April 25

Students on the Vermont Campus joined their peers at the University of Vermont at this weekend's Relay for Life event in Burlington. As with the Albany Campus RFL, this one featured a mix of poignant ceremonies and lighthearted activities designed to remember, celebrate, and fight back as students walked through the night. The Vermont Campus's Colleges Against Cancer chapter succeeded in raising more than $2,500 for the American Cancer Society.

The New York State Chronic Kidney Disease Coalition, chaired by Associate Professor Amy Barton Pai, recently published an article in the New York State Medicaid Update. The article discusses the risks associated with taking medications such as Motrin or Aleve (referred to as NSAID's) for patients suffering from acute kidney injuries, including the possible progression to chronic kidney disease. In light of the report, pharmacists will play even more critical roles in counseling patients and, in some cases, educating physicians, about the risks associated with these drugs in this patient population. Associate Professor Darren Grabe and Assistant Professor Katie Cardone contributed to the article. 

Forty ACPHS students and nine faculty members visited the Legislative Office Building in Albany on Tuesday to meet with state legislators and discuss issues of importance to pharmacists and patients. During the course of the day, groups of 4-6 students (along with one or two faculty members) would meet with senators or assemblypersons to talk about subjects such as pharmacy education and training, and the expansion of laws related to immunizations. Each of New York's seven pharmacy programs sent representations of students and faculty, but none of them had more participants than ACPHS. 

Professor DiCenzo Helps Lead Certification Program for Saudi Pharmacists 

Professor Rob DiCenzo, Chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, recently returned from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he helped lead a Pharmacotherapy Review Program on behalf of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). ACCP oversees the training of individuals seeking certifications in one of the eight Board of Pharmacy Specialty areas, which include pharmacotherapy, pediatrics, oncology, and ambulatory care among others. Professor DiCenzo, who is board certified in pharmacotherapy, was joined by colleagues from the University of Colorado, University of Illinois-Chicago, and St. Louis College of Pharmacy.

The ACPHS Athletics banquet was held on Sunday evening before a packed house of student athletes, coaches, alumni, family members, and others from the college community. The annual event honors the teams and individual achievements from the past season. Highlights from this year's event included the induction of three new members into the ACPHS Hall of Fame: Kylie Jordan '05, Kevin Mocerine '06, and Jason Howard '08. Other awardees included: Joseph Gottwald (Athletics Academic Achievement Award) and Alexa Schooley, pictured above, who received the Panther Award for outstanding leadership, commitment, and dedication.