community impact
clinical doses it is safe. In comparison, illicit GHB is colorless and odorless, which makes it difficult to determine the dose, significantly increasing the risk of overdose. It is challenging to measure the public health impact of recreational GHB use since it may not be reported by users and is often combined with other illicit drugs and alcohol. When a patient is taken to the emergency room due to an overdose, it is often identified anecdotally or by observing common symptoms. Rapid testing is not available and a GHB overdose can only be confirmed by a toxicology screening.
University of the Pacific doctor of pharmacy students and graduate students assisted with compiling the preliminary data, which was a critical component of the grant application. Pacific’s Pharmaceutical and Chemical Sciences Program graduate students will assist with the laboratory research. There will also be opportunities for Pharm.D. students to be involved in components of the research.
to increase the research support at institutions such as Pacific with a history of training and graduating students from groups underrepresented in the biomedical sciences. The university had to qualify first as a SCORE institution before Felmlee’s project was considered for funding. This is Pacific’s first NIH SCORE grant and Felmlee’s first NIH grant as a principal investigator. P
In addition to recognizing Felmlee’s research, this grant spotlights Pacific’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. The NIH SCORE Program is designed
Originally published March 21, 2020, by the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific. Reprinted with permission.
Celebrating Science University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy festival brings scientific literacy to the community. By Emily Jacobs
“We know there’s been a big push to increase nationwide STEM scores for high schoolers, as well as increase the public’s access to science,” said Dr. Vincent Venditto, assistant professor at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and one of the EiS festival founders. “The other issue is, the number of applications continue to decline for colleges of pharmacy and many are not aware of the science coming out of these colleges. We wanted to find new strategies to encourage students to go into STEM fields and promote the type of translational science you often see at pharmacy schools.” Rather than keeping scientific principles within the walls of academia, EiS sessions are held at various bars, restaurants
photo: Michelle Pitts
Science is all around us, from the photosynthesis of our houseplants to our WiFi connection to the medicines we take. Yet many people take for granted the scientific principles that influence every facet of our lives. The annual Everything is Science (EiS) festival, a free, public event hosted by the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, aims to change that. Launched in 2018, this weeklong event seeks to bring science literacy to the general community.
The 2019 EiS festival included the presentation “The Science of What’s Alive (or Not).”
Academic Pharmacy NOW 2020 Issue 3
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