The Ampul: Spring 2015

SPRING 2015

A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF THE RUDOLPH H. RAABE COLLEGE OF PHARMACY

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Distinguished Alumni Awards and Sebok Lecture

Strategic Plan Natalie DiPietro Mager NCPA Student Leadership Council

CONTENT

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Message from the Dean Features

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p. 4-13

Distinguished Alumni

Distinguished Alumni • Ada

Strategic Plan

• Kenton

Natalie DiPietro Mager NCPA Student Leadership Council

p. 14

Upcoming Events

p. 18

Advisory Board

p. 19

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Dr. Tom Gossel, BSPh ’63, ACIT ’89, ACIT ’97, Kathy Karas, BA ’75, BSPh ’75, ACIT ’10, Peggy Piascik, BSPh ’74

Photo: Trevor Jones

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NCPA Student Leadership Council

Spring 2015

The Ampul is a publication of The Rudolph H. Raabe College of Pharmacy

Design: Toma (Grothous) Bomser, BFA ’96

Strategic Plan Natalie DiPietro Mager NCPA Student Leadership Council

Natalie DiPietro Mager

Strategic Plan

Editors: Josh Alkire Sheila Baumgartner Amy (Rettig) Prigge, BSBA ’94 Laurie Wurth Pressel

On The Cover:

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A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF THE RUDOLPH H. RAABE COLLEGE OF PHARMACY

SPRING 2015

Pharmacy News and Activities

Distinguished Alumni Awards and Sebok Lecture

• Forest

Photography: Trevor Jones Contributors: Brian Paris Hayley Stratton Scott Wills, BSBA ’87

The Ampul is published by Ohio Northern University, 525 S. Main St. Ada, OH 45810, 419-772-2000.

The R.H. Raabe College of Pharmacy at Ohio Northern University has long been recognized as one of the premier colleges of pharmacy in the nation, continually meeting the high standards of pharmaceutical education. Throughout its prominent history, the college has graduated pharmacists who now have successful pharmacy practices and who are active in local, state and national health-related organizations. More than one-fourth of all pharmacists in Ohio are Ohio Northern alumni. www.onu.edu/pharmacy

From the Dean

Dear alumni and friends, My first year as your dean in the Raabe College of Pharmacy is passing quickly. It has been a very busy and productive year in the college, and our students and faculty have been outstanding in their award-winning works and service to our community. Many of our student organizations have won national and state awards for their activities.

We have several officers of national student professional organizations, including Joshua Blackwell, PharmD ’15, who also was president of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association. Our faculty have received several competitive grants and have been recognized regionally and nationally for their practice, teaching and research. It’s been a good year to serve as your dean.

Many of our alumni also have been recognized for their great work through national awards and prestigious positions in the industry. We have presidents, provosts, deans, directors and many other executive titles that have been earned by alumni this past year. I’ve had a chance to meet many of those individuals as they came to campus or our paths crossed on my travels. This, too, has been a source of great satisfaction and a sense of awe for me at the legacy this college has produced.

We are embarking on a new strategic plan that is focused on improving the health of our community and engaging our students as primary care providers in this Health Professional Shortage Area. We also are expanding

interprofessional education of our health-profession students to better prepare these young people to practice in collaborative teams. New ACPE accreditation standards for 2016 also have served as the foundation for a revision of our curriculum, and we have begun that process this semester.

It’s been an honor for me to work with the many pharmacy college students and parents, alumni, faculty and staff, and partners in the community this year. There is always more work to be done, but this time of year we are celebrating the graduation of our newest alumni and looking forward to a new class of Polar Bears that will join us in August.

Your college is changing lives every day.

Be proud! Go Polar Bears!

Steven J. Martin Dean of the College of Pharmacy

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Feature

Distinguished Alumni To be distinguished is to be “successful, authoritative and commanding great respect.” This definition aptly describes the three individuals selected to receive the Raabe College of Pharmacy’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015. They have each made outstanding contributions to the pharmacy profession, and the Raabe College of Pharmacy is proud to count them among its alumni.

DR. TOM GOSSEL, R.PH., PH.D. Reflecting on the path that led him to Ohio Northern University, Dr. Tom Gossel, BSPh ’63, ACIT ’89, ACIT ’97, professor of pharmacology emeritus, sees God’s hand at work.

“I have no idea why I was brought here, or if I’ve done what I was meant to do,” he says. “But I firmly believe God had a purpose in mind.”

If that purpose was to touch countless lives or make remarkable contributions to pharmacy education, then Gossel can rest assured. For more than 50 years, he’s served the pharmacy profession with an unflagging dedication.

His journey began in the corner drugstore near his childhood home in Lancaster, Ohio. When he was a teenager, Gossel worked behind the store’s oldfashioned soda fountain counter, earning $1 an hour.

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There, he bonded with Frank Spurlock, BSPh ’53, who piqued his interest in becoming a pharmacist. Yet Gossel wasn’t convinced that he was college material.

“I didn’t like school,” he says. “Believe it or not, I was a Fonzie-type character. I didn’t respect teachers, and I thought the world revolved around me.”

Undeterred, Spurlock took Gossel to ONU’s campus to meet Dean Albert Smith, and Gossel agreed to give pharmacy school a try. At ONU, he found a second home. He matured and excelled under the watchful care of his pharmacy professors. He even met his future wife, Phyllis (Black) Gossel, BSEd ’63. Throughout Gossel’s college career, Spurlock continued to encourage him, buying his textbooks and slipping him cash from time to time. “He was my biggest enthusiast,” says Gossel. “He showed me that one person’s influence and support can really make a difference in someone’s life.”

After graduation in 1963, Gossel moved back to Lancaster and worked in community pharmacy.

But ONU had captured a place in his heart, and his thoughts kept returning there. “I loved it at ONU,” he says. “And I just couldn’t shake a craving to go back.”

With the encouragement of his former ONU professors, Gossel enrolled at Purdue University after working for five years. At Purdue, he received his M.S. in 1970 and his Ph.D. in 1972 in pharmacology/toxicology. He received a job offer from ONU upon graduation and returned to campus with Phyllis and their three small children in 1972.

Gossel soon established a reputation as a caring, dedicated and knowledgeable pharmacy professor. He enjoyed getting to know his students and providing encouragement whenever needed. “Everyone has a story,” he says. “I found it gratifying to get to interact with so many students and to hear their stories.”

Early in his teaching career, Gossel was handpicked by the college’s dean to develop and deliver continuing education (CE) courses for pharmacists. Throughout his career he delivered 1,327 seminars and workshops in 47 different states as well as Europe and the Caribbean. He also authored more than 700 CE home-study lessons, many of them coauthored with Dr. Dick Wuest of the University of Cincinnati. Gossel also wrote three book chapters and six books.

Gossel’s contribution to pharmacy continuing education is perhaps unsurpassed by anyone in the country. Thousands of practicing pharmacists – including many former ONU students – appreciated the objective and practical lessons he provided. He helped pharmacists to stay current on the latest topics – from new drug therapies, to FDA regulations, to over-the-counter medications – and by doing so, he helped advance the profession.

In 1993, Gossel was appointed acting dean of the Raabe College of Pharmacy, and he went on to serve as dean from 1994 to 1999. He provided astute leadership for the college during an unprecedented period of change. He guided the college through the construction of the Pierstorf Annex, the revision of curriculum and transition to the PharmD program, the development of an online PharmD program for practicing pharmacists, a comprehensive reaccreditation process, and preparation for the change from quarters to semesters.

“By 1999, I felt like I had accomplished everything I’d been tasked to do,” says Gossel. “The profession was changing so fast, and I was starting to feel like

a dinosaur.” Gossel remained at ONU for three more years, however, teaching and advising students until his retirement in 2002.

In retirement, Gossel has continued to make Ada his home and to contribute to the pharmacy profession.

He attends campus events and helps out with special projects. He writes six to seven CE articles each year for Ohio Pharmacist. He pursues his interest in history, recently researching and writing a comprehensive history of the Raabe College of Pharmacy. And, he’s currently writing a personal history for his children and close friends based on his extensive records, including 30 notebooks filled with transcribed notes and drawers filled with “scribbles and scratches.” “I’m a history buff,” he says. “No one will remember unless someone records it.”

Gossel felt humbled and honored to receive the Raabe College of Pharmacy’s Distinguished Alumni Award in February. “Phyllis and I decided early on to make our life here at ONU,” he says. “And we have never – not even for one minute – wished to be anywhere else.”

KATHY KARAS, R.PH. Kathy Karas, BA ’75, BSPh ’75, ACIT ’10, has spent the past 40 years tirelessly caring for patients and working to improve the pharmacy profession. She doesn’t ask for much in return. “A ‘thank you’ means more than a paycheck,” she says. “Knowing I helped someone is the best reward.”

Karas grew up on a family farm in Atwater, Ohio, where she continues to live today. Her parents instilled her with Midwest practicality, teaching her to be kind, use common sense, work hard, give back, and have faith in God. A stellar student in high school, Karas enrolled at ONU intending to become a pediatrician. While visiting home one weekend, however, she had a chance encounter with a gentleman who came to look at a farm plow her father was selling. “We thought he was a poor farmer, but it turns out he owned several drug stores,” she says. “He talked about the pharmacy field and invited me to talk with one of his pharmacists.”

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That conversation over the plow – and the subsequent visit with the pharmacist – changed Karas’ course. She transferred to the Raabe College of Pharmacy with a singular goal of becoming a “good pharmacist.”

“I came to ONU for an education, nothing else,” she recalls. “But the Raabe College of Pharmacy prepared me for a wonderful journey that I did not fully understand in 1975.”

Karas returned to her hometown after graduation and embarked on a long career in community and retail pharmacy. She currently works part-time at ACME Pharmacy in Akron. Her patients, both young and old, appreciate her friendly and caring personality. In recent years, Karas has enjoyed counseling patients and having a more direct impact on their health with medication therapy management services. “You take care of people in this profession,” she says. “You give people a better quality of life, and that’s what I love about it.”

Early in her career, Karas became an active member of the Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA). She strongly believes in the importance of advocating for the pharmacy profession. She started out serving on OPA committees and eventually became vice-president, president-elect and then president of OPA in 1997.

During her presidency, she worked on legislation to enable pharmacists in Ohio to give immunizations to adults. “Pharmacists are an important part of the health care team,” she says. “And we need to spread that message.”

Karas has also been a preceptor for student pharmacists from ONU, the University of Cincinnati, the University of Toledo and Ohio State University for approximately 20 years. She doesn’t hover over her students; she encourages them to work independently and gain confidence. She invites them to OPA committee meetings and events, hoping to inspire them to get involved. “I enjoy working with students because they always seem to teach me something,” she says. “Working with them keeps me young.”

Karas, who is a member of the Raabe College of Pharmacy’s Advisory Board, was taken aback to learn that she was selected to receive the Raabe College of Pharmacy’s Distinguished Alumni Award. She enjoyed “coming home” to campus in February for the awards 6

banquet. “It was a very humbling evening for me, and I shed a tear or two,” she says. “It still boggles my mind to think I was just a little farm girl who came to Northern and was molded into the professional I am today. I thank God every day for the life I’ve been given.”

PEGGY PIASCIK, PH.D., R.PH. Peggy Piascik, BSPh ’74, professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science at the University of Kentucky (UK), possesses a teacher’s heart. Over the past 30 years, she’s molded and inspired more than 3,000 pharmacy students at UK. “I work at a large research university, but I feel more at home in the classroom than the laboratory,” she says.

“I’ve carved out a niche for myself focusing on the scholarship of teaching and learning.”

Piascik wasn’t always thrilled by the prospect of teaching. The year she graduated from high school, her mom and older sister graduated from college with education degrees. Some friends and relatives assumed that Piascik would follow in their footsteps.

A typical teenager, she rebelled against what was expected. Determined to major in anything but education, she chose pharmacy because of her natural aptitude for biology and chemistry.

Two experiences conspired to change Piascik’s mind, however. At ONU, she was given the opportunity to tutor international students – and she liked it. She then attended Ohio State University for her Ph.D. in pharmacy. There, she engaged in laboratory research – and she disliked it. “I discovered I was a people person,” she says.

“Hanging out in the lab with animals just wasn’t my thing. Perhaps teaching was in my blood after all.”

After OSU, Piascik worked at a regional poison control center in Cincinnati while her husband (whom she met at OSU) engaged in postdoctoral research at the University of Cincinnati. He then accepted a position at UK and they moved to

Lexington. Piascik was also offered a teaching position at UK. For several years, she taught part-time in the College of Pharmacy while also working part-time as a pharmacist.

In 1986, Piascik accepted the position of coordinator of a non-traditional PharmD program at UK. The distance education program targeted students with bachelor’s degrees in pharmacy. Piascik oversaw this program for 17 years until it was terminated in 2005. In total, 250 students completed their PharmD degrees through the program. “Many of these students are now our preceptors, and they’ve been very successful,” she says.

In the classroom, Piascik’s areas of expertise include women’s health, over-the-counter products including dietary supplements and herbs, communication skills and integrated skills in pharmacy practice. She devotes most of her energy to teaching, unlike many of her colleagues who focus on research. She’s known for her innovative teaching strategies and her ability to keep students engaged in the material. “I have the most fun job in pharmacy,” she says. “I get to spend my days learning.”

Piascik strives to equip her students with soft skills like problem-solving, teamwork and communication. She doesn’t want her students to memorize facts; she wants them to understand the connection between what they are learning and the real world. “Some students have a

hard time flipping their brains over to career focus,” she says. “I always show them why it’s important. I always focus on lifelong skills.”

Since the late 1980s, Piascik has been an active member of the American Association of College of Pharmacies (AACP). In 2013-14, she served as president of the organization. During her presidency, one of her priorities was the development of two award programs – Distinguished Teaching Scholars and Emerging Teaching Scholars – to recognize and promote teaching excellence in pharmacy. “I think it’s important to not just recognize researchers, but to recognize the best and most scholarly teachers at colleges of pharmacy across the country,” she says.

She also led the AACP Board of Directors’ decision to develop online simulation games designed to teach health care professionals to work together on a team.

In February, Piascik returned to ONU to deliver the Sebok Lecture and receive the College of Pharmacy’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Piascik says her visit reminded her of ONU’s supportive and family-like environment. Her ONU education – and her many caring ONU professors – helped shape her into a world-class teacher, she adds. “The education I received at ONU is the basis of everything I’ve achieved in my career,” she says. “I love what I do, and I believe I’m having an impact.”

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS The 2016 Sebok Lecture and Distinguished Alumni Ceremony will take place on Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. All alumni and friends are encouraged to submit nominations for the Raabe College of Pharmacy Distinguished Alumni Awards, which annually recognize distinguished service and contributions to the profession of pharmacy and health care overall, the College of Pharmacy and University, and the community.

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Nominations will be accepted throughout the year and can be submitted to the dean’s office via email (pharmacy@onu.edu). All nominations will be handled in a confidential matter.

John Armistead, BSPh ’79, has been named president-elect of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). Armistead is system director of pharmacy services at Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, Fla. Armistead also has been selected as the keynote address speaker for the 2016 Sebok Pharmacy Lecture.

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Feature

Flipping the script As the College of Pharmacy sets a course for the future, it looks to students to help lead the way.

It began with a plan Summer at Ohio Northern University is a quiet time.

Without the full contingent of students on campus, faculty and staff can relax a little bit and recharge batteries depleted the previous year. It also is a time for departments to prepare for the upcoming term, or in the Raabe College of Pharmacy’s case, the next 20.

The 2013-14 academic year in pharmacy was highlighted by a successful national search for the college’s 14th dean. In March 2014, ONU appointed Dr. Steven J. Martin to lead the college and its nearly 1,000 students into a rapidly changing health care world. So last summer, as the rest of the University reset itself for 2014-15, Martin rebooted the College of Pharmacy with comprehensive strategic planning.

“The world of health care is changing rapidly, and the profession of pharmacy is uniquely suited to help meet the needs of our society during this dynamic time” says Martin.

“By thinking strategically, and thoughtfully preparing our graduates for the health care needs of 2020 and beyond, we are preparing the leaders of tomorrow not only for pharmacy, but for the American health care system.”

Before any planning could occur, Martin knew the college needed to understand its strengths, weaknesses and areas of opportunity. This included data to help inform hiring decisions, resource needs, and the marketing and recruitment for the college over the next seven to 10 years.

In July 2014, a survey was performed of more than 200 stakeholders in the college, including alumni, faculty, staff, corporate and professional partners, and, perhaps most importantly, students.

“Dean Martin is really big on having students involved, and with students being such a huge stakeholder, we were glad that he asked us what we want to identify ourselves as,” says Adam Smith, a fifth-year pharmacy student and president of the Pharmacy Council.

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In August 2014, a core group of those surveyed, including the student Pharmacy Council executive board, met for a strategic planning retreat. Many interesting ideas were generated during discussion sessions, and several common themes arose that will continue to serve as the foundation of an ONU pharmacy education. Not surprisingly, many of the new ideas built upon the things the college has continually done well.

The state of the county One might consider Hardin County to be an area of need.

According to the National Association of Community Health Centers, Hardin County ranks 53rd out of 88 Ohio counties in overall health outcomes and 73rd for premature death. Heart disease, stroke and cancer are the major causes of death and disabilities. Twenty-six percent of the county’s children do not receive recommended immunizations, and 7 percent of its students report methamphetamine use.

Compared to Ohio averages, Hardin County has higher instances of unintentional drug deaths, obesity and cigarette smoking. Conversely, the county has lower instances of recommended colonoscopies and mammograms.

Much of these poor health outcomes have to do with the county’s rural setting, which is also part of the college’s DNA and, with it, the special attention given to health care needs in a rural community. ONU faculty have always believed that pharmacists are health care providers, not an ancillary service in the health care process. It is a belief shared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which calls pharmacists “the most accessible health care providers.” Martin feels that the industry is transitioning to a model in which pharmacists will be relied on more to provide primary care, and he sees ONU well-positioned to prepare students accordingly.

Rural areas experience coverage gaps between patients and primary care providers. Hardin County is no exception

PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS • Ada

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Indicator Unintentional drug death rate Obesity Cigarette smoking Recommended colonoscopy Mammogram

Hardin County Ohio 18.78/100,000 12.47/100,000 33.6% 29% 34% 29.6% 53.9% 60% 66.2% 78.1%

and has been designated as a Health Professional Shortage Area by the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Strategically, the college will position its pharmacists and student pharmacists to help fill this role. Pharmacists can provide health risk assessment, wellness and preventative care, immunizations and chronic disease screening, preventative health education, and referral to physicians or other health care providers as needed. ONU pharmacists will continue to provide medication therapy management to help patients get the most value from their drug therapy.

Improving the health of the community is at the heart of the College of Pharmacy’s mission. Education through the practice of pharmacy, and providing health care for the community, is a result of this mission.

A strong curriculum Another widely acknowledged strength of the College of Pharmacy is the depth and breadth of the existing curriculum. Between the on-campus courses, the community outreach and patient care experiences, and the education students receive from preceptors on a series of rotations in a variety of pharmacy practice settings, the quality of ONU’s curriculum is borne out by the more than 6,500 living pharmacy alumni across the globe.

Adjustments to the curriculum occur routinely and will reflect the changing needs of the health care industry.

As an example, ONU-trained pharmacists must be prepared for the day that pharmacists are designated as providers in the Social Security Act. There may be a need for new training and certifications and a greater emphasis on

health care team-based practice. Interprofessional education is a focus for curricular adjustments.

Interprofessional education means bringing together different health professions students to train together and learn the role that each profession brings to patient care. At ONU, pharmacy students team up with nursing, medical laboratory science and exercise physiology majors for a problem-based, cross-disciplinary approach to health professions education. The idea is to “practice how they’ll play,” and by training together, health care professionals learn how to care for patients as a team.

The college’s community outreach programs, which bring service-learning opportunities to students, such as ONU Healthwise, were also universally valued. These opportunities allow students to see the rural health care coverage gap for themselves and gain valuable experience interacting with patients. An idea introduced at the strategic planning retreat to improve marketing the college was to expand the geographic area into which these community outreach programs could be deployed.

Overall, the strategic planning created positive results. The Raabe College of Pharmacy has been doing an excellent job preparing students to thrive in the field, and as the industry changes, the college is poised to change with it and meet any new challenges that arise. However, beyond the questions asked and the answers given, Martin’s initiative has set a new tone for the college.

“The new dean has created a sense of optimism, not just with students, but also with the faculty,” says Smith. “It was awesome to be a part of this and to see all the faculty excited and rejuvenated, ready to lead ONU to new heights.”

In addition to this strategic planning, new Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) standards for 2016 have also led to adjustments in the college’s curriculum. This process began in spring 2015, and the general changes will focus on exceeding the ACPE accreditation standards, integrating interprofessional education throughout the curriculum, and expanding patient experiences to prepare patient-ready graduates for the workplace.

As the College of Pharmacy assesses its strengths and opportunities and develops a strategic plan for its future, the ONU community can rest easy knowing that one of its strengths, the college’s legacy of excellence, is in very good hands.

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Feature

Standing tall

for the smallest patients Three babies die in Ohio every day. This sounds terrible, and it is. Ohio is near the bottom among the 50 states in preventing infant death. High infant mortality also is a concern, as it is an indicator of the health of the state’s population.

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t’s a true public health crisis and an important issue in our region.

It’s never too late to tackle a problem like this, and that’s where Natalie DiPietro Mager, PharmD ’01, associate professor of pharmacy practice, enters the picture.

After graduating from Ohio Northern’s College of Pharmacy in 2001, DiPietro Mager began a one-year visiting scientist fellowship program at the Eli Lilly and Company’s Lilly Centre for Women’s Health in Indianapolis. After spending the year focusing on women’s health issues, DiPietro Mager stayed at the company for an additional five years working in clinical drug development and drug safety. Along the way, she also earned a master’s degree in public health from Indiana University, Indianapolis.

DiPietro Mager next returned to Northern in 2007 as an assistant professor of pharmacy practice.

Her three-pronged set of expertise – pharmacy, women’s health and public health – has set her up perfectly to become a premier point person for pharmacist-provided prenatal and preconception care in Ohio – perhaps nationally.

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In 2011, she was invited to speak at a national conference, hosted by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, on “Improving Maternal Health in Developed Countries.” This talk focused on preconception care and the benefits to improving maternal/infant health outcomes.

She next co-authored an article in the national Innovations in Pharmacy journal titled “Medication Therapy Management and Preconception Care: Opportunities for Pharmacist Intervention.”

Then in 2014, she was invited to speak on “Improving Maternal and Infant Outcomes in Ohio through Preconception Care” at the Ohio Public Health Combined Conference.

“My personal research is in women’s health, specifically in what’s known as preconception care,” DiPietro Mager explains. “Basically, preconception care involves activities that all women of child-bearing potential can do to be healthy for themselves, and in the case of an eventual pregnancy, ensure hopefully better outcomes for their child. For example, folic acid is a vitamin that women can take before and during their pregnancy that can help reduce the risk of certain types of birth defects.”

To further share knowledge such as this, DiPietro Mager presented a session, “Partnering with Pharmacists to Provide Preconception Care,” at the 2014 Ohio Infant Mortality Summit in December 2014 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. This summit was hosted by the Ohio Department of Health’s Ohio Collaborative to Prevent Infant Mortality (a group to which DiPietro Mager also belongs), and her session explored the vital role that pharmacists can play in their communities to help women of reproductive age achieve better health. The session went so well that one of the leaders of the Ohio Collaborative to Prevent Infant Mortality asked her if she would repeat the presentation at the Collaborative’s quarterly meeting in March 2015 so that all members across the state could hear it.

The Ohio Pharmacists Association also asked DiPietro Mager to speak about roles for pharmacists in reducing infant mortality at the group’s 2015 annual conference in April.

In addition, DiPietro Mager has received grant money from the Community Pharmacy Foundation to expand pharmacist provision of preconception care for women of childbearing age who could benefit from education and services.

The grant will fund a study, “Pharmacist Provision of Preconception Care Through Medication Therapy Management (MTM),” which is intended to raise awareness and educate community pharmacists about preconception care and providing preconception care through MTM. It also will pilot a proof-of-concept model demonstrating the impact pharmacists can have in providing elements of preconception care through the sustainable reimbursement model of MTM. DiPietro Mager will head up the study. “We believe that there are many preventive care measures where an accessible and well-trained community pharmacist can help to facilitate positive preventive counseling and true health care, rather than simply ‘sick’ care after disease has taken root,” she says. “By demonstrating the community pharmacist’s role in preconception care, we hope not only that such interventions will continue, but also that future implementation of other preventive care measures will be easier following the model developed in this initiative.”

The goal is to develop educational materials and resources to allow this intervention to be rapidly expanded to any community pharmacy. “We also hope that positive results in this project will justify ongoing financial payment for such community pharmacistprovided preconception services,” DiPietro Mager adds. “Furthermore, through demonstrating the role of the pharmacist to engage in preconception health counseling, we expect that the role of the community pharmacist may continue to expand to include provision of additional preventive care services that will improve patient-specific and population-based outcomes.”

The primary purpose of the Community Pharmacy Foundation is to assist community pharmacy by providing resources for research and development to encourage new capabilities and continuous improvements in the delivery of patient care.

“This is public health, and this is what it’s all about: educating people and making sure that we are helping people maintain health and wellness,” DiPietro Mager says.

Through the project, any interested pharmacist will be able to earn continuing education credit about preconception care free-of-charge. In addition, pharmacists in Ohio will have the opportunity to participate in the study. Those interested should be on the lookout in the coming months for emails from ONU’s Raabe College of Pharmacy with more information.

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Successful and successive Four students. Five years. One after another.

The streak is on.

Students from Ohio Northern University’s College of Pharmacy have served on the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Student Leadership Council (SLC) for five years, dating back to 2010.

Founded in 1898, the NCPA represents America’s community pharmacists, including the owners of nearly 23,000 independent pharmacies across the United States.

NCPA student chapters, in turn, provide avenues for pharmacy students to learn about the many career opportunities available in independent pharmacy practice. The chapters promote the role of independent pharmacies in the American health care system, encourage their respective schools to emphasize the practical realities of community pharmacies, and encourage careers in independent pharmacy practice.

The national governing body for all student chapters of the NCPA is the SLC, which is comprised of 16 student members who serve two-year terms, the first as junior members and the second as senior members. The goal of the SLC is to help develop future leaders in community pharmacy while encouraging those student pharmacists with strong interests in entrepreneurship to pursue careers in community pharmacy.

The Ohio Northern Student Chapter of NCPA was started on campus during the 2005-06 school year. It didn’t take long before its members were appointed to the SLC. Lauren Anderson, PharmD ’13, was the first. She served from January 2010-12, although her involvement with ONU’s NCPA chapter actually began in 2007. “I was very passionate about the organization and the great things we did, and I wanted to help take our chapter to the next level of excellence.”

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Lauren Anderson, PharmD ’13

And that’s exactly what she did. After introducing herself to the SLC members at the 2009 NCPA Annual Convention, she applied for a council seat and was accepted.

“It was an incredible experience to serve at the national level because we were able to drive the activities of all the chapters,” she says. “We created new challenges to boost chapter wellness outreaches and revamped application forms so chapters could better showcase their achievements.”

Today, Anderson is the pharmacy manager at Walmart Pharmacy in Livonia, Mich.

“Our model is one prescription, and one patient at a time, to provide the most accurate and reliable care.” She also manages the financial side of the business by controlling costs and inventory.

Although Walmart represents a much different path than independent pharmacy, Anderson still harnesses what she learned from the SLC and NCPA in her professional life. “Every day, I use skills such as leading a team, offering clinical services, and thinking like an entrepreneur to grow my business,” she says.

The next in line was Elizabeth “Beth” (Crandall) Boline, PharmD ’14, who overlapped with Anderson, serving from 2011-13. Boline’s desire to serve on the council was essentially a continuation of her pre-college experiences.

“I wanted to become more involved with community pharmacy because I had always been around it growing up. I worked at three different independent pharmacies in high school and college, and it had a special place in my heart personally, so I wanted to make a professional move toward the type of pharmacy environment I was most passionate about.”

Elizabeth “Beth” (Crandall) Boline, PharmD ’14

Ryan Siefring, PharmD ’15

As a member of SLC, Boline specialized in a “legislative” branch, in which her primary goal was to advocate students to vote and contact their legislatures to help community pharmacy remain on the forefront of delivering services to patients.

As a staff pharmacist at Kinney Drugs in upstate New York, Boline continues her work as a community pharmacist.

“I help patients achieve maximum benefits from their medications. I deliver medication therapy management daily and recently began completing complete medication reviews to patients through Mirixa and OutcomesMTM.” And her experience as a member of the SLC did more than just prepare Boline for a career behind the counter.

She learned to communicate. She learned to multi-task. “I continue to be politically active today, which was one of my key roles as a member of the SLC. I definitely believe the SLC helped shape me into the pharmacist I am today.”

Next up was Ryan Siefring, PharmD ’15, who began his time with the SLC in April 2013 and just finished his tenure in April 2015. Siefring saw the SLC as a step toward reaching his career goals.

“To achieve my long-term goal of becoming an independent pharmacy owner, I took it upon myself to gain as much experience as I could as a student,” he says. “I saw SLC as a great opportunity to further my knowledge of independent pharmacy while at the same time serving other NCPA chapters all over the country to ensure success and viability.”

Siefring envisions his leadership experiences continuing after graduation. “As a pharmacist, I plan to not only be a member of such organizations, but also to be a voice and leader that pharmacists can rally behind to improve not only the profession but also the lives of our patients.”

Emily Ickes

Through his involvement with NCPA and SLC, Siefring has been exposed to a wide variety of professional events during which he would meet and network with pharmacists and pharmacy students from all over the country. His current job offer in Denver, Colo., was a result of one such networking event.

The latest member to join the council is Emily Ickes, a fourth-year pharmacy student from Jeromesville, Ohio.

Her term began in May 2015. After serving as a legislative co-chair of ONU’s student chapter executive committee, she wanted to get even more involved – this time at the national level.

“I believe NCPA has many great opportunities for students to learn about community pharmacy and practice leadership skills,” she says. “This national position will allow me to collaborate with other pharmacy students around the country to find ways to further involve student pharmacists and bridge the gap from NCPA nationals to the colleges of pharmacy.”

Ickes most looks forward to meeting the other members on the council and seeing what she can contribute to make an impact. Intrigued by pharmacy legislation, Ickes has set a goal of helping get students more involved in legislation and to see its importance.

After graduation, her “dream plan” is to continue working in independent pharmacy. “I really enjoy the personal touch that independents have to offer versus the chains. I would love to work in an independent that offered different clinical services, where I can counsel patients.”

It would seem that community pharmacy is in good hands.

With a steady string of representatives, students from Northern have shaped – and will continue to shape – the future of independent pharmacy in this country.

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Pharmacy News & Activities

Experimental Biology Several members of the Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences (PHBS) presented their findings at the Experimental Biology meeting in Boston in March.

This research included collaborative efforts between PHBS faculty, faculty from ONU’s College of Arts & Sciences, and scientists from other universities. In total, these presentations also included eight ONU student authors.

Dr. Dave Kinder, professor of medicinal chemistry, described his studies on the effect of NSAIDs on cyclooxygenase isoform expression in cancer cells that may indicate that therapeutic outcomes in cancer chemotherapy may be improved by including NSAIDs in the chemotherapy regimen.

Dr. Boyd Rorabaugh, associate professor of pharmacology and cell biology, reported on the involvement of “Regulator G Protein Signaling 6” protein in protection of the heart from ischemic injury. His research looks to these proteins to find cures to ischemic heart disease (also known as coronary heart disease), a leading cause of death in the United States.

Dr. Amy Stockert, associate professor of biochemistry, presented her work on the ability of cinnamon to regulate adipocyte growth and differentiation and possible connections to obesity.

She also had a poster describing her collaborative project with Dr. Tarek Mahfouz, associate professor of pharmaceutical chemistry, on the development of new antibiotics that target a novel enzyme in streptococcus pneumonia.

In November 2014, John Coler, BSPh ’95, worked with Ohio Sen. Troy Balderson and Ohio Rep. Brian Hill to spur passage of pharmacy legislation (Senate Bill 258) by the 130th General Assembly.

The bill establishes standards for the performance of pharmacy audits and places guidelines regarding how and when audits can be conducted. In April, the Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA), recognized Coler with the 2015 Good Government Award during its Annual Conference and Trade Show.

Coler is the owner of Shrivers Pharmacy, which has four locations in Ohio.

In developing the bill, Coler worked with Balderson to communicate the problems his own pharmacies were having with unnecessary audits.

John Coler, BSPh ’95, speaks to ONU students about the benefits of working for and owning an independent pharmacy.

Koh published in ‘International Journal of Oncology’ In February 2015, Dr. David Koh, assistant professor of pharmacology, had an article published in the International Journal of Oncology.

The article, “Inhibition of the transient receptor potential melastatin-2 channel causes increased DNA damage and decreased proliferation in breast adenocarcinoma cells,” details Koh’s ongoing research on breast cancer treatment and prevention.

Koh, along with members of the Washington State University Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, are researching emerging therapeutic targets that potentially reside in the transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily of cation channels. Recent studies have demonstrated important roles for TRP channels in several 14 14

types of human cancer. In the study, TRPM2 is a potential therapeutic target, where its pharmacologic inhibition may provide an innovative strategy to selectively increase DNA damage levels in breast cancer cells while maintaining the health of good cells.

Breast cancer remains the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among women. The troubling mortality rates of breast cancer patients, along with the continued incidence of new breast cancer diagnoses each year, illustrate a critical need for new therapeutic targets and improved therapies in breast cancer treatment. It is the aim of Koh and the research team to determine the role of TRPs in breast cancer and how that may help identify novel molecular targets for the treatment of breast cancer patients and, thus, help reduce the mortality rates of this devastating disease.

Student Achievements of the 2014-15 Academic Year · Amanda Liebrecht, second-year student - 2015 Newman Civic Fellows Award · Emily Ickes, fourth-year student - 2015-16 Junior Student Leadership Council member for the National Community Pharmacy Association

· Jeremiah Barnes, fifth-year student - 2015 United States Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Practice Award · Steven Blake, fifth-year student - 2015 Goldwater Scholar

· Cody Lovejoy, fourth-year student - Decorated All-American wrestler and 2015 NCAA Elite 89 Award winner

· Josh Blackwell, PharmD. ’15 - 2015 National President of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA)

· Laura Avino, fifth-year student - 2015 Charles J. Ping Student Community Service Award

· Ryan Siefring, PharmD ’15 - 2014-15 Senior Student Leadership Council member for the National Community Pharmacy Association

Pharmacy professor is co-investigator on $423,776 grant project The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has awarded Ohio Northern University a research grant of $423,776 to conduct studies on the time-dependent effects of stress on learning and their physiological and genetic correlations.

Dr. Phillip Zoladz, associate professor of psychology in ONU’s Getty College of Arts & Sciences, will serve as principal investigator of the project. His co-investigator is Dr. Boyd Rorabaugh, associate professor of pharmacology and cell biology.

It’s unclear why less than 25 percent of traumatized individuals develop post-traumatic stress disorder. A person’s susceptibility involves an interaction among a myriad of physiological and environmental factors. To uncover

possible explanations, Zoladz and Rorabaugh will use this grant to conduct interdisciplinary research studies on how stress interacts with genetic and physiological characteristics of an individual.

Memory Share Are you in this photo?

If so, please share your memories of your years in the College of Pharmacy at Ohio Northern University!

Contact Hayley Stratton, external relations and communications coordinator for the College of Pharmacy, at h-stratton@onu.edu.

Have a memory to share? Please send pictures and testimony to Hayley Stratton.

THE AMPUL AMPUL SPRING SPRING 2015 2015 THE

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PHARMACY STUDENTS GIVE THANKS Ohio Northern University’s generous pharmacy alumni and friends give back to the University each year in many ways. Foremost among them is the endowed scholarship program, which awards deserving students with financial assistance needed to attend ONU. In an average year, more than 90 percent of ONU’s pharmacy students rely on much-needed scholarships funded from alumni donors and other sources.

These scholarships truly make a difference in the recipients’ lives. For some, an endowed scholarship is the sole reason they are able to pursue higher education. It’s how they afford textbooks and lab fees and other academic necessities. It’s why they get to call themselves Polar Bears.

The significance of these contributions is not lost on the students who benefit from them. It is an Ohio Northern tradition for endowed scholarship recipients to take time to reflect on the importance of their scholarships and to say “thank you” to those responsible through hand-written notes. These

personal thank-you notes give the students the opportunities to share a little about themselves with their donors to create genuine connections.

“We want to give students the chance to connect with the donors directly,” says Kelly Anderson, ONU’s director of annual giving. “They’re the ones who are receiving this. They’re the ones who are impacted. It’s one thing for me to say ‘thank you’ for a gift on behalf of the University, but it’s another thing for a donor to know that their contribution is appreciated by the person whom it’s helping.”

LEAVE A LEGACY OF YOUR OWN Become part of the lasting legacy of the Raabe College of Pharmacy at Ohio Northern University by establishing an endowed fund. Once these funds are fully invested, their interest earnings can be used to provide a permanent source of funding for scholarship assistance, programmatic support, research, and other important areas at the college and University.

Funds can be established and named for the founding donor, family, organization, foundation or corporation. A fund also can honor a loved one or a favorite faculty or staff member. The uses of the fund are noted accordingly based on the gift interests and intentions of the donor. A memorandum of understanding can be created between the founding donor(s) and the University’s president to provide guidance in the distribution of financial assistance from the fund.

An endowed fund can be established through a pledge or gift of $25,000 or more over a five-year period.

An endowed fund can also be established by a bequest through a will provision or other type of planned gift.

Contributions may be made annually, semi-annually, quarterly or monthly. Until the fund is fully endowed, investment earnings are fully reinvested to increase the principal balance. Once the fund is endowed, the increasing value of the fund over time provides for awards without depleting the principal balance.

For more information, contact Scott Wills, BSBA ’87, senior director of development for the Raabe College of Pharmacy, at 419-772-2705 or s-wills@onu.edu. Alternately, you can return the reply envelope (found in this magazine) indicating that you would like more information regarding endowed funds.

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which l a rs hi p, o h c S l a e m o ri y m ajo r c M a y , m e a r rc a R h ie .P s Ca rl nd p e t owa rd ived t h e Su a n n M h y s ics, a g e p . c s d , re le y r M e w t v o r is em Dea I ha y kn lyi n g m a m a ch ille, a n d p I p r t his H . a s h t rd s a te o a J t e f u l fo is ing tow k ra e o d g m e lo y t m y p riva a r a n e t m n v u a o o d m I d My . a e ly io s u ma x fo r o, Oh a ls. I e g e n e ro n d To led a l ca re i n h o s p it I h a ve cu rre nt ly ig ht t ot a l y ea rs u ro y ou h a v a n u se t io n, fo r e m a ll t ow a rch a n d cli n ic s ly be ca u s don a be h e re u l ro o il e d e f ro m a s n w s n e e I re g ur d s, t re m nk ce ut ica l u e to yo cl a ss loa d to t h a help me D o e l . t t il y n e p h a rm a d w a u a w it D re o re. g. bt a l I j u st hi p, a n d s ch oo li n loa n d e is y ea r. ive a n y m y h e f t c o m s ch o l a rs l re t , r o o o lo t f h o pa y or sc i red a d ca n n l loa n s f is h, a n d ve a cqu n a a i n h f loa n s a n io I o it t d d y ad ng me re e s, a n e out a n or h e l pi k f my deg a d t n o a t ut io n t h a ve s co nt rib u I did n o ro e n e y ou r g ss. y ou fo r God ble d n a u o y Tha nk

Joshua Hille Carol Roy Memorial Scholarship Curtice, Ohio

, Si n ce re ly Hille Jo s h u a Dear Mr. and Mrs. Reese,

Lucas Canter Thomas J. Evans Memorial Fund Alexandria, OH

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for awarding me your scholarship. Due to this scholarship, I have been able to attend Ohio Northern University to study pharmacy. I have been involved in several activities and organizations, including varsity baseball, Habitat for Humanity and Phi Delta Chi, a professional pharmacy fraternity. This scholarship has also helped reduce my financial burden and provide assistance for me as I work my way through pharmacy school. Once I finish pharmacy school, I plan to help patients in a hospital setting or possibly a military base. I am extremely thankful that I was the recipient of your scholarship, and I will always remember your generosity. Thanks so much!

Sincerely, Lucas Canter

Mr. Th

aine,

My na m Northe e is Austin B r on cam n University rown, and I p Academ us with the . I am a mem am currently b p a patient ically, I hav rivilege and er and office fourth-year e r g pharm c o r of the a e a ceiv re in l of of the Person every pharm ed an outstan enhancing cu Indian Stud acy student a alized t Ohio ent As and St acy set ltural c ding ed M s u t care in dent Society edicine Coa ing. Through ucation focu ompetency in ociation lit se “real-w o s t orld� o f Health Syst ion, America he pharmacy d on giving t tudents. he best utreach n Socie em Pha studen I wan t ty of C t rmacist events. onsulta organization Schola ed to person s , I h a a r nt ve been s extracu ship Fund h lly thank yo able to Pharmacists u a r s r f , p i o m ractice rm ad the op culars, ex patient portun cellent e it possible aking all th is I hope it f e to use y to attend ducations, a or me and ot possible. Th O this op h e n portun hio Norther d real-world er students t Meijer Sincere n i ob t e y for a U x l Austin y, future niversity th perience. Th e involved in a r in com Brown munity ough your fin nk you for a pharm acy. ncial gift.

Austin Brown Meijer Scholarship Forest, VA

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Pharmacy Commencement 2015 Sunday, May 10, 2015

Upcoming Events Alumni Weekend May 29-31 Pharmacy Summer Academic Honors Institute June 14-19 Camp Girls in Engineering, Math & Science (GEMS) July 15-17

Cardinal Health Retail Business Conference and ONU Alumni Reception Thursday, July 23, 2015 5-6 p.m.

The Venetian in Las Vegas, Nev. Room: Casanova 607 on Level 1

Professional Commitment Ceremony Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015

Become a mentor! Contact the dean’s office to register and become part of this important milestone for third-year students! Contact 419-772-2275 or pharmacy@onu.edu.

Open to all attendees of the Cardinal Health Retail Business Conference.

18th Annual Pharmacy Outing and Golf Day Aug. 14 Homecoming 2015 Sept. 27 Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Visit Oct. 6-8 Professional Commitment Ceremony Nov. 14 Sebok Lecture and Distinguished Alumni Awards Ceremony Feb. 12

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Advisory Board Dr. Bruce Bouts BSPh ’82 General Internist Blanchard Valley Medical Associates Inc. Findlay, Ohio Col. (Ret.) Mark Butler BSPh ’79 Chief, Pharmacy Service Dayton VA Medical Center Dayton, Ohio Dr. Shawn Eaton PharmD ’01 Region Manager CVS Health Twinsburg, Ohio George Hill BA ’69, BSPh ’74 Director, Pharmacy Services, Retired Catholic Health Initiatives Erlanger, Ky. Kathy Karas BA, BSPh ’75 Staff Pharmacist Acme Akron, Ohio Richard Keyes BSPh ’92 Executive Vice President of Supply Chain Operations and Mfg. Meijer Inc. Grand Rapids, Mich.

Paul T. Kocis BSPh ’88, PharmD ’03 Staff Clinical Pharmacist, Anticoagulation Clinic Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State University Hershey, Pa. Ronda K. Lehman BSPh ’98 Chief Operating Officer St. Rita’s Professional Services Lima, Ohio

Pharmacy Meet the Dean Events Cleveland event

Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014 The Market Garden Brewery

Phillip Lettrich BSPh ’85 Channel Manager First Databank Inc. Theresa “Tip” Parker BSPh ’74 Director of Trade Relations & Pharmacy Operations, Retired Abbott PPD Abbott Park, Ill. Robert “Bob” Parsons BSPh ’71 Executive Vice President Ohio Society of HealthSystem Pharmacists Marietta, Ohio Dr. Ervin Pierstorf ’53, Hon. D. ’78 Chairman of the Board and CEO, Retired Fairview Photo Services Rocky River, Ohio, and Pinellas Park, Fla.

Left to right: Amelia (Brysacz) Mathews, BSPh ’60, John Osowski, BSPh ’82, Helene (Brysacz) Osowski, BSPh ’55, Janet (Cole) Sekerak, BSPh ’68, Dean Steven J. Martin, Casimir “Casey” Osowski, BSPh ’52 Left to right: Don Herman, BSPh ’55, his daughter Laurel Vogelsang, Dean Steven J. Martin

Columbus event

Todd Sega PharmD ’11 Manager of Payer Relations Pharmacy Quality Solutions Inc. Durham, N.C. Michael Storey PharmD ’10 Pharmacy Manager, Acute Medicine Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus, Ohio Tom Wiechart BSPh ’81 Pharmacist Rite Aid Lima, Ohio Suzanne Eastman-Wuest BSPh ’74 Senior Director of Clinical Services Adheris Inc. Cincinnati, Ohio

Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014 Barley’s Brewing Company Left to right: Dean Steven J. Martin, Mary (Monstwil) Oleson, BSPh ’70, Phil Oleson, BSph ’66

Left to right: PJ Sheridan III, BSPh ’96, Ginny Kemmerer, PharmD ’08, Daniel Deem, BSPh ’95

Left to right: Peggy (Dalrymple) Smith, BSEd ’59, LK Smith, Jennifer Provost, a sixth-year pharmacy student from Indianapolis, Ind., Nancy Gallagher, BSPh ’86

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University Advancement 525 South Main Street Ada, OH 45810-1599

SAVE THE DATE Friday, Aug. 14, 2015

Pharmacy Alumni Outing and Golf Day The Colonial Golfers Club in Harrod, Ohio

Follow us on: @onu_pharmacy

Featuring something for all alumni members, including CE, events for non-golfers and dinner.

Look for more details about this event in the weeks to come!