March 2015 Refill by The University of Toledo College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

The monthly e-newsletter of the nationally ranked University of Toledo College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

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MARCH 2015

DR. SHARREL PINTO LEADS NATIONAL MEDICATION ADHERENCE STUDY BESS G. EMCH The legacy of the college’s first female dean

PG2 FOLLOW THE CELLS Dr. Marcia McInerney researches the migration of cells in type 1 diabetes.

PG2 LEADERSHIP LESSONS Advice for women in science from Dr. Amanda BryantFriedrich

PG4 THANKING OUR DONORS Donors from the month of January are recognized.

PG4 CALENDAR OF EVENTS PG6

Poor medication adherence has dire consequences, leading to high mortality rates and lower quality of life for patients with chronic disease. Patients who have complex medication schedules may have trouble remembering to take all their medications, and they may not know what to do when they miss doses. Dr. Sharell Pinto, director of the Pharmaceutical Care and Outcomes Research laboratory and division head for Health Outcomes and Socioeconomic Sciences, is leading the national conversation on medication adherence. As the lead investigator on the STOMPP project, she is demonstrating how community pharmacists, through medication therapy management and adherence packaging, can impact the clinical outcomes and quality of life of patients with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

Through this study, Dr. Pinto hopes to demonstrate the effectiveness of adherence blister packaging, which simplifies adherence by grouping daily medication doses for the patient. Along with the clinical education provided by pharmacists and the continual monitoring of patients by physicians, this approach might help to improve patients’ health outcomes. Dr. Pinto’s research was featured in Drug Topics. Read more

“Science is not a boy's game; it's not a girl's game. It's everyone's game. It's about where we are and where we're going.” Nichelle Nichols Actress who played Lt. Uhura on the original Star Trek television series

BESS G. EMCH (1883-1961) When Bess G. Emch earned her pharmacy license in 1918, hers was one of only 48 issued by the Ohio Board of Pharmacy that year. She had a successful career as a practicing pharmacist for over two decades before the call to leadership that would change our college. The World War II era, when Rosie the Riveter images empowered women to join the workforce while so many men were at war, held great change for the practice of pharmacy. Here at The University of Toledo, the dean of the College of Pharmacy, Dr. George Baker, left in 1942 to serve in the Navy, and Bess G. Emch took leadership of the college. During her time as acting dean (19421946), with enrollment dropping and a nation at war, Emch helped to establish scholarships that would support students. By 1944, 80 percent of the students in the college were women. The change among the population of pharmacists was chronicled by a 1944 article in The Blade entitled “Pharmacy Goes Feminine: Girls Take Over Drug Jobs Here.” The idea of women as pharmacists was novel in the 1940s, but pharmacy is now recognized as the top career for women, providing equitable pay and flexible work schedules. Bess G. Emch would be proud.

TYPE I Diabetes Dr. Marcia McInerney, pictured above with students in her lab, describes her new R15 NIH grant that explores the cellular mechanisms behind type I diabetes. DIABETES IN AMERICA Type 1 insulin-dependent diabetes affects some 15 million people worldwide, with three million in the US. More than 15,000 children and 15,000 adults are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes each year in the US. Furthermore, the incidence of type 1 diabetes for children under fourteen years of age is estimated to increase by 3% annually worldwide. In type 1 diabetes, pancreatic beta cells, the only cells in the body that secrete insulin, are destroyed. Because insulin controls the usage of sugar in the body, which allows cells to be fed, glucose levels in the blood and urine rise when insulin is not present, leading to the clinical symptoms of diabetes. Diabetes is

controlled by insulin injection; however, secondary complications of diabetes include heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, poor circulation and wound healing, and increased risk of infection. The healthcare cost for type 1 diabetes in the US is close to $15 billion each year. IMMUNE RESPONSE IN T1D The immune system, which includes white blood cells or lymphocytes, is responsible for recognizing and destroying foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. While the immune system does not normally respond to any self-components, in autoimmune disease, the immune system recognizes some self-tissue as “foreign” and destroys it; this is what happens in type 1 diabetes. In a process called insulitis, lymphocytes enter the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, where the beta cells, the only cells in the body that produce insulin, live. The lymphocytes destroy the beta cells. Once they are

MEET DR. McINERNEY

Dr. Marcia McInerney’s successful career in

A longtime leader in the college, Dr. McInerney has risen through the ranks from faculty member to executive administrative dean, all while remaining actively involved in research.

understanding

research has been focused on identifying the molecular and cellular basis for diabetes and the

immune

responses

associated with diabetes to prevent the occurrence of the disease. She is the associate dean for research and

UNDERSTANDING ADDICTION Fulbright scholar, Dr. Sawsan Abuhamdah, is studying the brain's response to alcohol addiction in Dr. Youssef Sari's pharmacology lab this year. Find out more about her plans and research in this video and in an article by UTNews.

destroyed, the body can no longer make insulin and it must be provided by injections. Why do lymphocytes move into the pancreas? Insulin binds the insulin receptor, and a signal is given to transport glucose so that cells can be fed, and this overall operation maintains homeostasis. Along with binding insulin and signaling for glucose transport, the insulin receptor also moves in response to chemical stimuli. Therefore, cells that have many insulin receptors on their cell surface can physically move toward insulin. If lymphocytes have receptors for insulin on their surface, insulin secretion might draw lymphocytes to the pancreas and into the islets. STUDENT INVOLVEMENT Dr. McInerney has worked on research projects in her laboratory with 11 honor thesis students, 3 students who obtained the summer undergraduate research fellowship, 1 research apprenticeship in science student, 14 undergraduate students with independent research projects or full

time internship research, and a high school student whose work in the laboratory won her the Regional and State competition at the Ohio Science Fair. Additionally, Dr. McInerney has been involved with research/teaching of 21 PhD students, including 6 as the major advisor, and 12 master’s students, including 8 as the major advisor. She has also published a number of papers with undergraduate and graduate student authors, with several as first authors. Stude nts have worke d in Dr. McInerney’s laboratory on research supported by NIH, USDA, American Diabetes Association, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation. Her new award will d ire c t ly sup po rt a n d e nha nce undergraduate and graduate research in her laboratory.

1 IDENTIFY YOUR PASSION A career in the sciences can be challenging. If you have a passion for the work, however, you can call upon that passion to remain motivated.

2 DEVELOP A LIFE PLAN It’s important to have a life plan—not just a career plan or education plan. Knowing what you want your life to look like, and what a successful life means to you, is necessary as you plan your future.

3 ASK FOR HELP Strong-willed, intelligent women sometimes forget that we all need help sometimes. Ask for help and build relationships that support your goals.

MAKE TIME FOR FUN In order to be a well-rounded person, you have to create space for enjoyment. Do what you love, spend time with friends and family, and maintain the joy in your life.

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Dr. Amanda Bryant-Friedrich, associate professor of medicinal chemistry and president of the local chapter of the Association for Women in Science, offers tips to women entering science careers.

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LEADERSHIP LESSONS

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“Science makes people reach selflessly for truth and objectivity; it teaches people to accept reality, with wonder and admiration…” Lise Meitner physicist

A WARM WELCOME Hers is the face that greets most students and faculty members as they enter the Frederic and Mary Wolfe Center each morning. From her seat at the front desk of the Giant Eagle Pharmacy Office of Student Affairs on the Health Science Campus, Audra Wilson has a unique view of the college. Recently hired as the administrative assistant for the office, Audra uses her friendly demeanor to welcome students, interact with visitors and manage the administrative tasks that support the upper division students in the B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Doctor of Pharmacy programs. Following years of experience a s a secretary in the Center for Performing Arts, the Psychology department, and the Department of Philosophy and Foreign Languages in the College of Language, Literature and Social Sciences, Audra comes to the college with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing. She is enjoying the transition to the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “Everyone has been friendly and helpful,” Audra said, “and it is a pleasure interacting with the students. I find that they are always professional and well prepared.”

SPECIAL FOR YOUR ONGOING SUPPORT Adell Shehab

Adell and Lilly Shehab Scholarship

Monica Holiday-Goodman

Buford T. Lively Health Disparities Scholarship

Amanda Bryant-Friedrich

Cancer Research Fund

Jeffrey Barton James Slama

Cancer Research Fund, Center for Drug Design and Development Cancer Research Support Account

Katherine Wall

Cancer Research Support Account

Arthur Friedman