Academic Pharmacy Now: 2015 Issue 4 by AACP

Academic Pharmacy NOW

The News Magazine of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy

Volume 8 2015 Issue 4

Also in this issue:

Innovation At-Large 6 Reflecting Reality: Treating LGBTQ Health Disparities 18

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Discover 路 Learn 路 Care : Improve Health

who we are @AACPharmacy

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

NOW

Volume 8 2015 Issue 4

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

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 Designer

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. ÂŠ2015 by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. All rights reserved. Content may not be reprinted without prior written permission.

Academic Pharmacy NOW ď&#x201A;§ 2015 Issue 4

Senior Advisor, Outreach and Communications

Stephanie Saunders Fouch sfouch@aacp.org

@AACPharmacy a look inside

campus connection

5 6

Presbyterian College Builds Its Research Infrastructure With NIH Grant

Student Tested, Student Approved Student pharmacists from Butler University are pioneering a different type of healthcare journal.

Innovation At-Large Thomas Jefferson University launches its Interactive Curricula Experience Platform & App, and the end result is a product thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s changing how education is delivered.

community impact

Strength in Numbers

10 Tailored Treatments

Study uses computer simulation to model patient cancer DNA and recommend individual treatments.

Cardiologists recognize the value of pharmacists on the healthcare team as they push for provider status.

At Your Service

Reflecting Reality

Where can pharmacists embark on a career that allows them to effect change and influence public health? The answer may come as a surprise: the federal government.

@AACPharmacy

Pharmacists are in a unique position to treat health disparities affecting the LGBTQ community. Now, we just need to give them the tools to do so.

Academic Pharmacy NOW ď&#x201A;§ 2015 Issue 4

publisher’s note

Dear Colleagues: I was recently asked what experiences had most influenced the trajectory of my career. This was part of an interview that will be used by the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) in its collaboration on careers for pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists. My answer was quite simple: Interesting internship opportunities and unique (at the time) clinical rotations widened my “world view” of pharmacy, leading me to graduate school and, ultimately, to my academic and association management career paths. My intern positions included summers in community and hospital pharmacy, followed by a summer in Kalamazoo, Mich., with the Upjohn Company. My last summer was spent as a COSTEP, a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service. I worked in the headquarters of the Indian Health Service and literally shared an office with Allen Brands, Chief Professional Officer for Pharmacy and the iconic head of IHS pharmacy. This was the late 1970s, and already Allen and the pharmacists in that branch of government had pioneered the earliest clinical roles for pharmacists in both in- and out-patient care environments. As a B.S. pharmacy student in a curriculum that had just introduced “clinical pharmacy,” I was amazed to learn that pharmacists used the whole patient chart as they worked with other providers to optimize the medications for patients in some of the more remote parts of the United States.

other national pharmacy organizations. This is an outgrowth of a series of headquarter visits by a small number of pharmacy schools. Recognizing that not all schools could access the content of the live sessions, which focus on novel career opportunities, including in the federal government, USP has begun recording the presentations and will make the host site accessible to all colleges and schools of pharmacy later this year. Collectively we have a responsibility to create “eye opening” experiences for our learners. It is the only way our students, current and prospective, will come to appreciate the vast array of opportunities that await the most well-prepared generation of pharmacists ever to enter the profession. As Dr. Kim Birtcher notes in a profile piece appearing in this issue, there is an awakening outside the profession that the integration of pharmacists in patient care, research and other arenas produces value-added benefits for these organizations. AACP plans to expand our efforts to communicate this as aggressively as possible in the years ahead, to ensure the pipeline of learners coming to our schools is robust and filled with the best and brightest.

USP is launching a digital career exploration service in collaboration with the Office of the Surgeon General, AACP and

Sincerely,

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

Help AACP Recognize Outstanding Educators and Innovators Submit nominations online by 11:59 p.m. PT on Wednesday, Dec. 2. Criteria and nomination information for the awards below can be found at www.aacp.org/career/awards. Robert K. Chalmers Distinguished Pharmacy Educator Award Recognizing outstanding achievements as an educator and mentor.

Paul R. Dawson Award Recognizing research related to health services delivery affecting patient outcomes.

Volwiler Research Achievement Award

Recognizing an individual’s record of sustained excellence in scientific research.

Academic Pharmacy NOW  2015 Issue 4

campus connection

Presbyterian College Builds Its Research Infrastructure With NIH Grant Presbyterian College received a five-year National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant as a member of the South Carolina IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (SC INBRE) with total direct and indirect costs of nearly $775,000 allocated to the college. The goal of the SC INBRE network is to increase the biomedical research capacity of the state by programmatic expansion and networking of research activities of faculty and students at academic institutions throughout the state. SC INBRE is a major grant with components located at 13 higher education institutions in South Carolina, including the three research institutions—the University of South Carolina (USC), Clemson University, and the Medical University of South Carolina, with USC serving as the lead institution. Dr. Lucia Pirisi-Creek, professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology at the USC School of Medicine, is the principal investigator of SC INBRE, and a supporter of Presbyterian College (PC) and research endeavors throughout the state. Her involvement was critical in securing the SC INBRE grant. “SC INBRE is a network of institutions that collaborate with one another to promote their research and training programs, and provide their students with excellent opportunities for hands-on research training,” said Dr. Pirisi-Creek. “At Presbyterian College,

SC INBRE will augment the Biomedical Research infrastructure, helping to improve the research facilities and providing support for researchers and their students.” Specifically, the PC component of SC INBRE will: Sponsor undergraduate and pharmacy faculty members for summer research; sponsor student researchers with a stipend; provide each faculty sponsor with funds for supplies and/or small equipment; reward students with travel funds to present their research; cover renovations to the PC animal facility, as well as research instrumentation; and provide opportunities for the career development of faculty. The grant officially began July 10, 2015 and will continue until June 30, 2020. The grant is one of the largest PC has ever received from the federal government. Dr. Cliff Fuhrman, dean of the PC School of Pharmacy, said that receiving the grant is a “win-win for the faculty and students of the college. It’s intended to benefit both the pharmacy school and the arts and sciences undergraduate campus.” Fuhrman believes that the projects completed utilizing this funding from the SC INBRE grant will help PC students and faculty to develop data that can then be used to stimulate other projects and lead the College to additional funding opportunities for faculty and student research.

Dr. C. Scott Asbill, chair of pharmaceutical and administrative sciences and professor of pharmaceutics, is a primary investigator on the NIH grant.

administrative sciences at PC, is a primary investigator on this grant. He believes the SC-INBRE grant is a “great opportunity to move research at [PC] forward and to help build the research infrastructure.” Asbill added, “It’s so important for faculty and students to have these opportunities.” In addition to Asbill, other investigators on the grant include Dr. Alfonso Romero-Sandoval, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences and director of research. The grant was an interprofessional collaborative effort from PC’s entire faculty, including Dr. James T. Wetzel, Pulaski L. Bealy Smith professor of biology; Dr. Alicia Askew, associate professor of psychology and chair of the department; and Dr. Latha Gearheart, professor of chemistry. The college plans to send out a call for SC INBRE Summer Research Fellowships during the 2015 fall semester. P

Dr. Scott Asbill, department chair and professor of pharmaceutical and

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Innovation At-Large

Thomas Jefferson University launches its Interactive Curricula Experience Platform & App, and the end result is a product that’s changing how education is delivered. Earlier this year, the Center for Teaching and Learning at Thomas Jefferson University announced the launch of its Interactive Curricula Experience Platform & App—or iCE. This new, Web-based platform allows for interprofessional collaboration on course development throughout the university and delivers content to students through an intuitively-designed iPad application.

has been involved in the app’s development and implementation process from the beginning. He serves as co-chair of the university’s Global Health Initiatives Committee, which was posed with a significant challenge: How to effectively deliver information about global health to faculty and students across the university? The app filled that need perfectly.

“iCE meets students where they are, on their mobile devices,” said Anthony Frisby, Ph.D., director of Thomas Jefferson University’s Center for Teaching and Learning.

His lecture on the use of medical interpreters, which is incorporated into a first-year healthcare communications course within the college of pharmacy, was used as a pilot project with the app production team.

Jefferson College of Pharmacy Associate Professor Nicholas Leon, Pharm.D.,

“I wanted the team from the Center for Teaching and Learning, along with Digi-

tal Wave, to see the types of things we were talking about in class, as well as our styles of teaching,” he said. “I’d call a time-out in middle of the lecture and say, ‘it would be great to do this type of thing here, but I can’t with PowerPoint slides.’”

Everyone is an Expert To create the final product, Jefferson collaborated with Digital Wave, a Web and mobile application development company. Faculty can use iCE to share course materials like lectures, presentations, interactive quizzes, videos and articles. “Slide decks mainly serve as cue cards for the content experts who create them, but their effectiveness decreases

The iCE app has several types of interactive tools for faculty and students to explore: •

Timeline: Students can swipe left or right on a timeline to guide them through a sequence of events or steps, tap on images for amplification of the content, and have a visual image to associate with the text.

•

HotSpot: A faculty member can upload, mark or label an image so that when a student touches a particular element in the image, a key piece of information appears in a pop-up screen. Any image can be used to make a HotSpot interactive, and there can be as many HotSpots as needed on the image to amplify information and provide a way for students to interact with the content.

•

Meter: When students interact with data on the meter, it becomes more meaningful than just seeing numbers on charts and graphs. After exploring the Topic content, students can “quiz” themselves on their comprehension, get feedback, and solidify the information in their learning experience.

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campus connection

when used by someone else,” Leon said. “Using the medical interpreters module within the app, both students and instructors can explore topic on their own. The faculty member serves as guide on the side, rather than sage on stage.” Faculty can tailor their modules within the app to make it easy for students to explore content on their own. Multimedia, including YouTube videos, PowerPoint presentations, course PDFs and several interactive tools are all at students’ fingertips.

No Boundaries The app also fosters cross-campus collaboration among faculty in Jefferson’s six colleges, which leverages the expertise of each faculty member, enhances interprofessional education

and promotes efficiency. Users can search the app to find topics related to their course. For example, a faculty member may want to find topics related to cardiovascular disease. A search of “heart” or “cardiovascular system” yields results from any colleague at the university who has created content related to those keywords.

touchpoints with iCE platform, both in and outside of class. Motivational interviewing and SBIRT (screening brief intervention and referral to treatment), an approach to intervention and treatment of substance abuse patients, were two modules that students utilized this semester. Leon hopes the app will gain momentum with other pharmacy faculty.

“As an educator, I don’t need to reinvent the wheel,” Leon said. “I can use “We’d like to develop other modules to anatomy and physiology content from use this spring when teaching clinical the medical school, hands-on tutorials skills,” he said. “After being involved in from the nursing school, and essentially the pilot project, we’re now starting to ‘Frankenstein’ my own learning module phase the app into our teaching, and to using different pieces from programs lead by example.” P on campus.” Within the Jefferson College of Pharmacy, students have had multiple

Additional reporting by Maureen Thielemans, Associate Director of Communications at AACP and editor of Academic Pharmacy Now.

Student Tested, Student Approved Student pharmacists from Butler University are pioneering a different type of healthcare journal. By Kyle R. Bagin Multimedia, open-access and entirely student-run, BU Well is taking the road less traveled when it comes to publishing an academic journal. Financed through the Butler Innovation Fund, the yearly journal is unique because students review and edit article submissions, with guidance from an external advisory board as needed throughout the publication process.

published on the Web site, with two focusing on wellness. “We’d like to additional components: a YouTube inaddress topics that readers may not terview clip with the primary author and regularly think about, or aren’t brought an infographic summarizing the article.” up everyday life.” Submissions for consideration in Volume 1 will be accepted Submissions are considered from any on the BU Well Web site until Dec. 18. P source, including students, residents, Kyle R. Bagin is Communications faculty and healthcare professionals Coordinator at AACP. within and outside of Butler.

In addition to its broad range of submission criteria, BU Well also represents an “Our goal is to publish 10 well-researched interprofessional learning opportunity. articles each year,” said Annie Thorn“We have three out of the six colleges dyke, second-year student in the Butler at Butler represented [on the journal’s University College of Pharmacy & staff]: Pharmacy & Health Sciences, Health Sciences and promotional direcBusiness, and Liberal Arts. Our goal is tor at BU Well. But being a student-run to eventually have all six.” journal, it’s anything but traditional— every article will be accompanied by Each issue will be based on a theme in online multimedia. “Articles will be healthcare, with the inaugural issue

Access BU Well by visiting digitalcommons. butler.edu/buwell. Submissions for the first volume on wellness will be accepted on a rolling basis until Friday, Dec. 18.

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Strength in Numbers Cardiologists recognize the value of pharmacists on the healthcare team as they push for provider status. By Athena Ponushis The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has recognized pharmacists as advanced practice providers, valuable to cardiovascular team-based care. Dr. Kim K. Birtcher, a clinical professor at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy and clinical pharmacist in the cardiology department of the Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, sees this as an inspiring time, encouraging other historically physician-driven, non-pharmacist organizations to support pharmacists, as they push for healthcare provider status. “ACC recognizes that there’s a shortage of cardiologists,” said Birtcher, considering the surge of newly-insured from the Affordable Care Act, the obesity epidemic and an aging population. “With the Baby Boomer population, and many

of the cardiologists being part of that population, at some point they will be retiring or slowing down in their practice. The ACC recognizes that there’s a lot of work to go around but not enough cardiologists to do it. They see the benefit of advanced practice providers, which includes pharmacists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, and they believe that’s the way to make it happen…to offer care where care isn’t being given.”

Team Players Birtcher, a co-author of the ACC health policy statement that recognizes pharmacists as advantageous for the cardiac care team, sees the strengths of pharmacists complementing the healthcare team. As medication experts, pharmacists are instrumental when it comes to changes in drug therapy or educating patients about their medications, Birtcher said. Pharmacists have more time to probe issues, sensing when a patient may be confused about treatment or is not sharing the whole picture of his or her health. Plus, the accessibility of pharmacists allows patients to call for clarification or just to say, “Hey, this is how I’m doing,” leading Birtcher to believe that patients appreciate having a pharmacist on the team.

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“With a pharmacist on the team, physicians can work more closely with acutely ill patients, and pharmacists, in an outpatient setting, can help patients with chronic disease management over the long term.” — Dr. Kim K. Birtcher

“A lot of what we do, maybe physicians could do if they had time, but I don’t know if that’s the best use of their time,” Birtcher said. With a pharmacist on the team, physicians can work more closely with acutely ill patients, and pharmacists, in an outpatient setting, can help patients with chronic disease management over the long term.

Overcoming Barriers But there are difficulties implementing pharmacists on healthcare teams and the ACC statement addresses these barriers. “Right now we’re not recognized as providers under Medicare Part B, so we can’t bill and receive payment for some of the services we offer, even though our scope of practice allows us to do these services,” Birtcher said. “It makes it very difficult for a clinic to incorporate pharmacists into their practice model if there’s not a way to bill, and the ACC report definitely says we need to remove these kinds of barriers so that we can allow people to work to the extent of their license and training.” The ACC policy was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). A white paper written by pharmacists discussing their training and the benefits of having a pharmacist on the healthcare team has also been accepted for publication in JACC. “Again, it’s historically a physiciandriven organization, so to be in that kind of a journal, it’s exciting,” Birtcher said.

Working through the University of Houston, Birtcher set up a secondary prevention lipid clinic. She was able to bring students on rotation and the clinic received a new clinician paid by the college. “We were able to show that we do good work and get better lipid results than when a pharmacist wasn’t on the team,” Birtcher said. So the clinic added a pharmacist, but the end result wasn’t encouraging. “Last year the clinic had to let her go because she wasn’t able to generate enough revenue to cover her salary, and if we had been in a situation where we could have billed, it would have been a completely different ballgame. But because our visits are complex, we’re having to take approximately 30 minutes for a visit rather than 15 minutes. It’s almost impossible to see enough patients and then cover the salary of a pharmacist.” With the ACC’s backing, there’s hope that other non-pharmacist organizations will support pharmacists. Increased advocacy for provider status means that more organizations will become aware of such barriers, which might provoke legislators to act, she said. Birtcher also encourages faculty to participate in the process, by finding ways to contribute to non-pharmacy organizations. “I think it’s a great opportunity to collaborate with colleagues beyond your scope of practice or scope of influence.” And, in the end, get results. P Athena Ponushis is a freelance writer based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Awareness and Action Within the ACC, Birtcher will be working on an advocacy team to increase membership awareness of some payment structures that currently prohibit adding a pharmacist to the healthcare team. She has seen such hurdles firsthand.

Web Exclusives View the ACC health policy statement by visiting http://bit.ly/ACCHealthPolicyStatement.

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Tailored Treatments Study uses computer simulation to model patient cancer DNA and recommend individual treatments. By Morgan Sherburne Researchers at the University of Florida Health recently launched a clinical trial that tests a new method of translating thousands of gene mutations into treatment options for patients. Using computer simulation modeling, researchers will examine if the computer program can accurately predict how a patient reacts to different cancer therapies, based on their genes. In addition to accounting for a patient’s cancer genes, the software will also examine the genes that govern how the patient reacts to a particular medication. Dr. Christopher Cogle, associate professor of medicine in the UF College of Medicine’s Department of Medicine and lead investigator of the clinical trial that will study the effectiveness of the computer model, treats and studies different types of blood cancers and typically sees patients whose cancer has relapsed. To determine the best course of treatment for individual patients, Cogle needs to map thousands of genes within each patient’s cancer that can drive aggressive growth. Cancer often involves hundreds to thousands of gene abnormalities, which raises one of the most difficult challenges in medicine: how to decode the numerous DNA misspellings that drive disease.

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Cogle is teaming up with Dr. Jatinder Lamba, member of the UF Genetics Institute, UF College of Pharmacy and cancer pharmacogenomics researcher. Together, they will examine 91 genes involved in the movement of drugs within the body. These so-called “pharma-genes” will then be tested to identify which treatments are safest and most effective for the patient. “The cancer genes are genes we believe will give us prognostic and treatment information,” explained Cogle. “And the pharma-genes will tell us how well the patients will respond to the drugs we prescribe.” This kind of close examination is a new approach to cancer treatment, taking into account not only how well a therapy targets cancer, but also how that therapy impacts the health of a patient. Typically, to find the significance of a cancer mutation, cancer doctors use a manual approach through PubMed, a free search engine overseen by the National Institutes of Health that catalogues studies in life sciences and biomedicine. But searching for one gene, a medication to treat it, and how that medication might react in a person’s body could take hours, Cogle said.

community impact

If the computer method is proven valid, this prediction technology could help doctors and patients both choose drugs with greatest likelihood of shrinking the cancer and avoid harmful drugs with low chance of success.

UF Health researcher Jatinder Lamba, Ph.D., UF Health physician and researcher Christopher Cogle, M.D., and co-founder of Cellworks Group Inc. Taher Abbasi discuss a clinical trial that will examine whether computer simulation modeling can accurately predict how a person reacts to the different cancer therapies that their doctor has prescribed, depending on the person’s genes.

That’s where Cellworks Group Inc. comes in. The company created a simulation technology to generate a computer model of each person’s cancer. Cellworks can then model how the cancer responds to standard chemotherapies. “Think of the simulation as a map of a city. Hypothetically, if you have a major highway and intersections, you could predict what happened in a model of that traffic map, by inputting different traffic situations. It’s the same with patients—the model is basically an internal map of all of these processes happening inside the body,” Cogle said. If the computer method is proven valid, this prediction technology could help doctors and patients both choose drugs with greatest likelihood of shrinking the cancer and avoid harmful drugs with low chance of success. For patients who aren’t responding to standard chemotherapy and for patients whose cancer has relapsed, each patient’s computer model could be used to search for other FDA-approved drugs that may be more effective.

Agilent Technologies, a California-based company, will provide state-of-the-art tools to measure DNA taken from patients at UF Health. “We’re interested in supporting and being part of this effort because the program at UF Health, together with Agilent and Cellworks, is a way to test a potentially transformational approach to thinking about diagnostic and therapeutic selection for cancer treatment,” said Dr. Darlene Solomon, chief technology officer and senior vice president of Agilent. For UF Health researchers, that means first developing accurate and precise tools for predicting cancer shrinkage and side effects. Their ultimate goal is to ensure that individual patients receive tailored treatments that best treat their cancer and causes the least amount of harm. “Each patient should receive a therapy that’s best for that patient—that’s what we’re trying to do,” Lamba said. P Morgan Sherburne is a science writer for the University of Florida Health. This version has been adapted from the UF Health Web site.

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Where can pharmacists embark on a career that allows them to effect change and influence public health? The answer may come as a surprise: the federal government. By Jane E. Rooney

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Graduation is just months away for the Class of 2016. Student pharmacists are thinking about next steps after they earn their degree. Perhaps some students already have their hearts set on a career in a hospital setting. Maybe others have in mind a job in retail pharmacy. Many are likely still exploring other options that are open to pharmacy graduates. For students who want to effect change on a larger scale, the federal government can provide an opportunity to serve not only in a role that allows them to impact healthcare practice, but also to have a direct influence on the regulatory and legislative aspects of public health. Pharmacists can serve in various capacities throughout the federal government, including at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense and the Bureau of Prisons. One natural fit—where the largest number of federal pharmacists serve—is the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), which encompasses several U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Indian Health Service (IHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among others. “A career with the Public Health Service allows a pharmacist to explore and develop so many different areas of interest and skill sets,” said Dr. Elaine Cunning-

ham, Commander, USPHS, and senior advisor for evidence review in the Office of Prescription Drug Promotion in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA. “We can also assist in public health emergencies. There are so many different career options to suit a pharmacist’s experiences, background, and sense of purpose.” Within different areas of the federal government, pharmacists can be hired through the civil service or as part of the USPHS Commissioned Corps, one of the seven uniformed services. “For pharmacy graduates who really want to serve a national or global mission, and want to be part of a team of professionals who work together, they should definitely consider” a position with the federal government, CDR Cunningham said.

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Getting a Feel for Federal Work Dr. Oluchi Elekwachi, Commander, USPHS, with FDA’s advertising and promotional labeling branch in the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, is the USPHS liaison to AACP and acts as an information and resource portal. “One main priority is to introduce public health education to pharmacy students,” she said. “That could be through a course, a joint degree with a master’s in public health, public health rotations or internships. We really want AACP to help us convey the message to students that their role as a public practitioner is extremely significant and needed.”

residency at the VA Medical Center. She said she joined the USPHS “to reach further than my training stipulated I could go. I wanted to make an impact on the nation’s health.” How can students and graduates determine whether a role with the USPHS is the right fit? Student pharmacists are highly encouraged to do a rotation with an agency, explained Dr. Pamela Schweitzer, Rear Admiral, assistant surgeon general and chief pharmacy officer with the USPHS. “If people are really interested, we try to catch them during their first year of pharmacy school,” RADM Schweitzer said. “We’re affiliated with so many of the pharmacy schools and also have residency programs. If people are willing to work where there’s an underserved population, that’s how you get started. People work for the federal government to do policy, project management or practice on the clinical side and provide models of care. Find something and become good at it. That type of person will thrive in this setting.”

CDR Elekwachi’s job at FDA entails making sure that pharmaceutical prodHands-on Experience ucts that are going into the marketplace CDR Cunningham credits a rotation at the FDA with guiding comply with federal regulations. She got her career path. “My preceptor emphasized that the impact her start as a pharmacy student intern of our work is so broad that it actually affects the health of through the Junior Commissioned the entire nation,” she said. “That’s when I realized that a Officer Student Training and Extern pharmacist can have a much bigger impact than I thought.” Program (JRCOSTEP) at HRSA’s Office Now part of FDA’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion, of Pharmacy Affairs in their Bureau of CDR Cunningham has a role in evaluating prescription Primary Health Care. After pharmacy drug promotional claims to ensure that they are adequately school she went on to complete an substantiated. She also serves as a preceptor for students ASHP-Accredited Pharmacy Practice on rotation. Although each pharmacy school has its own requirements, rotations generally are four or five weeks and are intended to give students real-life experience in different work environments, and a feel for what opportunities exist. “My preceptor emphasized that the impact

of our work is so broad that it actually affects the health of the entire nation. That’s when I realized that a pharmacist can have a much bigger impact than I thought.” — Dr. Elaine Cunningham, Commander, USPHS 14

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“Some students may not know these career opportunities are available,” CDR Cunningham explained. “These are like mini internships. We show students what kind of public health impact they can have. We ask them to give a presentation to the office about a topic of interest with the goal being that they dig deeper into an issue and practice presentation skills. We encourage students to learn leadership and communication skills. We want to hone in on their analytical skills as well.

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These rotation activities are designed to build important life and career skills.”

that it presents a chance to serve in multiple diverse settings. “The Public Health Service allowed me to have a Dr. Zachary Oleszczuk, Lieutenant, USPHS, who has served variety of assignments without having as a preceptor for almost three years, is assistant director of to start over,” said Dr. Louis Flowers, the FDA Pharmacy Student Experiential Program (PSEP) Captain, USPHS, and team leader at the and a team leader in FDA’s Division of Drug Information. He Office of Surveillance and Epidemiolstarted as a student in the PSEP, and performed so well he ogy at FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluwas hired by that FDA office. He worked as a civilian for five ation and Research. “In a traditional years and has been in the Commissioned Corps for two years. pharmacy job, say you work in a hospital “I have a passion for the student program because I had such but want to switch to retail, you have to a great experience and I see how it can lead to opportunities start over. Within USPHS I could go to for pharmacy students,” he said. different departments but continue to accrue benefits. If you don’t want to do In addition to maintaining the FDA’s student lecture proclinical or you did it and you want to try gram, LT Oleszczuk manages the student selection process. something different, you can go to any Students apply to this highly competitive program from number of other agencies.” (CAPT Flowall over the country, and then FDA preceptors review each ers co-authored an article about the variapplication before selecting students. “For some students, ous roles for pharmacists in the USPHS, [a rotation here] is their only experience to learn about the “Making a Difference in Advancing the regulatory side of pharmacy,” he noted. “Working at the Nation’s Health,” which appeared in the federal level lets them see different opportunities for pharMay/June 2009 issue of the Journal of the macy in general. [By doing a rotation] a student can become American Pharmacists Association.) a better-informed pharmacist. They have access to and become familiar with the publically available databases at FDA As a preceptor, CAPT Flowers helps and are able to maintain contact with us, so it can help them students apply knowledge and skills no matter where they end up in their career.” in real-world settings, as well as learn LT Oleszczuk pointed out that some pharmacy schools have invited USPHS officers or other FDA employees to give lectures, attend career fairs and serve on leadership panels. “All pharmacy schools have been very receptive to our efforts and continually encourage students to apply for rotations. They have also been very flexible in terms of rotation dates and adjusting schedules if needed; they’re doing an amazing job!” Apparently the word is spreading about federal career opportunities; LT Oleszczuk said last year they had their highest number of applicants for rotations.

Serving the Broader Community A job with the USPHS Commissioned Corps differs from a more traditional pharmacy track in many ways, one being

about the FDA’s role in protecting public health. “During a rotation we cover a few objectives,” he said. “We identify

“I really love the opportunity to be able to influence change and make our country healthier.” — Dr. Pamela Schweitzer, Rear Admiral, Assistant Surgeon General and Chief Pharmacy Officer, USPHS

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community impact

safety issues, we identify cross-disciplinary teams charged with conducting safety reviews, we cite regulations and guidances governing drugs, biologics and devices for human use, and interpret the entire drug review life-cycle.”

visit to the United States in September. “It was through these events that I realized I work with a really special group of people. These are people who have a great sense of selflessness and humanity to help people in need.”

USPHS’s RADM Schweitzer often speaks at pharmacy schools and said professional education plays a major role Pharmacists who work for the federal in moving the profession in the right direction. “We work government serve the public as a whole together on making sure that the schools are prepared for rather than a small segment of the popu- what’s coming down the pipeline. [At the summer AACP lation. “Our pharmacists have access to meeting] we had a conversation on public health and strateunique pockets of extreme need,” CDR gies to get more involved in communities. It’s great being Elekwachi said. “We can go into comable to have these discussions and work together on curmunities you wouldn’t have access to ricula to make sure schools are current with the direction of as a retail pharmacist. We assist within our country.” the Indian Health Service, prisons and different countries. We impact health at Professional and Personal Growth A job with the federal government presents many opportunia larger level.” She added that they can ties for professional growth. With the Commissioned Corps, be called on to respond to natural or technological disasters. “We can deploy which uses a ranking system similar to the Navy, “you have the opportunity to be promoted through the ranks of an offifor local events where a pharmacist is cer. With each promotion, there are more opportunities, more needed. It’s a unique opportunity to serve the nation. We also do so through privileges and opportunities for advancement,” explained CDR Elekwachi. “We also have access to great educational temporary duty location changes. I can opportunities for pharmacists to continue lifelong learning.” have a temporary duty assignment in Alaska to provide services to Alaska Na- There are additional benefits and incentives for pharmacists to remain active in their field of practice, as well as to become tives. You have so much versatility and board certified in various pharmaceutical specialties. flexibility in the USPHS.” Commissioned Corps pharmacists can have a positive influCDR Cunningham concurred that ence at the federal level, RADM Schweitzer said. “If you’re these opportunities to travel, serve a clinical pharmacist with the Indian Health Service and as emergency responders and explore want to create a model to improve patient care, you’re able different job responsibilities and skill to work locally to make it happen. In the private sector that’s sets are part of what make the job much more challenging,” she noted. She believes that people special. “USPHS officers have been on who want to serve patients and make a difference can find the front lines in various tragedies and public health challenges, including Sept. meaningful work at the federal level. “I really love the opportunity to be able to influence change and make our country 11, hurricanes, anthrax attacks and the healthier.” P recent Ebola epidemic.” She used her recent experience as an example, noting Jane E. Rooney is a freelance writer based in Oakton, Virginia. that she was deployed for the Pope’s

Academic Pharmacy NOW  2015 Issue 4

@AACPharmacy

AJPE Call for Papers on Interprofessional Education The American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education (AJPE), in conjunction with The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association (JAOA), is seeking original research, reviews, and commentary for a special joint theme issue on interprofessional education. Manuscripts should demonstrate achievement of one or more of the four Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Competencies (https://ipecollaborative.org/uploads/IPEC-Core-Competencies.pdf): 33 Values/ethics for interprofessional practice 33 Roles and responsibilities for collaborative practice 33 Interprofessional communication practices 33 Interprofessional teamwork and team-based practice

These papers may also involve the education of other healthcare professionals, but pharmacy and osteopathic medicine must be key players in these innovative, collaborative educational programs. Manuscripts must follow the submission requirements (e.g., abstract, length) of either AJPE (http://www.ajpe.org/page/author-instructions) or JAOA (http://jaoa.org/ss/authors.aspx). All selected papers will undergo the peer review process and are subject to the approval of the editors of both journals. Papers accepted for publication will be published in 1 of these 2 journals, currently planned for late summer or fall 2016. Interested groups should direct questions and submit their manuscripts for consideration via e-mail with the subject line “JAOA-AJPE interprofessional education” to either AJPE (ajpe@ajpe.org) or JAOA (jaoa@osteopathic.org). Submissions are due February 1, 2016.

Academic Pharmacy NOW  2015 Issue 4

@AACPharmacy

Reflecting Reality Pharmacists are in a unique position to treat health disparities affecting the LGBTQ community. Now, we just need to give them the tools to do so. By Maureen Thielemans Did you know that the LGBTQ community experiences a higher rate of smoking than any other group? It’s just one of the health disparities that disproportionately affect this community. Pharmacists, as one of the most accessible members of the healthcare team, play a significant role in educating this group of patients and providing quality care. But how do we increase the cultural competency of the pharmacist, preceptor and student pharmacist to ensure an LGBTQ patient receives the same level of care by all health providers across the spectrum? Educators play a key role, says Dr. Cecilia M. Plaza, AACP senior director of academic affairs, who’s devoted much of her time and expertise to addressing issues related to LGBTQ health. Recently, she partnered with Dr. Jennifer L. Mathews, associate professor at St. John Fisher Wegmans School of Pharmacy, and Tari Hanneman, deputy director of the Health and Aging Program at the Human Rights Council (HRC), to develop and disseminate vital resources to pharmacists, LGBTQ patients and, ultimately, pharmacy educators.

Strength in Numbers Recognizing pharmacists as essential healthcare providers among the LGBTQ practitioner community is also important, Plaza said. In 2014, she participated in a panel discussion at the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) annual conference with allopathic and osteopathic medicine, dentistry, social work, nursing and physician assistant representatives. When each speaker asked to see how many attendees were in the audience representing those disciplines, Plaza was surprised to see only one hand raised for pharmacy. She thought: this must change. At the 2015 GLMA conference, held recently in Portland, Ore., Plaza, Mathews, Hanneman and Dr. Melinda E. Lull, assistant professor at Wegmans School of Pharmacy, saw an opportunity to educate attendees about pharmacists’ roles in LGBTQ patient care. The team of Plaza, Mathews and Hanneman presented a session titled “The Role of the Pharmacist in LGBTQ Healthcare” during which they provided background information on the CAPE Educational Outcomes and the sub-domain related to cultural sensitivity. This component of the Outcomes addresses social determinants of health, which are defined by Healthy People 2020, and include recognizing a patient’s sexual orientation and gender identity. Attendees continued the discussion during break-out sessions, and Mathews provided the results of her campus climate survey assessing how LGBTQ healthcare is taught in pharmacy schools. Lull and Mathews also presented with two dental faculty members on “LGBT Curricular Coverage in Health Professions Programs” looking at both dental and pharmacy schools curricula.

From left: Dr. Cecilia M. Plaza, senior director of academic affairs at AACP; Mr. Hector Vargas, executive director of GLMA; Dr. Jennifer L. Mathews, associate professor at St. John Fisher Wegmans School of Pharmacy; and Dr. Melinda E. Lull, assistant professor at St. John Fisher Wegmans School of Pharmacy.

Academic Pharmacy NOW  2015 Issue 4

Audience reception was positive, Plaza said, and some attendees shared anecdotes about how they work with a pharmacist. “One physician told us how she uses pharmacists exclusively for smoking cessation programs at her clinic,” Plaza added. “She said, ‘I’d be lost without them.’”

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“Pharmacies are oftentimes the first entry of patients into the healthcare system. If they feel shunned at that point, they may never enter the system again.”

Equipping Pharmacists on the Front Lines Other healthcare professions, such as allopathic medicine and nursing, have materials that provide educational content and guidance about LGBTQ health disparities; pharmacy does not. To remedy this, Mathews is currently spending a six-month sabbatical with the HRC, during which she’ll focus on developing resources for pharmacists, preceptors and patients. “Pharmacies are oftentimes the first entry of patients into the healthcare system,” Plaza said. “If they feel shunned at that point, they may never enter the system again. We should be providing information about what pharmacists can do, and should be able to do, for those patients.” With HRC’s support, Mathews aims to have materials ready for distribution by the end of her sabbatical. Insurance companies and community pharmacies have already expressed interest in these resources, and other dissemination strategies are in the works.

Looking to the Future Educating future pharmacists about LGBTQ health disparities is equally important for Plaza, Mathews and Hanneman. While cultural competency and diversity may be incorporated into most pharmacy school curricula, LGBTQ health-

— Dr. Cecilia M. Plaza care is likely only taught by local champions at some schools, Plaza said. “It must be integrated into the curriculum,” she added. “Because it’s integrated into patient care.” The resources being created by Mathews and HRC will help fulfill the need and address the CAPE sub-domain, which acts as a guide for schools’ curricula. “This is an important patient group that suffers a lot of health disparities,” Plaza said. “Our role is to educate faculty and preceptors and help minimize, in partnership with other groups, these inequalities. We must equip future pharmacists with the knowledge and expertise to address this issue.” P Maureen Thielemans is Associate Director of Communications at AACP and editor of Academic Pharmacy Now.

Maximize Your AACP Membership in 2016 Renew your membership and utilize all of the professional development opportunities AACP has to offer: • Collaborate with peers through AACP Sections & SIGs • Stay informed via AJPE, Academic Pharmacy Now and enhanced E-Lert Newsletters • Take advantage of targeted Webinar programming • Experience new learning technology via Mimycx • Apply for start-up funding through the New Investigator Award • Join more than 2,300 of your colleagues attending the Annual Meeting • And much more at www.aacp.org

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Online Registration is Now Open!

2016 AACP Interim Meeting February 20–23

Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina

Tampa, Florida

Innovation and Effective Leadership At this year’s Interim Meeting, current and future leaders will learn how to avoid resistance and lead change through mentorship, technology and much more. Come to Tampa and return with effective strategies and tools to promote leadership within and outside your institutions. New This Year: ɖɖ

The Nonprescription Medicines Academy (NMA) for Self-care and OTC faculty will be held Feb. 19–21.

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Interim Meeting attendees can earn more than 10 hours of CE credit!