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OUR VALUES
OUR MISSION
• Respect and Integrity: We value each other and hold ourselves accountable for acting ethically and transparently using compassion and empathy.
We globally engage and lead education, pharmacy practice, scientific research, and pharmapreneurial initiatives to collaboratively and equitably improve the health of society.
OUR VISION
• leveraging pharmaceutical expertise and relentlessly collaborating to solve scientific, clinical, and social problems that matter to all citizens of the world
We embrace a culture that embodies the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s core values:
• Equity and Justice: We embrace and are committed to diversity, and we value inclusive and just communities. We oppose racism and oppression in all its forms.
• listening to all voices to equitably enrich the lives of our internal and external communities
• positively influencing the delivery of convenient and affordable health care
DEAN’S MESSAGE
• pioneering social impact and business innovation through Pharmapreneurship™
• Well-Being and Sustainability: We care about the welfare of our people, planet, communities, and University.
The School of Pharmacy can innovate and take risks because of our generous donors. Gifts make a difference in how we develop and deliver our academic programs and in how we transform research and practice. Thank you to everyone who gives to the School — all gifts, regardless of their size, convey your belief in us and the work that we do each and every day.
As an alumna, donor, and employee, I invite you to join me in making a gift to the School of Pharmacy. A giving envelope is enclosed in this issue, or you can make a gift online at pharmacy.umaryland.edu.
FY21 ANNUAL REPORT The School’s FY21 Annual Report is available online at pharmacy.umaryland.edu/about/offices/marketing/ publications/. In it you will find our Honor Roll of Donors, where we recognize each person who made a gift to the School from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021.
We rely on our generous donors and friends to ensure we have a strong foundation, one that can weather storms in times of crisis and one that provides support for the School’s continued expertise, influence, and impact.
• Innovation and Discovery: We imagine and explore new and improved ways to accomplish our mission of education, research, clinical care, and service.
The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy is internationally recognized for:
This issue of Capsule focuses on the importance of philanthropy. It’s a fancy word with a simple meaning — the desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed by the generous donation of money to good causes.Each year, hundreds of our alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends exemplify the definition of philanthropy with gifts to the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in support of our education, research, practice, community, and Pharmapreneurship™ initiatives. In the pages of this magazine, you will learn how those gifts have a positive and significant impact on the School through scholarships, endowments, research, and programmatic support.
In the spirit of expertise, influence, and impact, Natalie D. Eddington, PhD ’89, FAAPS, FCP Dean and Professor Executive Director, University Regional Partnerships
• empowering learners and graduating visionary leaders
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Summer 2022
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We welcome your comments, news, and suggestions for articles. Send your ideas to Becky Ceraul at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, 20 N. Pine St., Room N302, Baltimore, MD 21201. Email: rceraul@rx.umaryland.edu; Telephone: 410-706-1690; Fax: 410-706-4012.
Read in-depth biographies of faculty, see additional pictures of School events, and share School news with your friends on social media. More details on the articles covered in this issue of Capsule are available in an electronic version — online. You can view Capsule from any mobile device. Visit www.pharmacy.umaryland. edu/capsule and start learning more about the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.
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“Studying the basic science underlying how Pseudomonas aeruginosa adapts its micronutrient strategies to infect a human host will allow us to better understand how to develop new therapies to treat this notorious bacterial pathogen.” b
biofilms are slimy layers of sticky cells that form on living or non-living surfaces during chronic infections, which contributes to antimicrobial resistance.
example of the cross-disciplinary research in the PSC department,” says Peter Swaan, PhD, Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, professor and chair of PSC, and the School of Pharmacy’s associate dean for research and advanced graduate studies.
Says Oglesby: “My role in this project is understanding how some small RNAs that we’ve been working on in our lab for a long time contribute to the regulation of heme uptake by different bacterial pathogens, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is a really important and notorious antimicrobial resistant pathogen.
NIAID Awards PSC Faculty $2.5 Million to Study Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria
Angela Wilks, PhD, the Isaac E. Emerson Chair of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Amanda Oglesby, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (PSC), have received a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to study how infections caused by the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa develop multi-drug resistance. The award provides nearly $2.5 million over five years to support their interdisciplinary work in biochemistry and microbiology that will research iron homeostasis and virulence in the bacteria, which often leads to chronic and untreatable conditions.
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“The goal of our project is to understand how chronic Pseudomonas infections in biofilms utilize heme as an iron source,” Wilks says. “If we can understand the systems that are important for establishing and sustaining chronic infections, we can then understand how to target these systems as potential mechanisms to disrupt biofilms and treat
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has prioritized Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a critical pathogen for the development of new antibiotics. Wilks’ research group has studied its heme uptake pathway to identify novel therapeutic strategies. Oglesby’s research group has been instrumental in characterizing the regulatory networks of small RNA (sRNA) in P. aeruginosa, showing that these sRNAs are essential for the survival and virulence of the pathogen.
Bacterialthem.”
All bacterial pathogens, which can take the form of biofilms, require the micronutrient iron for survival and infection. A major source of iron in infection is heme, a precursor to hemoglobin, which is prevalent in the body. The ability of bacterial pathogens to use heme as an iron source is essential for infection and virulence. “The award from NIAID reflects the many years of strong collaboration between Drs. Wilks and Oglesby and a great
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Amanda Oglesby and Angela Wilks
The current NIAID award brings together the expertise of both groups to understand how heme utilization is integrated into the sRNA regulatory network. The project will provide a platform for future identification of novel antibacterial strategies at the interface of iron homeostasis and virulence in P. aeruginosa
“I never skipped a beat,” Smith said. “I continued to do what I always did to make sure everything’s running OK: checking equipment, checking eyewashes, and making my dailyCrowerounds.”said Smith, who came to SOP in 2014, has been a reassuring presence.
“Victor truly is a team player. He is cordial, professional, and demonstrated his ability to pivot during the pandemic, helping another unit with a vital service — one that helped us all get back on campus,” Crowe said. b
It takes more than a pandemic to keep School of Pharmacy (SOP) employees down.
Still she hit the ground running, supporting PHSR’s graduate program along with duties in procurement and administration.“Michellegladly took ownership of the massive undertaking of supporting the grad program, which included a new admissions and review process — learning, designing, and partnering with several other colleagues and departments,” her supervisor, Ronald Cisneros, office manager in PHSR, wrote in the nomination. “All the while, Michelle continued to execute the regular duties of her role. Relentless some would call her. And she did it with a smile on her face. Michelle truly has been a rock star.”
Fadia Shaya, PhD, MPH, a professor in PHSR who chaired the admissions committee, thanked Besser for her flawless work.“We had a record number of challenges. And yet, the outcome was stellar, in big part thanks to Michelle,” Shaya said. “I will always remember how quickly she adapted to Zoom and how seamlessly and effortlessly she made it seem to all of us, with a wonderful outcome of eight new PhD students coming into the department this fall and five master’s students.”Victor Smith, the School’s moving and storage specialist, also serves with a smile as he makes his rounds in four buildings. His popularity was evident as four dozen SOP colleagues logged in to see his virtual award ceremony.
Victor Smith
Michelle Besser
Smith also was integral to UMB’s Blue Cart program, helping the Office of Emergency Management build the carts, distribute them across the University, and restock them. These carts contain disinfectant spray, paper towels, hand sanitizer, and polyethylene gloves.
Besser, Smith Named UMB Employees of Month
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“Victor maintains a positive attitude and a ‘consider it done’ communication style. His problem-solving skills have averted chaos on multiple occasions, always with a smile, a suggestion, and a reminder to folks to wear their masks properly,” said his supervisor Pam Crowe, MS, facilities and laboratory services director.
That was recognized in February 2022 and September 2021 as Victor Smith and Michelle Besser were saluted as University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Employees of the Month,Besser,respectively.business services specialist in the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research (PHSR), started her job just two weeks before COVID-19 forced her to begin teleworking in March 2020.
A caring and calm presence, Smith is responsible for all moving projects, coordinating event setups, sending work orders to keep SOP buildings safe, and overseeing ultralow freezer maintenance and remote monitoring. He remained on campus in 2020 during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As one of the few essential employees on campus, he made sure important deliveries continued and that vital research equipment was set up, broken down, transferred, and set up again. Construction projects did not stop at the School, with Victor facilitating moves and building access,” Crowe said.
“It was the first time we took the interview day virtual, so we had to plan: ‘How do we want to do this?’”
Besser downloaded applications to Image Now so the admissions committee members could review them. She worked with the Qualtrics system, which allows faculty to answer questions to judge the applications. And she set up PHSR’s first all-virtual interview day for 30 prospective students.“Wedid interviews with breakout rooms in Zoom, funneling them back and forth through different sessions. We rotated them every half-hour so they could get to meet and be interviewed by multiple members of the faculty,” Besser said.
“When I came to the United States from South Korea, I was fortunate to meet two loving host families who raised me as a part of their families and taught me about intercultural competence,” said Kim, who is pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree as part of the Class of 2023. “They showed me the way to love different cultures without being biased, which had a great impact on me as a person.”
These yeoman efforts have not gone unnoticed, as Kim received UMB’s 2022 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Outstanding Student. Kim was “ecstatic” to learn of the award.
In less than three years on campus, Kim has been involved in a variety of extracurricular activities focused on leadership and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at the School. He has served as the Class of 2023 president; Student Government Association secretary and president; co-chair of the Interfraternity Council; member of the School’s DEI Task Force; and student co-chair of the Maryland Pharmacy Coalition.
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When Sean Kim arrived in Atlanta as a 16-year-old foreign exchange student in 2007, he was placed with host families who instilled in him the values of inclusiveness, engagement, and leadership. Fifteen years later, as a School of Pharmacy student, Kim lives those values every day.
“It’s hard for me to express how grateful I am to UMB and its Diversity Advisory Council for recognizing me with this award,” Kim said. “It is one of my highest achievements as a student at UMB. The award is given to advance efforts to spread Dr. King’s legacy, which is to foster diversity and inclusion. Winning this award makes me feel I am part of that legacy to carry his dream.” b
Sean Kim
PATIENTS Program Wins Diversity Staff Award
Surrounding Executive Director C. Daniel Mullins (center) are some members of the PATIENTS team: (clockwise from left) Michelle Medeiros, Godwin Okoye, Rodney Elliott, Thomas "Joe" Howarth, Genevieve Polk, and Eileen Eldridge.
In 2021, the program began working on an exciting new project with a UMB community partner,
It launched a series of biweekly Facebook Live events titled “Real Time with Rodney” and “BJ’s Corner,” hosted by Rodney Elliott, engagement specialist, and Barbarajean “BJ” Robinson-Shaneman, senior program specialist. In the fall of 2021, Elliott’s program shared ideas from community partners about how being financially healthy has a direct impact on your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.”BJ’s Corner” busted myths about how research is conducted.
SGA President Receives UMB Diversity Award
He also helped to plan the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association’s virtual 2021 Young Generation Technical and Leadership Conference and is a student ambassador in the School’s Career Navigation Program, helping to organize professional development events and career fairs for students.
In its mission to conduct patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR), the PATIENTS Program at the School of Pharmacy prides itself on meeting West Baltimore community members where they live, work, or worship. When COVID-19 hit and halted in-person outreach, the program pivoted to meet people where almost everyone had moved: cyberspace.
On a broader level at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), he has served as a senator with the University Student Government Association (USGA), and worked with the USGA affiliate International Students Organization to petition for changes to international student visa requirements regarding COVID-19 implemented during the Trump administration. He also finds time to volunteer with the UMB Health Alliance, another USGA affiliate in which students work to reduce the gaps in health care access and services, social resources, and legal aid for West Baltimore residents.
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“I am honored to join many of my current and former colleagues in receiving the Purdum Award,” Feemster said. “I am fortunate to work with amazing professionals from all over the state who have been instrumental in shaping my pharmacy career.” b
the Southwest Partnership, to develop capacity for patientcentered outcomes research and comparative effectiveness research (CER). That project, COmmunity Based Development of CollaboRatIVE and Sustainable PartNerships in PCOR/CER (CO-DRIVEN), was funded through a $250,000 award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute and is led by Michelle Medeiros, MS, MA, CCRP, the program’s director of research.
The PATIENTS Program also delivered in 2021 by helping to address barriers preventing city residents from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, working with Mount Lebanon Baptist Church and Walgreens to administer first and second doses to nearly 300 people.
Feemster’s research interests include pharmacy practice management and leadership, medication safety, pharmacy informatics, global health, and interprofessional education.
“Dr. Feemster receiving the Purdum Award is a tribute to her work in experiential learning and medication safety,” said Jill Morgan, PharmD, BCPS, BCPPS, professor and chair of PPS. “She has done an excellent job revamping experiential learning in the School during her five years as assistant dean. Her work in medication safety at multiple institutions and with organizations such as MSHP and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have led to safer care for patients in Maryland and beyond. I am very happy she was awarded this Feemsterrecognition.”receivedher Doctor of Pharmacy degree from
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the University of South Carolina and her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the Medical University of South Carolina. She completed a pharmacy practice residency at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta and is a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist.Sheserved as interim director of pharmacy and assistant director of clinical pharmacy, investigational drug, and central production services at the University of Maryland Medical Center before joining the School of Pharmacy in 2014.
In her role as assistant dean for experiential learning, Feemster has made a significant impact including creation of seven new Advanced Practice Pharmacy Experience (APPE) electives and new Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences, development of international student exchange programs, implementation of online preceptor development trainings, development of a preceptor report card, transition to an electronic preceptor approval process, and expansion of the APPE clinical track programs to include Walgreens, Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., and Kaiser.
Feemster Receives MSHP Purdum Award
Agnes Ann Feemster
The Purdum Award — MSHP’s highest honor — is presented annually to an individual whose accomplishments, achievements, or performance relate to Maryland health system pharmacy.
Agnes Ann Feemster, PharmD, BCPS, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science (PPS) and assistant dean for experiential learning at the School of Pharmacy and the medication safety officer for oncology with Johns Hopkins Hospital, received the 2021 W. Arthur Purdum Award from the Maryland Society of HealthSystem Pharmacy (MSHP).
For its engagement efforts, the PATIENTS Program received the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s 2022 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Outstanding Staff. b
Farm was envisioned in 2018 as a dedicated space for faculty, staff, and students to collaborate, nurture, and develop their pharmapreneurial ideas. Its prominent location is a visible reminder to all who enter Pharmacy Hall of the importance the School places on “cultivating and growing” the next generation of pharmapreneurs and cutting-edge ideas for pharmacy’s role in entrepreneurship, Eddington said.
Alumna Terry Gyi, BSP ’83, PharmD ’06, and her daughter, Rebecca Gyi-Hovis, MD, made a $1 million gift to the School to endow the Gyi Endowed Memorial Professorship in Pharmapreneurship in honor of their late husband and father. The founder of Chesapeake Research Review and pharmapreneur passed away in 2014.
“Now, with UMB and the School of Pharmacy having returned to in-person activities, I’m excited to officially cut the ribbon and open the Farm for everyone to see and use it,” said Eddington, who was joined by University of Maryland, Baltimore President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, in snipping the red ribbon with oversized scissors.
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“I am so pleased that you are here with us today to join me in finally cutting the ribbon to officially open our Pharmapreneurs’ Farm and to announce our newly appointed Felix Gyi Professor in Pharmapreneurship,” said Natalie D. Eddington, PhD ’89, FAAPS, FCP, dean and professor, as she welcomed attendees to the celebration. The event, held in the Ellen H. Yankellow Grand Atrium in Pharmacy Hall, also was
The School of Pharmacy celebrated the next phase of its Pharmapreneurship™ initiative in October by cutting the ribbon to open its Pharmapreneurs’ Farm and announcing a new endowed professor in pharmapreneurship.
“Andtime. we continued our vital patient care programs and research initiatives under extremely difficult circumstances and guidelines, none of which would be possible without our collective pharmapreneurial mindset, a mindset that is actively encouraged and cultivated at the School,” she continued. In the last four years, the School of Pharmacy has established partnerships with other leading entrepreneurial institutions to increase programmatic and mentorship opportunities for its faculty, staff, and students, Eddington added.
“Magaly brings a wealth of expertise and enthusiasm to this role,” said Eddington. Later in the afternoon, Rodriguez de Bittner delivered the inaugural Gyi Professor Lecture and outlined her vision for the future of pharmapreneurship. The professorship follows the Gyi family’s gift of $750,000 in 2019 to fund the Felix A. Khin-Maung-Gyi Memorial Scholarship for Pharmapreneurship, which provides one full year of tuition for a student pharmacist who has demonstrated a commitment to entrepreneurship. b
School Hosts Pharmapreneurship Celebration
livestreamed.ThePharmapreneurs’
In 2017, the School of Pharmacy launched its Pharmapreneurship initiative, which outlines the School’s commitment to supporting and best positioning faculty and students to achieve their career aspirations and address the nation’s health care, research, policy, and societal needs. The innovative initiative is used to advance pharmacy education, scientific discovery, patient care, and community engagement across the state of Maryland and beyond.
The Farm is one example of how the School of Pharmacy continued to push forward during a global public health crisis, Eddington
“Despitesaid.the challenges presented by the ongoing pandemic, our community’s support has allowed the School of Pharmacy to persevere over the last 18 months,” she said. Eddington noted that the School created a robust online learning environment, expanded enrollment in its MS and PhD programs to reach more students, and played a leading role in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines on campus and in the community during that
The ceremony also included naming Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner, PharmD ’83, BCPS, CDE, FAPhA, the Felix Gyi Endowed Memorial Professor in Pharmapreneurship. Rodriguez de Bittner, professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science and the School’s associate dean for clinical services and practice transformation, will lead all pharmapreneurial activities at the School, providing focus, direction, and support for the groundbreaking initiative.
The Pharmapreneurs’ Farm, which was made possible by donor support, is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that allows for presentations and demonstrations both in person and virtually and is designed with collaboration in mind. It was completed in spring 2020 but sat empty due to the coronavirus pandemic.
UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell and Dean Natalie D. Eddington cut the ribbon to officially open Pharmapreneurs' Farm.
Nicole Brandt, PharmD ’97, MBA, BCGP, BCPP, FASCP, professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science (PPS) and executive director of the Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging, received the Clinician of the Year Award from the Foundation for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care (PALTC) Medicine.Theaward recognizes a health care practitioner who serves in long-term care settings, is directly involved in treating and caring for people, and embodies excellence in patient/resident care. Brandt is the inaugural recipient of the honor, which she received at PALTC’s 2022 annual meeting in March.
Ebere Onukwugha, PhD, MS – associate professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research (PHSR), to professor with tenure
PPS’ Brandt Receives Clinician of the Year
“I am deeply humbled and honored to be recognized by my peers with this award,” says Brandt. “I have been a practicing pharmacist for nearly 25 years and have dedicated my career to improving medication use and safety for aging adults through education, practice, policy, and scholarly activities.”
Brandt has led several projects that have focused on Medicare Part D Medication Therapy Management programs, high-risk medications, and stewardship of antimicrobials and psychotropic medications. She served as a co-chair of and partnered with several colleagues and the United States Deprescribing Research Network to develop and widely disseminate a Deprescribing Implementation Guide for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also is a co-author of the past three versions of the American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria
Jia Bei Wang, PhD ’92 –professor, PSC, to professor emeritus to the following faculty on their recent promotions!
Since joining the faculty in 1999 following her 1997 graduation from the School of Pharmacy, Brandt has expanded geriatric training opportunities at the School, including the geriatrics/palliative care pathway in the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacistsaccredited geriatrics residency, and a two-year post-PharmD fellowship. Recently, Brandt helped launch the Elder Care Medicine Network, a collaborative effort among three regional partners that aims to engage local communities in medication-related patient-centered outcomes research.
A past president of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, Brandt also has been active in AMDA – The Society for PALTC Medicine, speaking at many AMDA conferences and publishing in the journals Caring for the Ages and the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
– associate withSciencesDepartmentprofessor,ofPharmaceutical(PSC),toprofessortenure
Cherokee Layson-Wolf, PharmD ’00, BCGP, BCACP, FAPhA – associate professor, PPS, to professor
Neha Pandit, PharmD –associate professor, PPS, to professor
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In addition to her academic responsibilities, Brandt has
Edward Moreton, PhD –professor, PSC, to professor emeritus
Francis Palumbo, PhD, JD, MS – professor, PHSR, to professor emeritus
“I have been fortunate and honored to work with Dr. Brandt in interdisciplinary education for many years, and I am so thrilled she is the first pharmacist to receive this award from PALTC,” says Barbara Resnick, PhD, RN, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, professor and the Sonya Ziporkin Gershowitz Chair in Gerontology at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. “I have seen Dr. Brandt’s dedication to improving the lives of older adults, but she is also a skilled educator focused on exposing students and clinicians to educational opportunities in geriatrics.” b
CynthiaBrandtBoyle,
Danya Qato, PhD, PharmD, MPH – assistant professor, PHSR, to associate professor with tenure
Maureen Kane, PhD
Congratulations
Nicole PharmD ’96, FAPhA, FNAP, FASCP
– professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science (PPS), to professor emeritus
“Dr. Brandt has been a regional and national leader in geriatric and long-term care for many years, and I am thrilled that she has been recognized as such,” says Jill Morgan, PharmD, BCPS, BCPPS, professor and chair of PPS. “Dr. Brandt sets a high standard for balancing clinical responsibilities with teaching and administrative work. Her leadership has resulted in the creation of enduring resources for the post-acute and long-term care clinical community and for trainees across disciplines.”
consistently maintained a practice as a clinical or consultant pharmacist specializing in the care of older adults.
MPowering the State (MPower) appointed eight professors, four from the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and four from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), as the inaugural MPower Professors. Bruce Yu, PhD, a professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (PSC) at the School of Pharmacy and director of the School’s Bioand Nano-Technology Center, was selected for his expertise and collaboration in biophysics and bioengineering.
Adds Natalie D. Eddington, PhD ’89, FAAPS, FCP, dean and professor of the School of Pharmacy, “Dr. Yu’s unique expertise in biochemistry, biophysics, and bioengineering and his joint appointment with IBBR make him an exceptional MPower collaborator. His selection as an MPower Professor indicates USM’s recognition of his impact and investment in his research.”
“With this investment, we are accelerating the pace of our research and the pace of our impact on the lives of Marylanders,” says UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS. “By supporting these MPower Professors, we are recognizing the commitment and drive they’ve already shown, and we are opening up new possibilities for their work, giving them the freedom to think big, tackle new problems, and achieve results much quicker than ever before.”“This inaugural cohort of MPower Professors includes stellar leaders who have created significant collaborations,” says UMCP President Darryll J. Pines, PhD, MS. “Our two campuses are strengthened by interdisciplinary research, and I congratulate and commend these faculty members for their initiative and dedication.”Eachprofessor receives $150,000, allocated over three years, to apply to their salary or to support supplemental research activities.TheUniversity of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State is a collaboration between the state of Maryland’s two most powerful public research institutions UMB and UMCP. It leverages the sizable strengths and complementary missions of both institutions to strengthen Maryland’s innovation economy, advance interdisciplinary research, create opportunities for students, and solve important problems for the people of Maryland and the nation. b
Yu’s lab at the University System of Maryland’s (USM) joint Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) advances the development of analytical technologies for characterizing complex drugs and vaccines. He has worked on protein biophysics, imaging agents, and biomaterials engineering. His group developed defect-free synthesis of fluorinated dendrimers as F-19 MRI agents and explored how chirality affects biomaterials.
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To be considered for the MPower Professorship, faculty must demonstrate collaboration on strategic research that would be unattainable or difficult to achieve by UMB or UMCP acting independent of one another and must embrace the mission of MPower — to collaboratively strengthen and serve the state of Maryland and its citizens.
“As the first joint appointment between UMB and UMCP in 2007, I’m thrilled to receive the honor and recognition
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bestowed by the inaugural MPower Professorship,” says Yu. “Our current work on biomanufacturing technologies can contribute to interactions between the two universities and to the economy and pandemic readiness in Maryland and beyond.”
Most recently, his group pioneered a noninvasive analytical technology, termed wNMR, which has generated wide interest in pharma/biotech industry and instrument makers. He is an inventor of several new technologies and holds nine issued U.S. and European patents and multiple pending patents, including for dendrimer synthesis, biomaterials engineering, and noninvasive analytical technologies. Current research in his lab focuses on applying wNMR to biologics manufacturing and quality control, including detecting counterfeit and substandard vaccines and drugs.
PSC Faculty Member Earns Inaugural MPower ProfessorshipTheUniversityofMarylandStrategicPartnership:
Yu received his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Peking University in 1987 and his PhD in biophysics from Johns Hopkins University in 1996. His postdoctoral training was in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy at the State University of New York at Buffalo and protein engineering at the University of Alberta. In 2007, he received a U.S. Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
Bruce Yu
Inaugural Assistant Dean of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion AppointedChanelWhittaker,
PharmD, BCGP, FASCP, has been appointed the School of Pharmacy’s inaugural assistant dean of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). An associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, director of the University of Maryland PGY2 Geriatrics Residency Program, and director of education and training at the School of Pharmacy’s Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging, Whittaker has been on faculty at the School since 2005.“The
She is an American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Tideswell scholar and one of the few pharmacists who has participated in AGS' Emerging Leaders in Aging Program. Whittaker is currently in the second cohort of the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s Faculty Leadership Program.
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Whittaker is a board-certified geriatric pharmacist and a fellow of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists. Her practice and teaching specialties include geriatric pharmacotherapy and chronic kidney disease. She has practiced in several ambulatory and community settings providing services to older adults in the Baltimore area, including the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
“The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy has a long-standing reputation for excellence in its mission areas of education, practice, research, and community service, and now we have the opportunity to reimagine and redefine excellence through the lens of equity, diversity, and inclusion, making the School inclusive to all members of our community,” Whittaker says. “As assistant dean for EDI, I look forward to partnering with leadership, faculty, staff, and students to foster a community where EDI is foundational to how we operate the School, educate and train future leaders, conduct research, engage in clinical practice, and partner with communities. I am truly honored to be given this Whittakeropportunity.”willmaintain some of her teaching and clinical responsibilities while leading EDI efforts and will work collaboratively with the DEI Task Force, which now transitions to an advisory council.
Whittaker has served in a leadership role as a co-chair of the School’s inaugural DEI Task Force, formed in the fall of 2020. With emerging expertise on antiracism in pharmacy and in increasing access to health literate education in the community, Whittaker has worked collaboratively with School leadership, faculty, staff, and students to conduct internal and external environmental scans of EDI strengths and opportunities within the School and to learn about programs on campus and nationally. The task force also has developed an initial strategic plan for EDI, of which Whittaker will now head implementation.
“I offer my thanks to the faculty, staff, and students who served on our DEI Task Force and supported the search process,” says Eddington. “Their efforts helped lay a strong foundation on which future EDI efforts will be built. And I invite each member of our community to join me in committing to work with Dr. Whittaker and the advisory council on the advancement of EDI initiatives at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.” b
Chanel Whittaker
national search process for this vital position at the School began a year ago to accomplish one of the key charges of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion [DEI] Task Force,” says Natalie D. Eddington, PhD ’89, FAAPS, FCP, dean and professor of the School of Pharmacy. “I am so happy that we found the perfect candidate within our School of Pharmacy community.”
In 2013, Whittaker completed a fellowship in ethnogeriatrics with the Stanford Geriatric Education Center and has since leveraged this training to develop and incorporate new cultural competencies into the School’s Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum and national standards for training PharmD students and residents in geriatrics. She has developed several evidence-based educational programs and resources to increase access to health information and improve the medication literacy of older adults and caregivers.
Visit the School of Pharmacy’s online News Center for more stories. https://news.pharmacy.umaryland.edu
Nicole Brandt, PharmD ’97, MBA, BCGP, BCPP, FASCP, received the Clinical Director of the Year Award from the Mid-Atlantic Medical Directors Association.
Faculty and Staff Laurels
with a special emphasis on nanotechnology platforms aimed at increasing oral drug bioavailability.
“It is a recognition not just of excellence, but also of impact and significant contribution to the nominee’s field, knowledge, profession, and/or practice,” Jarrell said in his letter to the UMB community announcing Swaan and six other honorees.
“I’m extremely proud of the exceptional and transformational contributions each of these faculty members has made in support of UMB’s mission to improve the human condition and serve the public good. They are excellent examples of living the UMB core values, and it is my honor to call them colleagues.”
Peter Swaan
Swaan is a fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Sciences and currently serves as chair of the Board of Grants for the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education.“Iamextremely honored and proud to be awarded the title of Distinguished University Professor,” Swaan said. “This is ultimately a sign that my colleagues across campus respect the contributions I have made to not just my research field, pharmacy profession, and our School, but also to the campus and the university system as a whole. Over my years as associate dean for research, I have interacted and worked with many colleagues from all seven UMB schools and served on campus committees and cross-campus workforces with peers at the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. I have cherished these interactions and this expanded network has benefited our School’s visibility as a strong campus community partner. I’d like to thank all my current and former mentors, colleagues, and students, without whom this honor would not have been possible.”
The following School of Pharmacy faculty recently retired: • Cynthia Boyle, PharmD ’96, FAPhA, FNAP, FASCP, professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science – 17 years • Edward Moreton, PhD, professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (PSC) – 48 years • Francis Palumbo, PhD, JD, MS, professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research – 48 years • Jia Bei Wang, PhD ’92, professor, PSC – 27 years Continued on page 11
“As a prolific and well-respected faculty member at the School of Pharmacy, Dr. Swaan is most deserving of the Distinguished University Professor honor,” said Natalie D. Eddington, PhD ’89, FAAPS, FCP, dean and professor of the School. “His 20-year tenure here is marked by outstanding scholarly, academic, and research contributions as a faculty member, administrator, and mentor to countless students, trainees, and fellows.”
University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, announced in May that Peter Swaan, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the School of Pharmacy and associate dean for research and advanced graduate studies, has been awarded the designation of Distinguished University Professor, the highest appointment bestowed on a faculty member at UMB.
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Cynthia Boyle, PharmD ’96, FAPhA, FNAP, FASCP, was appointed vice president of the board of directors of the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy. She also received the Maryland Pharmacists Association’s
(MPhA) 2022 Mentor Award and will receive the 2022 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Pharmacy Practice Section Distinguished Pharmacy Educator Award at AACP’s annual meeting in Texas in July.
NEWSSCHOOL
Swaan Named Distinguished University Professor
Swaan and the six other UMB faculty members will receive Distinguished University Professor medals at UMB’s first-ever convocation in the fall. b
Swaan received his doctorate in biopharmaceutical sciences from Utrecht University in the Netherlands and served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco before accepting his first faculty position at Ohio State University. In 2003, he joined the faculty at the School of Pharmacy, where his research has focused on all aspects of transport proteins in drug targeting and delivery, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and innovative methods for drug delivery,
Raymond Love, PharmD ’77, BCPP, FASHP, was invited to serve on the USP Drug Allergy and Intolerance Classification Expert Panel.
Eric Kettering had his video — Tangerine Technique — accepted to the American Public Health Association’s Film Festival.
Alexander MacKerell Jr., PhD, received the American Chemical Society’s 2022 Award for Computers in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research.
Ryan Pearson, PhD, has been named the School of Pharmacy’s AACP 2022 Teacher of the Year.
Meghan Ehret, PharmD, MS, BCPP, received MPhA’s 2022 Pharmacist Advocate Award.
Cherokee Layson-Wolf, PharmD ’00, BCGP, BCACP, FAPhA, and Jill Morgan, PharmD, BCPS, BCPPS, received citations from Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan for their work on an interdisciplinary UMB team that set up the SMC Campus Center COVID-19 joint vaccination site in 2021. LaysonWolf also was appointed to the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Health Equity Advisory Group.
Deanna Tran, PharmD ’11, BCACP, was named a Baltimore Business Journal 40 Under 40 and was installed as president of MPhA.
Ebere Onukwugha, PhD, MS, was named program committee co-chair for the 2022 annual meeting of ISPOR - The
Mathangi Gopalakrishnan, MS, PhD, has been named director of the School’s MS in Pharmacometrics Program.
Andrew Coop, PhD, was named to the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Leaders in Education: Academy of Presidential Scholars (LEAPS) Council of Schools. He also has been named chair-elect of AACP’s Graduate Education Special Interest Group.
Kimberly Claeys, PharmD, was named a Scholar in Diagnostic Excellence by the National Academy of Medicine.
Ester Villalonga Olives, PhD, MsC, was named an Early Investigator Advancement Program Scholar by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She and Fadia Shaya, PhD, MPH, were named UMB Center for Global Engagement 2021 GLOBALtimore Fellows.
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Farideh Sistani, PharmD ’21, was an ISPOR 2022 Research Presentation Award finalist.
Lisa Lebovitz, JD, MS ’21, was part of a multi-institutional group that received the Best Collaborative Publication Award from AACP’s Assessment Special Interest Group.
School of Pharmacy preceptors — Ifeanyi Egbunike-Chukwuma, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP; Kristen Fink, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, CDCES; and Patricia Ross, PharmD, MEdHP, BCACP — received 2021 AACP Preceptor of the Year Awards.
Zafar Zafari, MSc, PhD, has been appointed to the NIH Study Section for Organization and Delivery of Health Services.
James Polli, PhD, received the 2021 Award for Regulatory Excellence in Education from the Organization for Professionals in Regulatory Affairs.
Neha Pandit, PharmD, has been named president-elect of the School of Pharmacy’s Faculty Assembly.
Mary Lynn McPherson, PharmD ’86, MA, MDE, BCPS, CPE, received the Distinguished Hospice Interdisciplinary Team Member Award from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM). She and Kathryn Walker, PharmD, BCPS, CPE, have been named Fellows of the AAHPM.
Denise Couch, BSN, RN, CSPI, of the School of Pharmacy’s Maryland Poison Center, has been recertified as a specialist in poison information (CSPI) for a fourth
Kristin Watson, PharmD, BCPS-AQ, was appointed chair of the Maryland Health and Wellness Council's Heart Disease and Stroke Committee. She also has been elected the School of Pharmacy’s alternate delegate to the AACP.
Emily Heil, PharmD, BCIDP, BCPS-AQ ID, AAHIVP, received MPhA’s 2022 Excellence in Innovation Award.
Wendy Camelo Castillo, MD, MSc, PhD, was named an associate editor of the journal Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety
Threetime.
Chad Johnson, PhD ’19, was named codirector of the MS in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics Program.
Zachary Noel, PharmD, was appointed to AACP’s Professionalism and Social Media Task Force.
A team of faculty and students from the Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging received the Howard Guterman Poster Award at AMDA — The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine meeting in March.
Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research. She also has been re-elected to ISPOR’s board of directors and has been named to the Innovation and Value Initiative’s Health Equity Steering Committee.
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Philanthropy has long been a bedrock of the School of Pharmacy’s foundation. Student scholarships, faculty endowments, research, and community outreach all rely on continued investment by selfless donors, allowing excellence to blossom at the School.
Now president and CEO of Correct Rx Pharmacy Services, the company she founded in 2003, Yankellow is regarded as one of the leading women pharmacists in the country and an expert in institutional/geriatric pharmacy. She started Correct Rx after a long career as a top executive in the pharmaceutical services industry. Her business model is based on innovative
The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP), and especially its students, are fortunate to have alumni who are eager to give back. Here are some of their stories.
Still an active and engaged consultant at 80, Caplan says he doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon. “I love what
“I happened to get into it at the right time,” says Caplan. “Knowing these basics, I got into what I’m doing because of a background in pharmacology.”
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Inspiring Others
By Gwen Newman
He and his wife, Suzanne Caplan, BSP ’65, give generously to their alma mater. Their latest gift — the Yale and Suzanne Caplan Scholarship — provides endowed support for graduate students in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. This scholarship is awarded based on academic achievement to those engaged in research in analytical toxicology and pharmacology. The first student award will be announced soon.
I’m doing.”Hehas a passion for the work that he does and for the students he can inspire.
Like Caplan, Ellen H. Yankellow, BSP ’73, PharmD ’96, loves her career and aspires to help and influence others.
Yale Caplan
“If you always do what interests you, at least one person is happy.”
Scholarships Fuel Students’ Passions
Yale Caplan, BSP ’63, PhD ’68, holds a certain quote close to heart.
Caplan didn’t plan to detour into forensic toxicology, but he is recognized as an expert – having testified at more than 700 court trials and spearheading Maryland drug testing and DUI policy along the way. He credits UMSOP for giving him the skill set that he needed and that benefited him every step of his career.
Caplan has supported UMSOP philanthropically for years and relishes the prospect of influencing others in their young, accomplished careers.
“I love the idea of contributing to science, and I’m so appreciative of the support I’ve received along the way, especially the
Ira
clinical programs that offer better medical outcomes and lower health care costs, at the same time.
The 2021 recipient of the Fedder Fellowship was Sean Fleming, who received it as a student in PHSR. Like all of the School’s scholarship recipients, he is a stellar student, leader, researcher, published author, and community activist.Fleming, who graduated in May, has extensive research skills, working in multidisciplinary fields on integrating health policy, epidemiology, economics, and clinical perspectives. He’s been published for his work on smoking cessation and has lectured in the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program, led small groups of pre- and postdoctoral pharmacy trainees in study design, data analytics, and scientific writing and presentation. He also has been a reviewer for the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, the Journal of American Medical Directors Association, and the American Journal of Public Health.
“First and foremost, you have to believe in and love the pharmacy profession,” she says. “For me personally, I understand the impact that pharmacists have as an integral part of the interprofessional health care team. The first modality of treatment by providers is medication, which affects every aspect of care. Having a pharmacist as an expert in medication therapy is an essential factor to optimize better patient outcomes.
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A Family Legacy
“I was immersed in pharmacy, from birth, and I was in one of the early PharmD classes. My father was a 1950 graduate. My pharmacy education was my best education, and I still use it to this day.”
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control. “Receiving the scholarship helped me actualize my dream of having specialization in regulatory science and eliminates a lot of financial burden. I am most grateful to Dr. Yankellow for this philanthropic initiative.”
“Some students simply cannot afford the tuition, especially professionals in low- to middleincome countries,” says Ikhide, who is the chief regulatory officer of pharmacovigilance and post-market surveillance at Nigeria’s
Yankellow scholarship recipient
Ellen Yankellow
SeanFedderFleming
Yvonne Ikhide
Ira Fedder, PharmD ’79, MD, shares Yankellow’s enthusiasm. The Fedder Fellowship was established by family and friends in honor of his father, Donald Fedder, DrPh, MPH, BSP, FAPhA, a public health pharmacist and longtime faculty member at UMSOP who passed away in 2010. The scholarship supports the training and development of a graduate student in the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research (PHSR) whose work focuses on social justice, pharmacy advocacy, or public
Toinductee.further encourage academic growth and diversify expertise, she established the Yankellow Scholarship and Fellowship, which provides a full year of financial support for a fellow and a full year of tuition assistance for a graduate student enrolled in the School’s MS in Regulatory Science program or its MS in Pharmacometrics program.
Yvonne Ikhide is a student in the MS in Regulatory Science program whose career objective is to improve the safety of medicines by providing accurate and science-based information. She is thankful for Yankellow’s support.
Yankellow serves on the board of numerous organizations — including the School of Pharmacy’s Board of Visitors — and is the recipient of awards for her service and leadership, including the American Pharmacists Association’s Bowl of Hygeia Award, one of the most widely recognized international symbols for pharmacy and considered one of the profession’s most prestigious awards. Other awards include The Maryland Daily Record’s Most Admired CEO, I-95 Business Women of Influence Award, UMSOP's Founding Pharmapreneurs Award, the Catholic Business Leadership Award, Associated Black Charities Community Impact Award, and the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland Distinguished Women’s Award, and she is a Maryland Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame
Irahealth.Fedder grew up in his family’s pharmacy and is now an acclaimed orthopaedic surgeon and a Top Doctor in Maryland by Baltimore magazine. He also is among the many UMSOP donors who continue to support their alma mater and, by extension, their family legacy.
“And, because of my high confidence in and my advocacy for pharmacy, it is natural to want to invest in the potential of our students and the profession. I am excited about the future of our graduates and what amazing accomplishments are yet to come.”
“The Wagner Family Scholarship has been an excellent opportunity to further my career aspirations, and I’m so thankful,” she says.
Bhatt, who graduated from UMSOP in May, has been a student employee for the School’s Behavioral Health Resources and Technical Assistance Program, a pharmacy intern and technician, a School of Pharmacy tutor, an entrepreneurial fellow, a UMB President’s Fellow and an innovation fellow. She is actively engaged in research on predictors of COVID-19 outcomes as a function of resource access, birth control trends in South Asian women in North America, and the training of medical cannabis dispensary staff in Maryland.
“I had a chance to meet Sean, and he was filled with so much excitement, enthusiasm, and drive. It was very heartening because it was like seeing a piece of my father in him. My father’s spirit is very much alive through these remarkable students. I am genuinely amazed by their passion and vision, and I am very humbled that my family can play a role in helping them achieve their goals and dreams.” b
Helping Entrepreneurs Excel
Gyi Family
that helps users find prescriptionfriendly resources online. A formulation scientist by training, his future is bright.
Meghna Bhatt
“The establishment and endowing of the nine Wagner Family Scholarships at the prestigious University of Maryland School of Pharmacy was a tremendous opportunity for me to honor the loving memories and impactful careers of my family members who graduated from the School,” Wagner says. “It also serves as a wonderful opportunity to support future generations of Maryland pharmacy students to be trained at the home of pharmapreneurship to the benefit of both patients and innovation. The Wagner family will forever be grateful to the School and to Dean Eddington for the leadership and excellence that distinguishes our School of Pharmacy."
Sean Kim
He is the recipient of the Felix A. Khin-Maung-Gyi Memorial Scholarship for Pharmapreneurship, which was established in 2019 with a $750,000 gift from Rebecca GyiHovis, MD, and her family in honor of her late father, Felix A. Khin-MaungGyi, BSP ’83, PharmD, MBA, chair and founder of Chesapeake Research Review. It provides a full year of tuition for a student pharmacist who has demonstrated a commitment to entrepreneurship and is the School’s largest scholarship.“TheSchool of Pharmacy is very important to my family,” says Gyi-Hovis, a pediatrician. “It is where my parents met, and it formed the basis of my dad’s career. What he learned and took away from the School opened many doors for him. He always stressed to me the importance of critical thinking, and I truly believe that the School of Pharmacy helped instill this in him. This mindset then became the foundation on which he was able to build a career shaped around advancing the way we think about human subject research protections and the safety of new medicines and medical devices. His background in clinical pharmacy gave him insight into drug development and patient care, which was pivotal to the work he did providing private IRB services through his company. We are very grateful for the successes of his life’s work, so it only made sense to give back to the place where it all began.
Third-year PharmD student Sean Kim grew up in South Korea, moved to the U.S. as a high school student, attended Liberty University in Virginia, and has already started a tech company
generosity of the Fedder Fellowship,” FlemingMeghnasays.Bhatt, one of UMSOP’s Wagner Family Scholarship recipients, also is appreciative of the support she’s received in her already stellar career.Daniel E. Wagner, JD, serves as a powerful advocate for student success through his support of the School’s Pharmapreneurship™ initiative. In 2020, he established a collection of annual endowed scholarships in honor of his family’s legacy at the School, which included an impressive nine graduates. He has ensured that the collection of Wagner Family Scholarships in Pharmapreneurship will be funded and awarded each year to nine PharmD students enrolled in the School’s Pharmapreneurship Pathway, continuing into perpetuity. This generous support gives students a platform to explore business ideas and ventures.
Endowed professorships and chairs are a time-honored way in academia to reward excellence in scholarship and teaching, but their impact can be much broader. The prestige and resources they offer lead faculty to new opportunities, accomplishments, and collaborations, while drawing worldwide attention to the School of Pharmacy’s many strengths.“Having an endowed professorship is a great honor, as it is indicative of the respect that our colleagues have for the research contributions made by our lab,” says ALEXANDER MACKERELL JR., PHD, the School’s GrollmanGlick Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (PSC). “The title opens doors for additional research collaborations with other colleagues in the School of Pharmacy, as well as with other scientists at the University of Maryland and throughout the world. It has been a great opportunity to collaborate with many outstanding scientists across the planet.”
Endowed Professorships Honor Past, Present
By Christine Stutz
MacKerell cites as examples his lab’s early studies on the conformational properties of nucleic acids and their biological implications, which led to multiple publications and additional funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as several collaborative studies within the School of Pharmacy in
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The Evelyn Grollman-Glick Endowed Professorship was made possible by a bequest from the estate of the late Evelyn Grollman, the sister of Ellis S. Grollman, who graduated from the School of Pharmacy in 1926. Grollman practiced as a pharmacist at Johns Hopkins and Sinai hospitals in Baltimore. He later served as a community pharmacist in several Maryland cities, including Frederick, Ocean City, Gaithersburg, and Annapolis. The endowment funds both the professorship and a lecture series that brings well-recognized researchers in the pharmaceutical and related basic sciences to speak to students and faculty.MacKerell was appointed the inaugural Grollman-Glick Professor in 2008.
Alexander MacKerell Jr.
“Access to financial resources associated with the professorship helped me to fund a postdoctoral fellow,” says MacKerell, who earlier this year received the American Chemical Society Award for Computers in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research. “Because the professorship funds are not restricted by the requirements of a grant or contract, the fellow can pursue novel research directions. This has allowed for new areas of research to be undertaken in the lab before other external funding was available.”
the Computer-Aided Drug Design Center, which he directs.
One of the immediate benefits of an endowed professorship is the ability to hire junior colleagues, such as postdoctoral fellows, to support one’s work.
“I cannot help but think of Ralph Shangraw in considering the research by these individuals,” says Polli. “It involves oral drug bioavailability, including the use of excipients. Ralph
“The funds have allowed me to engage in pilot and offshoot projects that were not covered through current NIH grants,” says Wilks, who was appointed to the chair in 2018. “One
Angela Wilks
JAMES POLLI, PHD, the Ralph Shangraw/Noxell Endowed Chair in Industrial Pharmacy and Pharmaceutics. Recent work involves two graduate students and a visiting faculty member from Turkey.
James Polli
“It has provided a necessary buffer against the occasional gaps in funding from NIH, state governments, and foundations,” she says, “providing financial stability for my research mission that, in turn, allows me to focus on research questions and answers. In the end, funding from the endowed chair has helped build a cohesive, focused, and incredibly successful collaborative in geriatric pharmacotherapeutic policy.”
LINDA WASTILA, BSPHARM, MSPH, PHD, the ParkeDavis Chair of onprofessorshipthefundingsheHealthDepartmentPharmacotherapyGeriatricintheofPharmaceuticalServicesResearch,sayshasusedtheendowedchairtohostthreefellowsoversixyearssinceshereceivedthein2016—onewenttoearnamedicaldegree;one
“ This endowment has been instrumental in allowing me to support a research assistant professor who has complementary expertise in microbiology, a field that is critical to growing the research projects in the lab,” says Wilks. “This also provides a foundational knowledge base in the lab and greatly enriches the continuity in the training and development of graduate students. The sense of team in the research group that the chair has helped create cannot be overstated.”
“I have always had the mindset that scholarship does not occur in one person’s office, that it is a team effort,” says Wastila, who also is director of research for the School’s Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging. “The Parke-Davis endowment has provided financial support for my team’s work, and it has allowed us the luxury of delving a little deeper, writing an additional manuscript, sharing findings at another conference to further our research.”
The endowed chair was established in honor of Dr. Ralph F.Shangraw, a distinguished educator and scholar for nearly 40 years at the School of Pharmacy, who devoted his career to academic research, teaching, and service. Shangraw made outstanding contributions in the areas of pharmaceutics, industrial pharmacy, and drug policy and contributed to the education of countless generations of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists.
The oldest endowed chair in PSC, the Isaac E. Emerson Chair in Pharmaceutical Sciences was initially established as a chair in biological testing and assay by Capt. Isaac Emerson, president of the Emerson Drug Co., which created BromoSeltzer — an antacid designed to relieve the pain caused by heartburn, upset stomach, or acid indigestion — in 1888. It was first awarded to Marvin R. Thompson, PhG, BS, pharmacologist at the Food and Drug Administration, in 1930. Wilks is the seventh recipient of the chair in its 92-year history.
Linda Wastila
is now a tenure-track faculty member at the School of Nursing; and one is currently working on geriatric-related projects with Wastila and her faculty colleagues.
example is the development of a program to create new therapeutics targeting bacterial infection. This pilot project’s data resulted in an NIH R21 award.
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ANGELA WILKS, PHD, the Isaac E. Emerson Chair in PSC, appreciates the creative and collaborative opportunities made possible by the endowed chair’s additional funding for her research, which focuses on mechanisms by which bacterial pathogens acquire and utilize heme as an iron source.
“ The initial research has led to potential lead compounds, for which we are now seeking funds to further develop and license. The research also has led to speaking engagements at conferences and expanded the impact of our research nationally and internationally,” she says.
The chair was established in 1991 by Warner-Lambert, a pharmaceutical company that was acquired by Pfizer in 2000, in recognition of the successful relationship among itself, the School of Pharmacy, and then-pharmaceutical company ParkeDavis. Wastila is the second holder of the chair.
“The endowed chair has allowed our lab to perform studies and attend meetings that we otherwise would not be able to go to,” says
Wilks concurs. “Endowed professorships are prestigious and open up doors that might not be open otherwise,” she says. “They are a means by which we can attract, reward, and retain excellent faculty, and they are a sign of a healthy and thriving research community.” b
Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner
“ This professorship has special meaning since I had the pleasure of knowing Felix Gyi, who graduated the same year as me from the School of Pharmacy and shared the same passion for pharmapreneurship.”TheGyiEndowedProfessorship is part of a major gift to the School from the widow and daughter of Gyi, who earned a BS in pharmacy from the School in 1983 and went on to build a successful business providing institutional review board services. He passed away in 2014.
chair in 2008. “Attendance at conferences gives them practice in presenting their research and networking opportunities for postdoctoral fellowships or jobs after graduation.”
teacher.”“My father loved to teach, and he also loved to learn,” Rebecca says. She explains her own pride in the choice of Rodriguez de Bittner.
Adds MacKerell: “Endowed chairs and professorships are important because they allow an institution to recognize outstanding faculty beyond those individuals being promoted to full professor. This makes individuals outside the institution aware of the outstanding work of scientists in the School of Pharmacy, thereby promoting the reputation of the institution. In a practical sense, the professorships and chairs represent financial incentives to help the institution retain as well as attract outstanding faculty members.”
Terry Gyi, BSP ’83, PharmD ’06, a retired pharmacist and Gyi’s widow, describes her late husband as hard-working and passionately devoted to his profession. A man who was “generous, likable, charismatic, and sincere, Felix was great at mentoring students,” especially with their entrepreneurial ideas, she says.
“My father faced a lot of prejudice throughout his life, as a person of color,” she says. “I have heard Magaly speak about her own roots in Puerto Rico and the challenges she faced along the way.
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MAGALY RODRIGUEZ DE BITTNER, PHARMD ’83, BCPS, CDE, FAPHA, was named the Felix Gyi Endowed Memorial Professor in Pharmapreneurship in October 2021. In this role, she leads all pharmapreneurial activities at the School, providing focus, direction, and support for this initiative, which is integrated into every level at the School, from the curriculum to research projects and practice and community settings.
“For a woman and a person of color to be the very first to hold this professorship, I hope it will open doors for many others.”Clearly honored, Rodriguez de Bittner says: “This endowed professorship will fund activities in support of our students, faculty, and staff to pursue their passion in pharmapreneurship and make a difference in health care and research. I look forward to creating collaborations and moving the vision for pharmapreneurship forward.”
Last, but certainly not least, these professors strongly believe that endowments help reinforce the School’s reputation and position it for future growth by attracting top-notch students and faculty.“Endowments can be an important component of cementing a scholarship portfolio, by attracting qualified and enthusiastic students and postdoctoral fellows, as well as junior colleagues, to an important area of research,” says Wastila. “It has certainly been vital to my individual success, as well as to the success of my trainees.”
“ This endowed professorship has given me the opportunity to pursue my passion for pharmapreneurship,” says Rodriguez de Bittner, who is also associate dean for clinical services and practice transformation and executive director of the School’s Center for Innovative Pharmacy Solutions. “I have had the opportunity to develop innovative and creative programs, working with faculty, staff, students, and alumni to develop transformational projects and products to advance pharmacy practice, health care, and patient outcomes.
The PATIENTS Program was initially funded by a $5 million grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which allowed for the development of programmatic infrastructure that’s since been nationally recognized for
Thanks to philanthropic support, the School of Pharmacy (SOP) is dotting the i’s of involvement and innovation through the PATIENTS Program and Pharmapreneurship™.
Spawned by the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research (PHSR), the PATIENTS Program was founded in 2012 with a mission to partner with patients, care providers, and community members and organizations to answer questions about the best treatment options to improve health and quality of life. It engages people from all communities, especially those from underserved and minority populations, in every step of the patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) process.
Programs Reap the Benefits
“The goal of health equity research is to eliminate the inequities — both the social and economic factors — that are faced by underserved populations,” says C. Daniel Mullins, PhD, professor and executive director of the PATIENTS (PATient-centered Involvement in Evaluating the effectiveNess of TreatmentS) Program.
“But the problem too often is that programs funded through grants alone typically support only the initial research gathering phase and not continuing communication and follow-up in the communities where the data was collected.”
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expertise in PCOR. The program also has received $2 million from the National Institute on Aging and, just as importantly, private contributions from local supporters and experts in the field.
By Gwen Newman
IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY
Samantha Dougherty
“The value of the PATIENTS Program is that it listens and gives people the opportunity to voice their opinions and see the research they care about conducted,” says Samantha Dougherty, PhD ’12, who spent five years as a student in PHSR’s PhD program and now serves as a deputy vice president at PhRMA, one of the PATIENTS Program’s supporters. “As a bridge between research and the community, the PATIENTS Program has been a visible partner in the community. It makes sure research results are shared with the West Baltimore community, the rest of Maryland, and beyond. The PATIENTS Program makes an impact for patients, which is why PhRMA is proud to support it.”
Research has demonstrated that medications, medical devices, and behavioral interventions can be made safer and more
PPA.“One of the most important aspects of true communityengaged research is remaining in the community in between research projects,” says Mullins. “There are real costs to patient and community engagement. Benefactors and philanthropists support those costs that don’t fall within a grant or contract. I’m very grateful for all those who support the PATIENTS Program’s engagement efforts and, in turn, the residents of West Baltimore.”
In August 2021, the program launched its PATIENTS Professors Academy (PPA) where community partners and researchers from the School of Pharmacy share their process in an online course that teaches participants the program’s 10-step framework for continuous patient and stakeholder engagement. Designed for fellow colleagues and interested community partners, the academy’s graduates will be able to advise companies, government agencies, community-academic partnerships, and other entities on ways to make clinical and translational research more relevant, appealing, and diverse. The buy-in from companies engaged in pharmaceutical research and interested in enhancing the patient voice in their studies has been huge, with $1 million raised in support of
be critical thinkers and problem solvers,” says Natalie D. Eddington, PhD ’89, FAAPS, FCP, dean and professor at the School.“Pharmapreneurship in the simplest of terms describes our pharmacy entrepreneurs,” says Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner, PharmD ’83, BCPS, CDE, FAPhA, the School’s Felix Gyi Endowed Memorial Professor in Pharmapreneurship who oversees the program. “Strategies and skills that pharmapreneurs across the fields of pharmaceutical health services research, pharmacy practice, and pharmaceutical sciences might demonstrate include innovation of new products, services, or processes; continuous process improvement; exploration; technological innovation; business intelligence; development of future products and services; and optimized talent management.”
Philanthropy was just as important for SOP’s Pharmapreneurship initiative, which is exclusive to the
School and demonstrates its commitment to supporting and best positioning faculty, staff, and students to achieve their career aspirations and address the nation’s health care challenges.Launchedin “pharmapreneurship2017,puts a name on the unprecedented opportunity and unique experiences we have in igniting students,toconfidence,creativity,andfearlessnessempowerourfaculty,andourstaffto
underserved individuals from participating in these studies remains a challenge for many researchers. The PATIENTS Program’s community partners provide the traction and trust to make that viable.
20 capsule www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu
Since its inception, the program has created academic opportunities for students such as a pharmapreneurship pathway in the PharmD program and scholarships such as the Wagner Family and Felix Gyi memorial scholarships for students who have demonstrated interest and talent in entrepreneurship. Recently, the School received a commitment from John Gregory, BSP ’76, DPS (Hon.) ’02, to establish the Dean Natalie Eddington Venture Fund, which will provide
“The beauty of the program is that patients are empowered,” says Franklin Lance, DMin, president and CEO of the Parks and People Foundation and senior pastor of Baltimore’s Mount Lebanon Baptist Church in Greater Mondawmin. “Their voice is heard authentically and has caused an actual change in protocols. For too long, research has really been all about the principal investigator and participants were ‘subjects’ and not people. The PATIENTS Program is changing this paradigm where participants have valid voices, thoughts, concerns, and needs.”
Rodriguez de Bittner is herself a recognized pharmapreneur who has dedicated her career to developing and implementing new health care delivery models across a variety of practice settings. She was named the Gyi Endowed Professor in 2021 after the endowed professorship was established by Terry Gyi, BSP ’83, PharmD ’06, and her daughter Rebecca Gyi-Hovis, MD, in memory of their late husband and father Felix A. Khin-Maung-Gyi, BSP ’83, PharmD, MBA, chair and founder of Chesapeake Research Review and posthumous recipient of the School of Pharmacy’s Founding Pharmapreneurs Award.
Franklin Lance
ADOPTING AN INNOVATIVE MINDSET
Correct Rx Pharmacy Services was established in 2003 with a business model based on innovative clinical programs that offer better medical outcomes and lower health care costs. How far Yankellow and Molofsky have both come — together — and how they both exemplify the importance of mentorship and opportunity are hallmarks of pharmapreneurship.“Thesearevalues that we both espouse,” says Molofsky. “They’ve taken us both to where we are and represent what we want to contribute to the world around us and to our alma mater. Pharmapreneurship is an exciting initiative, and we are proud to be a part of it.”
In 2019, the Center for Women in Pharmapreneurism (CWP) was established through donations from SOP Founding Pharmapreneur Ellen H. Yankellow, BSP ’73, PharmD ’96, Jill Molofsky, BSP ’81, and the late James Tristani, BSP '73, all of Correct Rx Pharmacy Services, and other generous donors. It seeks to prepare women for the pursuit of innovative solutions to our nation's greatest health care challenges. CWP is comprised of innovative female leaders with backgrounds in the basic sciences, research, practice, industry, academia, and nonprofit“Becausesectors.ofmy
grocery store. I worked every other weekend at the store while I was working full time at Johns Hopkins Hospital. When she opened a second store a year later, I worked full time with her.”
Jill Molofsky
“There is strong support and belief in the importance of the adoption and integration of pharmapreneurship in the School of Pharmacy’s education, research, and practice settings,” says Rodriguez de Bittner. “This is indicated by the more than $4.2 million that has been invested in the program by donors over the last five years.”
high confidence in and my advocacy for pharmacy, it is natural for me to invest in the potential of our students and the profession,” says Yankellow. “I am excited about the future of our graduates and what amazing accomplishments are yet to come. When I look at every pharmacy student, I see their potential and the reason for investing in their education. Their individual dedication, commitment to learning, and excitement for the future should be a true inspiration for all to get involved with their education. If you are charitably inclined and you have the ability to help out, then I consider it a privilege to contribute to their pharmacy education.”
Molofsky is vice president of Correct Rx and shares that when she and business partner Yankellow, the company’s CEO and president, first met, “she was my preceptor in my last year of pharmacy school. When I graduated, she was opening a retail pharmacy in an inner-city
$100,000 to the winner of the School’s annual Shark Tank competition in perpetuity.
summer 2022 21
‘A PRIVILEGE TO CONTRIBUTE’
In 2021, the School opened its designated innovation space — Pharmapreneurs’ Farm — with the help of anonymous donor support. It was envisioned in 2018 as a dedicated space for faculty, staff, and students to collaborate, nurture, and develop their pharmapreneurial ideas. Its prominent location in the Ellen H. Yankellow Grand Atrium is a visible reminder to all who enter Pharmacy Hall of the importance the School places on “cultivating and growing” the next generation of pharmapreneurs and cutting-edge ideas for pharmacy’s role in entrepreneurship, Eddington says.
“Fortunately,” she adds, “we have donors who believe in and hold that same philosophy and who help make this program possible. These contributions and donations are critical for our School to move the program forward, to give faculty and students a forum in which to prove the viability of a concept and innovation, and to make positive changes in health care, research, practice, and in communities. We are forever grateful.” b
Gyi family
The Farm is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that allows for presentations and demonstrations both in person and virtually and is designed with collaboration in mind. It was completed in the spring of 2020 but sat empty due to the coronavirus pandemic until its official opening in October 2021.“Pharmapreneurship works to develop a mindset in our students about innovation and entrepreneurship,” says Rodriguez de Bittner. “We’re creating a new set of students who think differently and are seeking to solve problems versus settling for the status quo.
22 capsule www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu FACULTY PROFILE
Ethiopia, his passion for science took a great leap when he came to the United States to study biochemistry at Louisiana State University, earning his Bachelor of Science in 2003 and his PhD in “During2009.mystudies, I became very interested in how proteins move or come together to form complexes in a manner that is intimately tied to their function,” explains Deredge. “Proteins are important biomolecules that perform the majority of biochemical processes that are essential to life. Looking into protein structures, the dynamic motions of proteins, and their interactions with other biomolecules fascinated me.”
“HDX-MS is a great method for looking at protein structure and dynamics,” explains Deredge, who began applying HDX-MS during his first postdoctoral fellowship at Case Western Reserve University from 2010 to 2012, working with his mentor, Patrick Wintrode, PhD, who is now a faculty member in PSC. “Proteins are like sponges. They are very dynamic and undertake a lot of motion. Both water and proteins have hydrogen atoms and the application of HDX-MS to view the exchange of hydrogen atoms can help identify drug binding sites, protein-protein interactions, and the effects of mutations in protein structure and function.”
Biophysics, With a Kick
22 capsule www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu
“I am fortunate to work in a very supportive environment with multiple faculty members whom I consider mentors and friends,” says Deredge. “That has helped me develop as a scientist and offers collaborative opportunities across many fields.”Deredge also serves as faculty advisor to the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Biophysical Society Student Chapter, which is devoted to supporting UMB students interested in biophysics and reaches out to local high schools and colleges to inspire future generations of biophysical scientists.When the research day is over, Deredge often applies his own “bio-physical” capabilities to his other passion — soccer. He is a member of various teams and leagues and travels throughout Maryland and as far as Virginia to take to the “pitch” on defense.
“I have been playing soccer since before I can remember,” he says. “Beyond the physical exercise, I like the camaraderie and competitive spirit.”
Daniel Deredge, PhD, an growingFrancesoccer.biophysicsdualtalkalwaysofatSciencesPharmaceuticalDepartmentprofessorassistantintheof(PSC)theSchoolPharmacy,iseagertoabouthispassions—andBorninandupin
“Soccer is also very popular within the department,” says Deredge. “What more could I ask for?” b
BY RANDOLPH FILLMORE
Deredge and colleagues recently applied HDX-MS and computational approaches to investigate a protein (PhuS) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common multi-drug resistant bacteria often causing hospital-acquired infections. The integrative approach was used to investigate the dynamic properties of PhuS and its implication in its role binding heme, a source of iron for P. aeruginosa. Their work resulted in a study published in the Biophysical Journal in 2021.
characteristics of proteins, including their structure, dynamics, and protein-protein interactions.
His interest in the structure and function of proteins laid a path for his interests in biophysics, which he defines as the application of physics to better understand biological phenomena.Deredgejoined the School of Pharmacy in 2012 as a postdoctoral fellow. In 2018, he continued his research focused on hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS), first as a research assistant professor and now a tenure-track assistant professor. As the HDX-MS specialist in the School’s Mass Spectrometry Center, he uses mass spectrometry — an analytical approach that measures the mass of molecules — to monitor the extent of hydrogen-deuterium exchange when proteins are exposed to deuterium, a heavy isotope of hydrogen. Knowing the extent of hydrogens exchanged to deuterium helps researchers determine the structural and biophysical
Daniel Deredge
At the School of Pharmacy, Deredge has helped students and staff form soccer teams to participate in intramural UMB games.
Designated an essential employee, Cisneros visited the office weekly during the telework phase to check in and distribute packages. After 15 months of being in the Saratoga Building largely by himself (“it was eerie; like it had been abandoned overnight”), Cisneros prepared for the return of his colleagues.
summer 2022 23 STAFF PROFILE
BY CHRIS ZANG
He learned his lessons well, says Mullins. “Ron embraces the spirit of public service, both within PHSR and to those outside UMB with whom we interact,” Mullins says.
“All of the faculty offices on the east wall of the building were flooded,” Cisneros said at the time. “Half of the carpet was soaked, bookcases against the walls were affected, as were papers, desks, and computers.”
“It was a crazy time,” he recalls of March 2020, when the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) mandated telework and virtual learning in response to the pandemic. “We were scrambling to get everyone a laptop as quickly as possible, and to get everyone up to speed on Zoom, Webex, and Teams, and with how to access files.
He's learned from the pandemic as well. “It has forced our team to be more efficient in utilizing the digital tools available to us,” Cisneros says of his “phenomenal” administrative co-workers Michelle Besser and Kasarah Johnson. “Instead of printing something out, I’m more likely to drop an attachment into Teams and share it there. Or rather than waiting for scheduled meetings, now we have a Microsoft Teams chat that’s instantaneous.”Anavidsnowboarder who proposed to his new wife on a Canadian ski slope, Cisneros’ roots in customer service date to his years managing a North Face store.
Ronald Cisneros, office manager for the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research (PHSR) in the School of Pharmacy, experienced that scenario due to COVID-19.
“There were a lot of requirements to allowing people back. Training completions. Proof of testing. Daily symptom monitoring. I created a re-occupancy plan for our department. It included a detailed breakdown of square footage of all our spaces, how many people were allowed to be where and on which days. I had a big spreadsheet.”
brighter if you treat everyone with respect and integrity, which are two UMB core values.”
Cisneros found spaces for affected faculty to work and set them up with a computer, working with UMB’s environmental health and safety team to ensure the spaces were free from mold.Complicating
C. Daniel Mullins, PhD, a professor in PHSR, says Cisneros rose to the challenge. “Ron’s outstanding performance reminds us that you can make everyone else’s job easier and day a bit
Ronald Cisneros
“When you’re on campus, it’s super easy because it just works. We were able to be a lifeline for people struggling to get everything set up to work at home.”
Imagine being an office manager in a world where all the offices are closed.
Mullins, PHSR, and the School of Pharmacy have impressed Cisneros. “The people are the best thing about working here,” he says. “Everyone is so kind and generous and well intentioned. It’s wonderful to be a part of something that is working toward the betterment of society.” b
matters, he had only been at UMB for two months at the time. He says that “trial by fire” was beneficial. “I had to find out who all the people were and how the process works for painting, for repairs,” he recalls. “Pieces of the puzzle I wouldn’t have had to figure out so quickly otherwise.”
Crisis Solver
Rising to the occasion during the pandemic wasn’t the first time Cisneros had been cited for extraordinary service. In December 2019, he was UMB’s Employee of the Month for his response to an August rainstorm that flooded PHSR’s offices.
Members of Rho Chi Honor Society, Students Promoting Awareness, the Pediatric Pharmacy Association, the Student National Pharmaceutical Association, the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists, the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists, Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity, and Phi Delta Chi Professional Fraternity resurrected their annual Healthy Halloween event for Baltimore-area schoolchildren on Oct. 30 in Pharmacy Hall. b
24 capsule www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu
NEWSSTUDENT
Happy (and Healthy) Halloween
In-person outreach events returned in the fall of 2021, and our students were excited to once again participate in community events.
Walking to End Alzheimer’s
Members of the School of Pharmacy student chapters of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists, the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists, Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity, and Phi Delta Chi Professional Fraternity collaborated to raise money for and participate in the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s in October at Hunt Valley Towne Centre in Cockeysville, Md. b
Lu Chen (left), Class of 2022, and Paul Badua, Class of 2023, represent the student chapters of the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists, the National Community Pharmacists Association, and the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists at a point-of-care testing event in November at Professional Pharmacy in Rosedale, Md. b
Giving, Not Taking, Tests
The Rho Chi Honor Society hosted its annual induction ceremony in April at the Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore, where dozens of new PharmD, PhD, and MS students were inducted based on their academic and professional achievements. b
Advice From the Top
Taking the Lead
summer 2022 25
Members of the UMSOP community joined the Maryland Pharmacy Coalition and state politicians for a virtual Legislative Day in February to push for two bills that would improve health care access. More than 200 Maryland pharmacists and student pharmacists, and more than 100 Maryland legislative personnel, including district delegates, senators, and aides, virtually attended Legislative Day, which allowed students to gain confidence and experience in engaging with legislators to discuss important issues. b
Rho Chi Roll Call
Phi Lambda Sigma Leadership Society hosted its 2022 Induction Banquet in April at the Baltimore Museum of Art. New members are selected each year by their peers in recognition of their leadership and contribution to the profession of pharmacy. b
University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay A. Perman, MD, joined more than 80 UMSOP students, faculty, and staff on Oct. 27 for a virtual fireside chat where Perman shared his career journey and provided advice on developing as a leader, the value of interprofessional education and practice, and the importance of advocacy. Perman’s chat was organized by the School of Pharmacy’s Student Government Association as part of American Pharmacists Month, a time to reflect on accomplishments, thank peers and colleagues, share stories, and spread the word about the valuable services pharmacists provide. b
Legislative Learning
26 capsule www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu
Being a Good Neighbor
On Oct. 20, the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research’s (PHSR) Graduate Program hosted a "Getting to Know You" event to facilitate social engagement among students, faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and staff after more than a year away from the office. Held on the lawn across from the Saratoga Building where PHSR is located, the groups played "Getting to Know PHSR" bingo to encourage people to mingle through a fun game of identifying shared interests. Godwin Okoye, BPharm, an MS student in PHSR (center), was the first to proclaim "BINGO!" and relayed the fun facts he learned about members of the PHSR community. b
The School’s American Pharmacists AssociationAcademy of Student Pharmacists chapter held a social on April 27 at Pickles Pub in Baltimore. More than 40 students and guests attended, the majority of whom were first-year student pharmacists. The social celebrated the chapter’s achievements and recognized the outgoing and incoming executive board officers, chapter advisors, and committee members. b
On May 7, UMB partnered with Maryland First Lady Yumi Hogan to host the Annual Neighborhood Spring Festival, which brought together the Baltimore community and included Korean performances, tae kwon do demonstrations, activities for children, health screenings, and free food. Student pharmacists from the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists and the Pediatric Pharmacy Association volunteered to educate the community about poison prevention. They also helped attendees discern candy from medicine and taught them how to properly draw up oral liquid medications. After a year of virtual learning, student pharmacists were eager to get back into the community and apply what they learned in class. b
From left: Bich Thy Nguyen, Elisa Sangriu, Javier Trujillo, Ifunanyachukwu Azikiwe, all of the Class of 2024; Mrs. Hogan; Eileen Zheng, Class of 2024; Adam Bennett, Class of 2023; a community member; and Adamary SanchezMartinez, Class of 2025.
NEWSSTUDENT
Reconnecting At Last
APhA-ASP Social
Jin “Julie” Jeong and Sean Kim, and Belinda Tamrakar, a second-year student pharmacist, received MPhA Foundation Student Scholarships. Jeong also received the 2022 Boyle Family Scholarship from the APhA Foundation.
Dante’ Johnson, a graduate student in PSC, received the UM Ventures 2022 Graduate Translational Research Award.
Second-yearScholarships.student pharmacists Iulia Opran, Chenchu Vignesh Pernati, and Belinda Tamrakar won the Maryland Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation’s 10th annual America’s Got Regulatory Science Talent Competition.
Kyungwan Hong, MS, PharmD, a graduate student in PHSR, received the department’s 2022 Harris Zuckerman Scholarship.
Alexandria Chan and Samuel Krug, graduate students in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (PSC), received Spring 2022 Dean’s Teaching Fellowship Awards. Krug also received an Eastern Analytical Symposium Student Award.
Lu Chen, a Class of 2022 student pharmacist, received the Maryland Pharmacists Association’s (MPhA) 2022 Outstanding Student Pharmacist Achievement Award.
Matthew Hursey, a graduate student in PSC, received the 2022 American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education Predoctoral Fellowship in Pharmaceutical
LaurelsCannabis Spring Symposium
Chintal Shah, MS, BPharm, a graduate student in PHSR, received the department’s 2022 Donald O. Fedder Memorial Fellowship.
First-year students (Class of 2023) in the School’s MS in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics program gathered at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Md., on April 22 for their spring symposium. Approximately 110 students heard from program faculty and staff and interacted with experts about the science, therapeutics, and policy of medical cannabis. An additional 90 students participated in the symposium virtually. b
The School of Pharmacy’s chapter of the American Pharmacists AssociationAcademy of Student Pharmacists (APhAASP) received the OTC Medicine Safety Regional Award from APhA-ASP.
Dami Onasanya, MPH, MD, and Sarah Tanveer, MS, graduate students in PHSR, received the department’s 2022 Student Travel
Lori Russell, a student in the MS in Palliative Care Program and the palliative care nurse coordinator at UPMC Western Maryland, received the Maryland Rural Health Association’s 2021 Outstanding Rural Health Practitioner Award.
U.S. Army Maj. Ryan C. Costantino, PharmD, MS ’19, MS ’20, BCPS, BCGP, CPHIMS, a student in the PhD in Pharmaceutical Health Services Research (PHSR) program, received the 2022 Albert B. Prescott Pharmacy Leadership
Oritsemisan Ejutse and Shelley Wang have been selected for the 2022 University of Maryland Summer Scholars program.
Kayleigh Majercak, MS, a graduate student in PHSR, received the department’s 2022 Dr. Arthur Schwartz Memorial Scholarship Award.
summer 2022 27
First-yearAward. student pharmacists
Delaney McGuirt, a fourth-year student pharmacist, received a national Phi Lambda Sigma (PLS) Pharmacy Leadership Society junior internship. McGuirt is president of the School of Pharmacy’s Beta Lambda Chapter of PLS. She and Eileen Zheng, a secondyear student pharmacist, received MPhA Student Scholarships.
Americas scholarship, an American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Graduate Student Travel Award, a Nicoya Lifesciences scholarship, and a Biophysical Society Graduate Student Travel Award.
Brianna Scotland, a graduate student in PSC, has been selected as a GenentechMeyerhoff Graduate Fellow Program Scholar.
Fourth-yearSciences. student pharmacists Sung
Juliet Obi, a graduate student in PSC, received a 2021-2022 Nigerian Association of Pharmacists & Pharmaceutical Scientists in the
Nearly 30 percent of the School’s curriculum is provided by preceptors, the majority of whom are located in the mid-Atlantic area, but are also in Italy, Egypt, Australia, and Tanzania. “We have 949 preceptors available to represent 50 specialty areas, providing students with exposure to a broad range of practice opportunities,” says Feemster.
For preceptor Scott Kuperman, BSP ’88, compounding is singularly appealing because it allows him to be both creative and“Pharmacistsanalytical. are experts on commercial products and drug therapy, but with compounding you also need to make something that will be stable, palatable, and effective,” he says. “It takes detective work to figure out what will suit a patient’s needs or what an animal might find appetizing.”
Scott Kuperman
InterestCompounding
Jones, a student pharmacist who had a rotation with Kuperman in June 2021, echoes his observations. This was her first extensive experience with compounding, a rotation that had significant impact on her training, where each day was different and, she adds, “lots of fun.” The rotation gave her the chance to perfect her pharmaceutical calculations and compounding techniques. “Mr. Kuperman’s patience and encouragement helped build my confidence in my skills as a future pharmacist,” says Jones, who graduated in May.
BY LYDIA LEVIS BLOCH
Above all, he’d like to show them how compounding is not only rooted in history, but still highly valuable, engaging, and fun.Aminah
“His expertise is unparalleled, and the School is fortunate to have him,” says Agnes Ann Feemster, PharmD, BCPS, assistant dean for experiential learning at the School of Pharmacy.
Kuperman is the recipient of the School of Pharmacy’s 2006 Preceptor of the Year Award and the Maryland Pharmacists Association’s 2011 Mentor of the Year Award. A Baltimore native, he believes that contributing to the School through precepting has enabled him to come full circle. Asked what his education has provided, Kuperman says “a fantastic career.” b
28 capsule www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu summer 2022 28 PRECEPTOR PROFILE
Since graduating from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Kuperman has worked for retail pharmacies in the Baltimore area, including his current employer Voshell’s Pharmacy. Throughout his career, he has focused on physician consultation and patient education.
For the last 25 years, he has specialized in compounding formulations for pain management, hormone balancing, pediatric preparations, and veterinary medications. For patients with allergies, he can compound products without the intolerable ingredients.
Kuperman’s goal as a preceptor is to offer an eye-opening rotation where students develop thought processes and skills they can apply in multiple areas of practice. “My objective is to give them enough confidence so that if a situation arises where compounding is called for, they know what to do,” he says.
Given today’s course load, students typically have limited training in compounding. During the COVID-19 era, they haven’t had much opportunity to polish compounding skills in theKupermanlab. can remedy that as one of only two preceptors for the compounding rotation this academic year. Plus, Voshell’s is Baltimore’s first Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board pharmacy. Under Kuperman’s supervision, students learn the
unique aspects of non-sterile compounding.
A preceptor for the School of Pharmacy since 1990, Kuperman eagerly shares his knowledge and enthusiasm with pharmacy students who do an experiential learning rotation with him. He has precepted approximately 300 students.
Kuperman is motivated to precept because he would like to emulate the preceptors he once had and provide his students with an educational and enjoyable experience. “Precepting is highly satisfying,” he says. “It’s interesting to see what students are being taught these days, how the curriculum has evolved and what their expectations are.”
Christopher Medlin, PharmD, BCPS, admits to experiencing culture shock when he first moved from his hometown of El Paso, Texas, to Baltimore in 2018 to complete his two-year, postgraduate pharmacotherapy residency at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP). “I grew up and live in a bi-national, border community. I walk down the street and people speak Spanish,” Medlin says. “Coming to Baltimore opened my eyes to how different things are here.”
Medlin’s research recently has expanded from a focus primarily on health disparities experienced by Hispanic patients to those among patients who identify as LGBTQ+. He’s been digging into health inequities experienced by this demographic and asking questions about how to create safe and inclusive spaces.“As the only LGBTQ+-identifying faculty member, I feel like I have to do this work,” Medlin says. “But it’s also extremely rewarding to be able to provide education through lived experience.” b
summer 2022 29 RESIDENT PROFILE
After completing his residency, Medlin moved back to El Paso. In his role as a clinical assistant professor at UTEP, Medlin practices pharmacy for about half of the year. The other half he dedicates to teaching, scholarship, and research.
This openness helped temper Medlin’s surprise when he discovered he was one of if not the only health care provider able to converse with Spanish-speaking patients during his clinicalSeeingrotations.theinequities
co-curricular training is aimed at addressing the health care needs of Hispanic patients and was developed as an interdisciplinary offering for pharmacy, medical, and nursing students at UMB.
Medlin, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) School of Pharmacy, says his supportive journey at UMSOP began with a very welcoming interview. “It was definitely my most fun interview,” recalls Medlin. Despite the renowned reputation of the faculty members on his interview panel, he found them to be “down-to-earth, incredible people.”
CompetentCulturallyBYELIZABETHHEUBECK
Christopher Medlin
During his time at the School of Pharmacy, Medlin received a Faculty Award in Support of Interprofessional Education from the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) for his role in developing a Spanish Language and Culture Seminar, whose start has been postponed due to the pandemic. This
“I try to use the skills I honed at UMSOP to build up the communities here,” he says.
“So many of our students looked to Chris as an inspiration of what they could become, and patients identified with him as someone they could relate to,” says Mojdeh Heavner, PharmD ’08, BCPS, BCCCP, FCCM, associate professor and vice chair for clinical services in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science at UMSOP. “As a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a Latino, he represents populations that are under-represented as health care providers.”
The School’s supportive environment helped him not only get over his culture shock, but to harness it for the benefit of students at the School of Pharmacy, those in related health care disciplines, and in his hometown.
Also during his residency, Medlin engaged in less formal but perhaps equally significant efforts to serve as a mentor to students and patients who identify with historically marginalized groups.
suffered by this patient population largely because of a language barrier, Medlin was gripped by a desire to do what he could to eliminate them. UMSOP, he says, encouraged him to pursue what would grow into a selfproclaimed passion project.
Anthony1977“Tony”
Marlene Mahipat, MS, was named a Maryland Daily Record 2022 Influential Marylander.
In Memoriam
Benjamin Scheinin, BSP ’43, MS ’73
advances
30 capsule www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu NEWSALUMNI
BSP
Robert B. Carl
Ronald E. Mendelsohn, ’45 Melvin N.
Waltman Johnson, PharmD, has been named vice president and head of U.S. Medical Affairs Oncology at GlaxoSmithKline. Katherine has more than 20 years of pharmaceutical industry leadership experience, including in health economics and outcomes research. She is a seven-year breast cancer survivor and is passionate about making a positive difference for patients and families impacted by cancer.
James1997Bresette, PharmD, started a new position with the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance as a pharmaceutical and medical commodities consultant and public health technical advisor. He also is an associate professor at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore School of Pharmacy and Health Professions.
Boeren, BSP ’55
Charles V. Keller Jr., BSP ’56
If you call 410-706-5893.
Please let us know by completing the School of Pharmacy’s online Class Notes form at class-notes/umaryland.edu/alumni/resources/www.pharmacy. .
Class Notes
and
Kaiser, MS ’52, BSP ’53, PhD ’55
John G.
Charles J.
Joseph A. Kaiser, BSP ’50, PhD ’55
Laura2021Gressler, PhD, joined the Department of Pharmacy Practice as an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy.
Jamie2008Wilkins, PharmD, has been promoted to senior director and head of the Risk Management Center of Excellence at Pfizer.
BSP ’43
Catherine2007
Jonas J.
Berger Jr., BSP ’59
Chite, BSP, retired in December 2021 after a career that included employment at Packett’s Lake Pharmacy in Chevy Chase, Md., Knowles Apothecary in Kensington, Md., CVS Pharmacy in Olney, Md., and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Tony has been a notary for over 42 years and volunteers at the Grace House Assisted Living Facility in Silver Spring, Md., as well as a lector at a Catholic Church parish.
The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy honors the lives and memories of the following alumni who passed away between Jan. 1, 2021, and June 30, 2021. We are grateful to each of these alumni for the lasting impact that they made on the School community the they achieved in pharmacy education, research, or practice.
Gerstein, BSP ’69
would like to make a memorial gift, please use the enclosed giving envelope or
What's new with you?
Rubin, BSP ’55
Katherine1996
Jack J. Yarmosky,
Weishaar, PharmD, has been promoted to regional director of pharmacy at the University of Maryland Shore Regional Health.
Please send us updates on your personal and professional life. Have you changed jobs, had a recent promotion, received an honor or appointment? Did you recently get married or celebrate the birth of a child or a grandchild? Do you have an interesting hobby or participate in community service projects?
Yousem, BSP ’54
summer 2022 31 ALUMNI PROFILE
summer 2022 31
“I discovered that Janssen, the pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson, was developing a protease inhibitor, which was to be effective against resistant strains of HIV, along with additional innovations in pharmaceutical products for patients,” she recalls.
After receiving her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in 1994, and with a desire to work in health care and to help patients live better lives, Michelle Cho, PharmD ’06, started her career at a pharmacy in her home state of Maryland.
ThisCho.year
Still at Janssen today, Cho has been fortunate to be given the opportunity to navigate her career within the company through a variety of roles.
At the time, that area was HIV. Cho wanted to be part of the quest to save lives.
Michelle Cho
After a few years, she sought to have a greater impact and be at the forefront of science.
As her career goals are being realized, she also is giving back to both of her alma maters, to the pharmacy profession, and to students as a mentor.
she was promoted to senior director of medical affairs in Janssen Pulmonary Hypertension. “I drive innovations in the U.S. research strategy to publish needed data in this rare disease,” says Cho.
In 2002, with a vision of working in industry, she enrolled in the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP) to pursue her PharmD. She spent several years commuting up and down I-95 for her classes, which she fit between her job at the pharmacy and caring for her family.
She also credits her mentors, Robert Kerr, PharmD, professor emeritus, and former faculty member Deborah Sturpe, PharmD, MA, BCPS, for understanding her industryoriented goals and for their encouragement.
“I wanted to immerse myself in a specialty therapeutic area with a large unmet need, where the science of the disease was not well understood and pharmaceutical products would have a significant impact on patient lives,” Cho says.
Realizing Her Industry Goals
Cho loves to spend time with her husband Kevin and their three daughters Grace, Kate, and Julia at home, on the pool deck, and at their favorite vacation destinations. The girls, all serious swimmers, have competed in swim meets around the country and traveling to them has been a family affair. b
BY RANDOLPH FILLMORE
While pursuing her PharmD, Cho worked in GlaxoSmithKline’s HIV division, training with scientists who were making medication discoveries. In 2007, a year after graduating from UMSOP, she made a career move.
“I’m forever grateful to the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy for giving me a world-class education,” says Cho.
Her promotion comes after many years leading Janssen teams responsible for gathering evidence to support company products as well as launching new products. Previously she served as Pulmonary Hypertension director of medical affairs and as Janssen’s national director involved in real-world value and real-world evidence, as well as being involved in health economics and outcomes research.
She often reflects on her career path.
“I wanted to know all the research programs, nuances, and insights about the science of HIV and to be a conduit to communicate so clinicians could have the most up-to-date science to best manage their HIV patients,” says Cho.
“They were both clear on what my goals were and gave me the clinical content I needed to pursue a career in industry,” recalls
“Currently, I work in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, a rare disease, and am at the forefront of developing research projects and publications beyond the randomized controlled clinical trial, which is an evolution of evidence generation with real-world data,” she says.
As always, if there is anything that I can help with, please don’t hesitate to reach out. of
A Message from Alumni
While the ongoing pandemic has stretched us thin and exposed weaknesses, it also has taught us a bit more about ourselves — what we really value, what we find important, what motivates us. I hope that we all continue to grow and invest our energy in things that bring us joy and fulfillment.
We want to cultivate a community that nurtures the growth of our alumni and deepens connections and understanding of the wonderful work that occurs at the School of Pharmacy. As alumni, you are our best advocates and supporters. Your engagement energizes us. In late summer, we will email you a short survey to collect your feedback on School initiatives. To ensure we have your email address, please scan the QR code on this page, which will take you to the contact update page on our website, or visit www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu/alumni/resources/contact-information/
32 capsule www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu
Development and Alumni Affairs 410-706-5893 ggriffith@rx.umaryland.edu
Greer Griffith
Affairs Remy Alvarez, MS ’21 James Bresette, PharmD ’97 Michelle Cho, PharmD ’06 Jasmine Ebron, PharmD ’16 Brian Ennis, PharmD ’20 Amy Howard, PharmD ’17 Gwendolyn Lee, MS ’22 HongZhuo Lin, PharmD ’18 Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner, PharmD ’83 Chioma TriciaScottPharmDSimon-Ebughu,’20Steiner,MS’22Wideman,MS’22 Alumni Association Executive Committee 2022-2023 Jennifer Miller-Wolf, PharmD ’20 President Catherine Cooke, MS ’18 President-elect Daniel Mansour, PharmD ’06 Past president Carla Cobbs, PharmD ’12 Secretary Andrew Lee, PharmD ’20"ThereTreasureris no normal life that is free of pain. It's the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth." — Fred Rogers Members at Large
The Office of Development and Alumni Affairs is always looking for ways to grow and improve our outreach to alumni. In the spirit of growth, I invite you to provide us with feedback on the services that we offer or could offer as well as how we can best engage with you.
These past two years have been difficult for many of us, with the pandemic affecting everyone. Our School of Pharmacy community of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and preceptors have served on the front lines at hospitals, clinics, and community pharmacies providing important lifesaving services as well as in the background conducting groundbreaking research and making sure loved ones are cared for and safe. We are grateful to each of you for all that you have done to continue to strengthen our School of Pharmacy community. Thank you.
Greer Griffith, MS Executive Director Office
Universities
CLASS OF 2022 HAPPY HOUR
Graduation 2022
MS IN MEDICAL CANNABIS SCIENCE AND THERAPEUTICS
May 17 at Nick's Fish House
For the first time in three years, the School of Pharmacy was thrilled to host in-person graduation festivities in May for the members of the Class of 2022. With eight of the School’s 10 academic programs graduating students, we had lots to celebrate, including the keynote address by Anthony Fauci, MD, at the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) convocation ceremony.
May 18 at the at Shady Grove
summer 2022 33
34 capsule www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu DOCTOR OF PHARMACY CONVOCATION May 20 at the Hilton Baltimore MS AND PHD IN PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES May 19 in Pharmacy Hall MS IN REGULATORY SCIENCES May 19 in Pharmacy Hall
summer 2022 35 UMB COMMENCEMENT May 19 at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County MS AND PHD PHARMACEUTICALIN HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH May 19 in the President’s Boardroom
36 capsule www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu Your unrestricted gifts to the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy have wide-ranging impacts on our students, faculty, staff, academic, and programmatic initiatives. Your Support Makes the School Go Round! To make your unrestricted gift today, please visit www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu/go/give. The entire School of Pharmacy community is grateful for your support! Provide additional financial support to students in need of supplemental funds outside of our endowed scholarships Offer programmatic support for important mission-focused initiatives and research Pivot and respond to uncertain circumstances such as the pandemic and address the School of Pharmacy’s most pressing needs Withstand crises without losing important momentum Without these important donations, we would not be able to:
The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy is proud to offer our alumni and students the opportunity to connect with each other on RxIntersect. Utilize this platform to grow your professional network, reconnect with classmates and other alumni, and mentor our current students. Check out our job board, special interest groups, and post discussion topics.
Donations from our graduates, our friends, and other supporters are integral. We are truly grateful for contributions of all sizes to the School, as these gifts help make up the difference between tuition and the costs of the conditions for success. Your continued support will help the School remain one of the finest, graduating the pharmacists, researchers, and other health care leaders for the needs of today and tomorrow.
Today, the expansion of degree programs offered at the School is extraordinary in both its vision and reach. And the very culture of the School — our community, our mission, and our collaborations — is thoroughly informed by Dean Eddington’s exclusive Pharmapreneurship™
— Oscar Wilde
Ken Boyden, JD, EdD Associate Dean Office of Development and Alumni Affairs 410-706-4415
Supporting the Right Conditions
Join and start connecting today – rxintersect.umaryland.edu
Connect with Alumni and Students on RxIntersect – the School of Pharmacy’s Own LinkedIn but Exclusively for YOU!
initiative.TheSchool of Pharmacy has long had the right “conditions” to achieve success for our students, faculty, and alumni. However, the true cost of the conditions needed to educate our talented students is never fully addressed by tuition alone. As a public institution, we tirelessly strive to remain as affordable as possible.
“Successkboyden@rx.umaryland.eduisascience;if you have the conditions, you get the result.”
Ken Boyden
FROM DEVELOPMENT
The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy has had a remarkable history since its founding in 1841, leading in cutting-edge advancements of pharmacy education, practice, research, service, and innovation. In 2022, the School remains among the very best pharmacy schools in the nation.
Questions? Contact Greer Griffith at ggriffith@rx.umaryland.edu or message her through RxIntersect.
MESSAGEus.
The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy produces the results because we have the conditions. We have the conditions because you support
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Baltimore,PermitPAIDPostageNo.4695Maryland
Baltimore,
20 N. Pine Street MD 21201-1180
to our PharmD, PhD, and MS Class of 2022 graduates! See pages 33-35 for fun photos from our many festivities and events.
