¥ RESEARCH
Bright Spots
Beyond the classroom, students shine.
Twenty-eight Pharm.D. students presented research this December at ASHP's Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition, on topics ranging from antimicrobial stewardship and education, to adherence simulation as a tool to promote empathy among student pharmacists. "Thanks to the generosity of our alumni supporters, many of our students take advantage of travel stipends to attend professional meetings nationally," says Dean Paul Larrat. "In these venues, our students enhance the reputation of the College as they present their research or network with pharmacy colleagues. Providing opportunities and
Reflecting on student successes.
encouraging participation in these professional meetings is a priority for us." Spencer Donovan '18 was among the first-time participants, presenting his research on changes in antimicrobial use and resistance rates pre- and post-implementation of an antibacterial stewardship program, a project he began earlier this summer with Professor Kerry LaPlante and Director of Clinical Outcomes Research Haley Morrill. "I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of the conference," says Donovan. "It's a great experience to see the work others are doing and how our profession is evolving."
College of Pharmacy News Winter 2016 | uri.edu/pharmacy-newsletter
THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL/BOB BREIDENBACH
Poster Students
¥ DEAN'S NOTE
¥ EVENTS CALENDAR
Visit uri.edu/pharmacy/news-and-events for upcoming information on this year's annual Networking Breakfast.
In this edition of our newsletter, you will be introduced to a few students who are making a difference. We have many more stories to tell! In October, three of our Pharm.D. students progressed all the way to the Elite Eight of the nationwide ACCP Clinical Pharmacy Challenge. At the ASHP Midyear Meeting in Las Vegas, dozens of our soonto-be graduate students successfully interviewed for placement in the highly competitive post-doctoral residency program. And in the spring, many of our BSPS students will embark on pharmaceutical industry internships to advance their nascent scientific careers.
Visit uri.edu/pharmacy/news-and-events to keep up with College news and happenings.
I encourage all of our alums to get better acquainted with our students. I am confident that you will be duly impressed.
March 15–17, 2017 8 a.m.–5 p.m. • Hyatt Regency Hotel, Newport, RI 32nd Annual Seminar by the Sea Northeast Regional Conference
Save the date for the 32nd Annual Seminar by the Sea Northeast Regional Conference. Visit uri.edu/pharmacy/cpd for upcoming information on pre-conference workshops, plenary sessions, program speakers, and event registration.
March 24–27, 2017 TBA • The Hilton San Francisco Union Square, CA APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition
Stay connected: As the year ends, we thank the alumni, parents, and friends whose support makes excellence in pharmaceutical education and research possible. We humbly ask for your continued help. Please consider making a gift to the URI College of Pharmacy at urifoundation.org or contact Myrna Bizer at 401.874.9017.
It doesn't have to be a big gift to be an important gift.
Newsletter-Winter-2016 FINAL 2.indd 1
I’ve been asked what the best part of my job is. While I enjoy opportunities to meet with our College of Pharmacy alums and our stakeholders across many disciplines, I truly cherish my interaction with our students. Their early professional successes, academic adventures, and leadership initiatives serve as a wonderful example to all of us.
facebook.com/groups/uricop/ twitter.com/URI_Pharmacy
Best wishes for the holiday season! – E. Paul Larrat, Dean
PHOTOS: NORA LEWIS; IAN LESTER
12/6/16 10:23 AM
w
¥ STUDENTS
¥ FACULTY
¥ ALUMNI
Strength in Numbers
Big Thinker
Statistics help show the power of community in the fight against HIV/AIDS. “I’ve spent most of my career focused on statistical methods development and applications to HIV and AIDS research,” says Assistant Professor Ashley Buchanan. She joined URI this fall from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where her postdoctoral research included collaborating with colleagues in Tanzania on the CDC/PEPFAR project addressing questions related to HIV and nutrition, as well as developing new statistical methods for a project on a population facing substance abuse issues. It was the latter that inspired her to direct her research career to statistical methods development and applications at the intersection of HIV/AIDS and substance abuse issues. “It’s a complicated, rich problem,” says Buchanan. “These populations are facing overlapping issues, such as the stigma around both HIV and substance abuse, or the social and biological influences that generate increased risk.”
Everyday Impact Maxine Abustan '18 studies potential toxins hidden in the household. “I think it’s so interesting that something you use every day—like a nonstick pan—could be affecting your body, and in such small amounts you don’t even realize it,” says Maxine Abustan '18. The biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences junior is currently putting her interests to work on a yearlong research project focused on the effects of perfluorinated compounds on liver toxicity, specifically how perfluorononanoic
Newsletter-Winter-2016 FINAL 2.indd 2
acid—found in household products such as stain repellants, nonstick coatings, and fire retardants—affects non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in obese mice. Mentored by Associate Professor Angela Slitt, Abustan received a $5,000 Gateway to Research Scholarship from the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education this year, and recently submitted an abstract to the Society of Toxicology
for their national meeting in March, which she hopes to attend. After graduation, Abustan plans to pursue a Ph.D. and eventually work in toxicology or drug safety. “I think it’s important to learn about the chemicals we come into contact with in our everyday lives," she says. "It's important to know as much as we can about how they impact people."
Since arriving at URI, she has been working with URI Department of Computer Science and Statistics Assistant Professor Natallia Katenka to consider how the benefits of intervention can spread through a community. “We know there are behaviors that can help to prevent the spread of HIV. But behavioral change is not easy and subject to social influences. We have an opportunity through studying networks of individuals connected by risk behavior to see how we can better enable individuals in communities to support their peers.” Such support is particularly critical in disadvantaged or marginalized populations often most vulnerable to HIV /AIDS and substance use disorders. “The more you look at it, the more you realize how strongly these issues are correlated—and it’s heartbreaking,” says Buchanan. “I hope that my research can help to improve the health and well-being of individuals facing these issues.” Read more about Buchanan's work at uri.edu/pharmacy-newsletter.
¥ OUTREACH Henry Sisun '71 looks forward to new ideas.
Henry Sisun ’71 sees possibilities. He was just 24 years old when he purchased his first pharmacy on the South Side of Providence; within a few years, he had begun working with a local neurosurgeon to use neurostimulators as an alternative to narcotics for the treatment of chronic pain—and quickly recognized there was a significant future in pharmacy beyond the counter. “I felt there was an aspect of physical therapy that could be merged with pharmacy to help people improve their health," says Sisun. He entered the master’s in physical therapy program at Boston University, where a neurophysiology professor connected him with a patent attorney on two drug delivery and electrode technologies he helped develop while still a student. By the time he graduated, he was also helming the start-up Eleco-Med, developing a computerized closed loop drug
delivery prototype, which further impressed upon him the collaborative future of healthcare. Now, as owner and operator of Rhode Island Rehabilitation Institute and Back On Track Physical Therapy, his work continues to inspire him to see the possibilities, not only in his field and for his patients, but for URI students. “Maybe it starts in a chemistry department with a biodegradable polymer, or with a chemical engineering student and a pharmacy student taking on a cancer research project, then comes together in an incubator setting with a business or finance student,” says Sisun. “When you put creative students together with the right mentorship and academic oversight, it's an exciting place to be.” Read about Sisun's unique career journey at: uri.edu/pharmacy-newsletter
Dream Teams The annual Senior Health and Wellness Program connects students across disciplines with community seniors. Pharm.D. student Nada Elgabrouny discusses medication with Helen Kwetkowski of Narragansett. Read the full story from URI Today online.
Henry Sisun talks with Paul Larrat on a recent visit to the College.
Nearly 30 older adults from the community participated as volunteers in the URI Senior Health and Wellness Program in October. The annual event is organized by the Colleges of Health Sciences, Nursing and Pharmacy — which form the Academic Health Collaborative — as well as Johnson & Wales’ physician assistant program, and includes about 120 graduate and undergraduate students from physical therapy, nutrition, pharmacy, nursing and physician assistance. At an initial meeting in September, student teams assess each person’s health. They then gather to review findings and write recommendations for each person. A month later, the volunteers return for reassessments and recommendations. Plans are in the works to add social work majors and other disciplines. “The Senior Wellness Day is a valuable opportunity for the pharmacy students to interact with other disciplines and work as a team,” says program co-coordinator Clinical Associate Professor Erica Estus. “They learn how to communicate with one another to function effectively and to implement strategies to best communicate with their senior volunteer. The students are really excited to participate because they can apply what they learn in school in a meaningful way."
12/6/16 10:23 AM