E-NEWSLETTER OF THE

NATIONALLY RANKED

UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO

COLLEGE OF PHARMACY AND

PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES

Pharmacists and Immunization-Based

Health Disparities

Health disparities are defined as

differences in the incidence,

prevalence, mortality and burden of

diseases or adverse health conditions

that exist among specific population

groups (NIH). Health care disparities

are differences in access to health care

and quality of health care among

populations (National Healthcare

Disparities Report). As the country

observes Black History Month, it is

important that pharmacy professionals

be aware that African Americans

experience major health and health

care disparities compared to other

groups. This is especially true in regard

to hypertension, diabetes, HIV, infant

mortality, and immunization rates.

Although the presence of disparities

often is correlated with socioeconomic

factors such as level of income, or lack

of health care coverage, this is not the

case for disparities related to

immunizations. Studies have shown

that African Americans are less likely

than Caucasian Americans to receive

immunizations, even when health care

coverage is comparable (AARP)1.

Vaccine-preventable diseases are

responsible for over 60,000 deaths

each year in the US (CDC). As

pharmacists are allowed to provide

several immunizations, our role in the

elimination of this disparity is crucial.

Pharmacists can assist by informing

patients of the importance of key

immunizations, and of our ability to

provide them. With our presence in

virtually every community, we can

assure that all patients, especially

those who are traditionally

underserved, are aware of the

opportunity to receive immunizations

from a pharmacist. In this way, we can

be a driving force in improving our

nation‟s public health and in the

elimination of health and health care

disparities.

1 Flowers, L. (2007). Racial and ethnic disparities

in influenza and pneumococcal immunization

rates among Medicare beneficiaries. Issue Brief

(Public Policy Institute (American Association of

Retired Persons)), no. IB83, 1-6.

this issue

Clinical Skills Competition P.2

Jessica Schillig, PharmD ‟06 P.2

Recruiting in Michigan P.3

CPPS Spotlight P.4

F E B R U A R Y

2 0 1 3

02 x ReFILL

Karen Papadakis

retires after more

than four decades

at University

By Brian Purdue

Dean Johnnie Early presented a UT mortar and pestle to Karen Papadakis, administrative secretary in the Department

of Pharmacology.

The University of Toledo has undergone countless changes throughout the last four decades, and Karen Papadakis has experienced them all.

After 41 years and four months of working at UT, she is moving on — and taking with her great memories and friendships she made during her time at the University.

After graduating from

high school in

Tecumseh, Mich., she

moved to Toledo and

began working at UT

while taking classes to

earn an associate of

applied business degree.

Read more

By Dr. Monica Holiday-Goodman, professor of Pharmacy Practice and Program

Director of the Health Outcomes and Socioeconomic Sciences program

Jessica (Dusky) Schillig, PharmD ‘06, is the recipient of the American Society of

Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Research and Education Foundation‟s 2012 Pharmacy Practice Research Literature Award. The award is one of five that are bestowed annually as part of the ASHP Foundation‟s Literature Awards program.

The Literature Awards Program honors important contributions by pharmacists to the biomedical literature. The Literature Awards are made to individuals who publish high-impact articles in the primary, peer-reviewed, biomedical literature. Emphasis is placed on originality, innovation, impact and quality of the contributed articles.

Dr. Schillig is a clinical pharmacist at LifeCare Hospitals of North Texas. Her winning article, “Clinical and Safety Impact of an Inpatient Pharmacist-Directed Anticoagulation Service” was co-authored with her colleagues at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Mich.: Scott Kaatz, D.O., M.Sc., Michael Hudson, M.D., Gregory D. Krol, M.D., Edward G. Szandzik, R.Ph., M.B.A., and James S. Kalus, Pharm.D. The article was published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine (J Hosp Med. 2011;6:322-8).

Alumna Dr. Jessica Schillig Earns ASHP Foundation’s

2012 Pharmacy Practice Research Literature Award

Due to the risk and complexity associated with anticoagulant medications, the Joint Commission instituted National Patient Safety Goal 03.05.01, which is a series of requirements intended to „„reduce the likelihood of patient harm with the use of anticoagulation therapy.‟‟ In order to optimally address this National Patient Safety Goal, Schillig and her team felt that a systematic intervention would be required to impact each step of the medication-use process for anticoagulants. This led to the development of a pharmacist-directed anticoagulation service (PDAS) at Henry Ford.

The PDAS provided dosing, monitoring, and coordination of transition from the inpatient to outpatient care in patients receiving the blood-thinning medication warfarin on a medical unit and a cardiology unit. Care from the PDAS was compared with a control group on two similar medical and cardiology units. The study included 500 patients and was designed to assess the impact of the PDAS on both patient safety and transition of care. The research showed that there were significant improvements in care transitions and at least similar safety with the PDAS. Sub-group analysis even suggested improved safety in high-risk sub-populations.

“The significance of this study to health-system pharmacy is great in that there are often multiple

patient handoffs and acute illnesses that can impact the patient,” said Schillig. “Pharmacists play a direct role in managing or helping to manage these medications, and this study showed that pharmacists can improve the quality of care for patients taking warfarin in the hospital and transitioning to an outpatient setting.”

“Receiving this award is a great honor,” she said. “I could not have completed this study without the help of my co-authors, especially Dr. Kalus, who has been my mentor since residency.”

2012 ASHP Clinical Skil ls Competition

Stephanie Ogorzaly

and Cindy Williams,

2013 PharmD

candidates, competed in

the 2012 Clinical Skills

Competition at the

American Society of

Health-System

Pharmacists Annual

Meeting.

After earning a spot as a

Top 10 Finalist team;

they took second place

overall out of 120 teams

from across the U.S. The

semifinal round

consisted of submitting a

written plan for a patient

case. For the finals, they

had to orally present the

case to a panel of three

judges and defend their

therapeutic plan during a

rigorous Q&A

session. Previously, they

had won local

competition and had

competed at the state

level as well.

The Clinical Skills judges

and coaches for 2012 at

the local level were Drs.

Gayle Kamm, Anita

Stonehill-Ridner and

Laurie Mauro. The

detailed coaching they

provided helped

Ogorzaly and Williams to

prepare for the state and

national competitions.

P3 student Abby Rabatin

and other members of the

Student Society of Health-

system Pharmacists

participated in a showcase

and poster presentation of

their patient care projects.

The project initiated by UT‟s

SSHP chapter was entitled

"Medication 101." For this

project, students visited an

assisted living facility and

discussed the top ten

medications taken by the

elderly, along with how to

take the medications

properly and how to identify

common side effects.

Schlembach Scholarships

An exciting component of

the university‟s current

fund raising campaign is

a group of funds called

the Schlembach

Scholarships, in

recognition of Dr. Robert

Schlembach, ‟49 (“Doc”).

Doc is chairing the

college‟s giving

campaign along with his

honorary co-chair, Parviz

Boodjeh.

Donors who establish an

endowed scholarship of

$25K or more in the

donor‟s own name may

have their scholarship

designated as a

Schlembach Scholarship,

an umbrella of funds that

support matriculating

students. These

scholarships will be

acknowledged at

convocation each year

the scholarship is

awarded.

Doc‟s sense of

indebtedness to the

college for the excellent

education he received

influenced his desire to

give to the college.

“Giving,” said Dr.

Schlembach, “continues

to pave the way for an

excellent professional

education of which every

University of Toledo

alumnus can be proud.”

Prospective pharmacy students in the state of Ohio now have seven colleges of pharmacy, six of which are fully accredited, from which to choose. While the college continues to attract the best and brightest in Ohio, recruitment efforts have expanded further north to tap into the Michigan market. Enrollment Management Specialist, Crystal Taylor, proposed the idea to Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Christine Hinko, in Spring 2012.

The college chose to cast a wider net to attract students in Michigan looking for a quality pharmacy or pharmaceutical sciences

program. Additionally, the Admissions office at The University of Toledo currently recruits only in seven counties in southeast Michigan, leaving a highly untapped market for the college. While maintaining a presence in the State of Ohio, our recruiting efforts have expanded to schools and college fairs in Michigan, reaching Southwest, the Thumb and mid-Michigan.

The college is finding great success with recruitment efforts, supported by the favorable scholarship opportunities for out-of-state students offered by the Tower Scholarship. Students from outside of

Ohio who have a 2.75 high school GPA are offered a minimum scholarship of $9,120, which covers the out-of-state tuition surcharge. This gives in-state and out-of-state students the same tuition rate and is very attractive to prospective students and their families.

As more students throughout Michigan find out about the opportunities The University of Toledo has to offer, a greater number are expected to enroll from all parts of Michigan not only in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences but University-wide.

Life-saving knowledge through Service Learning

As part of their Introductory Pharmacy

Practice Experiences (IPPEs), several

P2 students visited Harvard Elementary

School in Toledo to educate 100 first-

and third-grade students. The P2 students

talked about the difference between

medicine and candy. A recent study

showed that nearly one in four children

mistake medicine for candy, an error that

can have deadly consequences.

The P2 pharmacy students used a

PowerPoint presentation along with word

searches and crossword puzzles in their

discussions with the children. The first-

and third-graders were enthusiastic

participants and left with knowledge that

can save lives.

Northern Exposure: Recruiting in Michigan Doc and Parviz Boodjeh, ‘54

Deb Sobczak’s Shining Star Award

As The University of

Toledo renews its

focus on student

satisfaction as a factor

in student retention,

the role of academic

advisers is being

recognized more

broadly. Recently, The

University of Toledo recognized Deborah Sobczak, the college‟s

director of Student Services for the pre-professional division, for excellence in her role as

an adviser. Pharmacy students Emily Kramp, Dan Gilloon, Sean Hackett and Andrew

Schneider, who nominated Sobczak for the Shining Star advising award, are featured with

Deb in a YouTube video discussing the importance of sound advising, among other

topics. Click the image above to watch the video.

CPPS Spotl ight

The

Student

Impact

Award,

instituted

for the

first time in 2011 by the

student government,

honors faculty members

who positively influence

the lives of students.

Dr. Steve Peseckis,

associate professor of

Medicinal Chemistry,

was among the 25

faculty members

university-wide who

earned this student-

driven recognition for

2012. The awards were

based on personal

nominations from

students.

3000 Arlington Ave, MS 1013

Toledo, OH 43614

419.383.1904 ph

419.383.1907 fax

www.utoledo.edu/pharmacy

Dr. Wayne Hoss, executive associate dean, along

with President Jacobs, Dean Johnnie Early and

Chancellor Jeff Gold, were present at the college‟s

annual faculty and staff advancement conference.

The college presented Dr. Jacobs with an artist-

rendered collage of the college‟s historic locations

in recognition of his ongoing support for the College

of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The

annual advancement conference allows faculty and

staff to discuss important issues and make

decisions that affect the growth and progress of the

college.

Upcoming Events

PHARMACY LAW CE

Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 7pm in the

Collier Auditorium on the UT Health Science

Campus

The event is free; however, advanced

online registration is required.