Academic Pharmacy Now: 2015 Issue 1

Academic Pharmacy NOW

The News Magazine of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy

Volume 8 2015 Issue 1

Local Action, National Impact

From emergency preparedness to disease state management, pharmacy schools are taking a more active role in public health. 14

Also in this issue: Big Thinking Gets a Big Boost 6 Asking the Right Questions 10 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Discover 路 Learn 路 Care : Improve Health

who we are

Academic Pharmacy The News Magazine of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy 1727 King Street, Floor 2 Alexandria, VA 22314 p: 703-739-2330 P f: 703-836-8982

NOW

CEO & Publisher

Lucinda L. Maine

www.aacp.org

Founded in 1900, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy is the national organization representing the interests of pharmacy education. AACP comprises all accredited colleges and schools of pharmacy, including more than 6,600 faculty, approximately 63,800 students enrolled in professional programs and 4,800 individuals pursuing graduate study.

Editorial Director

Lynette R. Bradley-Baker

Editor

Maureen Thielemans

mthielemans@aacp.org

Letters to the Editor We welcome your comments.

Please submit all letters to the editor to communications@aacp.org.

Editorial Assistant

Kyle R. Bagin

kbagin@aacp.org

About Academic Pharmacy Now Academic Pharmacy Now highlights the work of AACP member pharmacy schools and faculty. The magazine is published as a membership service.

Subscriptions To subscribe, visit http://www.aacp.org/news/ shopaacp/Pages/publications.aspx.

Art Director

Tricia Gordon

tgordon@aacp.org

Web Assistant

Sean Clark

sclark@aacp.org

Change of Address For address changes, contact Terry J. Ryan, Associate Director of Membership Development, at tryan@aacp.org.

Freelance Writer

Jane E. Rooney

Advertising For advertising rates, please visit http://www.aacp.org/news/academic pharmnow/pages/advertisingwithaacp.aspx. Š2015 by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. All rights reserved. Content may not be reprinted without prior written permission.

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Senior Advisor, Outreach and Communications

Stephanie Saunders Fouch sfouch@aacp.org

Volume 8 2015 Issue 1

a look inside

campus connection

4 End of an Era: Iowa Drug Information Service Ceases Publication

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Cross-country Collaboration Leads to Promising Research

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Big Thinking Gets a Big Boost The largest gift ever made to a U.S. pharmacy school will be used to fuel innovation and spur economic development.

community impact

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Putting Up a Fight With Light A novel breast cancer treatment that uses near infrared light has the potential to combat tumors and minimize chemotherapy’s unpleasant side effects.

14 Local Action, National Impact

From emergency preparedness to disease state management, pharmacy schools are taking a more active role in public health.

Asking the Right Questions As one of two current Institute of Medicine fellows, a GlaxoSmithKline senior leader is using her unique perspective on improving patient care to foster the IOM’s concept of a continuously learning health system.

@AACPharmacy

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Faculty News You Can Use Join the Conversation

24 Change Agents At the 2015 Interim Meeting, pharmacy educators work collectively and individually to lead change in education, practice and healthcare.

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publisher’s note Dear Colleagues: As I look with wonder at my array of communications technologies—laptop, iPad, Kindle, iPhone—I realize that communications are changing at a dizzying pace. There are more channels and more noise than ever. It is a high priority for the Association to assess our current messages and vehicles for communicating with members and other important audiences to assure we achieve our goals of promoting academic pharmacy, and your work, effectively.

To that end, Academic Pharmacy Now is changing. Our goal is to make the magazine more content-driven, timely and relevant to our readers. You’ll notice that the design has a cleaner look-and-feel and articles are assembled by topic rather than by length. The sections, “Campus Connection,” “Community Impact” and “@AACPharmacy,” showcase news taking place at our nation’s pharmacy schools, the broader impact your work is making in pharmacy practice and healthcare, and what’s going on here at AACP to help you advance your career. Ultimately, we believe these enhancements will make Academic Pharmacy Now a better benefit to you and the Academy.

the future impact on the community, state and world is incalculable.

Dr. Jennifer Christian is poised to make an impact as well.

Chosen as one of two Institute of Medicine Anniversary Fellows in Pharmacy for 2015–17, Jennifer will soon become integrated into IOM study panels, forums and other activities.

Her predecessor, Dr. Sam Johnson, left an indelible mark on the IOM as credited in the forthcoming report, Vital Signs: Core Metrics for Health and Health Care Progress. The IOM endowment is now fully funded, assuring that the pharmacy fellow presence will be part of the IOM’s work forever.

These are all pieces of a bigger initiative in terms of our communications priorities. We aim to help spread the word to prospective students and their parents, as well as to policymakers and other healthcare practitioners, that pharmacists help people live healthier, better lives. It is a simple but important message that is fortified each and every day by the work you do on your campus, in your community and in the world.

And speaking of impact, in this issue you’ll find more information about the landmark $100 million gift received by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from Dr. Fred Eschelman, a talented and committed alumnus. The vision he is supporting is all about innovation and making a difference by taking more risk in the school’s work in research, practice development and new models of learning. I suspect

Sincerely,

Lucinda L. Maine, Ph.D., R.Ph. CEO and Publisher

campus connection

End of an Era: Iowa Drug Information Service Ceases Publication

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The Iowa Drug Information Service closed its doors on Dec. 31, 2014, ending five decades as a vital decision-making resource in the use of medications and healthcare services. IDIS began in 1965 as the result of a federally-supported study on patient care under a unit dose drug distribution system.

systems—now the standard—medication is dispensed in a package that is ready to administer to the patient.

This research placed the pharmacist in the immediate vicinity of patient care and drug delivery, representing a philosophical shift in pharmacists’ responsibility.

In 1964, Mr. William W. Tester directed the launch of the first formal studies of unit dose systems. Through such

The study changed hospital pharmacy practice, both in function and in philosophy, by demonstrating that unit

campus connection

dose drug distribution reduced medication errors and improved compliance.

For the first time, pharmacists proactively monitored patient drug regimens before the medication was dispensed and administered.

With a new medication distribution system in place, the need for drug information sources increased exponentially. As a result, Tester established IDIS to promote better drug therapy through improved availability of drug information and stimulate the effective use of drug information resources by pharmacists and physicians, as well as expand the role of the pharmacist in providing drug information services to the hospital and community.

IDIS became an internationally-recog­ nized drug information database that grew to more than 1,000 subscribers and represented over 60 foreign coun­ tries. The database itself contains more than three-quarters of a million docu­ ments. According to its current director, Dr. Kevin G. Moores, the service, which many saw as a go-to resource, was no longer economically feasible with changes in the drug infor­mation industry.

formation training program for international pharmacists.

Moores joined the College of Pharmacy as the director of the Divi­sion of Drug Information Service and clinical associate professor in August 2005. He is still overseeing some of the subscriber services as they transi­tion to new drug information systems. “Professors Tester and Seaba deserve tremendously high praise for first pav­ing the way and later sustaining the indexing Ms. Hazel H. Seaba became an assistant service for 50 years. The ser­v ice they director at IDIS in 1971, and director in created provided wonderful support to 1976. Seaba oversaw the development the development of clinical pharmacy of the Iowa Drug Information Network, services worldwide.” The IDIS 4.0 Drug bringing IDIS into the online age. She Database will remain accessible up to also implemented a customized drug in- June 2015 in order to assist current subscribers in transition to other services.

Cross-country Collaboration Leads to Promising Research Dr. Maureen A. Kane, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and co-director of the School’s Mass Spectrometry Center, has received a three-year National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism grant subaward from The University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy to use mass spectrometry to evaluate and measure the presence of biomarkers for exposure to alcohol during pregnancy in meconium—an infant’s first stool.

she was exposed to illicit drugs. The study will be led by coprincipal investigators Dr. Johnnye Lewis, professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at The University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy and director of the Community Environmental Health Program, and Dr. Ludmila Bakhireva, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the College of Pharmacy. The meconium samples will come from Lewis’s Navajo Birth Cohort Study.

Her findings will determine if the biomarkers can reliably identify infants who were prenatally exposed to alcohol, as well as help other researchers determine how exposure to alcohol interacts with exposure to environmental heavy metals found in mine wastes to affect birth outcomes and development in children during the first year of life.

“This project represents a unique partnership between two schools of pharmacy and the tribal community,” said Bakhireva. “Dr. Kane’s expertise in mass spectrometry will be crucial in helping us to accurately assess prenatal alcohol For the study, titled “Interactive Effect of Environmental exposure in a study population Exposures and Alcohol in the Navajo Birth Cohort,” Kane that is largely underrepresented will use mass spectrometry to measure the presence of three in research. Ultimately, our goal is to biomarkers in the meconium of more than 300 newborns reduce health disparities and improve from the Navajo Nation. Meconium, which consists of subreproductive health outcomes among stances ingested while an infant was in utero, is routinely Native Americans.” used in newborn screenings to determine whether he or

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Big Thinking Gets a Big Boost The largest gift ever made to a U.S. pharmacy school will be used to fuel innovation and spur economic development.

By Jane E. Rooney The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received a $100 million commitment from Dr. Fred Eshelman, a 1972 graduate of the school. The gift will be used to create a center called the Eshelman Institute for Innovation that will allow the school to pursue high-risk ideas and help accelerate research and innovation. The commitment represents the largest gift from an individual in UNC’s history.

“I am inspired by the work being done by students, faculty and staff in the School of Pharmacy. In the past 10 years, the school has generated more than 130 patents and created 15 spin-off companies,” Eshelman said, who is founder and former CEO of Pharmaceutical Product Development, and founding chairman of Furiex Pharmaceuticals. “Their success demonstrates the power and the future of drug discovery in academia.”

The Institute’s governance and structure are still in development, but investing in moderate- to high-risk ideas will be central to its mission. “The whole principle is to invest in bold, transformative ideas that have a high return on investment while realizing that a certain percentage of those are probably going to fail,” said Dr. Robert Blouin, dean of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. “We are cognizant with respect to risk. Dr. Eshelman would like us not to be afraid to take bold ideas and explore them to the fullest. My hope is that it will position our school in a very distinctive way.”

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Generating Ideas Blouin expects that the investment will not be limited to one area—for example, research—but will likely take place across the entire mission of the school. “Faculty will be the main drivers but we also envision that there will be a mechanism for staff and students to contribute to the idea generation process,” he said. “Some of these bold ideas will create new and innovative products and services that will be of value to society. We already have infrastructure that is in place to support these activities, but because of the infusion of the new resource we expect the pipeline of opportunities to grow significantly. We need to be prepared to support those innovations.”

Blouin met with students to emphasize that they will be encouraged to collaborate with faculty and take an active part in creating the change they want to see. “Creation can emanate from them so we want to build a mechanism within the Institute that will not only support investment in pursuit of an idea but also create an environment in which students can become progressively more entrepreneurial in the way they think about their place in the world,” he said. “We would like to use this resource as a vehicle to encourage innovation across the enterprise and create a culture of innovation that is readily embraced by faculty, but also among our staff and students.”

(Left to Right) Vice Chancellor for Development David Routh, Chancellor Carol L. Folt, Fred Eshelman and Dean Robert A. Blouin sign papers accepting Eshelman’s record-setting $100 million commitment to the UNC Chapel Hill Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Photo by Dan Sears, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

campus connection

Fred Eshelman (left) shakes hands with Dean Robert A. Blouin following the announcement. Eshelman’s gift will be used to create the Eshelman Institute of Innovation, accelerating research and innovation at UNC. Photo by Dan Sears, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He noted that the Research Triangle Park area is already fertile ground for innovation and entrepreneurship, which gives the Institute a good jumping-off point for serving North Carolinians.

“One of the desired outcomes from the state’s perspective is that this will lead to not only idea generation but also job creation,” Blouin said.

“I am inspired by the work being done by students, faculty and staff in the School of Pharmacy. In the past 10 years, the school has generated more than 130 patents and created 15 spin-off companies.”

— Dr. Fred Eshelman the school to explore new approaches, technologies and levels of engagement particularly on a global scale.” Blouin added, “We feel this is another area in which our students can become progressively more engaged. We haven’t had the resources to make investments in that space.”

“The other area we feel that we are ripe for investing in—and it’s something that AACP is very much engaged in—is looking at what’s happening at the interface of curriculum transformation and practice transformation,” he continued.

“We need to play a pivotal role in not Thanks to Eshelman’s gift, the school only training but also in helping transis already benefiting from increased form the practice of pharmacy across opportunities for faculty to explore new the state of North Carolina, and excitareas of collaboration with colleagues. ing, innovative work is where these two “The possibility to receive a grant components intersect. It may not create new jobs or companies immediately, but through the Institute would accelerit has the possibility of changing the way ate our ability to identify key strategic partners, engage in a meaningful pilot we think about pharmacists’ roles and the way we address the healthcare needs to assess a question the team is interested in pursuing, and do it in a rapid of our population.” way,” Blouin said. “What often discourOpening Doors to New ages collaborations is how long it takes Opportunities to find someone who is willing to invest “A commitment of this magnitude adds in a risky project. One of the challenges new dimensions and opportunities for we have is that nobody wants to invest student pharmacists and will allow in risky ideas. Two examples are the

National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. For the most part, they want to invest in the incremental because the certainty of success is higher.”

The school is still moving forward with fundraising campaigns; Eshelman’s gift is focused on spurring innovation but does not address other specific needs such as funding scholarships or making facilities improvements and renovations. But Blouin said he hopes others will be prompted to contribute. “We are still very much a part of growing our endowment despite this gift. The optimism Dr. Eshelman sees in us we believe will inspire others to give as well.

We hope this gift will excite people and provide others with a sense that we are a good investment and they too should consider helping to advance the mission of our school and our university.” P Jane E. Rooney is a freelance writer based in Oakton, Virginia.

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community impact

Putting Up a Fight With Light A novel breast cancer treatment that uses near infrared light has the potential to combat tumors and minimize chemotherapy’s unpleasant side effects.

By Jane E. Rooney

The good news for women who are breast cancer patients are diagnosed as diagnosed with breast cancer is triple negative. that it is often treatable and survival “Chemotherapy, the treatment of rates are much higher than they were cancer with chemical drugs, is one of 20 years ago. Unfortunately, many patients still must endure the disagree- the ways to treat triple negative breast cancer,” You said. “Unfortunately, even able side effects that result from radiawhen their breast tumors are localized, tion or chemotherapy. Researchers patients experience side effects from at The University of Oklahoma (OU) College of Pharmacy have developed an chemotherapy, like weakness, nausea, innovative treatment strategy that uses vomiting and pain, because their entire photodynamic therapy and site-specific body is exposed to the drug.” Not chemotherapy to precisely target breast only can these side effects be difficult cancer tumors in an effort to maximize for patients, they may also limit the amount of a chemotherapy drug that the therapeutic efficacy can be given. and minimize the body’s exposure to chemothera“By being able to combine chemotherpeutic drugs. apy with photodynamic therapy using our novel linker technique,” he said, “we have found that we are able to have a site-specific and controlled delivery of the drugs to the tumor without all the negative side effects caused by systemic chemotherapy.”

Targeted Treatment Dr. Youngjae You, associate professor with the OU College of Pharmacy, received a new three-year, $550,000 federal Department of Defense grant to advance the work. His laboratory-based research targets a specific type of breast cancer known as triple-negative, meaning the tumor does not have any of the three most commonly known cancer-growth factors: estrogen, progesterone or the HER-2 gene. Thus, hormonal and HER-2 targeted therapies do not work for such cancers. Approximately 15 percent of all

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Photodynamic therapy is a treatment that uses special drugs called photosensitizing agents that only work after they have been activated by near infrared light. You and his team—including his College of Pharmacy colleagues Dr. Michael Ihnat and Dr. Sukyung Woo—first deliver inactive chemotherapy drugs directly to a tumor. Next, near-infrared light is introduced to the tumor site by way of a fiber optic cable. The light breaks the chemical bonds that keep the drugs from work-

community impact

ing. With those bonds broken, the drugs Ultimately, the goal is to find a way to deliver effective cancer-fighting therabecome active and kill cancer cells at peutics while reducing troublesome side the tumor site. effects for patients.

“What makes this approach unique is “If our strategy is successful, it will that we discovered a groundbreaking be a significant advancement toward way to break these bonds with near an effective and innovative treatment infrared light using a special chemioption that has minimal side effects cal bond we developed,” You said. “It for localized and inoperable advanced allows us to keep the drugs outside the triple negative breast cancers,” You said. tumor inactive and release the active “Our prodrug strategy is a platform chemotherapy drug at the tumor site, technology with high flexibility, which which minimizes the body’s exposure can be complemented with surgery to the chemotherapeutic drugs.” and radiotherapy. Other types of local The use of near infrared light offers breast cancers could be treated with a several advantages. Unlike ultraviolet minor modification. light and high-energy radiation like Xrays or gamma rays, near infrared light “Recently, we demonstrated that our is not toxic. It can also reach up to a few prodrugs could be targeted to cancer cells and optically imaged in tissues,” centimeters (about an inch) inside tishe continued. “These can be used sues within the body, which ultraviolet for an imaged-guided detection and light and short visible light cannot do.

treatment strategy. We are also testing our prodrugs for treating peritoneal metastasized ovarian cancers. Many other cancers at local stages, such as bladder, prostate, esophageal, and head and neck cancers, can be treated with our prodrugs with an appropriate optimization.”

Given that the drug development process is not always expeditious, You noted that it’s difficult to pinpoint a time frame when doctors can begin performing the procedure. “We are diligently working to minimize the time needed by addressing any and all potential roadblocks to clinical application.” P Jane E. Rooney is a freelance writer based in Oakton, Virginia.

“If our strategy is successful, it will be a significant advancement toward an effective and innovative treatment option that has minimal side effects for localized and inoperable advanced triple negative breast cancers.” ­ —Dr. Youngjae You

Dr. Youngjae You, associate professor at The University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, is targeting triple-negative breast cancer with photodynamic therapy, minimizing the body’s exposure to chemotherapeutic drugs.

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community impact

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community impact

Asking the Right Questions As one of two current Institute of Medicine fellows, a GlaxoSmithKline senior leader is using her unique perspective on improving patient care to foster the IOM’s concept of a continuously learning health system.

By Jane E. Rooney

For Dr. Jennifer Christian, senior director of clinical effectiveness and safety at GlaxoSmithKline, quality of care issues have always been top of mind. Throughout a career that includes roles in various healthcare settings, Christian had opportunities “to review how decisions are made when determining whether a medicine will be available for a specific patient or not, as well as within a hospital or not,” she said. “I was motivated to think more about how we access and utilize the evidence available to inform individual decisions as well as impact population health.”

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community impact

A keen interest in evidence-based decision making is one of the reasons she found herself drawn to the Institute of Medicine’s work. Christian is one of two individuals to receive the IOM Anniversary Pharmacy Fellowship in 2014, which enables early career health policy or health science scholars to participate in the work of the IOM and to further their careers as future leaders in the field. Fellows select a board of the IOM and participate in the work of an appropriate expert study committee or roundtable, contributing to its report or other products.

Talk about your career up to this point and how it led you to your current position with GlaxoSmithKline.

I am trained as a clinical pharmacist and an epidemiologist. My training began at the UNC Chapel Hill Eshelman School of Pharmacy. There I worked in a variety of settings, including both hospital and community pharmacies. Some of the experiences I had within the hospital setting led me to think about the evidence available and how it is used in patient care decisions. That influenced me to enroll in a master of public health program at UNC and participate in a post-doc fellowship sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute within the National Institutes of Health. That was a great experience that gave me a broad perspective on a range of public health issues.

I enrolled in a doctoral program at Brown and continued as a post-doc fellow through sponsorship from the National Institute on Aging. I continued to work as a clinical pharmacist within the Veteran’s Affairs hospital in Providence. Working within a diabetes clinic showed me the impact pharmacists could have on improving quality of care.

In addition, I was working with Dr. Kate

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(Read the interview with the other recipient, Dr. Steven Smith, clinical assistant professor in pharmacotherapy and translational research and community health and family medicine at the University of Florida Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine, in Academic Pharmacy Now’s 2014 Issue 3.)

Christian talked with Academic Pharmacy Now about her career path, how she would like to support the IOM’s goals and what the fellowship means for her work.

Lapane who had several funded grants that aimed to evaluate the impact of pharmacists’ interventions within nursing homes to reduce inappropriate prescribing. In each of these experiences, we were helping to manage medicines to improve patient care.

Throughout my education there was a common theme: What is really happening versus the evidence that’s out there—how is that being utilized for decision making? I moved back to North Carolina and joined GSK in 2008, and continued thinking about these types of issues. How are medicines used in a real-world setting? What impacts adherence? What evidence would be useful for clinicians when determining which medicines to choose?

What is your area of specialty?

During the past three years, I’ve worked with Dr. Ralph Horwitz, a senior scholar and advisor at GSK, to establish a new group called clinical effectiveness and safety. Our team was focused on rigorous and innovative approaches to evaluating the effectiveness and safety of medicines. We were helping teams think differently and design studies that would be meaningful for clinical decision making in a real-world setting.

community impact

Dr. Horwitz was also serving as a co-chair of the Clinical Effectiveness Research Innovation Collaborative (CERIC) within the IOM and he exposed me to the organization’s thinking. The IOM’s goal is that by 2020, 90 percent of clinical decisions should be supported by accurate, timely information that can influence the best clinical decisions.

The CERIC collaborative convenes an impressive group of stakeholders to share knowledge that can influence the development of innovative evidence generation to inform healthcare decisions. After participating in a few meetings, I was impressed by the discussions, the people involved, and found myself hopeful to engage more actively in working toward these goals.

What projects will you work on as a fellow?

We have been encouraged to identify activities that resonate with us. Immediately, I knew that I wanted to contribute to the roundtable on value and sciencedriven healthcare, and in particular, the clinical effectiveness research and digital technology collaboratives that support the roundtable. Specifically, there are discussions around interoperability of healthcare systems that interest me because it combines the technology advancements needed to evaluate care across the country with the information and evidence that would be most informative. Nevertheless, there are numerous exciting, ongoing activities within the IOM, and I am eager to participate in as many as possible!

“I was motivated to think more about how we access and utilize the evidence available to inform individual decisions as well as impact population health.”

— Dr. Jennifer Christian What interested you about the fellowship and how did you apply?

The fellowship offers an opportunity to engage with healthcare leaders around the country to learn more about the various stakeholder perspectives and contribute to advancing the best science that could inform and shape healthcare policy. I learned about this fellowship from Dr. Horwitz two years ago when it was first established. Although I was immediately interested, I was not quite ready to apply. I hoped it would continue. It did, and then he nominated me.

Cornell Medical College, where I have an adjunct faculty appointment, was also very supportive in writing letters on my behalf.

How do you think the fellowship will enhance your career?

This fellowship is an incredible opportunity to connect with leaders across the world who share a common vision of improving care, lowering costs and improving outcomes. These are the people I want to learn from and hear from, and I look forward to participating in how we shape the future of medicine. P Jane E. Rooney is a freelance writer based in Oakton, Virginia.

Web Exclusive Academic pharmacy has been well-represented within the IOM. Find out who has been elected to this prestigious organization: http://www.aacp.org/news/academicpharmnow/ 2015issue1/Pages/community_impact.aspx

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community impact

Local Action, National Impact From emergency preparedness to disease state management, pharmacy schools are taking a more active role in public health.

By Jane E. Rooney

Suppose the following scenario unfolded: A terrorist release of anthrax is detected somewhere in the United States— say on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Time is of the essence in administering prophylactic medication. Once the governor declares a state of emergency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention arranges for a national stockpile of prepackaged drugs to be delivered to the affected area, the local health department is responsible for distributing the medication.

Yet, authorities quickly become overwhelmed trying to meet the public’s needs. How can communities across the country prepare for this type of event or a similar medical emergency?

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community impact

Web Exclusive Read about how VCU School of Pharmacy’s work with underserved communities earned national recognition: http://www.aacp.org/news/academicpharmnow/2015issue1/ Pages/community_impact.aspx

Consider a more routine circumstance, such as an individual exhibiting flu-like symptoms who wonders if he or she needs antiviral therapy. Many pharmacies, via their state pharmacy practice acts, are now equipped to handle point-of-care testing, meaning that testing for influenza or strep throat can occur right at the pharmacy counter and there are fewer barriers to access to care. If the patient tests positive for flu, the pharmacist can begin treatment right away. If the test is negative, antivirals can be avoided or used more judiciously.

Schools of pharmacy are stepping in to offer their services as they take on larger roles in emergency preparedness and public health in general. Through immunization campaigns, chronic disease management, emergency drills, coaching for drug addicts and other efforts, pharmacy schools are getting involved at the community level in a myriad ways. And as they engage with the community, they are discovering that partnering with other health professionals is critical to integrating pharmacy into community health, and achieving greater access and affordability for patients.

Two students from Ohio Northern University, Kristen Vander Molen and Olivia Hiddleson, present their National Public Health Week projects at the 2012 Ohio Public Health Combined Conference.

A recent ONU survey revealed the growing frequency with which pharmacy schools are getting involved in their communities.

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community impact

Not Your Everyday Emergency Dr. G. Lawrence Hogue, assistant dean for professional affairs and assistant professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore School of Pharmacy, set up a program to simulate a situation such as the anthrax disaster to train student pharmacists to assist the local health department with operating its PODs [points of dispensing], where individuals would receive medications in an emergency.

“The anthrax drill simulates our [campus] POD being operational,” Hogue said. “Half of the students are roleplaying as providers and the other half are role-playing as patients, then we flip it. Every student gets to appreciate what’s going on in this type of scenario.”

Hogue also designed a screening form that establishes a protocol. “At the first station, patients register all family members. At a second station that information is reviewed and we determine what drug we are going to give this patient based on the information received. At the third station, we dispense the appropriate medication,” he explained.

The idea behind the drill is threefold, he continued. “Students can support the university because they’ve been familiarized with the process and they’re helping their community. Finally, the intention is that when they graduate they can take this process back to their communities and be more willing to join their local medical reserve corps and assist with emergencies.”

“There are a lot of ways schools are getting involved with public health projects concerning tobacco prevention and control; immunizations; chronic disease state management; disaster and emergency preparedness; and antibiotic resistance, to name a few.”

—Dr. Natalie A. DiPietro Mager

A Team Effort Pharmacists are increasingly being recognized as a helpful resource, according to Dr. Natalie A. DiPietro Mager, associate professor of pharmacy practice at Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy. She and colleagues of the AACP Public Health Special Interest Group (SIG) recently conducted a survey about how pharmacy schools are involved with public health departments and organizations in their communities. “We’ve been working to build these linkages between pharmacy and public health,” she said. “There are a lot of ways schools are getting involved with public health projects concerning tobacco prevention and control; immunizations; chronic disease state management; disaster and emergency preparedness; and antibiotic resistance, to name a few.”

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A Behind-the-Scenes Collaboration While some schools of pharmacy are raising their profile as they become more engaged in community health, other schools contribute in subtler ways.

When 10,000 gallons of a chemical leaked into the Elk River last year, affecting 300,000 residents in Charleston, West Virginia, some behind-the-scenes assistance came from an unlikely source. A local public health official reached out to Dr. David Latif, chair of the Pharmaceutical and Administrative Sciences Department at the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy, to help design and administer a survey to find out how residents responded to and coped with the health emergency.

“I helped to design probably the largest, most rigorous survey of its kind,” Latif said. “We designed it to understand the psychological, social, economic and communication issues related to the impact of the contamination.” The telephone survey—conducted by several student pharmacists who were trained in survey methodology—reached 1,200 Charleston residents three months after the chemical spill.

The survey found that most respondents were using the water from their taps within three months of the event despite a lingering licorice odor, but only a third were drinking it. Only 29 percent of respondents believed the water was safe, three months after the chemical spill, compared with about 92 percent that believed it was safe prior to the spill.

Survey results also illustrated that residents were unprepared for an emergency of this nature; when the spill occurred, only three out of 10 respondents had more than one gallon of water on hand.

Latif commended the health department for bringing people from different disciplines together. He said that in collaborating with various healthcare professionals, “you bring a different perspective to the table. Someone with a medical degree is going to think a little differently than someone with a pharmacy administration background, or someone with an engineering background.” He added that his students benefited from the opportunity to participate first-hand. “It was a good, real-life learning experience about how to conduct survey research.”

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For example, last fall, the Raabe College of Pharmacy partnered with the local health department so faculty and students could help provide immunizations at remote, rural locations in northwest Ohio. DiPietro Mager has also collaborated with the Ohio Public Health Association to co-found its Clinical Health section, which has a mission to provide a forum for diverse health professionals to explore and address the pertinent and emerging issues that intersect clinical health with public health. As professional organizations increasingly recognize the need to focus on the synergy between pharmacy and public health, it is also becoming a larger component of the classroom curriculum.

DiPietro Mager, who is the current chair of the AACP Public Health SIG, said momentum is building for pharmacists to take a more active role in public health. “There is a growing recognition of what we can provide,” she noted. “There are new models of care and ways pharmacy needs to be integrated into primary care. Public and primary healthcare are really intersecting to improve people’s health.”

Schools of pharmacy across the country are making a big push for interprofessional education, and Hogue said getting involved at the community level with emergency preparedness plans allows students to work interprofessionally. “Collaboration results in improved patient care and lowering of costs. We appreciate what our fellow practitioners can do and can bring to the table,” he noted. Students representing the five health professions at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore participated in this year’s drill and students from other pharmacy schools in Maryland took part as well. Hogue said ultimately he hopes more schools across the country will offer hands-on training. “It’s your duty as a health professional to have an awareness of these kinds of needs and to have enough knowledge to potentially assist in a public health emergency.”

community impact

Partnering on Patient Care Community engagement is a priority at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. For nearly a decade, the school has cultivated relationships with various entities throughout the state to improve metrics in chronic disease. The school coordinates the P3 Program— a partnership among the pharmacy school, the Maryland Pharmacists Association, the Maryland General Assembly and the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The program offers an approach for improving health and lowering costs by using pharmacists to provide patient-centered support around chronic disease control and medication therapy management.

“We have a network of pharmacists who provide medication management to patients,” said Dr. Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner, professor, executive director of the Center for Innovative Pharmacy Solutions, and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. “They coach and educate patients, and work with a primary care provider to ensure they are receiving the best care and the best medication. Then we collect data and provide a report to the Maryland Department of Health.” This report includes information about what impact the pharmacists’ interventions have on things like blood pressure and diabetes control, explained Rodriguez de Bittner. The CDC highlighted one of the university’s programs as an example of how pharmacy schools can work with departments of public health to engage in outreach and awareness campaigns.

The school also runs a poison center, teaches people how to manage overdoses and avoid exposure, works with mental health hospitals in the state, and performs community outreach.

“Within the school leadership there’s awareness that it’s really important to have students engaged in making a difference. People are starting to recognize that a pharmacist can really help them prevent disease and manage chronic conditions.”

— Dr. Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner

As schools of pharmacy strive to incorporate public health into the curriculum, they are creating learning models that allow students to participate in patient care. “At Maryland, we are developing these innovative programs and educating our students for these practices of the future,” said Rodriguez de Bittner. “Within the school leadership there’s awareness that it’s really important to have students engaged in making a difference. People are starting to recognize that a pharmacist can really help them prevent disease and manage chronic conditions.”

All About Outcomes Pharmacists are in a unique position to improve access to care. Thanks to point-of-care testing, they are becoming more involved in disease state management programs. Pharmacists can check patients’ cholesterol levels and run tests that help with diabetes control or those related to infectious diseases, such as HIV or Hepatitis C, and obtain results rapidly. Ferris State University College of Pharmacy is working with the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) to engage with public health officials and bring disease state management to community pharmacies.

“We have done a series of focus groups with state pharmacy associations and state and local public health officials. The goal is to teach them about the capacity of pharmacies to provide these types of services and identify possible collaborations,” said Dr. Donald Klepser, associate professor, University of Nebraska Medical Cen-

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ter, noting that the NACDS Foundation funded this research. “As a direct result of these focus groups, we have pharmacies reporting influenza testing directly to the state of Minnesota to help with surveillance efforts. In Idaho, pharmacies may be able to provide test results to the bureau of labs. In Maryland, we have an agreement to partner on additional testing. It’s been an effective tool for raising awareness of the capability of pharmacy on public health initiatives.”

Klepser said pharmacists are beginning to play a larger role on the healthcare team. His brother, Dr. Michael Klepser, professor at Ferris State University College of Pharmacy, concurred. “Pharmacists are finding new roles for themselves,” he said. “We’re seeing the kind of patient encounters we used to see a lot more of. The point-of-care tests are giving pharmacists a more advanced tool. We’re back to where we were, but in a more advanced way.”

“As we go and talk to public health officials and other providers, they are really impressed to learn what pharmacists can do. They’re not always informed about our capabilities and the services we’re able to provide, but after we explain how we can help, they’re excited to partner with a pharmacist.”

—Dr. Michael Klepser

Classroom Concepts

Pharmacy Ambassadors

Mike Klepser said that as pharmacists Partnering with public health officials think about a broader function in public is becoming a key focus at schools of health, more schools are looking for pharmacy. “We are all about opportuniways to incorporate it into the curricuties for pharmacies to be part of patientlum. “I’ve talked to several faculty who centered care,” explained Don Klepser. have master’s degrees in public health “It’s really about increased surveillance as well as pharmacy. There is a trend and opportunities for pharmacies to Dr. Alex Adams, NACDS vice president toward providing public health topics to form partnerships, share information, of pharmacy programs, said the public students and engaging them in public and work with public health officials.” sees pharmacists as the face of neighhealth projects. It’s definitely carrying Adams agreed that pharmacists are a borhood healthcare. “You really see it over to the classroom setting.” critical part of the equation. “If we partwith immunizations. [The number of ner with state and local entities, we can people using pharmacies for immuniza- NACDS offers a certificate training increase the public health infrastructure for pharmacists on the ins and outs tions has] grown to 20 percent nationin this country. We can improve the wide,” he noted. “We’ve helped increase of point-of-care testing. Adams added health of patients in our communities.” there has been a lot of energy around the vaccination rates and assisted building public health content into the Mike Klepser added that it’s up to pharfolks in engaging with the healthcare pharmacy curriculum. macists to connect with public health system. Pharmacists are ranked as officials and to be ambassadors for their one of most trusted healthcare profes“At Nebraska, we have incorporated this profession. “As we go and talk to public sionals and that’s going to continue to into our curriculum and the student health officials and other providers, grow.” NACDS Foundation research response has been overwhelming,” said they are really impressed to learn what on point-of-care testing shows that it Don Klepser. “Students are seeing an pharmacists can do. They’re not always can translate into expanded care and expanded public health role for theminformed about our capabilities and the improve outcomes for patients. selves and there is a real excitement to services we’re able to provide, but after have this opportunity.” While the cerwe explain how we can help, they’re tificate program is not part of the curexcited to partner with a pharmacist.” P riculum at Ferris State University yet, Jane E. Rooney is a freelance students have expressed enthusiasm for writer based in Oakton, Virginia. this model, noted Mike Klepser. “Once they find out about this type of practice model, they become really engaged.”

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community impact

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@AACPharmacy

WE’RE PROUD TO SPONSOR …

THE FUTURE

At the NACDS Foundation, we are honored to sponsor future-focused academic initiatives, including:

For Faculty Members • Faculty Scholars Program • Academic Pharmacy Awards • Research Grants

For Students • Executive Fellowship Program • Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience Rotations

Please visit www.nacdsfoundation.org to learn more about our educational partnerships to advance pharmacy’s future.

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@AACPharmacy

Have you been taking advantage of AACP’s online learning opportunities?

Webinar registration is free for AACP members.

Visit www.aacp.org for more information.

Faculty News You Can Use Breaking News: Big changes ahead in faculty announcements! In order to make school news more timely and valuable to our readers, the Faculty News section is now published exclusively online. At the beginning of every month, the previous month’s submissions will be posted to the new Faculty News page of the AACP Web site. For the official submission and publishing schedule, visit Academic Pharmacy Now online: http://www.aacp.org/news/ academicpharmnow The Faculty News section is divided into new appointments, awards, grants, promotions and retirement announcements. “In Memoriam” information will also be collected via the submission form; however, it will be posted to the Web site in its own section. Questions? Contact Kyle Bagin, communications coordinator, at kbagin@aacp.org.

Join the Conversation!

Connect with AACP in more ways than ever before.

Through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, we’re engaging with our audiences and building a place for you to engage with each other. Get the latest news on AACP’s programs and services, pharmacy education, and its impact on the wider healthcare community—all at your fingertips.

Follow AACP events as-they-happen and connect with colleagues around the world. Start interacting with AACP’s social media channels today!

Like us: Facebook.com/AACPharmacy Follow us: Twitter.com/AACPharmacy Join your colleagues: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/ American-Association-Colleges-Pharmacy-826797/about Academic Pharmacy NOW  2015 Issue 1

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@AACPharmacy

Change At the 2015 Interim Meeting, pharmacy educators work collectively and individually to lead change in education, practice and healthcare.

By Maureen Thielemans

The energy of team learning was palpable. How could it not be when Interim Meeting attendees gathered in a city that cultivates innovation and creativity? Austin, Texas was the perfect backdrop for deans, faculty and administrators to explore how successful teams are leading change in pharmacy education and practice.

Collaboration was key, and there was no shortage of opportunities for attendees to network and learn from leaders at other institutions.

Following are some of the highlights of the meeting, held Feb. 7–10, that illustrate how teams sharpened their leadership skills while taking advantage of the eclectic inspiration that defines its host city.

Speaking from Experience In addition to providing dynamic team experience, the 2015 Interim Meeting harnessed Austin’s innovation to create an exciting energy for attendees. The Hilton Austin sits immersed in a vibrant entertainment and arts scene, providing a setting ripe for learning and networking.

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Five teams from the 2014–15 Academic Leadership Fellows Program took center stage on Saturday for a unique Key Issue Debate that addressed provocative leadership topics.

Fellows asked attendees to vote for or against hot-button issues such as, should schools require a professional dress code for students and is tenure outdated in today’s pharmacy education environment? Then members of each team tried to sway

@AACPharmacy

Agents the audience in a debate-style format.

The fellows succeeded in creating an exciting atmosphere of competition and forced attendees to think about their own professional/educational opinions, as well as the institutional environments in which they work.

Toby Rodriguez, from the Academy for Academic Leadership, walks the Academic Leadership Fellows through effective conflict management.

“Question at the key debate: Should you hire gen X or gen Y? How about we make an environment where both can be successful,” one attendee tweeted.

Identifying and communicating a clear vision of what pharmacy practice will be in the future requires looking at the past, said Kermit R. Crawford, former president of pharmacy, health and wellness at Walgreen Co. That may sound counterintuitive, he acknowledged, but we must “change back to the patientcentered/pharmacist relationship.” Pharmacists’ roles and responsibilities are changing, he added, and consumers are demanding to see and experience these changes. What key component must be included? Technology, Crawford said.

“If you can schedule dinner on Open Table, you should be able to schedule a meeting with your physician or pharmacist,” he asserted. Long lines and overworked pharmacy staff are compromising pharmacists’ priority of putting the patient first, and this must be fixed. “If I ever want to make any money, I’ll open an independent pharmacy across from the busiest Walgreens or CVS,” he said.

The fellows led a new Key Issue Debate that addressed controversial topics such as defining academic freedom to relevance of tenure. Discussion even carried over onto Twitter and had attendees engaged long after the debate.

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@AACPharmacy

Changing the Playbook Officially kicking off the meeting on Sunday morning, Dr. John A. Daly, Liddell Carter Professor in the College of Communication at The University of Texas at Austin, brought his unique energy and enthusiasm, and provoked attendees to think about the skills needed to sell change to university leadership. Daly’s key points resonated with pharmacy leaders: •

Answer the “why now” question to encourage and motivate change.

•

We talk ourselves out of opportunities— stop negotiating with yourself.

•

When selling change, learn to sell door-to-door, one-on-one.

•

Every great leader is a storyteller.

Whether the topic was legal issues facing teams, smart succession planning or analyzing the Midterm Elections’ impact on healthcare reform, attendees seized the opportunity of the team environment to learn, network and apply concepts together.

Re-immerse yourself in the meeting buzz, as-it-happened: @AACPharmacy: Pamela Zarkowski of @udmdetroit says academic leaders should be familiar with their ‘leadership toolbox’ #AACPInterim @DrTJenks: White papers on CAPE outcomes available on curriculum, assessment & leadership SIG websites #AACPInterim @RxDeanMac: Drs Warholak and Stolpe talk about the expansion of pay for performance in community pharmacies #AACPInterim @Ron_Jordan: #AACPInterim @AACPharmacy Dean Bob Blouin talks about strategic planning around our greatest asset, human capital. @AACPharmacy: Adaptive growth can feel weird, says David Zeitler at #AACPInterim Avoid treating adaptive change with technical solutions. @AACPharmacy: When doing strategic planning, think in the short-term too. Ask “what are some things we can accomplish 3-5 years out?” #AACPInterim @sarahbarden: Key message: When pharmacists are involved in patient care, #OutcomesImprove and #CostsDecline. #aacpinterim

Kermit R. Crawford, former president of pharmacy, health and wellness for Walgreen Co., provided a spark for an active session on future trends in pharmacy practice. Lively discussion regarding the role of partnerships between pharmacy employers and pharmacy educators followed.

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@AACPharmacy

Real-Time Results

“If you can schedule dinner on OpenTable, you should be able to schedule a meeting with your physician or pharmacist.”

—Kermit R. Crawford

#AACPInterim created a sense of community during which attendees networked with each other face-to-face but also on social media. They used Twitter, Facebook and Instagram used to share thoughts, opinions, questions and best practices on-the-spot. Whether they asked their peers about student professional dress codes or shared takehome tools for selling change, Interim Meeting attendees were not only there representing their schools, but forming a larger networking community too. Relive the social media enthusiasm from the meeting by checking out the Interim Meeting Storify: https://storify.com/aacpharmacy/2015aacp-interim-meeting.

On a Quest for Excellence With the debut of Mimycx on the horizon, pharmacy education leaders were eager to demo the interactive learning platform at the Interim Meeting. The first educational game from Professions Quest, AACP’s learning solutions company, brings multiple students from different healthcare professions together in one virtual world to solve real-world medical scenarios. For more information about Mimycx, visit www.professionsquest.com.

Exciting Events Ahead Engaging with fellow Interim Meeting attendees postconference is easy thanks to the Web Event App. Visit https://aacp-2015-interim.pathable.com and log-in to review speaker materials and connect with others.

Looking for more in-person learning opportunities?

Registration is opening soon for the premier pharmacy education event, Pharmacy Education 2015, July 11–15 in National Harbor, Maryland. Leaders will again meet for the 2016 Interim Meeting, Feb. 20–23, in Tampa, Florida. P

(Top) Meeting attendees were able to provide their immediate feedback during the Key Issue Debate using the Web Event App. (Bottom) Dr. Craig D. Cox, associate professor and vice-chair of experiential programs at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, previews Mimycx, the new interprofessional game from Professions Quest. Mimycx uses video game technology to bring together students from different health professions to solve real-world scenarios.

Maureen Thielemans is Associate Director of Communications at AACP and editor of Academic Pharmacy Now.

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Save the Date!

2015

AACP & AFPC Annual Meeting Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center National Harbor, Maryland (Washington, D.C. area)

July 11–15, 2015 For more information, visit www.aacp.org/pharmed15