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PROVIDER STATUSTom Gossel and Dick Wuest: Pioneers of Continuing Education
Alison Steinbrunner: Distance-Running Record Breaker
Ghana Partnership
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Message from the Dean
Features p. 4-16
Jenelle Sobotka’s Provider Status, the Game Changer
Tom Gossel and Dick Wuest: Pioneers of Continuing Education
Alison Steinbrunner: Distance-Running Record Breaker
Ghana Partnership
Knowledge Gained, Knowledge Shared
Pharmacy Outreach Corner
Public Health Conscious: Natalie DiPietro
Pharmacy News and Activities p. 17
Student Focus p. 20
Advisory Board p. 23
The Ampul is a publication of The Rudolph H. Raabe College of Pharmacy
Editors:Josh AlkireLynn BedfordAmy (Rettig) Prigge, BSBA ’94Laurie Wurth Pressel
Design: Toma (Grothous) Williams, BFA ’96
Photography:Ken Colwell
Contributors:Scott Wills, BSBA ’87
The Ampul is published by Ohio Northern University, 525 S. Main St. Ada, OH 45810, 419-772-2000.
The R.H. Raabe College of Pharmacy at Ohio Northern University has long been recognized as one of the premier colleges of pharmacy in the nation, continually meeting the high standards of pharmaceutical education. Through-out its prominent history, the college has graduated pharmacists who now have successful pharmacy practices and who are active in local, state and national health-related organizations. More than one-fourth of all pharmacists in Ohio are Ohio Northern alumni.
www.onu.edu/pharmacy
On The Cover:Provider status network grid.
Photo: Ken Colwell
THE AMPUL
CONTENT
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PROVIDER STATUSTom Gossel and Dick Wuest: Pioneers of Continuing Educaiton
Alison Steinbrunner: Track & Field National Times Record Breaker
Ghana Partnership
Pioneers in Continuing Education
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GAME CHANGER
Going the
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From the Dean
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When we look into the crystal ball of pharmacy practice and education, we see numerous opportunities and potential changes, such as accountable care organizations (ACO), medication-therapy management (MTM), transition-in-care teams, patient-centered medical homes, pharmacogenetics, etc. From a didactic perspective, the faculty in the Raabe College of Pharmacy work hard to make sure we continue to be at the forefront of the future of pharmacy practice.
In December, a White House “We the People” petition was started to recognize pharmacists as health care providers. Within weeks, the petition surpassed the 25,000-signature threshold required to trigger an official review and response by the Obama administration. As pharmacists, we need to be aware of the efforts and progress being made in regards to obtaining provider status for our profession. In this issue of The Ampul, we examine these efforts.
Our working relationship with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana continues to flourish and provide learning opportunities for our students and faculty. During this academic year, four sixth-year pharmacy students completed Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) throughout Ghana. Additionally, three faculty from the Raabe College of Pharmacy spent time teaching pharmacy students at KNUST. This allowed the ONU faculty to demonstrate our integrated method of teaching pathophysiology, pharmacology, medicinal chemistry and therapeutics. I hope you will enjoy reading about some of their experiences in this issue of The Ampul.
Our students continue to impress and challenge us as faculty. The implementation of our college’s mission to be the teacher-scholars of pharmacy education can be ostensibly linked to the proliferation of awards and recognitions our students and faculty have received. In this issue of The Ampul, we have provided you with some of these stories.
We always welcome the opportunity to catch up with alumni and friends of the college. Alumni give back to the Raabe College of Pharmacy in so many ways. I am truly appreciative and grateful for all your support!
Respectfully,
Dr. Jon E. SpragueProfessor of Pharmacology and DeanRaabe College of Pharmacy
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Feature
“We must continue to be guided by what our patients need, and our patients need a game change in how they experience care from pharmacists.”
– Jenelle Sobotka
GAME CHANGER
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The Ampul Spring 2013 5 The Ampul Spring 2013 5
Jenelle Sobotka’s term as president of the American Pharmacists Association ended in March, but her desire to serve is stronger than ever. Sobotka, professor and Endowed Chair of Pharmacy Practice at ONU, reflects on her presidential year and the “game changer” that she and pharmacists across the country are pushing for in order to transform the practice of pharmacy.
WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR LEGACY TO BE AS THE 2012-13 PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION?Wow, legacy is a tall order! But I do hope pharmacists will look back on this year as the year that aligned the
profession for achieving provider status. In fact, the theme of my keynote address at the 2013 APhA National Conference in Los Angeles in March was “A Game-Changing Year: Building Teams and Game Plans for our Future.” We worked hard to develop strategic plans and
to build relationships with other national pharmacy associations, health care professional groups and other stakeholders. APhA will be taking specific action steps this coming year, in collaboration with other national organizations, to pursue provider status.
Photo provided by APhA/Robb D. Cohen
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WHY DID APHA DECIDE TO CHAMPION THE PROVIDER STATUS MOVEMENT?We’ve reached a tipping point, plain and simple. Our profession needs to move toward a practice model built around medication management rather than dispensing of products. In my keynote address, I mentioned five reasons why the time is right for pursuing provider status. First, the public has seen pharmacists become more involved in patient care in recent years, with services such as administering vaccinations and providing health screenings, and this is changing their perceptions and expectations. Second, health care is moving toward a team-based approach, and health care professionals are beginning to recognize that pharmacists can be key members of the team. Third, our country has agreed that health care delivery-system reform is needed. Fourth, health care reform emphasizes quality and decreased costs, and pharmacists can help deliver in both of these areas. And finally, the pharmacist shortage is ending, allowing pharmacists to fill new roles in the health care delivery system.
HOW DID YOUR CONNECTION WITH ONU INFORM YOUR EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE PROVIDER STATUS?I received inspiration and encouragement from ONU and other student pharmacists across the country. They are the future of our profession, and they are the biggest reason why I’ve devoted so much energy toward this cause. We need to achieve provider status so today’s student pharmacists can fulfill their potential and step into the roles for which our pharmacy schools have prepared them. The public deserves access to the patient care services they can provide!
The Raabe College of Pharmacy, for example, is teaching students to practice pharmacy on the cutting edge. The curriculum covers the latest in therapeutics, pharmacogenomics, patient care services, medication therapy management and documentation with electronic records. Through the ONU Healthwise Clinic for University employees, students receive real experience in managing patient health needs, including counseling patients, taking blood pressure and glucose readings, and administering immunizations. ONU students graduate fully prepared for the new model of practice.
GAMECHANGER
“It is our choice whether this game change in the health care system engages our talents in medication management or ejects us from the game for other players and technology that they believe can play our position better or at lower costs.”
During her keynote address, Sobotka displays the special-edition football
made by the Wilson Football Factory in Ada, Ohio, which was auctioned
to benefit the APhA Foundation. Photo provided by APhA/Robb D. Cohen
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The students also are inspirational with their commitment to be involved and actively improve our world. This past year, right after Christmas, a student pharmacist from St. John’s University in New York started a White House “We the People” petition to recognize pharmacists as health care providers. Early in the new year, the petition went viral, flashing through mass email communications at national and state pharmacy associations and through schools of pharmacy. Many ONU student pharmacists signed the petition. On Jan. 9, the petition exceeded the 25,000 required signatures for a White House response. As just one example, I think this grassroots movement shows the momentum and excitement – especially among young people – surrounding the issue of achieving provider status.
WHAT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE TOWARD ACHIEVING THE GOAL? During my presidential year, APhA committed to spending $1.5 million to support the initiative to achieve provider status. We’re fighting to remove regulatory limitations, advance professional education, and gain ground on the integration of pharmacists’ services within new patient care payment models. In addition, we’ve held discussions with stakeholders in pharmacy, medicine, managed care, health systems and government to drive the positive recognition our profession deserves. We proactively reached out to physician groups, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Physicians. The year culminated in a national forum at the 2013 APhA Annual Meeting titled “Provider Status: Creating a National Action Plan” with more than 200 pharmacy stakeholders in attendance, including ONU’s pharmacy dean, Dr. Jon Sprague.
WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS?Legislative action is needed to change the language in the Social Security Act to include pharmacists as health care providers. To reach this goal, we will need not only national pharmacy organizations working together, but also individual pharmacists to step up to the plate. Our profession has historically had a limited voice and influence in politics, and this will need to change. I was thrilled by the overwhelming response to the “We the People” petition. But it’s easy, with just a click, to sign a petition from your home computer. It will take all those pharmacists who signed the petition, and many more, to educate legislators, donate to political action committees, and activate patients to support the provider status legislation and access to our pharmacist clinical services.
HOW SHOULD THE PROFESSION PREPARE FOR THE CHANGES AHEAD?We need to take a lot of steps in preparation. First, we need to remove more regulatory barriers to provision of patient care. For example, here in Ohio, the Ohio Pharmacists Association is supporting legislation to improve the pharmacists’ ability to provide access to immunizations. Second, we need to implement models that ensure consistent and predictable practice by pharmacists from simple to complex management of patients. To achieve this, our profession will have to grow the areas of credentialing (Board of Pharmacy Specialties), residencies and accreditation. Third, we’ll need to continue to innovate in patient care models, like pharmacogenomics and patient accessibility. Finally, we’ll need to make sure that pharmacists are included in the new models of health care delivery, such as accountable care organizations and patient-centered medical homes.
WHAT DID YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR LEADERSHIP ROLE THIS YEAR?The people, of course! I worked with some incredible people and made new friends, from other APhA board members and staff, to pharmacists and pharmacy educators across the country. I never tired of the meetings to discuss opportunities to advance our profession’s role in patient care.
WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE AS PRESIDENT?The intensity and volume of emails, phone calls and travel were incredible. I did my best to stay on top of information and meet as many members at meetings as possible. I traveled across the country with stops in California, South Carolina, Texas, Minnesota and others. I even represented the APhA at the International Pharmaceutical Federation in Amsterdam. These travels away from home and work would not have been possible without lots of help from my family, friends, and faculty colleagues at ONU. They made this year possible for me with their unwavering support and understanding.
WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU?I will finish my last year of nine years of service on the APhA Board as immediate past president. I’ll be sad when my APhA Board service ends, because it’s been extremely rewarding to sit at the table and help contribute to efforts to advance our profession. However, I’m looking forward to focusing on my responsibilities at ONU for teaching and leadership development. Of course, I will also continue my professional involvement with APhA and OPA and perhaps increase my involvement with the International Pharmaceutical Federation. My presidential term may be over, but I’ll always look for ways that I can serve our profession.
“Our goal is to make a difference in medication outcomes by making sure patients have access to the services pharmacists can provide.”
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Pharmacists never stop learning because there’s always something new to learn, from the latest drug therapies to the most recent FDA regulations. And every lesson – including those geared toward practicing pharmacists – requires a teacher, someone committed to providing relevant, accurate and insightful information.
For the past 40 years, Dr. Tom Gossel, BSPh ’63, ACIT ’89, ACIT ’97, has been that knowledgeable and dedicated teacher, producing more continuing education (CE) lessons for pharmacists than perhaps anyone else in the country.
From Ohio to Florida, Maine to California, thousands of pharmacists have stayed current in their profession because of CE courses developed by Gossel, who taught pharmacology and toxicology at Ohio Northern for 30 years and served as dean of the Raabe College of Pharmacy from 1993 to 1999. Gossel developed many of the lessons in collaboration with his friend and colleague, Dr. J. Richard “Dick” Wuest, professor emeritus of pharmacy practice at the University of Cincinnati.
Pioneers in Continuing Education
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Dr. J. Richard Wuest, Dr. Suzanne Eastman Wuest, BSPh ’74, Hon.D. ’99,
Phyllis (Black) Gossel, BSEd ’63, and Dr. Tom Gossel BSPh ’63, ACIT ’89, ACIT ’97.
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Once hailed as “America’s faculty” by a leading pharmaceutical company, Gossel and Wuest traversed the nation’s byways, often together and sometimes alone, delivering CE seminars. They also co-authored hundreds of home-study lessons that were shared with every state pharmacy association in the U.S.
Gossel and Wuest first teamed up in the early 1970s, when boards of pharmacy began implementing CE requirements for license renewal. The deans at Ohio’s four schools of pharmacy devised a plan to make it easy for Ohio pharmacists to obtain their CE hours. Each
school designated two professors to travel to cities and towns throughout Ohio to deliver CE seminars. Gossel and Wuest were both selected by their college deans for the task.
The two met in a hotel lobby before an event at which they were scheduled to speak. They were both frantically scribbling notes and shuffling papers. It was “love at first sight” jokes Wuest, when the two busy professors and family men noticed they shared something besides pharmacy in common – last-minute preparation. Gossel and Wuest began to work together – pooling their time and intellectual talent – to develop first-rate CE courses. They made a perfect team, informing and entertaining their CE students. Wuest claims he was the jokester and Gossel the perfect straight man. Their success in Ohio prompted a national
pharmacy chain to invite them to deliver CE seminars in other states during their school breaks and summer vacations.
Gossel’s records show he delivered 1,327 seminars in 47 different states as well as Europe and the Caribbean between 1973 and 1993. He met thousands of practicing pharmacists, often driving or flying to every major city in a state within a few days. He learned some valuable lessons in his travels. For example, the word “party” means two completely different things depending on if you’re in Las Vegas or Fargo, and it’s never wise to joke about the Civil War in South Carolina. Most importantly, he says, he learned that pharmacists, no matter where they practice, share one thing in common – they are all eager to learn about new developments in their field.
“Those were busy years,” Gossel reflects. “But if I didn’t think I was doing something beneficial, I wouldn’t have continued.” Gossel, whose home office overflows with research papers, journals and the latest industry news, is a role model for lifelong learning. He believes CE requirements play a major role in advancing the pharmacy profession and keeping pharmacists up-to-date in a rapidly changing field. CE courses also have the added benefit of bringing pharmacists together for networking, he adds. In addition to seminars, Gossel has written more than 700 CE home-study lessons for the Ohio Pharmacist journal and other publications. He wrote many of the lessons in collaboration with Wuest. For some articles, he worked with ONU student pharmacists who appreciated the opportunity to add a published article to their résumés. “Tom is one of the most prolific writers I ever came across,” says Wuest. “He was the workhorse in putting the materials together.”
For many years, the Ohio Pharmacist editor shared Gossel’s CE lessons with every state pharmacy association in the U.S. Today, the journal editor distributes his articles to 11 state associations. Most of Gossel’s CE articles provide background information on new drugs. But he’s also written about over-the-counter medications, patient counseling and FDA regulations. “Tom’s CE lessons are extremely well received by pharmacists all over the country, because the lessons are practical and current and can be applied to a variety of pharmacy settings,” says Amy Bennett, R.Ph., assistant executive director of the Ohio Pharmacists Association. “Pharmacists appreciate receiving information about the drugs from someone other than the manufacturer. He conveys objective information about how the new drug fits into current therapy, advantages and disadvantages, patient counseling tips, and more.” While Wuest ended his CE involvement after his retirement, Gossel only slowed down. Retired from ONU for 11 years, he continues to write three to four highly informative and thoroughly researched CE articles each year. “The topics just come naturally,” he says. “I have files galore with background information.” Bennett, who’s been Gossel’s editor for the past 33 years, hopes he never puts down the pen and that he continues to enlighten and inform pharmacists on the topics that matter. “Tom is an asset to the profession of pharmacy,” she says. “There is no question he’s influenced the continuing education of pharmacists all over the country.”
“Pharmacists appreciate receiving information about the drugs from someone other than the manufacturer. He conveys objective information about how the new drug fits into current therapy, advantages and disadvantages, patient counseling tips, and more.”— Amy Bennett, R.Ph., assistant executive director of the Ohio Pharmacists Association
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In a sport where the primary focus is getting there first, Alison Steinbrunner was late getting started.
Whereas 5-year-olds across the nation are now running cross country competitively in organized leagues, Steinbrunner didn’t begin until the eighth grade. Even then, it was something she did as a laugh. It was a social activity almost.
This is amazing when you consider how good she is.
“My friends got me started; it was just an easy thing to do, I guess,” she says. “Everyone was like, ‘Oh, just run after school. It’s easy. It’s fun.’”
So, in the fall of eighth grade, she ran cross country for the first time.
“We went to small meets, because our cross country program wasn’t really big. I think I won a couple of the small meets. It wasn’t a big accomplishment to win the meet by any means, but after winning one, I thought, ‘Oh, I think maybe I could be good at this.’”
She didn’t run track in the spring, but became nervous that her fellow eighth-graders would all become faster than her.
“I knew my friends were all running every day in the spring. And I didn’t want to come back to cross country and not be able to run with them. I got nervous and started running a little bit around my neighborhood in the spring and summer. And I think that’s probably what made me kind of decent at cross country.”
Kind of decent gave way to very good, as Steinbrunner continued running throughout high school.
As a freshman, she became one of the first freshmen in Tecumseh High School history to qualify for state.
She dominated as a high school senior, winning seven races and helping Tecumseh win the Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail Division for the first time in school history. The school also advanced to the state meet for the first time in school history. She was named the 2008 Springfield News-Sun All-Area Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year and finished seventh in the state in cross country.
When it came time to consider colleges, Steinbrunner’s search for academic quality superseded her desire to run for a Division I program.
“It was pharmacy first. I did look at Division II and Division I schools, so I could have gotten scholarships to run, but Ohio Northern pharmacy is just the best. Then I met the coaches and came to ONU. But yeah, it was pharmacy first, then running.”
It probably didn’t hurt that her mother, Lori Ann (Hinegardner), BSEE ’86, and grandfather, William D. Hinegardner, BSME ’62, are both Northern alumni.
Still, she has few regrets over her decision. Today, the fourth-year pharmacy major from New Carlisle, Ohio, runs cross country and both indoor and outdoor track for ONU.
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“I think because ONU is D3, we all just want to run,” she explains. “I feel like if I were at a school where kids were getting scholarships, they might be there just for the scholarships. And there would be more pressure. Here, if I have to miss practice for an exam or something, it’s fine. And everyone on the team wants to be here. So I feel like the atmosphere at ONU is better.”
This ONU atmosphere has produced what many might consider to be the University’s finest distance runner.
During the 2012-13 cross country season alone, Steinbrunner won the OAC championship in the 5,000-meter run with an OAC record time of 17:39.21. In indoor track, she broke her own school record in the 5,000-meter run, broke records in the 1-mile run and 3,000-meter run, and was part of the record-breaking distance medley relay team.
In outdoor track, she holds University records in the 5,000-meter run and the 10,000-meter run.
She was named a 2012 Division III Women’s Cross Country All-Academic honoree by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), too.
So how does she balance the rigors of a Northern pharmacy education with the intense training necessary to run at such a competitive level?
“Anyone in pharmacy knows that you have to do a lot of studying, so it’s about time management,” she says. “If we’re on the bus to an away meet, we’re studying on the bus if we need to. It’s hard to explain because I’ve just always done it. I guess I don’t know what people who aren’t in athletics do. But some days, I don’t do anything besides study and go to practice. So there are a lot of sacrifices.”
Somehow, she manages to squeeze in a few additional extracurricular activities into her already busy schedule. “I’m in a couple things,” she says.
Those “couple” things include writing for The Pharmacy and Wellness Review, a student-created pharmacy research journal. She’s a chemistry teaching assistant and a member of Kappa Epsilon, the women’s professional pharmacy sorority; Rho Chi, the national pharmacy honor society; and Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership honorary.
Steinbrunner’s successes have been tempered with her share of setbacks, as well. She missed time during both her sophomore and junior years of high school with injuries. In college, a bout with mononucleosis forced her to sit out the entire outdoor track season as a second-year student.
But a silver lining can be found in missing that outdoor track season: As a fifth-year pharmacy student next year, she’ll have one year of eligibility left. Steinbrunner fully expects to participate in the outdoor track season in 2014, despite the long layoff that she’ll have to endure.
“That’s going to be so weird. When I race again next year, I won’t have raced for a whole year.”
As for her future career plans, or how she’ll choose to use her pharmacy degree, Steinbrunner is unsure. “I don’t know yet. That’s the big question! I guess we’ll find out after rotations. I have no idea.”
But for now, Steinbrunner will simply keep running. The 2013 outdoor track season is currently winding down. After that, she looks ahead to her remaining season of eligibility a year from now.
Until then, it’s one practice at a time, one race at a time, one meet at a time. She’ll be ready, and she’ll do what she can to be first.
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The average Ghanaian doesn’t discover that he or she has cancer until it’s too late. “There are few cancer wards in the hospitals, and screening for cancer is not practiced to the degree that it is in the U.S.,” says Dr. David Kinder, ONU professor of medicinal chemistry. “The folks who develop cancer are not likely to be seen until their cancer is advanced and, typically, untreatable.” Despite the lack of advanced oncology care in their country, pharmacy students and professors at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana were eager to learn about oncology drug therapies.As part of the ongoing partnership
between ONU and KNUST, three ONU pharmacy professors traveled to Ghana in March and spent two weeks teaching an oncology module. Their overall purpose was to demonstrate an integrated style of teaching for the KNUST faculty members as they work to develop a PharmD program at their university.
Kinder, a medicinal chemist, Dr. Mark Olah, a pharmacologist, and Dr. Jeff Allison, BSPh ’71, PharmD ’95, a clinical pharmacist, each taught part of the oncology module similar to how they teach it at ONU. “The ability to monitor some adverse reactions to cancer medications through objective means is difficult in Ghana, but we could teach observable
subjective data to help monitor these adverse reactions,” says Allison. KNUST’s faculty requested the oncology module for the first demonstration, says Kinder. “The subject was one that they felt they lacked depth in their faculty to teach,” he explains. “So, it made sense that we would be invited to teach something they were attempting to build up.”
Kinder, Olah and Allison enjoyed their interactions with KNUST students and professors. “We were very well received,” says Allison. “It is very difficult to commit to an integrated style of teaching and very fearful for a faculty member to give up a traditional way of teaching. We wanted them to see how this could be done and answer any questions they may have had.” KNUST students were bright and inquisitive, adds Kinder. “They frequently asked probing questions in terms of clinical aspects of what we presented that reflected personal experience, where they wanted to know more of what they had seen, but not understood clinically. We delighted in answering their questions.” Allison says the trip reminded him that people all over the world share similar aspirations and desires to help their fellow man. “The sharing of ideas and listening to their concerns of providing health care was very meaningful to me,” he says.
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Thank You Preceptors!Enhancing patient care and expanding pharmacy practice
Thanks to the time, dedication, energy and commitment of ONU’s preceptors and alumni, the Raabe College of Pharmacy continues to meet the high standards of pharmaceutical education through the experiential program. Encompassing approximately one-third of the student’s total curriculum, the experiential component allows for expansion and direct application of knowledge for students in both Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs).
Through partnerships with preceptors, many of whom are alumni, ONU students gain invaluable access to the finest available professionals and facilities. The College of Pharmacy is thankful for the unique real-world perspective that the collaboration gives to its students as well as for the connections made while educating these future pharmacists.
To see a complete listing of ONU’s preceptor partners or to become a new site, visit onu.edu/pharmacy and click on Experiential Program.
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The Ampul
Knowledge Gained, Knowledge SharedOn March 26, the Raabe College of Pharmacy held its annual Mentorship Dinner for current third-year students. Since its inception 12 years ago, the continued success of the college’s mentorship program owes many thanks to the participation of alumni who give ONU pharmacy students first-hand insight into the “real-world” profession of pharmacy.
Through this program, alumni mentors are paired with current students for a night of networking. Oftentimes, this dinner acts as a springboard to a continuing relationship in which mentors assist students in expanding their knowledge of the profession and various career options.
This dinner can produce enduring relationships, like the one between Sarah Aldrich, fourth-year pharmacy student from Fremont, Ind., and her mentor, Kelly (Ward) Balyeat, PharmD ’09, or the one between Maggie Sant, fourth-year
pharmacy student from West Chester, Ohio, and her mentor Janell (Johns) Claudy, BSPh ’80.
I first met Kelly during my community IPPE hours. Kelly was my preceptor and the pharmacy manager at the Walgreens in my hometown. After my IPPE hours, she allowed me to intern in her store for the rest of the summer. She also has helped me make other contacts within Walgreens so that I can pick up extra hours at other stores. Finally, she is helping me shadow and possibly intern at a hospital in the near future so that I can broaden my scope past retail pharmacy. Kelly has become my good friend throughout the past year, and I look to her as a role model. I feel comfortable asking her anything, and I know I can trust her advice.– Sarah Aldrich
I wanted to be a resource for students with questions and to help guide them along their path the way I was guided as a student. I first met Sarah in the summer of 2012 while she was completing her IPPE hours. I have enjoyed getting to know her and her family better. I have helped Sarah find opportunities for shadowing with my personal and professional contacts in the community at numerous sites beyond her required experiential hours. I really enjoy having students and taking the time to slow down in my busy day to educate others.– Kelly (Ward) Balyeat, PharmD ’09
Sarah Aldrich Maggie Sant
I attended the mentorship dinner last year at ONU. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with the students and hearing about their goals in pharmacy. We got to talk about how pharmacy and ONU have changed over the years. I only corresponded with the three girls at my table once after the dinner but extended an invitation for them to visit my pharmacy sometime or rotate through our site. Last March, Maggie asked if she could come for a site visit to learn more about our 340B pharmacy, how we operate to serve the underserved population and our extensive patient assistance program. She spent part of a day with me, and we discussed at length the value of excellent pharmacy services and how our department serves our patient population in helping them achieve their health care goals.
– Janell (Johns) Claudy, BSPh ’80
Like most pharmacy students, I am trying to figure out where I would like to practice after graduation. I recalled that Janell talked about her pharmacy being a 340B pharmacy, so I contacted her and set up a shadowing experience. When I arrived, she showed me all of the facilities and how the pharmacy functions within the grand scheme of a family health practice. She is a great role model, and I feel like I can ask her anything and she will give me an honest answer. I also know that I am welcome back to her pharmacy at any time. I did not expect to gain so much from attending a dinner, and I am so glad that I attended. – Maggie Sant
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Pharmacy Outreach CornerMental Health Outreach at a Community Behavior Health Center
Major depressive disorder (MDD) con-tinues to rise as a common diagnosis in the United States. It’s reported that nearly 27 percent of the United States population will carry a diagnosis of MDD at some point during their lifetime, and, furthermore, only slightly more than half of those patients will receive treatment. It is estimated that only one-third of mental health cases seen in the primary-care environment receive minimally adequate care, so clearly there is need for pharma-cists to assist such providers in the care of depressed patients.
This outreach project was started fall se-mester 2012 and was conducted at three locations in Lima, Ohio: Coleman Behavior Health, “Changing Seasons” at the YMCA, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Ohio location. Student pharmacists attended Coleman Behavior Health twice and the other locations once for a total of four group sessions.
Coleman Behavioral Health is an out-patient center that sees indigent, adult patients and provides services such as mental health, alcohol and drug, and crisis interventions. Coleman also provides com-munity support groups, supportive hous-ing, criminal justice service and outreach programs. Onsite psychiatrists, nurse practitioners and pharmacists provide care to these patients of Allen County.
“Changing Seasons” is an outreach program that operates in the basement of the local YMCA Annex that helps those with chronic mental illness and those who are unemployed with support and social networking. The YMCA Annex also serves as a shelter for homeless, single men and a collaborative center for many other non-profit organizations, including Crossroads Crisis Center and Youth Life for Teens.
NAMI Ohio offers classes, support and education to consumers of mental health services and their families. Classes are taught by both licensed health care providers and trained family members of individuals suffering from mental illness and cover topics such as medication use, coping skills, brain basics and advocacy.
ONU’s Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) chapter was respon-sible for the creation and implementation of this program for various community settings of Allen County. Students from this organization, as well as Drs. Micah and Kristen Sobota, were present at all sessions. The overall program included a free healthy dinner, gift bags to each participant, and education on mental health in general that included depression, medication use and lifestyle behaviors.
Eighty-two individuals participated in some aspect of all four programs. We feel that, through this outreach program, pharmacists and student pharmacists had a positive impact in the mental health field throughout various community settings.
Participation in patient care projects at various community sites, such as health care clinics and support groups, allows pharmacy students to be exposed to a more diverse patient population and their family members. With the low availability of mental health services available in the United States, pharmacists and student pharmacists play a vital role in education and medication management in this area. ONU’s SNPhA chapter hopes to continue collaboration with these community sites in the future for mental health as well as other disease state topics.
From the left: Joshua Blackwell, a fourth-year pharmacy student from Bedford, Ohio, Elizabeth Roediger, a fifth-year pharmacy student from Sidney, Ohio, Brittany Dye, a fifth-year pharmacy student from Tiro, Ohio, and Kanika Kapoor, a fifth-year pharmacy student from Ada, Ohio.
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Public health consciousNATALIE DIPIETRO
As a student at Northern, Natalie DiPietro, PharmD ’01, was somewhat undecided about her post-graduation plans.
“At Northern, I did research in toxicology, and I completed a summer internship in New York City in molecular pharmacology. After that, I realized I needed to find a new direction for myself personally!”
Returning to her studies in the fall, she began working with Karen (Hillegass) Kier, BSPh ’82, professor of clinical pharmacy, on a project about folic acid. “This got me so interested in public health and took me in a whole new direction,” DiPietro says.
After graduating in 2001, she began a one-year visiting scientist fellowship program at the Eli Lilly and Company’s Lilly Centre for Women’s Health in Indianapolis.
After spending this year focusing on women’s health issues, DiPietro stayed at the company for an additional five years working in clinical drug development and drug safety. Along the way, she also earned a master’s degree in public health from Indiana University-Indianapolis.
She returned to Northern in 2007 as an assistant professor of pharmacy practice. Today, DiPietro teaches pharmacy administration, epidemiology, public health, preventive medicine, women’s health, global health, and pharmacy professionalism.
DiPietro concentrates her research on the subject of women’s health and, specifically, preconception care. “Basically, preconception care includes activities that all women of child-bearing potential can do in order to be healthy for themselves and, in the case of an eventual
pregnancy, ensure hopefully better outcomes for their child,” she explains.
“I’ve done a lot of study with folic acid, which is a vitamin that women can take before their pregnancy that can help reduce the risk of certain types of birth defects,” she continues. “I’ve done a lot of survey research in that area: What do women know about it? How can we increase their knowledge? What do professionals know about it? What do students know about it?”
In addition, DiPietro studies the roles of pharmacists and pharmacy students in public health. On this subject, she’s written a book chapter and several journal articles.
One such journal article describes the Assessment, Development, Assurance: Pharmacist’s Tool (ADAPT), a system that DiPietro and her research partners developed to help ensure quality implementation of health promotion programs.
“We saw that, when pharmacists and pharmacy students were doing public health programs in the community, sometimes they would be doing incomplete presentations. They might not cover all of the information, or still use medical jargon, or fail to tell people how to follow up or ‘close the loop.’”
So, DiPietro and her colleagues created ADAPT to systematically help pharmacists and pharmacy students create health promotion programs and evaluate existing ones.
“It’s really a checklist that they can go through to see if their program meets the requirements of what we consider to be a high-quality health promotion program,” she says.
DiPietro and her
partners are currently
examining ADAPT a bit more closely. “We’re
taking it to more preceptors and asking them to use this tool
when working with students during introductory or advance pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs or APPEs). We’re collecting additional feedback on it.”
DiPietro also is taking a closer look at the way the different health-related disciplines interact on Northern’s campus. As chair of ONU’s first Interprofessional Education Committee, DiPietro coordinates a group of faculty representatives from pharmacy, nursing, exercise physiology and clinical laboratory sciences.
“With everything that’s going on with health care – health care reform, patient-centered medical homes, accountable care organizations, different ways we’re going to be structuring and organizing health care delivery – it only helps if students can have a good understanding of ways to work in teams with these other health care professionals,” she says.
As the group is still in its infancy (it formed last fall), DiPietro sees lots of potential. “Right now as a committee, we’re trying to identify opportunities. It’s blue sky. We could do a lot, such as new classes or electives. To start, we have developed a new activity in which students from each of these four disciplines will collaborate on patient cases. We are excited to implement this exercise in the upcoming fall semester.”
So, while DiPietro describes preconception care as her No. 1 research interest, a close second is the public health aspect of pharmacy, and the two interests are closely related.
“To me, preconception care is a big public health message. So it all comes together.”
Spring 2013 17
Pharmacy News & Activities
The Ampul Spring 2013 17 The Ampul Spring 2013 17
GUEST SPEAKERS ATTEND PERSONALIZED MEDICINE COALITION MEETINGS
OHIO NORTHERN PHARMACY ALUMNI RECOGNIZED AT OPA CONFERENCEAlumni from Ohio Northern University’s College of Pharmacy received two awards and several appointments during the 135th Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA) Annual Conference and Trade Show in Columbus, Ohio, from April 12-14.
Paul White, BSPh ’66, received the 2013 Pharmacist Public Relations Award, which is presented annually to honor a pharmacist for continuous service to the community in educating the public on pharmacy-related issues and safe medicine use. White is the owner of the Medicine Center Pharmacies in the Canton, Ohio, area. White is committed to patient care and educating the public about the vital role pharmacists play in keeping them healthy. He hosts an hour-long, health-related talk show on a local radio station during which he welcomes health care professionals from different specialties as guest speakers. The public is invited to submit questions in advance, or call in and talk with these professionals about their area of expertise.
Cathy (Palk) Kuhn, PharmD ’06, received the 2013 Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award. Additionally, Kuhn was installed as executive committee member-at-large. Sponsored by Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company, the Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award recognizes a pharmacist who has graduated in the last 10 years and has made significant contributions to the profession of
pharmacy. Kuhn currently serves on the American Pharmacists Association’s (APhA) Editorial Advisory Board of the Pharmacy Today publication, and she is a new practitioner officer for APhA’s Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management, for which she is a member of the Education Committee. In 2011, she was awarded the APhA Distinguished New Practitioner Award. As an assistant professor at the South Carolina College of Pharmacy, she implemented a community pharmacy residency program and a medication therapy management (MTM) elective course. Kuhn is the MTM coordinator for the Kroger Patient Care Center, Columbus Division.
Jeff Bartone, PharmD ’08, was installed as OPA vice president. Bartone practices at Hock’s Pharmacy in Tipp City, Ohio. He also has practiced at Walgreens Pharmacy in Dayton and Hock’s Pharmacy in Vandalia, Ohio. An OPA member since 2007, Bartone has been an active member of the OPA Independent Special Interest Group for several years and has shown a keen interest in issues impacting independent pharmacy practice. He also has volunteered on the OPA Finance Committee, Long Range Plan Committee, and Member Services & Development Committee. As a member of the OPA Executive Committee the last two years, Bartone worked to increase membership and increase communication between the board and the membership.
Craig Kimble, PharmD ’98, was installed as a trustee representing District 7 in southeast Ohio. Kimble is corporate director of pharmacy for Fruth Corporation, overseeing the pharmacy operations of 25 stores in southern Ohio and West Virginia. Kimble has been an active member of professional pharmacy organizations, including various committees of OPA.
Kevin Fuschetto, PharmD ’07, was installed as a trustee representing District 14. Fuschetto is clinical pharmacist for Giant Eagle Pharmacy in Salem, Ohio, coordinating medication therapy management services for patients. He is a member of OPA’s Disease State Management Task Force. In 2011, Fuschetto received OPA’s Upsher-Smith Innovative Pharmacy Practice Award.
Ben Holter, PharmD ’08, was installed as a trustee representing District 8. Holter is the pharmacy manager/pharmacist in charge at The Drugstore at O’Bleness Memorial Hospital in Athens.
Established in 1879, OPA represents more than 4,000 pharmacists, pharmacy educators and pharmacy students throughout the state. OPA’s mission is to unite the profession of pharmacy and encourage interprofessional relations while promoting public health through education, discussion and legislation.
Diana Smith, BS ’07, a certified genetic counselor for the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Center, was the guest speaker at the Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC) student chapter meeting in November 2012. Smith spoke on the genetic counselors’ role with pharmacists in advancing patient education in genetics and pharmacogenetics. Smith graduated with a Bachelor of Science in molecular biology from Ohio Northern University in 2007 and received her master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2009.
Kristine Ashcraft, chief operating officer of Genelex Corp. in Seattle, Wash., shared her experiences with the students in October. Genelex is a privately
held corporation providing comprehensive DNA testing services designed to enhance the health and safety of society. Originally founded as a paternity and forensics lab, Genelex started providing pharmacogenetic testing in 2000. The company provides decision support tools (YouScript) for health care providers. YouScript includes testing, patented software and clinical pharmacist support to provide a turnkey solution for health care providers seeking safer and more effective medication management for their patients.
The Raabe College of Pharmacy was the first college of pharmacy in the country to belong to the PMC.Diana Smith
18
Pharmacy News & Activities
ONU CONDUCTS DRUG TAKE BACK DAYOhio Northern University’s chapter of the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) conducted “Medication Disposal Day,” a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Drug Take Back Day in April.
Working in conjunction with the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office, North Central Ohio Solid Waste District and Hardin Memorial Hospital, Medication Disposal Day served as a way for citizens to safely dispose of old or unneeded prescription and over-the-counter medications. The event is aimed toward students, staff and the surrounding communities to spread both awareness of proper medication disposal and the growing problem of prescription medication abuse.
The event was sponsored by the DEA and was an operation of APhA-ASP’s Generation Rx initiative. The Generation Rx Initiative, developed by the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy and funded by the Cardinal Health Foundation, is an educational program that increases public awareness of prescription medication abuse and encourages health care providers, community leaders, parents, teens and college students to actively work to prevent abuse.
OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY, WALMART ESTABLISH ENDOWED LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIPOhio Northern University has established the Walmart and Sam’s Club Endowed Leadership Scholarship Fund for the Rudolph H. Raabe College of Pharmacy. The scholarship will be awarded to academically eligible ONU pharmacy students entering their fourth, fifth or sixth year of pharmacy studies who have demonstrated leadership in pharmacy or to an ONU student organization and have shown interest in community pharmacy.
“We’re very appreciative of our partnership with the Walmart team,” said Jon Sprague, dean of the college. “Walmart’s endowed scholarship will provide much-needed support to current and future pharmacy students focused on community pharmacy. The scholarship also will provide great reinforcement for our mutual message to students on the importance of developing their leadership skills in impacting their current educational experience to serve as the future leaders in community pharmacy.”
The newly established scholarship will be awarded during the 2013-14 academic school year.
Ami Bhatt, Walmart’s director of talent acquisitions and professional relations for health and wellness, said, “Ohio Northern has a long tradition of excellence in preparing students to serve the profession in community pharmacy, and we welcome the opportunity provide support for their educational endeavors and leadership development.”
TURNER NAMED ADA’S DISTINGUISHED CITIZEN OF THE YEARJames E. Turner, BSPh ’63, ACIT ’00, former Ohio Northern University professor and former owner of Gardner’s Pharmacy in Ada, was named Ada’s Distinguished Citizen of the Year at the 47th annual Town and Gown Banquet at Ohio Northern University in November 2012.
“Jim embodies what we think about when the phrase ‘town and gown’ is spoken,” said Bob McCurdy, BSPh ’65, Hon. D. ’96, special assistant
to the dean of ONU’s College of Pharmacy and longtime friend
of Turner. “Jim Turner was our local pharmacist, but he is so much more than that: a community leader, by example; a distinguished faculty member at ONU; a role model for future pharmacists; a friend to all. He exemplifies family values, commitment and integrity. He is the perfect combination of a Bulldog and a Polar Bear.”
Turner came to study pharmacy at ONU in 1959 and was a member of Kappa Psi fraternity and Rho Chi, participated with The Northern yearbook, and played basketball and baseball. After graduating in 1963, Turner practiced pharmacy in his hometown of Newark, Ohio, before joining Eli Lilly as a sales representative. When the opportunity to purchase Gardner’s Drugstore in Ada, Ohio, presented itself, Turner and his late wife, Mary Ann Gardner Turner, BSPh ’63, purchased the store and returned to Ada.
Soon after returning to Ada, Turner joined the faculty at the Raabe College of Pharmacy in 1977 as the pharmacist for the model pharmacy. In developing the college’s externship program, he visited hundreds of pharmacy students at various pharmacies around the state. He served as advisor for Phi Lambda Sigma and Kappa Psi. In addition, Turner served as treasurer for the Ohio Pharmacists Association as well as a member and president of the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy. Further, Turner’s community service included the Hardin County Health Board, the Ada Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Liberty Bancshares Board. Turner also was the voice of Ada home football games for many years. He retired from ONU in 2001.
The Town and Gown Association was established in 1957 by a group of townspeople and University personnel whose primary interest was to develop and maintain a strong and positive relationship between the village and the University.
James E. Turner, BSPh ’63, ACIT ’00, and his wife, Pamela R. Smith Turner
Spring 2013 19 The Ampul Spring 2013 19
ONU RECEIVES NACDS FOUNDATION GRANT TO CONDUCT HEALTH FAIRSThe College of Pharmacy was awarded a grant from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation in conjunction with the Million Hearts initiative to conduct area health fairs in March as part of the “Heart to Heart Community Health Fairs” campaign. The grant, in the amount of $1,000, provided funding for ONU pharmacy students to carry out health fairs in Hardin and Allen counties.
Health Fairs took place at the ReStore in Ada, Ohio, and at Rays Market in Lima, Ohio. At the fairs, ONU pharmacy students performed free cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose/diabetes checks and provided information on immunizations, nutrition and cardiovascular conditions.
The NACDS Foundation and the Million Hearts initiative aim to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes in the U.S. over the next five years. The Million Hearts campaign was launched in September 2011 to help improve health across communities and help Americans live longer, more productive lives.
PROFESSORS AUTHOR PERSONALIZED MEDICINE TEXTBOOK
SEBOK PHARMACY LECTURE FEATURES TOP CARDIOVASCULARPHARMACOGENOMICS EXPERTJulie A. Johnson, V. Ravi Chandran professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Florida Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine as well as director of the University of Florida Center for Pharmacogenomics, spoke at the fourth annual Sebok Pharmacy Lecture in January. Johnson’s research focuses on cardiovascular pharmacogenomics. She leads a research group in the NIH-supported Pharmacogenomics Research Network, with a project focused on pharmacogenomics of antihypertensive drugs.
Pharmacogenomics is the study of how an individual’s genetic inheritance (his/her genome) affects the body’s response to drugs, and it holds the promise that drugs might one day be tailor-made for individuals and adapted to each person’s own genetic makeup. Environment, diet, age, lifestyle and state of health all can influence a person’s response to medicines, but understanding an individual’s genetic makeup is thought to be the key to creating personalized drugs with greater efficacy and safety.
View comments from her visit at www.onu.edu/pharmacy
Three members of the Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy, along with a member of the Purdue University faculty, have collaborated to author a textbook, Pharmacogenetics, Kinetics, and Dynamics for Personalized Medicine.
Ohio Northern’s David F. Kisor, professor of pharmacokinetics, Jon E. Sprague, dean and professor of pharmacology, and Jeffrey N. Talbot, associate professor of pharmacology, along with Michael D. Kane, associate professor of bioinformatics and genomics at Purdue, contributed to the textbook, which will be used by pharmacy students and pharmacists.
Pharmacogenetics, Kinetics, and Dynamics for Personalized Medicine provides a primer for understanding pharmacogenetics (the study of genetic factors that influence how people respond to drug therapy) in the applied context of pharmacokinetics (how the body handles a drug) and pharmacodynamics (the effects of a drug on the body). This valuable foundation illuminates how these principles and scientific advances can create optimal individual patient care, i.e., “personalized medicine.”
“The book is important because it is translational in nature, meaning that it connects the basic science to clinical application,” Kisor says. “We believe this book is the most ‘clinically applicable’ textbook. There are some very good reference and introductory textbooks available, but our book is not intended to be a reference book. It is aimed at bringing the science to the clinical setting in a very practical way.”
Through specific drug examples, the textbook explores how the genetic constitution of an individual may lead to the need for an altered dose or, in some cases, alternative drug therapy. Real-world cases highlight the specific relationships between genetics, drug action and the body’s response as well as adverse drug reactions, altered metabolism and drug efficacy.
SEN. HITE SPEAKS AT NATIONAL COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION RECEPTIONState Sen. Cliff Hite was the guest speaker at the National Community Pharmacists Association’s (NCPA) annual legislative reception and shared his views on entrepreneurship and independent pharmacies, current legislation affecting health care, and the importance and opportunities for student involvement in advocacy.
Hite was first appointed to the state Senate in 2011 to fill the unexpired term of state Sen. Steve Buehrer. Prior to his appointment, Hite was elected three times to the Ohio House of Representatives. During his first term as representative of the 76th Ohio House district, Hite was appointed vice chair of the State Government and Elections Committee. Hite also served on the Agriculture and Natural Resources, Finance and Appropriations, Agriculture and Development Subcommittee of Finance and Appropriations (for which he served as vice chair), and Financial Institutions, Real Estate and Securities Committees.
20
ONU alumni and friends have a unique perspective that can help us connect with the country’s most talented students.
Ways to get involved:
· Refer students to ONU
· Join the Alumni B.E.A.R.S. program
· Share your ONU experiences and accomplishments on Facebook
· Talk at your local high school’s career fair
· Attend a college fair on behalf of ONU
· Invite a student to tour campus
www.onu.edu/admissions
ONU Summer Open House
July 26
Student Focus
20
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CONSULTING PHARMACISTS PRESENTS THERAPY DOG HANDLERThe Ohio Northern University chapter of the American Society of Consulting Pharmacists (ASCP) hosted a presentation on animal-assisted therapy led by Kim Bullock, a licensed social worker from Lima Memorial Hospital. In recent years, health care professionals have noticed the therapeutic effect of animal companionship: relieving stress, lowering blood pressure, raising spirits and making contact with people who have become withdrawn. The most important feature of a therapy dog is a good temperament. Patience, gentleness, friendliness, confidence and ease with strangers are all essential qualities in a therapy dog.
NCPA BUSINESS PLAN TEAM WINS COMPETITIONOhio Northern University’s National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Business Plan Team won the Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA) third annual Innovative Student Business Plan competition at the 135th OPA Annual Conference and Trade Show.
Bethany Cuiksa, a fourth-year pharmacy student from Terre Haute, Ind.; Holly Kearney, a fifth-year from Lucasville, Ohio; Ross Robison, a fifth-year from Fort Wayne, Ind.; and Nicole Sivak, a fifth-year from Cleveland, Ohio, presented their hypothetical business plan, “Fresh Air Pharmacy featuring Breathe Easy Services,” in a head-to-head competition against Ohio State University and the University of Cincinnati in front of approximately 200 conference attendees
The plan was created as part of an independent study course under the supervision of Deirdre (Mozdy) Myers, BSPh ’83, ONU
pharmacy and laboratory instructor in pharmacy practice. The course is designed to give students insight into the entrepreneurial skills of ownership and requires that the students create a hypothetical pharmacy. The pharmacy should be feasible and realistic, with a business plan and loan request to be submitted for competition at both OPA and NCPA.
In January, the four submitted a 60-page business plan to OPA for judging. The plan included items such as a complete market analysis, legal and management structures, and more than 12 pages of financial documentation. A panel of judges evaluated the written submission on marketing, structure, financials, feasibility, creativity and professionalism. In March, the students received word that they placed in the top three in the state of Ohio and would give a 20-minute verbal presentation at OPA to a panel of judges acting as loan officers.
Spring 2013 21 The Ampul Spring 2013 21
COLLEGE OF PHARMACY HONORED AT NCPA NATIONAL CONVENTION
PHARMACY STUDENT RECEIVES APHA SCHOLARSHIPVictoria Pennington, a fourth-year pharmacy student from Groveport, Ohio, was awarded the Gloria Francke Scholarship as part of the 2013 American Pharmacists Association Foundation Student Scholarship Program.
Currently serving as president of the ONU chapter of the APhA-ASP, Pennington has held the position of legislative chair of APhA-ASP and was a student member of the Ohio Pharmacists Association Board of Trustees in 2011-12. During 2012-13, she served as president-elect and headed up several initiatives, such as fundraising for APhA’s national PAC (Political Action Committee), raising awareness for American Pharmacists Month last October, and promoting the Medication Adherence Challenge.
The scholarships recognize those students who invested their time through active involvement in their school’s APhA-ASP chapter. These exceptional students help shape the future of the pharmacy profession while managing the demands of a full-time curriculum.
STUDENT PHARMACISTS PARTICIPATE IN MEDICATION ADHERENCE CHALLENGEThe American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) scheduled a number of events as part of the Medication Adherence Challenge, a national effort to raise public awareness of the importance of taking medications as prescribed.
The ONU APhA-ASP chapter teamed with students and faculty from the ONU nursing program to consult and distribute information concerning medication adherence during the ONU Health Fair. The chapter also held events at the Lima Rescue Mission and Ray’s Pharmacy in Lima and distributed information at the Rite Aid in Ada.
This nationwide project, sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), is inspiring students to spread word to their communities in as many ways as possible. The ONU chapter is focused on improving medication adherence at Allen County Health Partners in Lima through education, counseling, pill boxes, timers, refrigerator magnet reminders, calendar stickers, handouts, phone calls and text messages.
The student chapter of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) was honored with a trio of chapter awards at the 114th annual NCPA Convention and Trade Exposition in San Diego in October. Two ONU pharmacy scholarship recipients also were recognized at the event.
ONU’s NCPA student chapter won the 2012 Legislative Advocacy Award for the top chapter in the nation in legislative and advocacy activities. The award comes with a $1,000 travel stipend for students to attend the NCPA Legislative Conference in May 2013. The NCPA Legislative Advocacy Challenge challenges pharmacy student members to plan and execute events, activities and legislative education. ONU’s NCPA members led many activities this year, including a legislative reception on campus with Ohio Sen. Dave Burke, a letter-writing campaign, visits to the Ohio State House for a Legislative Day, and a visit to Washington, D.C., in May to meet with members of the U.S. Senate and Congress.
In addition to the legislative award, the ONU NCPA student chapter was named the 2012 Chapter of the Year second runner-up, which acknowledges overall excellence in chapter activities and accomplishments during the 2011-12 academic year. Award criteria included commitment to community service, recruiting new members, promoting independent community pharmacy and advocating legislative action.
Finally, the ONU NCPA student chapter’s Business Plan Team was selected in July 2012 as one of the top 10 teams in the nation for its business plan, “Northern Rx” in the 2012 Annual Good Neighbor Pharmacy NCPA Pruitt-Schutte Student Business Plan Competition. The final winner was chosen after a live competition in October at the NCPA convention.
In individual accolades, Courtney Phillips, a sixth-year pharmacy student from Rittman, Ohio, was chosen as an NCPA Foundation Partners in Pharmacy Scholarship winner. The scholarship recognizes pharmacy students for their exemplary academic performance, community service and a demonstrated interest in independent community pharmacy.
Elizabeth Crandall, a fifth-year pharmacy student from Cattaraugus, N.Y., was chosen as an NCPA Foundation Presidential Scholarship winner. Scholarship winners are selected on the basis of academic achievement, leadership qualities, interest in independent community pharmacy and extracurricular accomplishments.
“Philanthropy means a lot to me. Without the support of our generous donors, I would not have been able to afford to go to ONU. When I graduate, I hope to support students like myself.”
– Allie Fay, a third-year pharmacy major from Canton, Ohio
The Northern Fund for the Rudolph H. Raabe College of Pharmacy
www.onugive.com
The Northern Fund helps fund the University’s highest priorities. Through your annual support of The Northern Fund, the College of Pharmacy provides pharmacy students like Allie with an affordable education of the highest quality.
Advisory BoardDr. Bruce Bouts BSPh ’82 General InternistBlanchard Valley Medical Associates Inc.Findlay, Ohio
Col. (Ret.) Mark Butler BSPh ’79 Commander, 59th Clinical Support GroupLackland AFB, Texas
Adrienne (Wood) Donaldson BSPh ’99Professional Services ConsultantMcKesson Foundation Inc.Moon Township, Pa.
Dr. Shawn Eaton PharmD ’01District ManagerCVS CaremarkTallmadge, Ohio
George Hill BA ’69, BSPh ’74 Director, Pharmacy ServicesCatholic Health InitiativesUnion, Ky.
Kathy Karas BA, BSPh ’75Atwater, Ohio
Richard KeyesBSPh ’92 Executive Vice President of Supply Chain Operations and Mfg.Meijer Inc.Grand Rapids, Mich.
Paul T. KocisBSPh ’88, PharmD ’03 Clinical Pharmacist, Anticoagulation ClinicMilton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State UniversityHershey, Pa.
Phillip Lettrich BSPh ’85Director of Professional RelationsEmdeon Business ServicesTwinsburg, Ohio
Jay Meyer BSPh ’82FounderEagle Launch ConsultingCovington, Ohio
Theresa “Tip” Parker BSPh ’74 Director of Trade Relations & Pharmacy OperationsAbbott PPDAbbott Park, Ill.
Robert “Bob” ParsonsBSPh ’71 Executive Vice PresidentOhio Society of Health-System PharmacistsMarietta, Ohio
Nichole (Pearson) Penny BSPh ’98 District Pharmacy SupervisorWalgreens-Grand Rapids East District Kentwood, Mich.
Dr. Ervin Pierstorf ’53, Hon. D. ’78Chairman of the Board and CEO, RetiredFairview Photo ServicesRocky River, Ohio, and Pinellas Park, Fla.
Tom WiechartBSPh ’81PharmacistRite AidLima, Ohio
Suzanne Eastman Wuest BSPh ’74Executive Director for Clinical ServicesCatalina Health ResourceCincinnati, Ohio
Meet an Advisory Board Member
Robert “Bob” ParsonsExecutive vice presidentOhio Society of Health-System Pharmacists (OSHP)Marietta, Ohio
The Ampul Spring 2013 23
Bob Parsons, BSPh ’71, has worked at OSHP for 14 years. When OSHP was an all-volunteer organization, he served in a number of leadership positions as a volunteer, including the office of president.
He’s also served in leadership positions at the Ohio Pharmacists Association. Parsons is active in his church and with his local board of the American Cancer Society. He and his wife, Robin, have been married for 21 years and have two adult daughters. Parsons enjoys researching his family history and studying the early history of rock ‘n’ roll. He’s also a credentialed parliamentarian.
Q: Tell us about your work.A: I am responsible for coordinating OSHP’s educational and operational events, handling member relations and relations with our 14 local chapters, maintaining relationships with other state and national professional organizations, monitoring legislation and regulations, providing material for our publication and website, and serving as secretary to our Board of Directors and House of Delegates, among other duties. For me personally, the most rewarding part of my work is working with our 431 student members. Because my work brings me to ONU routinely, I am probably better acquainted with the students than most other advisory board members. I’d like to think that this helps to make me an effective board member.
Q: What are the keys to your success in your career? A: Professional organization work appealed to me even as a student. Foremost, I strive to be highly organized, excel at customer relations, and always look out for the needs of our members. I also advocate for the pharmacy profession to other health professions and to the public.
Q: What trends have you noticed in the pharmacy field? A: The trends in hospital and health-system practice are the most obvious to me because I serve this area of our profession. For what seems like decades, pharmacists have been trying to make the case to the rest of the health care world that if we were able to get closer to the patient, we could improve lives and reduce health care costs. This is now starting to happen. Pharmacists are becoming integral, valued contributors to multi-disciplinary care, and patient care is improving because of it.
Q: What do you believe are the biggest strengths of the College of Pharmacy? A: It’s hard to name just a few. What strikes me first, being personally acquainted with so many of the students, is their degree of talent and dedication to their chosen profession. It’s really unsurpassed. Equally striking is the dedication of the faculty and staff. I don’t particularly like the phrase about “having the right people on the bus,” but for lack of better wording, that’s what I see at the college. The faculty and staff take a personal interest in the success of their students, and that’s inspiring.
Q: What do you think are the most exciting things happening at the college right now?A: ONU Healthwise. This program could be the poster child for pharmacist-based wellness programs. Also, the partnership with the Pharmacy Council of Ghana and Ghana’s KNUST College of Pharmacy offers an exciting opportunity to make a difference in pharmacy education in that country and impact patients’ lives there.
University Advancement525 South Main StreetAda, OH 45810-1599
10 a.m. Registration and continental breakfast10:30-11:30 a.m. Pharmacy CE11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Luncheon and driving range12:30-5 p.m. Shotgun scramble5 p.m. Reception and steak dinner
Friday, Aug. 16Colonial Golfers ClubHarrod, Ohio
More than $100,000 has been raised through this pharmacy fundraiser thanks to the many alumni and friends who generously support it.
16th ONU
Golf DayPharmacySAVE THE DATE
Cost: $100 per golferContact: Scott Wills at [email protected] or 419-772-2705.
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