Sometimes it is easy to focus on how busy we are or what we still have to do but it is important to stop, take a breath, and appreciate the achievements of the NSU College of Pharmacy. We are in the midst of a successful and productive semester and it is with great pride that I share some of our more recent activities and accomplishments. Each day we are moving closer to realizing our vision! Due to the engagement of our amazing students, alumni, faculty, and staff, we are publishing this newsletter on a more frequent basis. Please remember to submit your updates to copalumni@nova.edu.

Elizabeth F. Shepherd, M.B.A., Pharm.D., was named assistant dean, Strategic Partnerships and Program Development.  In this position, Shepherd will be responsible for creating new partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry, developing new programs, formalizing our strategic planning process and increasing our endowment.  Shepherd has been with the College for over 25 years and served most recently as assistant dean of Experiential Education and Student Services.

Each year the college participates in Florida Legislative Days and Health Fair event. Accompanied by faculty, over 50 first to third year students were in attendance, making NSU COP the largest pharmacy group present. Students, faculty and officers of Florida Pharmacy Association and Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists, met with state representatives and senators. Topics of advocacy included senate and house bills SB182/HB95 Relating to Consumer Protection from Nonmedical Changes to Prescription Drug Formularies; SB670/HB625 Relating to Managed Care Plans’ Provider Networks; and SB 1180/HB (none) Pharmacist Collaborate Practice Act. Under the oversight of pharmacists, students participated in the Health Fair providing patient education and screenings for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, spirometry, bone density measurements and BMI.

Each year the college participates in the annual HPD Ethics Bowl. This year, under the tutelage of Barry Bleidt, Ph.D., professor of sociobehavioral and administrative pharmacy, the students demonstrated their knowledge and skills debating the Physical Therapy team on ethical issues related to patient-care. It was an exciting event and the panel of judges commended the students on their patient-centered approach and application of ethical principles.

Since 2014, faculty and students from NSU College of Pharmacy and College of Health Care Sciences (Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy) have collaborated to provide health screenings at the annual Sistrunk Historical Festival in Fort Lauderdale. The Festival celebrates the historical and cultural richness, and contributions of people of African descent and their impact on the global community. COP faculty Devada Singh-Franco, R.Ph., Pharm.D., CDE, with Nicole Quint, Dr.OT, OTR/L and Bini Litwin, PT, DPT, Ph.D., M.B.A., and students from each program provided screenings and educational materials including pediatric development, posture, vital signs, diabetes/lifestyle modifications, medication review/counseling, and recommendations for follow-up care to children, adults and seniors attending the festival. Students worked collaboratively to foster inter-professional communication and understanding of each disciplines’ respective roles in addition to applying skills and knowledge learned in the classroom.

On February 16-17, a group of twenty interested stakeholders met at NSU to brainstorm the curriculum for a nutritional supplementation specialty track for our students. Moderated by alumna Lynn Lafferty, Pharm.D. (’06), the group included NSU COP alumni, including Kerry Earlywine, Pharm.D. (’96) and Brittany Martinez, Pharm.D. (’12), NSU preceptors, faculty, and researchers. An amazing group of pharmacy practitioners, who currently provide nutrition related services, was assembled from around the country. Special thanks to Standard Process for sponsoring our planning meeting.

The college has created its CAREERx Space. This initiative will provide students and alumni with tools to improve their career and lives. In March the space held its first initiative Financial Strength and Intelligence after Graduation with guest Phillip Krause, Principal and President, Wealth Management Krause Capital, Inc. Mr. Krause presented a guide to mastering loans, diversifying investments, and tips toward a prosperous future. More events will be provided. For more information contact Scott Kjelson, Pharm.D., CPh, at sk793@nova.edu.

The student chapter of Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists (SSHP) held its 9th Annual Residency Workshop on March 6, 2017. Ninety-four students with an interest in pursuing PGY-1 residencies and 66 pharmacists were present for the Residency Showcase and Round-Table discussions. The Showcase portion of the event included thirteen different Residency Programs from across south Florida.

Farley Saint-Louis (’18), COP SGA President, and member of President Hanbury’s President’s 64, an elite body of student leaders whose purpose is to strengthen the relationship between NSU and the community, was selected to represent NSU COP at this year’s leadership conference. This all-expense paid conference joins top pharmacy students from all over the country, preparing student pharmacists to assume future leadership roles in health-system pharmacy.

Patricia Faria Ocasio (‘17) and Gregory Blake (’18) have been selected as finalists for the STUEY awards under the category of “Regional Campuses Student of the Year”. Faria will represent the Puerto Rico Regional Campus and Blake will represent the Palm Beach Campus at the 2017 Student Life Achievement Awards Ceremony to be held on April 13, 2017 at the Rose and Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center on the Fort Lauderdale/Davie campus.

Congratulations to Kevin Corneille (’20) who was selected for a Florida Society of Clinical Oncology (FLASCO) Travel Award to attend the FLASCO Business of Oncology with Spring Session in Kissimmee, FL. The award includes a stay at the Gaylord Hotel and attendance at the Spring Session.

Students on IPPE and APPE at Centro Cardiovascular de Puerto Rico y el Caribe are making a difference. Their outstanding contribution in pharmacy-related topics have stood out on medical rounds and they are invited to attend surgeries and follow up on patients from ICU to discharge. The continuum of care not only provides a great learning environment for our students, but delivers the patient-centered care NSU COP is training future pharmacists to provide to improve global health.

Norimar Rivera (’20) is the winner of the Poster and Slogan Competition from the Puerto Rico Pharmacist Association. Her slogan and poster “El Farmacéutico, proveedor y comunicador en salud” (The Pharmacist: provider and communicator in health) will be the official promotional material of Pharmacists Week, April 2-8, 2017 in Puerto Rico.

Congratulations to Wildalis Novoa (’20) who is the recipient of the first ever scholarship awarded by the Colegio de Farmacéuticos de Puerto Rico.

Yogesh Joshi, Ph.D.c placed second for his outstanding work at the ACS South Florida symposium held at Nova Southeastern University in February and received a certificate and cash prize. Hamid Omidian, Ph.D. noted that NSU students presented several posters related to study novel techniques to deter prescription drug abuse at the event. Joshi presented six posters at the symposium. Ph.D. student Rand Ahmad and Pharm.D. students Sampa Mondal (’18), Christina Crum (’18), Satya Vempati (’18), also presented research posters. In addition students and graduate Arghavan Kariman, Pharm.D. (’16) presented posters at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists in Denver, CO, in 2016.

Each month the college celebrates students who exemplify the college's mission, vision, and values.  For more information on our outstanding students click here

Mutasem Rawas-Qalaji, B.Pharm, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences and director of the Center for Drug Discovery and Development (CD³) presented his research on the Epi-pill, an alternative to the Epi-pen, on Local 10 news segment Healthwatch. Rawas-Qalaji and his team of researchers have been working for over 5 years on a tablet that disintegrates in 10-15 seconds sending lifesaving epinephrine right into the blood stream. More information and the video.
 

Serafin González Jr., Pharm.D. (‘95) is the College of Pharmacy nominee and finalist for NSU Alumni of the Year for the Annual STUEY Awards. González has been the pharmacy director at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami since 1999. González is a specialist in ophthalmic compounding and was the first to compound bevacizumab for intraocular injection. His protocol is currently used worldwide.
Recent publications include Streptococcus Endophthalmitis Outbreak after Intravitreal Injection of Bevacizumab: One-Year Outcomes and Investigative Results published in Ophthalmology (Feb. 2013), and An Outbreak of Streptococcus Endophthalmitis After Intravitreal Injection of Bevacizumab published in American Journal of Ophthalmology (Feb. 2012).

Each year the International Pharmacy Students Association (IPSA) sponsors an international food fest, dazzling us with a taste of foods from around the world. Dressed in traditional clothing from the various countries represented, members of NSU COP and the Health Professions Division were able to enjoy the diversity at NSU, taste delicious foods, and see an array of beautiful cultures. With food from over 10 different countries represented, there was enough for everyone to enjoy. This year IPSA donated proceeds to the William J. Clinton Foundation.

COP faculty Manuel J. Carvajal, Ph.D., and Albert I. Wertheimer, Ph.D., of the Sociobehavioral and Administrative Pharmacy Department were featured speakers at the Dubai International Pharmaceutics & Technologies (DUPHAT) Conference & Exhibition in March. Carvajal presented on labor economics and pharmacy manpower and Wertheimer spoke on various strategies in government drug pricing. Approximately 6,000 pharmacists from around the world, primarily from the Middle East and North Africa, were in attendance.
Carvajal had the pleasure of meeting with two NSU alumni while at DUPHAT, Ahmad Noor, Ph.D. (‘15 ) assistant dean for Administration and Finance and general manager of the Communication and Information Center at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia  and Mansour Almetwazi, Ph.D. (‘16), assistant professor and training unit supervisor at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Beginning January 2018, NSU will offer to students a variety of writing support initiatives through a centralized NSU “Write from the Start” Writing and Communication Center as its Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). A QEP is an essential component of regional accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). It shows the university’s commitment to enhancing student learning. For more information about NSU’s QEP Write from the Start, please visit www.nova.edu/qep.

Help support the College of Pharmacy student scholarships and research.  To find out more about what the college is doing click here.
To donate to the College click here, and remember to select College of Pharmacy for your donations.  For more information on how to donate or be involved, contact us at copalumni@nova.edu.

• April 20 – Pharmacy Seminar Night
• May 19 – College of Pharmacy Commencement, Rick Case Arena at NSU Fort Lauderdale.
• June 3 -7 -American Association of Health-System Pharmacists Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN  http://www.ashp.org/
• July 13-16 - Florida Pharmacy Association Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida http://www.pharmview.com/
• July 15-19 - American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting in Nashville, TN  http://www.aacp.org/Pages/Default.aspx
• July 21-23 – Continuing Education: Physical Assessment Institute in Patient Care Management, Fort Lauderdale, FL Click for information and to register
• August 4 – 6 - Florida Society of Health System Pharmacists Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL http://www.fshp.org/
• August 19-20- Continuing Education: Initial Consultant Pharmacist License, Fort Lauderdale, FL - Click for information and to register
• November 4 - College of Pharmacy Alumni Homecoming Reunion, Fort Lauderdale, FL  Aiman Rahman
• November 4-5 - Continuing Education: NSU Fall Classic 2017, Fort Lauderdale, FL   Click for information and to register

Alumni Calendar of Events