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Student Groundbreaking Ceremony
 | | Mr. John Ridgway, Sylvia Dang (P3), Freddy Orellana (P2), Lisa Levander (P1), Jason Blaser (P1), Beau Ehlers (P1), Jared Matya (P2), Caroline Jamison (P3) and Tony Anderson (P4) (left to right) |
When UNMC broke ground for the Lozier Center for Pharmacy Sciences and Education and Center for Drug Discovery in June, classes were officially out. So when the students came back for the new academic year, the College of Pharmacy invited them to take part in a second groundbreaking. Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., and Courtney Fletcher, Pharm.D., dean of pharmacy, made a few brief remarks and then invited student representatives, shown above, to man golden shovels and turn some ceremonial dirt. A picnic lunch followed, and students, faculty and supporters of the College of Pharmacy ate hamburgers and hot dogs in the sun. For a Flickr slideshow of the event, click here.
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The 2013 Annual College of Pharmacy Fall Honors Convocation was held on October 18. Over $600,000 in scholarships and other leadership awards and prizes were presented. Dr. Paul Dobesh, Chair of the Scholarship, Honors and Financial Aid Committee, presided at the Convocation. The 2013 scholarship and award recipients are listed here.
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Distinguished Teacher of the Year
 | | Dr. Oestreich (left) and Kendra Schomer |
Julie Oestreich, Pharm.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacy practice, received the College of Pharmacy 2013 Distinguished Teacher Award.
The Distinguished Teaching Award has been presented annually since 1994 to a College of Pharmacy faculty member to recognize his or her excellence in teaching and dedication to student learning. Each spring, the Student Advisory Committee, a committee consisting of student leaders from the College of Pharmacy, requests nominations from the student body. The nominators must include an explanation as to why they believe the nominee should be a candidate to receive the Award. Once all nominations have been received, the Student Advisory Committee meets to consider all nominations.
Kendra Schomer, P4 President, presented Dr. Oestreich with the distinguished teacher of the year award. In her presentation, Kendra expressed the reasons why Dr. Oestreich was selected by the students. The following statements are taken from student nominations.
"Their availability to ask questions, offer advice, and increasing involvement with student organizations such as SHARING clinic as well as attending the APHA conference as an APHA delegate. This teacher shows an active interest in her work and presentation of material, promotes active learning with students such as practice problems, case studies, group activities, and discussion. All of which make her presence more enjoyable and material easier to understand/learn."
Students describe the recipient as a "very versatile professor who is always ready and willing to teach various topics within the curriculum."
"This teacher is very helpful and willing to answer questions in and out of the classroom."
One student recalled going to this teacher's office and receiving help understanding material for an hour and a half.
"This person is capable of giving all of their lectures without having to use notes and is incredibly prepared and knowledgeable on all she teaches about."
Congratulations, Dr. Oestreich!
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Faculty News
 Gary C. Yee, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, was inducted as the 2013-2014 President of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) at the annual meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico October 13-16. Dr. Yee, pictured to the left, giving his presidential remarks at the ACCP Opening Reception. |
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 Kim Scarsi, Pharm.D., Associate Professor, joined the department of Pharmacy Practice faculty this November. Dr. Scarsi will be featured in a future issue of the Connections.
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UNMC College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, hosted a breakfast reception at the AAPS Annual Meeting and Exposition on November 11 in San Antonio, TX. This was an opportunity to meet with alumni and friends.
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Rapid Diagnostic Testing in a Pharmacy Near You
Thirty-four Nebraska and Minnesota pharmacists attended the Rapid Diagnostic Testing Certification (RDT) course offered at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy on October 26 & 27, 2013. The RDT Certification program, developed by UNMC and Ferris State University faculty and offered through the Michigan Pharmacists Association, teaches specimen collection skills and more to ensure the tests are conducted efficiently, safely, and appropriately to manage patients. Each of the following components is addressed to prepare the pharmacist to conduct CLIA-waived testing with follow-up care:
* An understanding of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) and the CLIA waiver process
* An understating of the required federal and state permitting process, necessary to conduct CLIA-waived tests
* A basic knowledge of the limitations of all tests including sensitivity and specificity variances
* A working knowledge of federal and state requirements for dispensing via collaborative agreement with a prescriber
* Appreciation for the work-flow, time requirements and other expenses involved with collecting potentially infectious body fluids,
* OSHA requirements for employee safety in laboratory settings
* Insurance billing and fee for service documentation for health account reimbursement
Most of the pharmacists in attendance at the October training will be participating in a prospective, block randomized multi-center clinical study for pharmacist-physician collaborative influenza and Group A Streptococcal management. Based on the assessment of the programs during the pilot phase, a broader program may be implemented for 2014-2015. Click here for more information about the study.
For more information about bringing Rapid Diagnostic Testing to your pharmacy, contact Mary Farrington, Michigan Pharmacists Association Director of Continuing Education, at 517-377-0234 or Mary@MichiganPharmacists.org.
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Innovation Awards
The UNeMed Innovation 2013 Awards honored individuals for new inventions, patents, and licensed technologies in a ceremony held October 10, 2013. The following are UNMC College of Pharmacy researchers who were honored.
New Invention Notification Contributors
Serguei V. Vinogradov
Inventors with Issued Patents
Tatiana Bronich
"Cross-Linked Ionic Core Micelles"
Peter F. Kador
"Multifunctional Antioxidants and Methods of Use Thereof"
Jonathan L. Vennerstrom
"Creatine Oral Supplementation Using Creatine Hydrochloride Salt"
Creators of Licensed Technology
Jonathan L. Vennerstrom
Creatine Ethyl Ester
Dong Wang
Fu Chen
Zhenshan Jia
Improved Oral Products
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Student News
 Nineteen College of Pharmacy students participated in the Douglas County Dispensing Exercise held in late September. The exercise was used to determine best practices in current procedures and how efficient these practice are in extreme situations.
The Pharmacy students primarily served as 'victims'. The victims were asked to exhibit various unruly or disruptive behaviors in addition to having certain conditions (i.e. pregnancy, on oxygen, etc.) that forced an adjustment in typical procedures. COP students were among the best in creating all kinds of scenarios.
The exercise was a success and valuable insights were made should an 'event' occur and this type of action was needed to mass treat a large volume of patients.
Phi Lambda Sigma held their induction ceremony on October 15. They initiated thirteen new members. Dr. Ally Dering-Anderson, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, delivered the keynote address.
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Pharmacy students' rotation spins them half a world away
There are pharmacy rotations, and then there are pharmacy rotations.
Mike Dibble and Casey Koch recently returned from a rotation at Sichuan University's West China Second University Hospital in Chengdu, China...more.
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New COP Building Timeline
March 2013
Architect Selection
June 2013
Funding Substantially Complete
January 2014
Design Complete
February 2014
Start Construction
July 2015
Complete Construction
August 2015
In Service
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