Refill September 2012

ISSUE

9 SEPTEMBER 2012

E-NEWSLETTER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO COLLEGE OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES

RxeFILL this issue Dr. Hacker’s Cancer Drug P.1 PCAT Test at UT P.2

George E. Bush Park Honors UT Alumnus

New Cosmetic Science Major P.3 Upcoming Events P.4

The life and work of George E. Bush, a 1930 UT Pharmacy graduate and Toledo community

Dr. Hacker sees cancer drug approved for use

pharmacist, were recognized through the naming of a new playground and park in his honor.

Along with caring for patients, Bush was known for giving children free ice cream at his pharmacy. Dean Early attended the park dedication near Spring Elementary; the event was hosted by Toledo Mayor Mike Bell.

Although Mr. Bush passed away in 1976, the memory of his impact on the local community is reaching yet another generation.

See the story published in The Blade.

Dr. Miles Hacker, Professor and Master Teacher in the Department of Pharmacology, is now able to see the fruits of his labor in the form of a cancer drug on the market. The medication, Pixantrone, was recently approved for use in Europe, nearly 20 years after it first demonstrated effectiveness against tumor growth.

Pixantrone is a topoisomerase II, a drug that inhibits DNA synthesis of cancer cells and damages cancer cell DNA through apoptosis, the natural process of cell death. Pixantrone is considered a safer alternative to doxorubicin, a cancer drug with a similar mechanism of action, because it does not cause damage to the heart.

The drug has been proven clinically effective in the treatment of non-Hodgkins lymphoma and leukemia and is the only drug that has been proven effective for patients with severe, late-stage non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Currently being tested for effectiveness against metastatic breast cancer and multiple sclerosis, Pixantrone is a promising treatment for these devastating diseases.

About Dr. Hacker and his work

Testing, Testing: PCAT at UT

NIH Award for Student Researcher

The College implements PCAT testing and UT becomes a test site for pharmacy students.

Ashraf Mohieldin, a second-year PhD student in the Medicinal and Biological Chemistry program, conducts his research in the pharmacology lab of associate professor Surya Nauli.

A graduate of the BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences program with a major in Pharmacology, Mohieldin earned funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

The award amount of over $39,000 will support Mohieldin’s research in Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD).

Mohieldin’s project, entitled Cellular Function and Structure of Primary Cilia, focuses on the role of primary cilia in PKD.

Beginning with the Fall 2014 Professional Division admissions cycle, PharmD applicants will be required to take the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT). Over 70% of the nation’s colleges of pharmacy use the exam as part of the admissions process.

The faculty states that “success as a pharmacist requires excellence in academic performance in addition to verbal and written communication skills. Therefore, the College uses several measures to evaluate these attributes in applicants. The admissions process is based on a holistic review that is in alignment with the College mission.”

The PCAT provides a standardized method of assessing the applicant’s skills needed for success in a pharmacy program.

Academic achievement as assessed by cumulative

GPA and science GPA, as Associate Dean of Student defined in the College Affairs, to begin discussions Catalog, and verbal and with the UT testing center, written communication which administers other skills, as measured by the standardized tests, to essay and interview, are determine whether the other key components PCAT could be evaluated in the application administered at UT. The UT review process. Although testing center was eager to each component serves a become a PCAT site. By unique purpose, none of working with Pearson, the these is a sole maker of the PCAT test, determinant of and the admission and American “The College uses the predictive Association of value of all Colleges of several measures components is Pharmacy to evaluate continually (AACP), Dr. applicants.” evaluated.

Hinko facilitated the Following faculty approval process of UT becoming a of the plan to implement the PCAT test site.

PCAT, the concern about “I am very excited that, after where students would take discussions with individuals the exam became from Pearson, Inc., we important. After all, over have been granted 200 pre-professional permission for UT to serve students would need to take as a PCAT test site. This the test in September 2013, will provide CPPS preand some might have to professional division travel to distant locations to students the opportunity to find a testing site in the take the test in a familiar state. environment,” said Dr. This led Dr. Christine Hinko, Hinko.

On the Record NSF Internships

New Cosmetic Science Major Offered This fall, the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences began offering classes in a new major, Cosmetic Science. Part of the BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences program, the Cosmetic Science major prepares students for careers as cosmetic chemists, research chemists, technical writers, cosmetic marketing representatives, and product developers.

Graduates will be skilled in developing new and novel

products or improving existing ones as well as assessing the quality, durability, safety and packaging of products .

They will also be equipped to understand business models and the necessity for team interaction in the development of commercial products.

The broad base on which the major is structured allows graduates to compete for positions requiring a knowledge of chemistry. Graduates may

also move on to graduate programs in the field, medical school, or other professional programs.

The Cosmetic Science curriculum will be taught in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and will include courses in organic chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, biotechnology, pharmacology, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmaceutics and cosmetic science.

In the Know: News You Can Use Q: Why should students major in

Using median salary, unemployment

pharmacy and pharmacology?

rates, and potential growth as primary

A: Graduates with degrees in pharmacy and pharmacology are more likely to thrive in these tough economic times.

A recent segment on The Today Show listed pharmacy and pharmacology as the best college majors that can lead to lucrative careers.

factors,

Kiplinger’s

Personal

Finance magazine found that these majors are most promising for college students, even those who don’t wish to pursue postgraduate education.

Watch the segment

In summer of 2012, a record number of BS in Pharmaceutical Science (BSPS) students were placed in nationally competitive internships sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) provide intensive research training experience for students preparing for careers in biomedical research, and students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs all over the country apply for these 10-week projects.

This year, 14% of the BSPS students who completed laboratory internships were selected for SURF programs across the country. The medical schools at Case Western Reserve University, The Ohio State University and The University of Toledo are among those that have consistently selected BSPS students for SURF programs over the past several years.

The number of BSPS students earning these competitive internships indicates the excellent preparation students receive in the biomedical sciences, which places our students among the best in the nation.

Upcoming Events  Donor Recognition and Scholarship Dinner Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 5pm in the Hilton Ballroom. RSVP to Donna Haar at 419.383.1934 or donna.haar@utoledo.edu.  Celebrate 20 classes of PharmD education at UT October 5-7, 2012: In addition to the Pharmacy Alumni Affiliate

Student Recognition Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) president Nader Rouholfada was a national finalist for the organization’s Chapter President of the Year award. He was the top selection for Region 3.

luncheon, the Alumni Association banquet and the annual parade, the college will celebrate all 20 PharmD classes at this year’s Homecoming.

• Homecoming CE Seminar On Sunday, October 7, 2012 from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, the College will host its annual four-hour CE, which includes one hour of Law CE credit. The CE is entitled Pharmacists and the Patient Centered Medical Home. Alumni Anthony Pattin, PharmD and Alex Adams, PharmD will be among the presenters. The seminar will be held on the Health Science Campus in the Health Education Building, Room 100. Register online at www.utoledo.edu/pharmacy.

Refill Issue 09 September 2012

3000 Arlington Ave, MS 1013 Toledo, OH 43614 419.383.1904 ph