Kevin A. Clauson, Pharm.D., an associate professor of Pharmacy Practice at NSU College of Pharmacy and adjunct associate professor at NSU College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Biomedical Informatics Program, was appointed in July to the National Center for Public Health Informatics (NCPHI) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Special Emphasis Panel.  The NCPHI Panel formed a scientific review group to review each of the 5.5 million dollar proposals funded by the CDC in order to create national Centers of Excellence in Public Health Informatics.

The NCPHI was established in 2005 and resides within the CDC Coordinating Center for Health Information.  It is comprised of the Office of the Director and five divisions committed to the advancement of the science of biomedical informatics.  Centers of Excellence funded in the previous cycle by NCPHI include Johns Hopkins University, Harvard Medical School, New York City Health Department, University of Utah, and University of Washington.

Andrés Malavé, B.S., Ph.D., R.Ph. Presents USP Certificate to Hamid Omidian, Ph.D., M.Sc., B.Sc.

Each year the Broward County Pharmacy Association (BCPA) generously awards scholarships to pharmacy students that are residents of Broward County, who have achieved academic excellence and have financial need. One additional student is recognized for also being actively engaged in student and/or professional organizations. This year’s awards ceremony was held on June 6 at the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood.

The Broward County Pharmacy Association Scholarship College of Pharmacy recipients are: Puneet Kulhari, class of 2010; Richard Davidowitz, class of 2011; and Gustavo Llerena, class of 2010.

The BCPA also recognized Fred Lippman, R.Ph., Ed.D., NSU Health Professions Division Chancellor, for his 50 years as a licensed pharmacist in our county. Alumni Aneesh Lakhani, Pharm.D, class of 2004 was also recognized for his role as the 2008-2009 BCPA president.

(L to R) College of Pharmacy Students: Richard Davidowitz, Class of 2011, Gustavo Llerena, Class of 2010, Puneet Kulhari, Health Professions Division Chancellor, Fred Lippman, R. Ph., Ed.D.
Not pictured: Aneesh Lakhani, Pharm. D., Class of 2004, President, Broward County Pharmacy Association)

Dr. Armando Bardisa received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the College of Pharmacy in 1997 and is currently owner and CEO of South Miami Pharmacy in Miami Florida where he serves as a College of Pharmacy preceptor mentoring and training many of our pharmacy students.
Dr. Bardisa began his career at Walgreen's with a vision and passion to own and run his own pharmacy.  Five years after graduating, he founded the South Miami Pharmacy in Miami Florida in 2003 "to better serve the neighborhood" of South Miami.  But that was just the beginning - this summer he will open a second pharmacy also in the city of South Miami.

            Dr. Bardisa's career success has been noted in many prestigious publications.  The pharmacy won the Best Pharmacy award from Drug Topics Magazine in 2007.  His business ranked number 41 in the Top 100 Businesses in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach Florida and number 58 in the Top 100 Health Companies. 

The pharmacy joined Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest growing private companies in America offering customers an old-fashioned approach to pharmaceutical care with cutting-edge technology.  The pharmacy has no automatic phone system - every call is handled personally.  With a bilingual staff of nine and offering delivery service and online prescription refills revenues expanded from $2.3 million in 2004 to $8.6 million in 2007.  It is noteworthy that of more than 5,000 loyal customers, Dr. Bardisa knows at least half of them by their first name.   

            Dr. Bardisa was also featured as one of the "Independent Super Stars:  The ones to watch" in Drug Topics.  This annual feature salutes the best performers in independent pharmacy calling them the kings of customer service - the standouts or diamonds excelling in exceptional pharmacy and non-pharmacy services; exceptional merchandising/advertising/promotion; overcoming competition; and handling a crisis.  Of more than 50 nominees, Dr. Bardisa's pharmacy was given tribute in the overcoming competition category for the company's growth and in the handling a crisis category during Hurricane Katrina for making sure patients got their medications first and dealing with insurance issues manually.  Pharmacies are easy to come by, these days, but what is not always easy to come by is highly professional service and unique specializations. South Miami Pharmacy, under the direction of Dr. Armando Bardisa, is a state of the art facility with the resources, space, and staff to provide the best pharmaceutical services possible to ensuring that patients are treated respectfully and in a timely manner.

The first Medication Therapy Management (MTM) Competition, hosted by NSU’s College of Pharmacy student chapter of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), was held from February 13th – 20th, 2009. Nova Southeastern University’s College of Pharmacy inaugurated this competition through a web-based design, allowing participation from each of the distant sites.   The College of Pharmacy is very proud of the faculty and students who participated in this year's competition to make it the success it was! This competition is now being used as a model for other universities, as it is the very first of its kind!       

Melissa A. Ortega, Pharm.D., Candidate 2010, NSU ASHP/FSHP Student Chapter President, Member, Pharmacy Student Forum Executive Committee, NSU AMCP Student Chapter Treasurer, Phi Lambda Sigma Chapter Treasurer, Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity, Delta Rho Social Chair.

As member of ASHP/PSF Executive Committee, Ms. Ortega will help direct the activities, services, and programs of the Forum related to the interests of their group and make policy recommendations to the Board of Directors.  Additionally, she will help to advise the ASHP staff on ways to better meet the needs of ASHP's student members.   She will also perform travel and outreach with the Committee to each of the colleges of pharmacy throughout the nation. 

NSU's College of Pharmacy Proudly Congratulates Melissa Ortega as Our ASHP PSF National Student Representative!

The NSU College of Pharmacy welcomed the members of the Puerto Rico Mentoring Institute for HIV and Mental Health Research - a National Institutes of Health funded initiative directed by Dr  Carmen Zorrilla (PI),University of Puerto Rico, and Dr. Silvia E. Rabionet (PD), NSU College of Pharmacy.  The Institute's objectives are to: establish a long-term mentoring program for junior faculty in professional schools in Puerto Rico willing to conduct HIV related research and encourage and facilitate the development of career plans with the specific goal of the eventual application for NIH funding for HIV related research. The participating institutions are NSU College of Pharmacy, Ponce Site, the University of Puerto Rico (several Campuses and Centers), the Ponce School of Medicine (including the Clinical Psychology program), and the Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine.

            The educational and networking visit was intended to encourage campus-wide and community-based interdisciplinary efforts in the field of HIV and mental health research in collaboration with the Miami Department of Health and universities in South Florida.  The mentees and mentors had the occasion to learn about the HIV epidemic in Florida and existing prevention and treatment programs.  Attendees had the opportunity to share research interest and seek collaborations tailored to specific interests and needs with emphasis on research and programs targeted to minorities and Hispanic populations.  The group of collaborative researchers conferred with the various colleges at the Health Professions Division at NSU, at Miami-Dade County Health Department, and the School of Public Health at Florida International University. 

Captain Carter commissioned in the Air Force in 2007 as the Chief of Pharmacy Services with the 20th Medical Group at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina.   She assumed this command as her first and only duty assignment to date, immediately after earning her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Nova Southeastern University.  She is licensed in both Florida and South Carolina.

Captain Carter immersed into her profession with a demanding charge.  In less than two short years of her initial assignment, she has excelled in the management and leadership of a team of pharmacists, technicians, and volunteers who, under her administration, directed over 200K prescriptions filled to 30K Shaw beneficiaries at 2 sites.  As Chief of the Pharmacy, she managed a $7.6M budget; maximized the High Dollar Drug Program/National Contracts/Basic Core Formulary usage and returned $1.1M for redistribution.

She also executed a $198K pharmacy renovation within her first year which relocated the entire operation twice in one day; this led to an increase in efficiency and cut patient wait times by 30%.
Also within her first year, Captain Carter implemented the medication refill clinic which was a crucial relief during nursing/provider shortage and saved the Base's Family Practice Clinic staff 80 hours per month. She also established the Force Health Protection Prescription Program for the Base which increased critical information by 70% and saved providers 50+ walk-ins quarterly.
Not only is Captain Carter a great leader but she is also an outstanding Base and community activist. Captain Carter is currently the 20 Fighter Wing American Red Cross blood drive coordinator organizing drives on a quarterly basis averaging a collection of 50 units per drive. She is also an active AADD volunteer and is credited with 54 saves this year alone. Impacting and saving lives, Captain Carter has participated in the American Heart Association Sumter Heart Walk and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life and has helped fund raise over $165K.

It is no surprise that Captain Michelle Carter has been awarded the highest honors bestowed upon a pharmacist in the military:

• Air Combat Command Company Grade Pharmacist of the Year - 2008
• 20th Medical Group Company Grade Officer of the Year - 2008
• 20th Fighter Wing & Team Shaw Company Grade Officer of the Quarter (July -September, 2008)

On behalf of Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy - and especially the West Palm Beach site - Congratulations Captain Carter - we are very proud of you!

Dr. Marisa A. Lewis is the President-Elect of the National Pharmaceutical Association and the former Executive Director of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA). She served in this capacity from 1989 to 2006.

Other recognitions include Glaxo Pathway Evaluation Program- featured career and Women in Pharmacy Leadership- featured biography. She is also the recipient of two NPhA Presidential Commendation Awards.

For six months in 2002, Dr. Lewis served as Interim First Lady of Florida A & M University. In 2000, she was the primary spokesperson for the Medicine Cabinet Safety Campaign, and an auxiliary spokesperson for the Partnership for Self-Care Campaign, both joint projects of APhA and McNeil Consumer Health Care. In addition, she has held an appointment on the NABPLEX Review Committee, a consultant with Merck Managed Care and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). Marisa also served on the U.S. Pharmacists Editorial Advisory Board.   Other professional experience includes Medical Information Specialist with Owen Healthcare, Inc., Assistant Professor at Xavier University of Louisiana, College of Pharmacy, and staff pharmacist in retail/community and health system pharmacies.   Dr. Lewis volunteers with Catholic Charities of Tallahassee, Christmas Connection, and the Tuskegee Neighborhood Association. She is an active member of the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More Catholic Church. 

Dr. Michael Kaplan was conferred a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from the University of Michigan in 1962, and a Masters in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1966.  His desire to acquire more needed clinical background in order to apply academia to practice in patient care led him to complete his Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Nova Southeastern University in 1999.  He received his Florida consultant pharmacist license from in 1986 and became a certified geriatric pharmacist in 2000.  Dr. Kaplan is a Rho Chi National Pharmacy Honorary from the University of Michigan and a Beta Gamma Sigma National Business Honorary from the State University of New York in Buffalo.  He is a Fellow of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists and serves as a consultant pharmacist for Vitas Hospice Care and Henderson Mental Health Crisis Stabilization Unit.

A founding member of the College of Pharmacy's Dean's Advisory Council, Dr. Kaplan was honored as the 2009 College of Pharmacy Distinguished Alumni for his pledge to make our communities better for all who live in it and for his leadership and significant contributions to the pharmacy profession.  More importantly, Dr. Kaplan has been a dedicated preceptor for the College since 1998 at Medic Pharmacy & Surgical, where he has been pharmacist, owner, and president for over 25 years.  He is an enthusiastic preceptor providing practical training to our pharmacy students in geriatrics and advanced geriatrics.

Dr. Kaplan has been a pharmacist, an entrepreneur, and a community advocate since 1962.  He has trained hundreds of unlicensed assisted living facilities' personnel - medication technicians, or "med techs" as they are called.  Dr. Kaplan provides presentations on pharmacy care and health education programs to numerous community-based area senior citizen groups, and presents to his colleagues on the processes of developing a niche business to provide pharmacy services to group living facilities.  His passion for serving seniors will further drive his future focus on individuals within our communities who require extensive pharmacy services such as mentally challenged patients, dialysis patients, persons with cerebral palsy, and those with eating disorders.

            Dr. Kaplan enjoys golf and fitness, hiking and skiing in Beech Mountain, North Carolina, traveling with his wife, Gail, and being with his children and six grandchildren.  Dr. Kaplan and his wife Gail are Founding and Life members of the NSU Alvin Sherman Library.  They also contributed generously to the Dale Chihuly Sculpture commissioned for the Alvin Sherman Library.  Dr. Kaplan is active in various community organizations including the Gold Coast Jazz Society and Broward Meals on Wheels.  Most recently, Dr. Kaplan was honored with his wife Gail for their lifetime of philanthropy to the South Florida communities by CareSource of Florida.

Photo on the left: Mrs. Gail Kaplan, Dr. Michael Kaplan, Dr. Andrés Malavés, Dean, and Dr. Lisa Deizel-Evans, Executive Associate Dean, Professional Program, College of Pharmacy at 2009 Celebration of Excellence

College of Pharmacy students, Janet Howard (P3) and Avni Seudath (P2), in the West Palm Beach Program were recently awarded a $1,000 scholarship from Wal-Mart Stores. This scholarship is awarded to students who demonstrate leadership skills, excel in academics, and have a strong desire to enter community practice upon graduation. John Chandler, R.Ph., Regional Talent Specialist with Wal-Mart Stores, visited the West Palm Beach site on February 20, 2009 to personally congratulate the students.

Pictured from left to right:  John Chandler, R. Ph., Regional Talent Specialist, Wal-Mart Stores, Avni Seudath (P2), Janet Howard (P3), and Mark L. Glover, B.S., Pharm.D., R. Ph., Director, West Palm Beach Program