College of Pharmacy News Winter 2020 | uri.edu/pharmacy-newsletter
Students Practice Global Health. See inside.
¥ DEAN'S NOTE "
In Pharmaceutical Sciences, it is Necessary to Evolve In an industry as competitive as higher education—particularly in the pharmaceutical sciences—it is necessary to constantly evolve to provide our students new and exciting opportunities, while continuing our mission to make significant impacts on health care at home and abroad. Those goals are exemplified in the following pages, which detail the dynamic learning opportunities afforded to students, the important contributions our researchers and professors are making in public health, and the impact our alumni continue to have on the community long into their careers.
"Our students have traveled far and wide to broaden their own experience, while providing health education to vulnerable populations locally and globally."
Perhaps nothing better exemplifies our commitment to providing a comprehensive interdisciplinary education for our students than our brand-new undergraduate neuroscience degree program, which is a partnership with the College of Health Sciences and the College of Environment and Life Sciences. The program, which offers three distinct tracks for neuroscience majors, will be available to students beginning in the fall 2020 semester. The interdisciplinary nature of the degree makes it unique among other neuroscience programs in the region, and is indicative of the cooperative nature of health care today. Our students—many of whom have been rewarded for their academic prowess and commitment to public health — have traveled far and wide to broaden their own experience, while also providing health education to vulnerable populations locally and globally. Our faculty members are tackling head-on some of the most pressing issues and maladies of the day, including neurodegenerative disease and the ongoing opioid crisis. These pages contain just a few examples of the monumental work being performed by our professors, students and graduates. Visit our website — uri.edu/pharmacy—for more details on these and many other projects in process and those on the horizon. Onward! — E. Paul Larrat, dean
¥ SPECIAL PROJECTS
Attacking Opioid Crisis $1M grant fuels ‘Community First Responders Program’ in Rural Areas Professors, students and health professionals from URI aim to stem the ongoing opioid crisis in rural communities around the state, thanks to a $1 million grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The Community First Responders Program seeks to educate rural communities about substance use disorder and opioid misuse, and provide resources to help address the opioid crisis, according to College of Pharmacy Clinical Associate Professor Anita Jacobson. The program involves regular outreach to rural communities, teaching members of the community to recognize the signs of overdose and how to respond—including calling 911, administering naloxone and performing CPR. They will also distribute naloxone kits to combat an overdose, allowing members of the community to be true first responders. “This is an opportunity to reach rural communities, where there is not always as much outreach regarding overdose and addiction as in more urban areas,” Jacobson said. “We want to be a referral source and help people find the treatment and recovery they need.” Representatives distribute and teach residents how to use nasal spray naloxone for victims displaying signs of an overdose— including loss of consciousness, shallow breathing and bluish skin. They will also provide testing strips to check for fentanyl, as well as HIV/hepatitis testing, referrals to recovery programs, and information on methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone treatments. Throughout the ongoing two-year project, faculty, students, staff members and volunteers will complete opioid misuse and substance use disorder training, and share information at dozens of public events. “We want to have as many people in the community as possible to be first responders,” Jacobson said. “If people are educated about this and know how to recognize an overdose, we can save lives.”
¥ RESEARCH
Toxic Algae May Slow Neurodegenerative Disease Toxic algal blooms can be devastating to natural waterways, but they may also be beneficial in combatting the progression of neurodegenerative disease. Assistant Professor of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Matthew Bertin is teaming up with biotech firm Biosortia Pharmaceuticals Inc. to study the chemicals produced by algal blooms, which may hold the key to reducing neuroinflammation, a primary reason diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s progress. Bertin’s laboratory has found several promising anti-inflammatory compounds from blooms of the marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium. Bertin, who believes many of the compounds that are considered toxic can be leveraged in the arena of human health, seeks to determine which chemicals can reduce neuroinflammation, and purify active compounds to further access their therapeutic potential. “I believe there are numerous chemicals avail-
able in the microbial world that can be useful in treating diseases ranging from diabetes to Alzheimer’s,” Bertin said. “These previously inaccessible compounds may provide the next blockbuster treatment for neurodegenerative disease.” The Bertin group is screening hundreds of chemical mixtures from Biosortia’s library and assessing the ability of these chemicals to reduce the inflammatory response. Early studies have shown many promising “hits” that do not result in any cytotoxicity to mammals, which is key to development in this area. These chemicals will be purified further to isolate single components for additional testing. Follow-up studies will further investigate these promising anti-inflammatories, hopefully moving into animal testing in the near future.
¥ STUDENTS
Global Health Pharmacy Students Learn Traditional Medicine in Indonesia Four College of Pharmacy students joined student health colleagues from the Academic Health Collaborative in learning about traditional Eastern medicine and educating locals about such conditions as hypertension, stroke and heart disease during a J-Term trip to Indonesia. Stephanie Katartzis, Melissa Menditto, Hannah Bedard and Madelyn Hallisey joined 17 other students from the Colleges of Nursing and Health Science on the global health trip. The students partnered with their counterparts at Universitas Islam Indonesia in Yogyakarta to prepare public presentations in the Indonesian language on hypertension and stroke prevention, the leading causes of death in the country. The students met with local villagers, toured the Ministry of Health, and got an extensive lesson on traditional medicines in the ministry’s herbal garden, which contains more than 30,000 herbs and botanicals used in medication. “A lot of Western medicines have their origins in traditional herbs and botanicals, so it’s great for pharmacy students to learn about them. It brings up provocative questions about traditional medicines versus Western medications — there may be fewer side effects, but what is their efficacy,” said Assistant Professor Matthew Bertin, who directed the trip. “It was a powerful, unique experience for the students that will stay with them for a long time.” The students also toured cultural sites around Indonesia, visiting several temples, snorkeling over coral reefs, and visiting with villagers and Indonesian students, with whom they made lasting relationships.
¥ STUDENTS/ALUMNI
Pharm.D. Students Awarded Scholarships Eight URI College of Pharmacy students were awarded scholarships recently during the college’s 62nd annual Heber W. Youngken Jr. Pharmacy Clinic.
The conference brought together practicing pharmacists and pharmacy educators for a continuing education summit—“Who’s Calling the Shots? Vaccine Hesitancy and Patient Safety Initiatives”—focused on the importance of vaccinations to individual patients and the larger community. The URI Pharm.D student winners include: Kailen Carvalho, 2022 Eleanor Cifrino, 2022
Kaitlin Pothier, 2022 Megan Wilks, 2020 Victoria DaSilva, 2020 Courtney Grant, 2021
Jason Darmanin, 2021 Mazen Taman, 2023
Pharmacy Entrepreneur Wins DAA The URI College of Pharmacy honored the career of an alumna who has made a tremendous impact on health care with one of the college’s highest honors during the Distinguished Achievement Awards ceremony on Oct. 5, 2019. Susan Petrovas ’92 is a pharmacist and entrepreneur who has created several corporate entities in her years since graduating from the College. Along with her husband, George, Petrovas founded CDMI, a successful pharmacy and medical management company, which was acquired by Magellan Health Services in 2014. Petrovas is president of the
Newport-based firm that provides clinical consulting programs and negotiates and administers drug rebates for managed care organizations. “Sue is a kind, caring, generous and accomplished alum. Committed to the patients we all ultimately serve,” said Dean Paul Larrat. “She has managed to blend her business and clinical acumen to improve the quality of life of countless individuals.”
¥ ACADEMICS
Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Degree Pharmacy Joins Health Sciences, CELS in One-of-a-kind Program Undergraduates in the College of Pharmacy will soon have the opportunity to delve into the mysteries of the brain in a new neuroscience academic program. The new B.S. in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience will offer students the option of three areas of focus, distinguishing it among neuroscience programs in New England. The program brings together a wide range of disciplines—from basic research and clinical studies to new drug development—allowing for a more thorough study of neurological processes and disorders. The three tracks include: neuropharmacology from Pharmacy, molecular neuroscience from Environment and Life Sciences, and clinical neuroscience from Health Sciences. The program will offer students access to training and faculty expertise from researchers at the George & Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience. Ten new undergraduate classes have been developed as part of the core cur-
riculum, enabling students to explore fundamental concepts of neuroscience, learn research methods, and apply that knowledge in the field. “There are a lot of students who are just so excited to learn more about neuroscience and some of them have actually joined my lab and are helping me in my research,” said Ryan Institute researcher Katharina Quinlan, who is studying neurodegeneration in the spinal cord and dysfunction in motor control disorders like cerebral palsy, ALS and spinal muscular atrophy. “There is a huge amount of grassroots enthusiasm for neuroscience here that is wonderful to see. If you are interested in neuroscience, URI is really a great place to be.” Students who are interested in the major can apply for the fall semester. For more information on the program and its curriculum, visit uri.edu/inp.
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3/2020 1400/PHR PHOTOS: MATTHEW BERTIN; NORA LEWIS; PATRICK LUCE;
PDI Hosts Amgen Employees The URI Pharmaceutical Development Institute continued its mission to enhance the economic development of the region’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and help expand the biopharmaceutical workforce. The institute hosted Amgen Inc. employees for training in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, teaching the intricacies of working in a certified Good Manufacturing Practice lab. The URI College of Pharmacy hosts the institute’s world-class, 7,000-square-foot clean lab in the lower level of Avedisian Hall. It is supported by a 1,500-square-foot Analytical and Stability Testing Laboratory on Avedisian Hall’s third floor. See more at uri.edu/pharmacy.