02 FEBRUARY 2014
E-NEWSLETTER OF THE NATIONALLY RANKED UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO COLLEGE OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES
this issue Love Connection
Life After the BSPS Degree P.2
Making connections and lifelong friends is inevitable during college. Over the years, many pharmacy students have also found and fallen for the loves of their lives. Alumni John Clark, PharmD ‘00 and Angela Clark, PharmD ‘02, shared their experience finding love, in honor of Valentine’s Day. As president of the Pharmacy Student Council, John was presiding over a council meeting when Angie walked in and caught his attention. The rest, as they say, is history. Today, they are a family of six. The teamwork doesn’t end there. John is associate director of the Department of Pharmacy Services for University of Michigan Health Systems, where Angie is a board-certified clinical pharmacist; They are also on the faculty of the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, John as a clinical assistant professor and Angie as an adjunct clinical assistant professor .
Honor for alumna Deb Saine ’79 P.2 Cappelletty’s Shining Star Award P.3 UT Research at APhA 2014 P.4 Upcoming Events P.5
UT student pharmacists work toward medication adherence Medication non-adherence is a rising problem in health care today. Three out of four people do not take their medications as directed, and one third of all hospital admissions can be linked back to poor adherence. Students from The University of Toledo College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have taken on the challenge of spreading awareness about this issue. During the Month of February, University students will take part in Script Your Future, a national campaign that strives to raise awareness about the importance of medication adherence while promoting open lines of communication between patients and pharmacists, doctors and other health care professionals. Nearly half of all Americans suffer from a chronic disease such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or hypertension. Finding the source of medication non-adherence is the first step in tackling this problem that costs Americans $290 billion per year. Non-adherence can lead to poor health outcomes, an increase in medical procedures and an increase in hospital visits. Many factors contribute to medication nonadherence including cost, patient perceived unimportance, side effects, and forgetfulness. One out of three people do not take their prescriptions to the pharmacy,
missing the opportunity to have their medications filled or ask important questions about their medical conditions. If alerted to issues, pharmacists and other health care professionals can answer these questions, help find cost effective alternatives to more expensive medications, change medications that are causing unwanted side effects, show the patient how to use medication reminder devices, and even identify Patient Assistance Programs for those who are eligible. Pharmacy students from The University of Toledo have planned Script Your Future events throughout the month of February. They will be passing out wallet-sized personal medication lists and discussing issues every Saturday at various Kroger locations around Toledo. Student pharmacists will also collaborate with other healthcare professional students to host events around the city. The goal of the Script Your Future campaign is to raise awareness about medication nonadherence. It is through these events that UT healthcare students, who are all future medical professionals, hope to foster good communication between patients and health care providers. Raising awareness is essential to reducing health care costs and preventing future disease state complications. The University of Toledo is proud to have its students engage the local community by participating in events like Script Your Future.