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COVID-19
Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni on the Front Lines
URI College of Pharmacy faculty, staff members, students, and alumni have been in the community since the beginning of the pandemic, helping combat COVID-19 in myriad ways. They continue to make an enormous impact on public health, leading vaccination efforts across the community. More than a dozen professors have led and assisted at 40 vaccination locations, including the state-run vaccination pods, the state field hospitals, local schools, clinics, hospitals, and more. In total, College personnel have drawn up and administered nearly 20,000 vaccines, just part of the College’s broader effort to fight the pandemic.
URI pharmacy student Katelyn Burton volunteers vaccinating patients at Newport Hospital.
URI pharmacy alumni Eugenio Fernandez and Chris Federico administer COVID-19 vaccines at a clinic in Central Falls. URI student Brynne Costa administers the COVID-19 vaccine in Central Falls. URI pharmacy student Jack Cederberg injects a Westborough, Mass., resident with the COVID-19 vaccine.
URI Researchers Develop New Test for Coronavirus
Researchers at the University of Rhode Island have developed a new COVID-19 test that will be put into use across its campuses as a surveillance tool for the COVID-19 virus. The saliva-based test is less invasive than many of the traditional nasal swab tests in use, and researchers say it is sensitive, specific, and can deliver results at a lower cost.
Led by URI Professor of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Angela Slitt, the team began working on the test, which uses branched DNA assay technology, last spring when access to the more common polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests was severely hampered due to disruptions in the supply chain. Although PCR-based tests receive high marks for their sensitivity, they also require extraction of the nucleic acids, access to thermocyclers and other sophisticated lab equipment not as readily available outside of the United States.
“One of the things we set out to do was to develop a less invasive, more cost-effective, more accessible test,” said Slitt. “And I think we’ve done that. We use saliva, work off different supply chains, use different, less cost-prohibitive instrumentation and are effectively lowering the barriers to entry for many.” Slitt believes the team’s COVID-19 test will be one of the few assay tests that could be made globally available. Based on trials conducted thus far, the test appears to have a high level of sensitivity similar to or more sensitive than other top-performing saliva tests on the market–meaning the test is better able to comparably detect the level of viral load in the sample. For a more comprehensive look at the groundbreaking test, visit cutt.ly/COVIDtest.
Angela Slitt, URI professor of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, developed a new, saliva-based coronavirus test in her lab in Avedisian Hall.
URI student researchers work in the lab of Professor Angela Slitt, helping produce a new COVID-19 test that is saliva-based.
— Professor Angela Slitt
Pharmacy students Yan Cen and Melissa Gianetti prepare COVID-19 vaccinations at Westerly Senior Center, where they joined Clinical Assistant Professor Britny Brown drawing up and administering vaccines throughout the winter and spring.
Professors, Students Vaccinate Hundreds at Westerly Senior Center
Clinical Assistant Professor Britny Brown is one of several College professors, staff members, and students making a difference on the front lines of the pandemic, continuing as the COVID-19 vaccination effort shifted from larger clinics to more targeted areas to reach populations that had not yet been vaccinated. Students Melissa Gianetti and Yan Cen joined Brown at the Westerly Senior Center May 3, drawing up vaccinations for use that day. They helped prepare and administer vaccines two days a week at the senior center, along with the Westerly Hospital Pharmacy Department and other URI professors, including Elizabeth St. Louis and Margaret Charpentier, who have been volunteering throughout the pandemic. “I wish I knew the exact number, but I’ve definitely administered more than 1,000 vaccinations,” Gianetti said. “Sometimes it seems like the only thing I do is vaccines; I even dream about vaccines. But I’m happy to do whatever I can to help end this pandemic.” Public health efforts like vaccination clinics are part of the learning experience URI College of Pharmacy students get through their clinical rotations. Experiential education has been a big part of Cen’s and Gianetti’s time at URI, helping both land postgraduate residencies at medical centers in Illinois and Vermont, respectively.
— Melissa Gianetti
URI College of Pharmacy faculty and staff members have trained hundreds of pharmacists and pharmacy techs to administer the COVID-19 vaccine.
College Trains Pharmacists, Technicians To Deliver COVID-19 Vaccine
University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy faculty and staff members continued their efforts to hasten the end of the COVID-19 pandemic through the winter, training pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to administer the vaccine that was on the horizon.
Under new COVID health regulations, pharmacy technicians were allowed to administer the vaccine, necessitating training for those who hadn’t previously vaccinated. They joined pharmacists, who were granted the right to vaccinate in Rhode Island about 10 years ago. Mary-Jane Kanaczet, director of the college’s office of continuing professional development for the Health Professions, received a license from the American Pharmacists Association to provide the training, and taught hundreds of pharmacy techs and pharmacists, including Paul Larrat, dean of the
College of Pharmacy.
“This is in addition to the hundreds of students who we’ve trained in recent years to administer vaccines. They get certified early on—in their first professional year—and they’re able to begin administering vaccines in pharmacies, under the supervision of a pharmacist,” Larrat said.
Big Ideas. Bold Plans. Rhody Now Pharmacy
The COVID-19 pandemic required a fresh approach to teaching, stretched clinical capacity, and inspired new paths of scientific research. Immediate and flexible funding from the College of Pharmacy RhodyNow Fund was essential to meet heighted financial need. Thanks to the generosity of alumni and friends, the college met the challenge, increasing past RhodyNow achievements by 11percent.
Clinical Assistant Professor Todd Brothers coordinated pharmacy efforts at the state field hospital in Cranston, set up to treat COVID-19 patients during the height of the pandemic.
URI Pharmacy Professor Todd Brothers Coordinates Covid-19 Field Hospital Pharmacy, Along with Fellow Professors, Students
Several University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy students and professors stepped up to fight the COVID-19 pandemic at the Care New England Field Hospital in Cranston, including Clinical Assistant Professor Todd Brothers who is coordinated pharmacy efforts there.
In March 2020, Brothers started setting up the pharmacy before the curve of infections flattened, eliminating the initial need for it. However, just before Thanksgiving, it became clear that infections were rising and the hospital would be necessary again. His first task was to start building a team to staff the pharmacy, putting out a call to hospitals and colleges across the state. URI Pharmacy professors Margaret Charpentier, Britny Brown, Kristina Ward, Michael Simeone, and Jane Pawasauskus joined pharmacy students Joe Honig, Hannah Feratta, and Morgan Chatterley, along with several URI graduates, in answering the call to serve. The pharmacy was tasked with servicing as many as 300 people should the hospital reach capacity. In addition, as many as 24 residents a day were transported to the facility to receive injections of monoclonal antibodies. Despite some logistical problems early on, Brothers and his team were ready, thanks largely to the pharmacy professionals of all backgrounds who have stepped up to help, from students just entering their pharmaceutical rotations to pharmacists who have been working for 30-plus years. “I’m pulling from all these professionals and their experience, and we’re making it happen in a safe way,” Brothers said at the time. “It’s helping me get through the lack of sleep, and the stress, and the responsibility to have these brave pharmacy leaders to support the effort. It’s just awesome. We all realize the community is relying on us. We can’t fail. It’s that simple.” For a more comprehensive look at the field hospital and the college’s involvement, visit
