The Pulse - Feb/March 2011

The

Pulse

News from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Rabbit Season?

Duck Season?

Feb/March 2011

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Faculty Members Receive Heart Association Grants Glass Seeks to Reduce Risks of Heart Attack Karen Glass, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences on the Vermont Campus, has received a twoyear grant from the American Heart Association in the amount of $132,000. Dr. Glass, who joined the ACPHS-Vermont faculty in fall 2010, will be researching new approaches for reducing the risks of heart attack in individuals suffering from heart disease.

The statistics on heart disease are numerous and daunting. According

to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. Every year about 785,000 Americans have a first heart attack, while an additional 470,000 individuals who have already had one or more heart attacks have another attack.

In 2010, heart disease cost the United States an estimated $316 billion, a figure which includes health care services, medications, and lost productivity.

The onset of heart disease causes additional stress on the heart, leading to damage of the heart

See Glass

Steiner’s Project Explores Treatment of Sepsis Alex Steiner, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences on the Albany Campus, has received a fouryear grant from the American Heart Association in the amount of $308,000. He will be researching the effects of naturally occurring hypothermia in patients suffering from severe sepsis.

Sepsis is a dangerous bodily response to infection that has a 40 percent mortality rate, affects five to ten percent of intensive care unit

Continued on page 5

(ICU) patients, and causes more than 200,000 deaths each year.

Yet despite its severity and prevalence, most Americans know little about it. The New York Times cited a study last September in which 3 out of 5 Americans age 18 and older responded that they were not familiar with the term sepsis.

Sepsis can often develop in patients suffering from conditions such as pneumonia, appendicitis, and meningitis. Ninety percent (90%) of patients who become septic develop a fever, which is

See Steiner Continued on page 5

Military Service Plays Important Role in Lives of Students The military has played, or will play, a key role in the lives of several students at ACPHS. Whether they have already served in the armed forces or have commitments to do so, these students all share a common interest in service.

Several students are involved with reserve forces, including Dan Corwin ’14, Anthony Changelo ’14 and Lisa Bochenek ’17.

plans to combine her skills to work in a Veterans Administration hospital.

fulfilling some rotation requirements and postgraduate work at military facilities.

Corwin and Changelo recently became commissioned Air Force officers and were named Air Force Health Profession Scholarship Program Award winners. For 45 days of the year, they will serve on active duty as well as

Corwin said he was intrigued by the military because he likes the command structure as well as what he heard from Air Force members serving overseas. He likes the idea of moving around every few years because of the perspective it will provide.

“I would say that my personality definitely is service driven,” Bochenek said. “I love serving my country, fighting for freedom and helping others.”

Bochenek joined the Navy after high school and has 16 years of service, six as an Intelligence Officer. Her brothers and father served in the Air Force. Though she’d love to be a naval pharmacist, Bochenek said it might be too late to change her career path, so she

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Basketball Players Make History

“My ability to always serve and give to others probably comes from values that I learned as a Boy Scout to always be helpful and make your community better than when you came to it,” Corwin said.

Changelo was also interested in the traveling and service aspects of the military.

Danielle Zsido '14 with her ROTC group. Danielle is in the first row, second from the left.

for Your 3 Advocate Patients

See Military Continued on page 4

Near the Top in 4 Pharmacists Honesty-Ethics Survey

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Feb/March 2011

Scenes From Our Two Campuses President Gozzo speaks with students following a break during the inaugural ACPHS Research Forum. The Forum featured more than 40 presentations from faculty across all departments of the College (top left).

Pharmacy Practice Associate Professors Jennifer Cerulli and Jeffrey Brewer answered listener questions during a one hour appearance on WAMC Public Radio (bottom left, with host Ray Graf).

Notre Dame residents celebrated the renovation of the residence hall’s fifth floor following last fall’s flood with a February tiki party (top right).

On February 12, students, faculty and friends of ACPHSVT hosted the “February Freeze.” They enjoyed an evening of dinner, conversation and dancing (bottom right).

ACPHS Basketball Players Rewrite History Books Lady Panthers Roll to Conference Championship Several ACPHS basketball players are rewriting the College’s record books with their accomplishments. Their feats are even more impressive when considering that ACPHS men’s basketball history stretches back nearly 100 years, and the College has had a women’s team since the 1970’s.

Johnson was especially happy on February 20 when the women’s team defeated St. Joseph’s (NY) by a score of 73-47 to claim the Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference championship. The team finished the season with an overall record of 16-5, including winning all six conference games by an average margin of just over 39 points per game.

Kelly VanValkenburgh ’12 is now second on the all-time women’s scoring list with 1,522 points Like Johnson, VanValkenburgh, who averaged (behind Randi Maurer ’07 with 1,621). Zach 19 points and eight rebounds per game, has a Bratek became the 17th player in Panther history The women’s team celebrates the HVWAC Championship. similarly unselfish and team-focused outlook, to pass the 1,000 point mark this season. And saying she never thought she would be a part of despite being a first year student, Kelsey Johnson ’16 also made history ACPHS athletics history. by becoming the first Panther ever to be named Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week for four “It didn’t cross my mind that I’d reach the scoring goals I have thus straight weeks. far,” she said. “I never pay attention or am aware of how many points I have while playing. It’s always more important to me to get the win Johnson is no stranger to basketball accolades, during a game than it is to achieve a personal goal.” having played in New York’s Section X high school championship game in two of her four varsity years After winning the Northern Independent Conference championship in at Franklin Academy High School in Malone, NY. his first year, Bratek said he knew he’d be in the ACPHS history books, She was also voted Section X MVP and Outstanding though he didn’t know he’d again be a part of ACPHS history because Female Basketball Player for her senior season. of his personal accomplishments.

Humbly, Johnson said she just tries to play hard Kelly VanValkenburgh every game and owes her opportunities to “I believe that I was able to achieve my level of success on the makes room for a teammates. basketball court due to some really great coaches and players,” he said. drive to the basket.

“I think in three years of high school basketball, I lost about four “My teammates are very good basketball players, and we are patient and games. So the fact that I’m so competitive has really helped me. I just move the ball well,” she said. “As long as we play as a team and win, I hate losing.” am happy.”

Feb/March 2011

The Pulse 3

Legislative Day Offers Chance to Have Your Voice Heard

By Sarah Scarpace Professional advocacy is an important part of being a member of any health care profession.

Without such advocacy, practice advances, which improve both individual patient and public health, are not possible. For pharmacists, educating legislators, the public, and other health professions about the high level of clinical services they can provide is an important first step to effecting legislative changes that make a difference in the lives of patients.

Sarah Scarpace

As a United States citizen, you have the right to meet with your legislator about issues that are important to you. By sharing your concerns on a regular basis, legislators can better articulate the need for change to their peers who must also be convinced in committees and in the legislature at large for a bill to be supported.

New York has held a “Pharmacy Day” in Albany for more than ten years, supported in large part by the Pharmacist Society of the State of New York (PSSNY), the New York State Council of Health-systems Pharmacists (NYSCHP), and as importantly, the NYS Schools of Pharmacy.

This year’s event will be held on Tuesday, April 17, and it represents an excellent opportunity for students to learn about advocacy and the political process.

The very first Vermont “Pharmacy Day” was held February 17, 2011 at the Montpelier Statehouse. At this inaugural event, the key state pharmacy professional organizations joined students, faculty, and administrators from ACPHS to educate lawmakers about the future of pharmacy practice and those legislative items which impact the practice of pharmacy in Vermont. It was an important first step in establishing an ongoing dialogue about critical patient care issues.

One of the things you learn by participating in such events is that beyond simply advocating your own position, you must also effectively counter the arguments of opposing groups. In fact, broadening the base of support to include other practitioners (e.g., patients, physicians, nurses, health payers, etc.), is critical for any health care legislation to be supported.

It should be noted that these annual events, while important for showcasing solidarity on important practice issues, are only one day of a 365-day year. Advocacy occurs all year long through professional organizations and in other less formal ways.

Like any member of the public, legislators are often influenced by their personal interactions with their providers. For example, it is very difficult to overcome a negative experience that a legislator has had with his/her pharmacist, particularly when you are trying to convince him/her that pharmacists are professionals and trained to provide high-level clinical care to patients.

You can also be an effective advocate by simply being a good representative of your profession in daily interactions with patients and enhancing your visibility in community-based professional outreach programs.

The bottom line is that there are many ways to make a difference in the future of your profession. Choose those methods that work best for you. Your patients will thank you for it.

The passage of New York’s “Pharmacists as Immunizers” bill in 2008 was due not only to Sarah Scarpace, Pharm.D., is an Associate Professor years of advocacy by pharmacy professional of Pharmacy Practice and Assistant Dean for organizations and schools of pharmacy, but Pharmacy Professional Affairs. also through the support of the NYC Health Commissioner, who stressed the importance of this change to protect public health.

Expert View

My Reflections on Egypt

By Shaker Mousa

“Everyone is concerned about paying for health care.

Outcomes Research can provide the tools to maximize the bang for the buck.”

Learn more about how this can be achieved by visiting the College’s Facebook page and watching the video of Dr. Leon Cosler. www.facebook.com/acphs

“

I have never been as impressed by the youth of Egypt as I have been over the past several weeks. Not only did they display the courage to stand up for their rights, a type of courage largely absent in the country for the past three decades, but they did so with grace. The protesters at Liberation Square Shaker Mousa voiced their demands peacefully, despite the aggression which targeted them. As their museum was threatened, they linked arms to protect it; as their fellow citizens were injured, they created makeshift hospitals to treat them; and as security forces disappeared, they restored security.

They have sent a message to the world that youth can be a force of positive change.

”

The

Pulse

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Do you have a story idea or photo for the next issue of The Pulse?

E-mail the Editor at patrick.rathbun@acphs.edu.

Vice Provost for Research and PRI Chairman Shaker Mousa is a native of Egypt. His daughter and son-in-law serve as doctors in Cairo and offered medical support to many government protesters in Tahrir Sqaure (left), where much of the political unrest took place.

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Feb/March 2011

Military from page 1 “In the Air Force, I know I will have many unforgettable life experiences that many civilians will never have the chance to experience,” he said. “Having the opportunity to advance my career within the field of pharmacy and in the military suits my personality of always striving to reach my goals of becoming a better person and valued professional.”

Similarly, Danielle Zsido ’14 appreciates the military lifestyle. She has lived it – both her parents spent more than 20 years in the Army, and she participates in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). She was also recently chosen for an Army pharmacy internship at Fort Carson, Colorado.

“I’ve always known that I wanted to be an officer and a pharmacist in the Army, and ROTC was the best route for me to accomplish this,” Zsido said. “I feel that being a pharmacist in a military hospital offers more adventure and excitement than a typical job at any local pharmacy, and I am excited to help soldiers as much as I can.”

Lieberman applied to be an Army pharmacist, but received a civilian job offer instead. However, she will be the first person contacted if any of the accepted pharmacists become ineligible.

Gallup's annual Honesty and Ethics survey (by profession)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Alexander West ’13, a student on the Vermont Campus, took a different journey to the military. After high school, West’s intent wasn’t to go straight into four or more years of school. He wanted a different experience.

West became a combat medic in the Army Reserves, graduating in the top three in his class of more than 400 and serving eight years in New York, Texas and Germany. He said he has many fond memories and served because his fellow soldiers needed him.

“The Army was indeed the critical turning point in my life,” West said. “Had I not joined, I would most likely not be where I am sitting now. I attribute much of my knowledge and success to my military experiences.”

Nurses Military Officers Pharmacists Grade School Teachers Medical doctors Police Officers Clergy Judges Day car providers Auto mechanics

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– The percentage increase pharmacists earned since Gallup’s 2009 Honesty and Ethics Poll.

57 - The percentage of respondents who thought members of Congress had “low or very low ” standards for honesty and ethics.

Travel and service are also appealing to Jen Lieberman ’11, who will begin a civilian military job this summer.

“I think that the military suits my personality well,” she said. “I like the structure and discipline that it offers as well as the chance for travel.”

By the Numbers

71 – The percentage of respondents who thought pharmacists had “very high or high” standards for honesty and ethics.

1976 – The year Gallup started conducting the poll.

Alexander West ’13 (left) in the Army Reserves.

Posters Shed Light on Real and Perceived Student Behaviors There is a series of posters that have appeared around campus that might make you look twice or possibly think twice.

actual usage figures. People tend to overestimate the numbers of users, Cornish said, for many reasons, including the fact that people tend to remember extreme and/or negative examples.

“The whole idea is to educate the campus about what’s going on,” Director of Counseling Services Peter Cornish said.

According to the National Social Norms Institute at the University of Virginia, the approach behind the survey and resulting poster campaign is to help “correct negative misperceptions (usually overestimations of use), and to identify, model, and promote the healthy, protective behaviors that are the actual norm in a given population. When properly conducted, it is an evidence-based, data-driven process, and a very costeffective method of achieving large-scale positive results.”

Cornish said there is a large discrepancy between perceived use of alcohol and drugs and

Cornish said the social norms approach began

The red and white posters feature optical illusions, but their primary function is to educate the college community about oncampus drug, alcohol and prescription use. The posters highlight the results of a 2010 survey conducted by the counseling office which was designed to compare real and perceived student behaviors. The findings might be useful and surprising.

in reaction to scare tactics used for school populations against drug use. He thinks the campaign has had some positive results from what he’s seen and heard on campus.

“It’s been generally positive in the sense that people are looking at the posters,” he said. “I can say when data has been discussed people have expressed surprise at the findings. It has challenged misperceptions.”

The Counseling Office conducted their research in March 2010. The office plans to modify and repeat the survey this March and again in 2012, with the help of the Initiative for Substance Abuse Prevention, a campus committee, made up of students, faculty and staff. They plan to use similarly themed posters to display results, but will emphasize different data for each campaign.

Feb/March 2011

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Student Completes School’s First Rotation in India Another ACPHS student made a global connection recently when sixth-year student Osamah Awad completed one of his pharmacy rotations near Ahmedabad, India.

AFGHANISTAN CHINA PAKISTAN INDIA Ahmedabad

Awad analyzed clinical trials for cancer drugs at Cadila Pharmaceuticals from September through November 2010.

will end next year and eventually include more than 200 total patients.

“I really learned a lot from being there,” he said.

Awad also did a bit of sightseeing in India. He visited the Taj Mahal and various religious sites. Awad also became familiar with

Bhaswat Chakraborty. Through Sukumar’s brother, Jayant Bhattacharjee, she asked whether Cadila would be interested in taking ACPHS students for rotations. Chakraborty, Bhattacherjee’s former classmate, agreed and has since reached out to Sukumar to talk about how happy he was with Awad’s work. The rotation site is open to future pharmacy students.

“If students open themselves up to this opportunity, I know it will be an eye-opener,” Sukumar said. “Once you get out into the world, it makes an impact on you.”

“I was interested in going overseas and wanted to do a clinical trial,” he said.

Awad recently finished a rotation at St. Mary’s Hospital in Troy and will complete his last rotation at the Stratton VA Medical Center before graduating in May.

Awad said he pursued the opportunity because he has always been interested in the drug development process and didn’t know when he would have the opportunity of going overseas again.

Awad and his family at an entrance to a mosque.

“Since I was young, I’ve wondered about medications,” he said. “The mechanisms and actions of drugs have always been interesting to me.”

institutional review board protocols, such as for patient safety, consent and confidentiality when he was abroad.

Awad worked ten-hour shifts researching drug efficacy in 80 cancer patients and put together a 150-page summary, which was originally intended to be 60 pages. The two-year study

The opportunity in India came about because of a connection Arts and Sciences Instructor Sunanda Sukumar forged with Cadila’s Senior Vice President of Research and Development

Awad poses with co-workers at Cadila Pharmaceuticals.

Glass from page 1

Steiner from page 1

tissue. Unfortunately, the heart is incapable of producing replacement cells, so it responds by growing existing cells, a phenomenon known as cardiac hypertrophy. Instead of strengthening the heart, however, hypertrophy significantly weakens the heart muscle, making the individual more susceptible to a heart attack.

now understood to be part of the body’s natural response to fighting infection.

Cardiac hypertrophy is spurred by the reactivation of dormant gene expression pathways in our bodies. The focus of Dr. Glass’ grant will be to explore the molecular mechanisms that reactivate these signaling pathways and gain insight into the design of new therapeutic strategies for preventing and treating cardiovascular disease.

“If we can block the gene expression pathways that stimulate cell growth in the heart, we can prevent the onset of cardiac hypertrophy, and, by extension, reduce the risks of heart attack among patients who suffer from heart disease,” says Dr. Glass.

Working at ACPHS-Vermont is something of a homecoming for Dr. Glass, who is a native of nearby Essex Junction, Vermont, and received her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from the University of Vermont. In addition to her research activities, she teaches courses in pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, and infectious disease.

Up until the 1970’s, however, it was widely believed that fever represented an additional threat to the health of patients, so clinicians would take steps to bring down the patient’s temperature. Research has since shown that fever can benefit the body’s ability to fight infection. As a result, physicians today will let a fever run its course in most septic patients, except in extreme cases when the fever approaches a level that threatens brain function.

The remaining ten percent (10%) of septic patients – typically those with the most severe cases of sepsis – develop hypothermia instead of fever, whereby their core body temperature falls below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The cause and effect of hypothermia in this patient population remains a mystery to physicians and scientists, and it is the focus of Dr. Steiner’s research.

When a septic patient develops hypothermia, the standard practice today is to immediately “warm” the patient due to the prevailing belief that hypothermia represents an even greater threat to the patient’s health than sepsis. Dr. Steiner’s research will challenge this belief by testing the hypothesis that hypothermia might actually offer benefits for severely septic patients similar to way fever aids those with milder forms of sepsis.

“Severely septic patients face a 70% mortality rate. If naturally occurring hypothermia can be shown to help these patients cope with sepsis, it could impact the way they are treated and help increase their chances of survival,” says Dr. Steiner.

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Feb/March 2011

Checking The Pulse A roundup of ACPHS news and notes Congratulations to Student Scholarship Winners The American Pharmacists Association has chosen two ACPHS students among its nine 2010 Foundation Scholarships, making ACPHS the only school in the country with multiple winners. Scott Beeman ’12 was chosen as the Paul Pumpian Scholar, and Kyle Guay ’11 was selected as the Sam Kalman Scholar. Applicants were evaluated on their potential to become pharmacy leaders, as demonstrated by involvement in school and community activities and academic performance. Additionally, Bhumi Patel ’14 was awarded a National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation Pharmacy Student Scholarship. She was one of 58 students (out of more than 500 applicants) to be recognized. Brooke Davidson ’11 was named the recipient of the Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Legacy Scholarship. She is a student in the Clinical Laboratory Sciences program.

Kile to Serve on Board of Health Information Organization Director of Continuing Education and Professional Development David Kile has been chosen to serve on the Health Information Xchange New York (HIXNY) Board of Directors. HIXNY brings health care providers and insurers together to “secure technology infrastructure and services to enable physicians, hospitals, health plans, and other health care providers to interact, share information resources, and conduct the business of healthcare in a collaborative manner.”

First MBA Classes Offered on Albany Campus Union Graduate College (UGC) has begun offering courses from its MBA program on the ACPHS Albany campus. While ACPHS students have previously been able to enroll in UGC’s MBA program, they were required to travel to the school’s Schenectady campus for classes. The first class offered on the ACPHS campus, Introduction to Healthcare Management, began January 5 and currently has 17 students from the B.S. and pharmacy programs, including two from the Vermont Campus who participate via distance technology. The next class, Healthcare Marketing, will begin March 30 and continue through June 8. The class will be open to 30 ACPHS students. For those interested in learning more about the program, an informational session is scheduled for March 24 at 11 am in LIB 312. A separate session will be scheduled for the Vermont Campus.

Peer Program Participants Share Experiences at Training Conferences The continuing success of the Peer Tutoring Program, whereby upperclassmen at the College assist students in core science and math courses, was recognized in the fall when Joseph Cross was invited to conduct ethical scenario training at the Training Association for College Tutors annual conference. Similar recognition will take place in March for the Peer Mentor program when Rebecca Cope, Peter Aiello, and Mark Phillips, each of whom serves as student coordinators in the program, attend an advising conference in Burlington, Vermont. The three students will be part of a panel presentation about starting a mentoring program. Separate from the Tutoring program, the Peer Mentor Program pairs upperclass students with new students to assist with their adjustments to college life. Following the conference, the participating students will visit the Vermont Campus to meet with students and faculty.

Joseph Cross Get Blackboard on Your Phone ACPHS’s Blackboard has gone mobile. With the app, users can navigate Blackboard pages as they would through laptops. Currently, the app is available through AT&T- and Sprint-supported devices, including Droids, Blackberrys and iPhones. Visit Blackboard’s mobile page for more information and downloads: http://www.blackboard.com/Platforms/Mobile/Overview.aspx.

Pharm.D. Concentrations Many Pharm.D. students do not realize that they can apply for concentrations within the Administration, Management and Economics umbrella. The four available concentrations are listed below: • Economics • Health Outcomes

• Management • Marketing

By completing the associated requirements, the concentration will appear on official college transcripts.

For more information, please contact Pharmacy Practice Assistant Professor John Polimeni or Director of Continuing Education and Professional Development David Kile.

Spring Calendar March Friday, March 4 – Homeless Action Comm. Sleep-A-Thon Monday-Friday, March 14 - 18 – Spring Break Thursday, March 17 – Annual Respiratory Disease and Pharmacotherapy Program (CE) Friday-Saturday, March 18 - 19 Annual Pharmacy Practice Institute (CE) Monday, March 21 – Classes resume April Tuesday, April 12 – Pharmacy Legislative Day Friday-Saturday, April 15-16 – Relay for Life Friday, April 22 – CLS White Coat Ceremony Monday-Friday, April 25-29 – National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week Thursday, April 28 – Springfest May Monday-Friday, May 9 - 13 – New York State Board Review Friday, May 13 – Hooding and Awards Ceremony Saturday, May 14 – Commencement Thursday, May 19 – CDPHP Workforce Team Challenge Monday, May 23 – Summer session classes begin Monday, May 30 – Memorial Day June Friday-Sunday, June 3-5 – Reunion Weekend

The Pulse Editorial Staff Editor Patrick Rathbun Contributors Gil Chorbajian Shaker Mousa Sarah Scarpace Designer Debbie Reutter Lussier Send questions, comments or submissions to patrick.rathbun@acphs.edu or call 518-694-7131.