06 JUNE 2013
E-NEWSLETTER OF THE NATIONALLY RANKED UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO COLLEGE OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES
RxeFILL this issue 2013 Valedictorians P.2
The Class of 2013
Meet Dr. Julie Murphy P.3 The Spring Commencement Exercises for the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences were held on Saturday, May 4, 2013 at the John F. Savage Arena. This event allowed the college to celebrate the graduation of a new class of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists. The college awarded 104 Doctor of Pharmacy degrees, 15 master’s degrees, and 164 baccalaureate degrees. Among the 164 baccalaureate degrees recipients, a majority graduated with honors. Seventeen graduated summa cum laude, 53 graduated magna cum laude, and 51 graduated cum laude.
Student research presentations P.4 Hasan Alhaddad, a second-year master’s student in the lab of pharmacology assistant professor Dr. Youssef Sari, was a semifinalist in the poster session at the 2013 Graduate Research Forum.
Dr. Early discusses health disparities P.4 Upcoming events P.4
Planning the 2013 Graduate Research Forum By Aparna Raghavan, a Medicinal Chemistry PhD candidate The Council of Biomedical Graduate Students (CBGS) organized the Graduate Research Forum for graduate students all around the university. Our college, a recently added member of this council, showed active participation at the event. As a representative of our college, I had a great time organizing an event of such magnitude. We began planning this event in October 2012 to ensure smooth progression. Requests for keynote speakers were sent out, and we had many a nail-biting moments before confirming our keynote speaker for this year, Dr. Robert Copeland. Dr. Copeland is the Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Epizyme, Inc., a company focused on personalized therapeutics for cancer and rare diseases. The GRF has always featured poster presentations by graduate students belonging to the biomedical sciences program. This year, we decided to incorporate oral presentations as well. Though this might seem a minor addition, handling both a job that required meticulous planning. We began by sending out surveys to determine whether students were interested in the new format, and were taken aback by the nearly unanimous positive response. However, since this was our first year handling both formats, we decided to limit the number of oral
presenters. What followed was a flurry of requests for registration and abstract submissions, which gave us an idea of the volume we could expect. Next, we needed judges for appraising the presentations. We sent out college-wide emails to faculty members and post-doctoral fellows requesting for them to team up as judges for the event. Here again, we couldn’t have asked for a better response. Slowly but steadily, the elements of the event fell into place. The day before the event was spent setting up poster boards and banners, printing judging sheets and, yes, taking care of food arrangements. By the end of the day, with all contingency plans in place, things were proceeding as predicted except for one surprise: the huge response from students and faculty members at 8 a.m. on first the morning of the conference. We were shocked at the nearly 100 attendees who were neither presenters nor judges. Of the 36 poster presenters, 8 were from the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Our debut with the oral sessions was well-received and appreciated by many faculty members. The second day of the event was even more exciting, with the final round of the poster Continued on page 3
At the head of the class: 2013 Valedictorians Christina J. Camick is the valedictorian for the B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences graduating class. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Medicinal and Biological Chemistry, with minors in Chemistry and Biology. Ms. Camick graduated with college Honors and is also a University of Toledo Presidential Scholar who is on the President’s List and the Dean’s List. Her Honors thesis is entitled “Determining Calcium Flux in T Cell Subsets.” Ms. Camick participated in the Honors College summer experience in Italy in 2010 and presented at the Immunology Conference in 2013. Ms. Camick’s leadership and community volunteer activities include tutoring elementary school students in math, serving as a chemistry peer leader, serving as a Pharmacy Orientation peer leader. She was a member of the Presidential Scholarship Committee, the American Association of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and American Red Cross Rockets Club. Michelle M. Carey is one of two valedictorians for the Doctor of Pharmacy
graduating class. In 2011, she earned a B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, summa cum laude, with a minor in Chemistry. Dr. Carey was the college’s Student of the Month in March 2013 and has been the recipient of several scholarships, including the Toledo Academy of Pharmacy Scholarship, the Walmart Pharmacy Scholarship, the Gilbert and Janiece Siegel Scholarship, the Dean Bess Emch Memorial Scholarship, the Tower Excellence Scholarship, the Local 55 Ironworkers’ Scholarship, and the Jeannine Biabak Scholarship from St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center. Dr. Carey was also selected as the American Pharmacists AssociationAcademy of Student Pharmacists Chapter Member of the Year in 2012. She has served as a Pharmaceutics teaching assistant, a math tutor and a Pharmacy Orientation teaching assistant. Dr. Carey served as vice president of the American Pharmacists AssociationAcademy of Student Pharmacists following a term as treasurer for the
organization. She was also a member of The Rho Chi Society, Pharmacy Ambassadors, the Interprofessional Organization of Healthcare Students, Rx Real Life, and Phi Eta Sigma Honors Fraternity. After commencement, Dr. Carey will complete a residency W.W. Knight Family Medicine Center in Toledo, Ohio. Julie K. Miller is one of two valedictorians for the Doctor of Pharmacy graduating class. Dr. Miller graduated summa cum laude from The University of Toledo in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences degree. She is the recipient of the Medco Health Solutions Pharmacy Scholarship, the Chamberlain Scholarship, the Schlembach Alumni Scholarship, the Larwood Memorial Scholarship and the Tower Excellence Scholarship, in addition to remaining on the Dean's List and President's List. Dr. Miller has served as vice president of Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society and is a member of American Pharmacists
Association and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. She was also a teaching assistant in the Professional Practice Development lab. Following graduation, Dr. Miller will complete a PGY1 Residency at Harper University Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.
Humanitarian Award for Dr. Diane Cappelletty Diane Cappelletty, PharmD, Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Co-Director of The Infectious Disease Research Laboratory, was presented with the OSHP Humanitarian Award at the Ohio Society of Healthsystem Pharmacists’ Annual Meeting in May. This award recognizes the health-system pharmacist who contributed most to society in general over the past year and who demonstrates humanitarian ideals. The awards includes a plaque, complimentary registrations to the OSHP Annual Meeting, and a contribution of $250 to the charity or cause of the recipient's choice.
Graduate Research Forum (continued from page 1)
Meet Dr. Julie Murphy Dr. Julie Murphy is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and a Clinical Pharmacist at the UT Medical Center. She serves as a preceptor for both student pharmacists and PGY1 pharmacy residents completing their internal medicine rotations. An alumnus (1998/2001) of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Murphy completed a clinical pharmacy residency in Internal Medicine with the St. Louis College of Pharmacy and Forest Park Hospital in St. Louis, MO. She then joined the faculty at St. Louis College of Pharmacy and served as a faculty member there for ten years. Dr. Murphy has authored a
plethora of publications relating to patient care and pharmacy education. Her expertise in these areas has earned her several awards, including the 2012 Mentor of the Year Award from the American College of Clinical Pharmacy Adult Medicine Practice and Research Network, 2011 Faculty Teacher of the Year from the Mercy Family Medicine Residency Program, 2009 Pharmacist of the Year bestowed by the Missouri Society of HealthSystem Pharmacists, and the 2009 Best Practice Award presented by the Missouri Society of HealthSystem Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation. Dr. Murphy is a Fellow with the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and the American Society of Health-
System Pharmacists. Her certifications include the ACCP Leadership and Management Certificate, the ACCP Teaching and Learning Certificate, and Pharmacotherapy Board Certification. “When I started my journey at the University of Toledo in 1993,” said Dr. Murphy, “the College of Pharmacy was located within University Hall on the main campus. When I was earning my 2-year post-BS PharmD degree, the college was housed in Wolfe Hall. Now as a faculty member, I have the chance to work within the Frederic and Mary Wolfe Center. With being located on the Health Science Campus, the opportunities for both student pharmacists and faculty to learn and discover are truly limitless.”
Community education: Medication disposal UT student pharmacists participated in a medication disposal education program at local Walgreens stores. Students informed members of the community on the proper disposal of pharmaceutical products in order to ensure personal and environmental safety.
and oral presentations judged by Dr. Copeland and Dr. Doug Leaman (Chair of the UT College of Biological Sciences). Graduate students also participated in a candid discussion with the judges over lunch. Finally, an eloquent keynote speech by Dr. Copeland to an audience packed to the rafters, followed by the prizedistribution to the proud winners, was a great end to the biggest event of the year for our council. Overall, the forum immersed us all in science for two whole days, surprisingly in a way we don’t encounter in our daily laboratory work. It compelled us to open up to different perspectives on the challenges we face as fellow members of the scientific community. We are immensely grateful to the faculty members and postdoctoral fellows for their constant support and feedback. We are also thankful for the generous support of our sponsors: the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the College of Graduate Studies, and the Graduate Student Association. Lastly, this event would not have been possible without the overwhelming response from graduate students. We hope for an even more successful event next year!
Seeking solutions for health disparities
Students present research at national conferences
At the recent Health Disparities conference hosted by Xavier University of Louisiana, Dean Early was invited to serve in a special panel discussion entitled Evidence-Based Clinical Care: Where Are We Now? The panel focused on the selfimposed reasons for substandard clinical care among elderly African-Americans. Dr. Early was joined by several prominent health care professionals and members of academia. Pictured with Dean Early (second from right) Derek Lewis Jr.,MD, owner and Principal Investigator of Arkansas Primary Care Clinics; Cheryl Taylor, RN, PhD, Interim Dean, Southern University School of Nursing and A&M College in Baton Rouge, LA; Arcelia M. Johnson-Fannin, PharmD, RPh, Dean of the School of Pharmacy at University of the Incarnate Word, and Kathleen Kennedy, PharmD, RPh, Dean of the Xavier University School of Pharmacy.
Jehad Almaliti, a Medicinal Chemistry graduate student mentored by Dr. Tillekeratne, received a $1000 travel award from the American Chemical Society’s Division of Medicinal Chemistry. Jehad attended the 245th meeting of the ACS in New Orleans and made a podium presentation entitled "Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel Largazole analogs with modified surface recognition cap groups targeting histone deacetylases". Viralkumar Upadhyay, a BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences student majoring in pharmacology/toxicology, participated in the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in La Crosse, WI. Sponsored by UT's Office of Undergraduate Research, Viralkumar presented a poster on his research with Dr. Surya Nauli, associate professor of pharmacology. His poster was entitled, "Effects of Dopamine on Structure and Function of Primary Cilia." Over 3,000 students from U.S. and international institutions presented their research at the conference. Viralkumar is pictured above with Mary Jo Borden, internship coordinator for the BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences program.
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AG2013 PHARMNWSJ NEW
Upcoming Events
PROFESSIONAL ADVANCEMENT CEREMONY Friday, August 16, 2013 at 4:30 PM in Nitschke Auditorium on Main Campus
TOLEDO ACADEMY OF PHARMACY GOLF OUTING Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 11:00 AM at Bedford Hills Golf Club
The college welcomes its 2013 P1 class to the professional division in this annual ceremony, formerly known as the White Coat Ceremony.
The event raises scholarship funds for UT pharmacy students. $75 per person includes 18 holes of golf, cart, lunch, and dinner; Hole sponsorship starts at $300. Register online at utoledo.edu/pharmacy/golf
ROCKETS FOOTBALL 2013-2014 Join the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences during football season. See the Rockets’ game schedule.