The Pulse - September 2010

The

Pulse

News from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

September 2010

Campus Renovations 2

Exchange Programs Open Worlds of Opportunities New MS Students Arrive from Saudia Arabia Students Spend Summers in Europe and Asia The College’s new master’s degree program in Biotechonology is enrolling its first students this semester, and the inaugural class includes a talented group of students from the Middle East.

Fourteen of the students in the program are from King Saud University, the oldest university in Saudi Arabia. The KSU students have completed medical school and are expected to return to Saudi Arabia to become demonstrators (lecturers).

eventually choose faculty mentors to oversee their thesis work.

“This is an opportunity to foster another international relationship for the College and to learn firsthand from the Middle East,” said Dr. El-Fawal. “These students will receive well-rounded medical, scientific and cultural educations.”

The relationship with KSU was forged by Vice Provost for Research and PRI Chairman Shaker Mousa, who has served as a visiting professor chair at KSU Medical College for the past two years. Dr. Mousa said KSU wants its medical students involved in more interdisciplinary research, and the school sees ACPHS as a place that can provide students the necessary resources, including faculty mentors, for future career success.

“It is the beginning of a relationship that will help both institutions – Fourteen students from King Saud University are pursuing their Master’s in Biotechnology. offering opportunities not only for KSU students on our campus, but also for our students to study at The students come from a variety of fields, including pediatrics, psychiatry, KSU,” Mousa said. “It also represents another step in radiology, obstetrics and internal expanding the College's global medicine. After completing their master’s degrees at ACPHS, they will footprint and building awareness of ACPHS in other regions of the complete international medical world.” residencies and return to KSU to become faculty members and establish Two KSU students, Ebaa Jastaniah individual research labs. and Lana Shaiba, said their experiences here will shape their Hassan El-Fawal, chair of the bedside manners and serve to make Department of Health Sciences, said them better doctors and professors. the “benchtop” experience is an important component of the program, “Getting a master’s degree in the one which appealed to the KSU U.S. is an opportunity to experience students. Students in the a different culture,” Shaiba said. “It Biotechnology program will learn makes you think in a more principles of research, molecular comprehensive way.” diagnostics, drug discovery and development, medical ethics and

d’Oney shares his 3 Dr. thoughts on the Gulf oil spill

on Dean 4 What’s Denio’s Wall?

This past summer, ACPHS students spanned the globe for academic opportunities. While studying in Asia and Europe, students gained valuable professional, educational and cultural exposure.

For the first time, ACPHS students spent summers studying at Fudan University in Shanghai and the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Students also completed rotations at Maruzen Pharmaceuticals and Showa

perspectives. Students also agreed that growth came with their time abroad.

“The laboratory techniques and especially the patience I procured will help me to become a more focused scientist,” Joe Cross ’11 said, after spending his summer at the University of Basel. “I think more importantly that everything I did was a test to see if I could venture out on my own. It taught me a crucial component of that: how to work independently without an instructor standing over my shoulder making every decision.”

And this independence is exactly what is intended by study abroad programs at ACPHS, according to Professor Dudley Moon and Associate Professor Kevin Hickey, who started rotations in Japan and Switzerland respectively.

Truong Huynh absorbed much Japanese culture outside of his studies, including visiting a famous sushi bar.

Since 2001, Moon has coordinated five-week internships for ACPHS students at Maruzen’s research and

University in Japan and the University of Basel in Switzerland.

In spite of language barriers and culture shock, students participated in what they described as lifechanging experiences.

“Aside from the lab experience, I was able to grow and learn in a more personal type of way,” said Jessica Phelps ’11, who spent her summer in Spain. “I formed many relationships with other students who attended the university and who came from various other parts of the world. From them, I learned all different ways of life.”

Several students thought their foreign experiences provided them with more global academic, professional and social

In Kyoto, Heather Van Kuren and David Denio asked some Japanese women in traditional dress to join them in a photo.

development facilities. For more than five years, Hickey has overseen the Switzerland rotations, during which students work in hospital, retail and industrial pharmacies as well as in a heroin clinic.

Study Abroad Continued on page 5

go back to 5 Faculty school to enhance their teaching skills

2 The Pulse

September 2010

ACPHS Welcomes New Faces, New Places ACPHS is pleased to welcome the following faculty and staff have joined the College since the end of the spring semester.

Sal Bottiglieri Assistant Professor Pharmacy Practice

Courtney Clarke Assistant Director of Admissions

Pharmacy Practice (VT)

Sean McCullen Assistant Director of Admissions

Renee Mosier

Catherine Murphy

Assistant Professor Pharmacy Practice (VT)

Assistant Professor Pharmacy Practice (VT)

Kristin DeBellis Lab Instructor

Tamer Fandy Assistant Professor Pharmaceutical Sciences (VT)

Karen Glass Assistant Professor Pharmaceutical Sciences (VT)

A.J. LaPoint Resident Director Student Services

Doug Poulter

John Ross

Rick Weingarten

Coordinator Experiential Education (VT)

Annual Giving Officer Instiutional Advancement

Instructor Pharmacy Practice (VT)

Clayton English Assistant Professor Pharmacy Practice (VT)

Wendy Parker Assistant Professor Arts and Sciences

Campus Renovations - Vermont

Campus Renovations - Albany

Libraries The Lewis Library in Albany increased study spaces from 211 to 298, going from 9,549 sq. ft. to 13,000 sq. ft. The Vermont Library now has 100 study spaces, up from 44, and has expanded from 1,720 sq. ft. to 2,120 sq. ft.

Dining Halls The Robison Family Dining Hall in Albany went from 200 seats and five service venues to 280 seats and seven service venues.

The Vermont Dining Hall has nearly doubled in capacity, going from 68 seats to 126 seats, plus the addition of a new kitchen.

Classrooms The Albany Campus has added five classrooms and nine new study rooms on the lower level of Princeton Suites. The Vermont Campus added three classrooms, consultation rooms and a sterile products laboratory.

September 2010

The Pulse 3

Professor Shares Firsthand Account of Gulf Oil Spill By: Daniel d’Oney, Associate Professor Department of Arts and Sciences The first thing I noticed when I got back to Louisiana was how everybody was extremely focused but quite calm, in contrast to images in the national media. Samuel Johnson once stated “…when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.” Truer words were never spoken, and southeastern Louisiana knew it was up against what all reports indicated would be a disaster far worse than the Exxon Valdez. And all of us were living in fear of a hurricane pushing oil-laden water miles from the beaches and into towns. To say that the calm masked an extraordinary level of activity and interest would be an understatement.

It was pretty amazing to see how everyone leapt into action. State and parish officials were extremely active in opening Mississippi river floodgates to flush oil back down bayous and out of lakes, pushing barges into formation to form oil barriers, keeping fleets of skimming boats operating, and taking other such measures. No one ever gets comfortable with

natural disasters, but Louisianans have a long history of hurricanes and the like sweeping in from the Gulf, and generations of people have survived by keeping their wits about them and concentrating on the big picture.

Is the situation as bleak as some project?

Well, this is serious stuff but hardly the end of the world. Several mitigating factors must be borne in mind. First, just as there are many types of cars, so are there many types of oil. The oil that leaked into the Gulf was “Louisiana light, sweet crude,” which is not as toxic and degrades much more easily than other types. Second is the intense heat of the Louisiana summer, which combined with microbes in the Gulf, is causing the oil to decompose at rates higher than first projected. Third was the hundreds of skimming and filtering vessels operating over the summer, including one massive specially-designed vessel imported from Saudi Arabia. Fourth, tropical storm Betsy churned the Gulf in late July, spreading the slick over a broad area and thus thinning it but not pushing it onto shore; in conjunction with microbes, intense heat and skimming

Fishing is a multi-billion dollar Gulf Coast industry.

vessels, this storm was one of the most fortunate things that could have happened.

So, yes, the situation is serious but we remain guardedly optimistic. The western Gulf was never closed for fishing and the eastern portion is opening section by section as the seafood continually tests negative for oil and dispersants.

As of now, the drilling moratorium is set to end in November, about the same time hurricane season ends. The apocalyptic predictions of the media have not come to fruition and, God willing and the levees don’t break, they won’t.

Dr. d’Oney is a Louisiana native who spends many of his summers on the Gulf Coast researching the United Houma Nation.

First-Year Student Blogs About His Long Journey Hoa Phan, a first-year Pharm.D. student, took the long way from California to Albany. Phan, who grew up in Sacramento, said he always wanted to go on a cross-country road trip.

“Attending ACPHS was the perfect excuse to travel,” said Phan, who earned his B.S. degree in Biology from the University of CaliforniaDavis.

Phan hit many destinations while on the road, including Seattle, Mount Rushmore, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, New Orleans, Washington D.C., and Arizona and sampled many local cuisines along the way. The entire trip covered more than 5,000 miles.

“We met a lot of friendly locals who were willing to direct us on what to see and where to eat,” he said. “We met a lot of people who also shared their travels with us.”

Phan looks down onto Oregon’s Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States.

“I decided to blog about my travels across country to show my friends and family about the beautiful things they can experience outside California,” he said. “I wanted to show them that life is an adventure. Stop worrying about money and do something fun.”

You can read Hoa’s blog at http://barrowofbricks.blogspot.com, which is also linked from the home page of the ACPHS web site.

Along with its recent website redesign, ACPHS is expanding and improving in other ways. We will be posting photos, event reminders and links of interest to students through our new Facebook page. We will also be posting links to student blogs, including Hoa’s, on the ACPHS home page. So stay in tune with it all by “liking” our Facebook page and visiting the College website. We look forward to interacting with you online.

4 The Pulse

September 2010

Nephrology Faculty Recognized for What’s on Dean Denio’s Research Accomplishments Wall?

The Albany Nephrology Group, a concentration of ACPHS faculty specializing in the study of the kidneys, continues to gain recognition for its research and scholarship activities.

Dean Denio salvaged his slide rule following O’Brien Building renovations.

If you’ve ever stepped into Associate Dean for Students John Denio’s office, you might have asked, “What is that?” That’s because Denio has a slide rule mounted on his wall. In and of itself, that might not be so remarkable, but this particular one is nearly six feet long, much larger than the ten inch slide rule that was part of many students’ lives until the early 1970’s.

Slide rules are basically old style calculators. They were developed in the 1600s for multiplication, division and logarithms.

When Denio first started working on the ACPHS campus more than 30 years ago, the slide rule was hanging on a blackboard in an old O’Brien Building classroom. “At one point during renovations, they were going to throw it away,” Denio said. That’s when he stepped in and decided to keep it as a display item.

Denio has taught and coached at the College in different capacities since 1976. He has held his current position since 2001.

In his nine years as Associate Dean, Denio has received a lot of comments about the slide rule.

Students typically don’t know what it is, but parents remember it, he says. It even served as a conversation piece at a recent 50th reunion gathering. Denio says the people who know how to use them can solve math problems as quickly and accurately as someone using a calculator.

number of abstracts that were selected and the fact that most of the presenters at the event are physicians, not pharmacists.

Each of the faculty members of the group – Magdalene Assimon (Nephrology Fellow), George Bailie, Katie Cardone, Darren Grabe, Darius Mason, and Amy Barton Pai – were involved in research that will be presented at the 2010 Renal Week Conference, taking place November 16-21 in Denver.

The annual event is hosted by the American Society of Nephrology, an organization committed to preventing kidney disease and making life better for patients. The achievements of the group (which is also known as ANephRx) are particularly notable in the high

Nimish Patel.

Additionally, Dr. Barton Pai is co-editor of the September 2010 issue of the National Kidney Foundation journal Advances in Chronic Kidney Disease.

Members of the ANephRx Group developed ten research abstracts for the 2010 Renal Week Conference.

The focus of the issue is “Optimizing Pharmacotherapy in Chronic Kidney Disease,” and it is the first issue of the Journal to be exclusively dedicated to pharmacotherapy. It provides insights into the complexities of drug therapy in patients with kidney disease – from cutting edge drug metabolism research to outcomes that open up opportunities for pharmacists to provide direct patient care.

ACPHS faculty who assisted in the development of the abstracts include: Hassan El-Fawal, Arnie Johnson, Tom Lodise, and

Both Dr. Cardone and Dr. Mason contributed to the issue.

Dr. Assimon also co-authored a review.

ACPHS Faculty abstracts from 2010 Renal Week Conference • George R. Bailie, Lin Tong, Yun Li, Nancy A. Mason, Ronald L. Pisoni, David A. Goodkin, Francesco Locatelli, Mark R. Marshall, Masaaki Inaba, Bruce M. Robinson.

Association of Intravenous Iron (ivFe) Dosing with Mortality: Findings from the DOPPS • George R Bailie, Walter H Horl, Jan Jaap Verhoef. Differences in Serious Adverse Event Reporting Rates from IV Iron by Country • Assimon MM, Mathew RO, Mason D. Persistent secondary hyperparathyroidism: the relationship between FGF23 and cinacalcet.

• Mason D, Assimon MM, Akroush MH, Bishop JR , El-Fawal H. Variation in the VDR gene and neuroantibody markers in dialysis patients.

• Cardone KE, Lodise TP, Patel N, Manley HJ, Hoy CD, Meola SA, Drusano GL, Grabe DW. Use of population (pop) pharmacokinetic (PK) modeling and Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) to determine optimal daptomycin (D) dosing in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD).

• Cardone KE, Assimon MM, Mason D, Pai AB, Grabe DW. Medication regimen complexity among patients with chronic kidney disease stages 3-5D. • Mason D, Assimon MM, Cardone KE, Grabe DW, Pai AB. Biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction in the continuum of CKD: Relationship to medication use.

• Amy Barton Pai, Darren Grabe and George Eisele. Effect of the Vitamin D receptor Agonist Paricalcitol on Biomarkers of Vascular Reactivity in CKD 3 and 4 • Amy Barton Pai and Arnold Johnson. Role of Intravenous Iron Compounds in Pathogenesis of Pulmonary Edema • Amy Barton Pai and Arnold Johnson. Lipoteichoic Acid (LTA) Induced Lung Endothelial Barrier Dysfunction: Role of Endothelial Nitric Oxide (eNOS)

September 2010

The Pulse 5

Teaching the Teachers After the academic year ended last May, about a dozen ACPHS faculty members across both campuses headed right back into the classroom.

But instead of teaching, this time they were the students in a program designed to enhance their knowledge and skills in various aspects of teaching and learning.

The program, which is called H.E.L.P. (Helping Educators Learn Pedagogy), was developed by ACPHS faculty members Patricia Baia, Assistant Professor of Arts and Sciences, and Aimee Strang, Director of Pharmacy Practice Laboratories.

During the course of the six-week program, participants analyzed different education-related topics and then used this knowledge to refine their own teaching processes. Each of the six modules was offered online, with the “students” encouraged to work in small groups or use discussion boards to share information and ask questions. At the conclusion of the program, the participants met for two days of face-to-face discussions and presentations.

Dr. Strang explains the origins of the program as follows: “Most faculty members in higher education are hired based on their degrees, their specialties, their research accomplishments, etc.

But they don’t necessarily have expertise teaching undergraduate students. The goal of the H.E.L.P. program is to try to bridge that gap.”

At the two day session that concluded the program, the energy level and enthusiasm in the room was palatable. As each faculty member presented a lesson that had been reworked to reflect what they had learned, there were several “aha” moments as things began to fall into place and ideas were hatched for the future. The group was further motivated by a keynote presentation from Dr. Robert Bangert-Drowns, Dean of Education at the University at Albany, who encouraged the participants to rethink their approaches in the classroom (both face-to-face and distance learning).

“As a new ACPHS faculty member that is also new to academia, I was looking forward to a comprehensive faculty development program to help enhance my teaching skills, and the H.E.L.P. program fulfilled and exceeded all of my expectations,” said Joanna Schwartz, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the Vermont Campus.

“Most learning can be described as chaotic problem solving. It’s like driving a car. You know what the steps are, but that’s not actually how you learn,” says Dr. Strang. “We typically organize our textbooks and lessons in a manner that is logical, but it’s not necessarily how students learn.”

One might guess that such a program would be intended for just new faculty members, but that’s

not the case. H.E.L.P. has been designed to also benefit seasoned faculty.

“Teaching and learning is multifaceted and H.E.L.P moves faculty to discover the pedagogical, psychological, and educational components involved in education. It is clear faculty are teaching and students are learning, but are they doing it in the best way possible?” asks The inaugural H.E.L.P. class (from left to right): Brian Cowles, Aimee Strang, Jennifer Cerulli, Gina Garrison, Shannon Miller, Jeanine Abrons, Jessica Farrell, Jeffrey Brewer, Dr. Baia.

Jane Boyd, Joanna Schwartz, Sean Mirk, Sandra Winn, Leon Cosler, and Patricia Baia.

“After nine years in an academic, tertiary care hospital, I have learned many ‘truths’ about educating adults. Drs. Strang and Baia put together a strong curriculum that exposed me to evidence based teaching and learning skills,” said Jeffrey Brewer, a program participant and Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice. “The best part of the program was the cohort approach with reflection and required discussion that helped me to hear many different views on

each topic. I would recommend the H.E.L.P. program to new and experienced faculty alike.”

Looking forward, Drs. Strang and Baia hope to offer the program again in the spring and potentially open it up to faculty from outside the College. The two hope that one day it might even be required as part of faculty development at the College and eventually gain wider recognition among the larger higher education community.

Study Abroad from page 1 “The rotation that I set up and coordinate has been part of my larger project to make ACPHS more global both for students studying here in Albany and Vermont and for students who set off to study abroad,” Dr. Hickey said. “The Basel Rotation has expanded from five to 12 weeks, and students have found that working for three months with professors and graduate students in Switzerland is a rich and broadening experience.”

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) initiative called Global Pharmacy Education, which encourages pharmacy colleges to offer international pharmacy exposure.

And this exposure certainly isn’t limited to academic and professional realms.

“I feel like it was the best decision of my life to go to China,” Jessica Wright ’11 said of her time at Fudan. “I was submerged into The College is working hard the culture by living there dayto develop more international to-day instead of on a ‘touristy’ opportunities for students. In “The College will continue to vacation. Seeing the history fact, ACPHS is in the process place a priority on building of hiring a Director of Global relationships with international and famous points like the Great Wall is what brought me Initiatives to help coordinate universities and organizations.” to China, but it's the people and and advance the school’s - President James Gozzo the inspiring culture that will international outreach efforts. bring me back.”

“As the world becomes increasingly more global, students with international experiences will be better positioned In the near future, Fudan students might also come to this campus for study and increasingly, there to work with and counsel people from different will be more opportunities for studying abroad, ethnic and cultural backgrounds,” says ACPHS including in places such as South America, Turkey President James Gozzo. “The College will and southeast Asia. Liz Westcott has recently continue to place a priority on building completed ethnobotany studies in Peru and relationships with international universities and Osamah Awad will begin study this semester in organizations, with the goal of providing more India. opportunities for our students to study abroad, as well as bringing more international students to our campuses.”

More recently, Fudan University officials visited ACPHS and invited the students from the College to participate in an exchange. The Fudan rotation is now overseen by Pharmaceutical Sciences Assistant Professor Andy Zheng, who worked with Pharmaceutical Sciences Associate Professor Gail Goodman Snitkoff in launching the program.

Zheng said the effort was motivated by an

To learn more about international opportunities, attend the study abroad meeting scheduled for Monday, October 25 at 4:30 p.m. in SC 202.

6 The Pulse

September 2010

Checking The Pulse A roundup of ACPHS news and notes The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) has extended the accreditation of the College’s Clinical Laboratory Sciences program through April 30, 2014.

Associate Professor Amy Barton Pai was recently elected as a Fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.

Fellowship in the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (FCCP) recognizes excellence in the practice and science of clinical pharmacy. Dr. Barton Pai also received an Adjunct Associate Professor appointment at Albany Medical College in the Department of Medicine.

Mike Kane, Professor of Pharmacy Practice, will receive the American College of Clinical Pharmacy’s Clinical Practice Award at the ACCP Annual Meeting in October. The award is given to a College member who has made substantial and outstanding contributions to clinical pharmacy practice. The criteria considered in identifying potential candidates include exceptional leadership in the development of innovative clinical pharmacy services and sustained excellence in providing them. In nominating Dr. Kane for the award, Dr. Brian Irons, Immediate Past Chair of the ACCP Endocrine and Metabolism PRN, wrote: “Dr. Kane has developed distinctive collaborative practices including an insulin dosing clinic, a teriparatide clinic, and a zoledronic acid clinic. His clinical practice successes have served as a model service for other pharmacists.”

Tom Lodise, associate professor of pharmacy practice, has hit the ground running following his return from sabbatical. Dr. Lodise received a $99,412.50 grant from Cubist Pharmaceuticals for a project titled, “Evaluating the Epidemiology and Outcomes of Patients with MRSA Bloodstream Infections that Express Heteroresistance to Vancomycin.” Fellow faculty members Amit Pai and Nimish Patel will serve as co-investigators on the grant. Dr. Lodise also received a $40,000 extension on a separate grant from Cubist titled, “Comparing Outcomes for Daptomycin, Vancomycin, and Linezolid in the Outpatient Setting.” Associate Professor Leon Cosler will be a co-investigator for that project.

Leon Cosler, Associate Professor of Pharmacoeconomics and Director of the Research Institute for Health Outcomes, has been selected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to serve on the technical expert panel that will review proposed quality measures in chemotherapy infusion.

Zonker White, a member of the ACPHS Class of 2010, has been recognized by Wolters Kluwer Health, with its Award of Excellence in Clinical Communications. White was one of just 80 graduating students from pharmacy programs across the country to receive this honor. The annual award was established by Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information for healthcare professionals and students, to recognize Pharm.D. students who have demonstrated first-rate practice and have excelled in quality clinical communication.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation is seeking applicants for its Pharmacy Student Scholarship Program. The program helps support the development of future leaders in community pharmacy and recognize pharmacy students who have a strong interest in pursuing careers in community pharmacy. Eighty-five (85) $2,000 scholarships were awarded in 2009. In addition, eight (8) select recipients received named scholarships in the amounts of $2,500, $3,000, or $5,000.

Student applicants must have completed at least one professional year of pharmacy school to apply. For more information, please visit www.nacdsfoundation.org. Deadline is October 8.

NEW LEWIS LIBRARY HOURS OF OPERATION Monday – Thursday - 8am – Midnight Friday - 8am – 8pm Saturday - 10am – 9pm Sunday - 1pm – Midnight

Fall Calendar September Thursday, September 30 – White Coat Ceremony, Vermont Campus, 4:00 p.m.

October (American Pharmacists Month) Friday, October 1 – White Coat Ceremony, Albany Campus, 5:00 p.m.

Friday - Sunday, October 1-3 – Family Weekend Tuesday, October 5 – Mario M. Zeolla Health Fair Monday - Tuesday, October 11-12 – No Classes (Columbus Day holiday) Wednesday, October 13 – Classes Resume Friday, October 15 – Community Service Day Saturday, October 16 – Admissions Open House Monday, October 25 – International Student Rotation Information Seminar, SC 202, 4:30 p.m.

November Thursday, November 4 - Alumni Council Career Forum Event, SC, 7:00 p.m.

Friday, November 5 – Career Fair Saturday, November 6 – Interview Day Sunday, November 14 – Admissions Open House Wednesday - Friday, November 24-26 – No Classes (Thanksgiving Recess) Monday, November 29 – Classes Resume December Friday, December 3 – Snow Ball Friday, December 10 – Classes End Monday - Friday, December 13-17 – Final Examinations

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