluzna

Hunter Jude Hodur

Jonas Kim Thompson

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CHARISSA VALDEZ, PharmD ’18, married Troy Daquioag on May 30, 2020.

MARILYN GASKE, PharmD ’18, married Jackson Hill on June 27 in St. Charles, Illinois.

KATIE BREESE, PharmD ’19, married Paul Michalowski on July 4, 2020.

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KRIPA PATEL, PharmD ’16, married Jordan Woolum on August 1, 2020, in Lexington, Kentucky.

KARI NISHIKAWA, PharmD ’17, married Kevin Personius on August 2, 2020 in Pilot Hill, California.

HANNAH BRENNAN, PharmD ’20, became engaged to Tom McGovern.

MICHELLE SMITH, PharmD ’19, became engaged to Jeremy Weisman.

KELSEY JOHNSON, PharmD ’20, is now engaged to Nick LeDonne.

LIYU ELISE YEI, PharmD ’19, became engaged to Weiyang Li.

19 TOMMY CHIAMPAS, PharmD ’11, married Amy Bruno on July 19, 2020.

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Millicent Christopher, PharmD ’89 October 30, 1965–May 26, 2020

Professor Nicholas Plotnikoff August 13, 1927–June 4, 2020

Born on October 30, 1965, in Beloit, Wisconsin, Millicent graduated from Hononegah High School, Class of 1983, before attending the University of Illinois at Chicago where she received her PharmD. Millicent married August Christopher in Rockton, Illinois, on May 14, 1994.

She was a pharmacist for 23 years, practicing at Rockford Memorial Hospital. “Millicent's larger than life personality touched everyone around her. She was the life of the party with her funny and mischievous humor.

Mill’s compassion extended to family, countless friends, and to those she didn’t know. She was a philanthropist and community organizer whose mottos included “Just do it!” and “It will change your life!”

Professor Plotnikoff died suddenly June 4, 2020. He was born in Harbin, China, on August 13, 1927, to parents who had fled the Russian revolution. He immigrated to the United States in 1929 and graduated from UC-Berkeley and the University of Texas-Houston Medical School, where he received his PhD in pharmacology. Nick brought everyone laughter and joy. He had a big laugh and a big heart. He loved making people happy. He was a pioneer researcher in central nervous system pharmacology. At the Stanford Research Institute in the 1950s, he helped develop medications to support manned space flight. While at Abbott Laboratories, 1963–1975, he was the first author on several papers with 1977 Nobel Prize winner Andrew Schally on hypothalamic control of the pituitary gland and was awarded several patents for his development of central nervous system medications, including the still unique medication magnesium pemoline (Cylert). Nick served as a UIC professor of pharmacology from December 1987 until his formal retirement in May 2008. His 147 coauthored papers generated 3,640 citations in the peer-reviewed literature. He was the author of numerous textbook chapters and three books, including Stress and Immunity (1991). His first publication was in 1952. His most recent scientific paper was published in August of 2017.

“ Mill was an amazing pharmacist and was loved by all who knew her. She was taken too early from us and will sadly be missed.”

— Cathy Leventis, MS ’01; Lisa Thompson, PharmD ’03; and Chris Schriever, PharmD ’99

RONALD GRUDZIEN, BS ’68, a resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, passed away on July 11, 2020. A lifelong friend noted that Ron “was a kind, generous, loving man who had a great sense of humor and never cheated at cards."

ROBERT KUNKA, BS ’70, PhD, a resident of Greensboro, North Carolina, passed away on August 23, 2018. His work ethic and discipline allowed him to become an accomplished and respected scientist who mentored many young scientists.

LAURENCE R. SCHAER, BS ’63, passed away in March 2019. Larry worked for a large retail store as pharmacist for 36 years, and retired early to enjoy life and to travel.

Larry and his wife, Caryl, were married for 54 years.

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The UIC College of Pharmacy is currently celebrating its 161st year of training world-class pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists. The one thing that’s remained unchanged in all that time is people like you—people whose involvement and financial support have helped us to stay at the forefront of pharmacy education.

We hope that you will further partner with us on Giving Tuesday, December 1, by investing in the people and programs necessary to maintain our reputation as one of the top teaching and research colleges in the world. Your support will ensure that our students continue to have the same life-changing opportunity that you enjoyed.

Please join us on December 1 and donate to the UIC College of Pharmacy at giving.pharmacy.uic.edu.

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