FALL 2023

We are excited to welcome all our new students into the pharmily and welcome back all returning students for the 2023-2024 academic year. NSU’s Barry and Judy Silverman College of Pharmacy remains dedicated to our mission of educating and developing inclusive leaders in the science and practice of pharmacy. We hope this year brings learning, as well as personal and professional development, resulting in improved health and the delivery of optimal patient care.

As educators and mentors, we are honored to be part of the student’s academic journey and strive to provide them with the tools and resources to develop their skills, realize their dreams, and make informed decisions regarding academic and personal matters. Each individual plays an important role in maintaining their health and developing relationships. Nova Southeastern University and the Silverman College of Pharmacy has many resources to assist students such as NSU Health, Center for Student Counseling and Well-being, and the Office of Recreation and Wellness. To supplement the university offerings, we are making a conscious effort to create additional opportunities that support our college’s well-being initiative to lead a happy, meaningful, and healthy life!

Each year the college celebrates its incoming Pharm.D. class with a formal White Coat Ceremony. This milestone event, signifying entrance into the pharmacy profession, occurred at all three campuses. Along with the students, we enjoyed seeing many alumni attending with spouses and children supporting friends and family matriculating into the program. More information, along with photos, can be found in the “New Student Orientation and White Coat Ceremony” section below.

I am pleased to welcome highly qualified faculty, staff members, residents, and fellows to the college. They bring expertise in a variety of areas including pharmaceutical sciences, clinical sciences, pharmaceutical biotechnology, drug delivery, and much more.

I invite you to visit, like, and follow us on social media to see all our activities and accomplishments as they occur throughout the semester. 

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Michelle A. Clark, Ph.D.

Dean Michelle A. Clark, Ph.D. has taken on the role of a leadership facilitator within the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Academic Leadership Fellows Program (ALFP). This prestigious program supports and contributes to the development of leaders in academic pharmacy and higher education. It utilizes an in-depth curriculum aimed at the development of self through the study of leadership theory, personal skills enhancement, and guidance from demonstrated leaders.

The ALFP also provides an opportunity for fellows to expand their relationships with peers and colleagues in other institutions, as well as within their own college. The one-year commitment kicks off this September and will consist of four in-person meetings. Critical topics addressing how to lead change, conflict management, diversity, equity and inclusion in leadership development, and leadership styles and theory will be covered during the in-person meetings. New features of the program include virtual book and journal club discussions on a variety of topics, as well as enhanced discussion on inclusive leadership.

NSU’s Silverman College of Pharmacy is accredited to provide continuing pharmacy education courses by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). We are happy and proud to share that the college received six years, the full amount that can be awarded, of accreditation from ACPE. To receive this status, the office of Continuing Pharmacy Education, led by Carsten Evans, Ph.D., submitted a thorough self-assessment, detailed records of correspondence, and third-party comments, which were reviewed by internal and external stakeholders of ACPE. NSU is known for providing continuing pharmacy education courses on a variety of topics to help practitioners enhance their skills and knowledge within the practice of pharmacy. Some of our most sought-after programs include pharmacy-based immunization delivery, consultant licensure, collaborative practice agreements, test and treat certification, delivery of medication therapy management services, and vaccine administration training for technicians.

A very special activity at the May Faculty Development Program brought the pharmily together for a fun and unique teambuilding event to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the college. From the Silverman College of Pharmacy’s vision and mission statement graphic, artist Lupe Chang sketched seventy 6”x 6” tiles, one for each faculty member to paint with acrylic paint. Placing tiles together, an art piece measuring 42” high and 60” wide was created. The finished artwork, celebrating the 35th anniversary of NSU's Silverman College of Pharmacy, was unveiled on July 27 and is displayed in the college suite on the 3rd floor of the Terry Administration Building. Who knew that we had so many talented artists among the faculty?

The Student Orientation this summer welcomed the Pharm. D., Ph.D., and M.S. matriculating students. Activities were held at all three campuses, and students had the opportunity to mix and mingle with their classmates, faculty members, and administrators. Information sessions focused on the curriculum, assessment and exam policies, experiential education, team building, and professional communication. The new students interacted with the current students to learn about many pharmacy professional organizations.

Each campus hosted their own White Coat Ceremony for those in the Pharm.D. program, a special event commemorating the students’ entrance into the pharmacy profession. Each ceremony was similar and yet unique in their own way. Kiran Krishnan, Ph.D. and Venessa Goodnow, Pharm.D. (’98) addressed the Ft. Lauderdale/Davie students, Chih Chin, Pharm.D. (‘11) spoke to the Palm Beach students, and Eileen Ortega, B.S.Ph., R. Ph. addressed the San Juan students. Dean Clark attended all three ceremonies, providing welcome remarks, words of encouragement, and guidance for success.

We love the energy and excitement that accompanies the start of a new school year! We hope the 2023-2024 academic year brings with it new-found information and we welcome all our new colleagues into the pharmily.

Members of our pharmily traveled to St. Mary, Jamaica in July to take part in a transformative and interdisciplinary medical mission. The mission was organized by NSU and Women of H.O.P.E., a non-profit organization that provides healthcare and education to women and children. Robert McGory, Pharm.D., associate dean professional program and Janiel Tulloch (’25) represented NSU's Silverman College of Pharmacy, working alongside a host of volunteers and fellow Sharks from various healthcare fields including medicine, dental, nursing, optometry, and occupational therapy.

The warmth and compassion exhibited by the team left a lasting impression on the patients they served. Beyond the physical healing, the mission also fostered emotional and psychological healing, reminding the community that they were not forgotten and that they mattered. According to Tulloch, “It was quite interesting having to merge the knowledge of Jamaican and American pharmacy practice to serve the people of the communities we visited, a very valuable skill to have in life". To learn more about the impact of this interdisciplinary mission please visit https://sharkbytes.nova.edu/featured/nsu-jamaica-medical-dental-mission-heals-hearts-smiles

Peter Gannett, Ph.D., associate dean for research and professor, has been awarded a training grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  The grant, titled “Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement at Nova Southeastern University” (URISE@NSU) and totaling $1.5 million, will support undergraduate students to be trained in conducting research. The goal is for the undergraduate students to matriculate into a biomedical graduate program. While in the training program, participants will receive research, career development, and didactic training over a two-year period from faculty mentors with strong research, academic, and training records.  The grant provides undergraduate students with tuition assistance and a stipend so that they can focus on research year-round. In addition to the NSU's Silverman College of Pharmacy, the Colleges of Psychology, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine, College of Dental Medicine, College of Computing and Engineering, and the Halmos College of Arts and Science, are collaborating on the grant.

Benedict C. Albensi, Ph.D., chair, department of pharmaceutical sciences and professor is working as a Co-Investigator on a new grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant, titled “Effects of mild traumatic brain injury in a mouse model of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA).” CAA is a type of dementia like Alzheimer's disease. Principal Investigator Lisa Robison Ph.D., and fellow Co-Investigator William Kochen, Ph.D., both from the College of Psychology are working to gather more information about how even mild brain injuries can increase dementia risk and what interventions, if any, can affect the progress of the disease. The project, totaling more than $300,00 investigates damage to the brain’s blood vessels by CAA, a toxic protein, as a potential link.

On August 15, Genevieve Hale, Pharm.D. (‘13), associate professor, was sworn in as the Speaker of the House of Delegates for the Florida Pharmacist Association (FPA). As one of the elected officers on the President’s Committee of the Association, she will serve in many capacities including on the budget and finance committee, the advisory council on pharmacy practice, and as the official representative of the House of Delegates on the Board of Directors. As the Speaker of the House, she is responsible for presiding over the House of Delegates while maintaining proper decorum under Roberts Rules of Order and producing reports of the actions of the House of Delegates to the Members of FPA. As an accomplished professional, Hale brings a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to the leadership team at FPA. Her passion for advancing the pharmacy profession and her commitment to the betterment of the Association will benefit all members of FPA.

Appu Rathinavelu, Ph.D., executive director of the Rumbaugh-Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research, and professor at the Silverman College of Pharmacy, along with his team discovered and patented a compound - code-named F16 – which is showing promising results in pre-clinical testing for the treatment of Glioblastoma. The Institute, in consultation with the university’s Office of Research and Technology Transfer, have engaged a well-known Clinical Research Organization to externally validate these findings and prepare for Investigational New Drug (IND) filing with FDA.

• Beejel Patel Dharmani, Pharm.D. (‘07) Instructor/Academic Facilitator
• Deborah H. Edlin, Laboratory Research Assistant I
• Shyam S. Jaganathan, Research Associate II, Rumbaugh-Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research
• Martin O’Malley, M.D., Instructor/Academic Facilitator
• Natasha Rose, Manager Clinical Research
• Bryanna Suarez, Administrative Coordinator II
• Patrick W. Sullivan, Ph.D., Professor

NSU’s Silverman College of Pharmacy had a significant presence at the annual meetings for the Florida Pharmacy Association (FPA) and the Florida Society of Health System Pharmacists (FSHP). Both meetings provided an opportunity to spend time among fellow Sharks, which is always a great time!

In July at the FPA’s 2023 Annual Meeting and Convention, classmates Camille Mercado (’24) and Maylenis Gonzalez (‘25) were awarded the Norman Tomaka & Family Community Service Award and the James A Mincy Independent Pharmacist Scholarship, respectively. Maricela Moreno, (‘25) competed in the patient counseling competition and finished in a very respectable third place, out of 16 total contestants. Participants were given a set amount of time to review a complex patient case before counseling a mock patient on a new drug being picked up from the pharmacy, then evaluated by a panel of judges.

Later in the summer, at the 57th Annual FSHP Meeting in Orlando, the Sharks once again had a strong showing. The mentor/mentee mixer connected the students with many health system pharmacists from across the state. The college sponsored reception provided another opportunity to network with multiple generations of the pharmily. It was a fun evening filled with great food, music, and raffles. Gina Stevenson (’24) was awarded the Paul Magalian Scholarship, recognizing her outstanding record of accomplishment and service to the profession of pharmacy.

Gina Stevenson, (‘24) was sworn in as the Student Director for the Florida Society of Health System Pharmacists (FSHP) Board of Directors. Throughout this one-year commitment, she will represent the Society as the official student voice of health‐system pharmacists in the State of Florida. In this role she will showcase her verbal and written communication skills, knowledge of Council operations, familiarity with the membership, and ability to communicate with the various committees and councils of FSHP.

Stevenson shared that she is excited to take on this role and looks forward to the many opportunities this position brings such as serving as Board Liaison for the FSHP Student Board Committee and Co-Board Liaison for the FSHP Membership Affairs Council, as a member of the Board of Directors, and the ability to attend the House of Delegates. In these roles, she plans to grow educational and mentoring opportunities for students by refining the mentor-mentee program, engaging new graduates, planning networking events, and bringing quality insights from the student societies to the Board.

Shemroy McCarthy (’25), and Gregory Pierre Louis (’25), members of the Haitian American Pharmacists Association (HAPA), collaborated with pharmacist Ijang A. Ngando, Pharm.D., to publish an article in Info Gazette Medicale entitled “The Role of a Pharmacists in the Monkeypox Outbreak.” McCarthy and Pierre Louis were scholarship recipients at last year’s HAPA Scholarship Fundraising and Awards gala. HAPA is led by president Deborah Lolo, Pharm.D. (’11). McCarthy (pictured left) presented a poster on the research at the Feeding Miami Health Fair and the Pearls of Life Women Foundation, Inc. & Gilead Sciences’ Health Fair.

Our pharmily members from the San Juan Campus were on full display as active participants at the Puerto Rico Pharmacists Association (PRPA) Annual meeting last month at the Sheraton Convention Center. This professional event provides a great opportunity for the students to network and connect with alumni, local pharmacists, partners from the pharmaceutical industry, and other members of the pharmacy community. A total of six research posters were presented. Haylisse Fernández, (’24) showcased her beautiful voice as she performed the national anthem "a cappella" at a special ceremony celebrating the 85th anniversary of the PRPA which concluded with the revealing of a commemorative postal stamp by the U.S. Postal Service in celebration of this historic event.

The following presentations received recognition as second and third place winners respectively in the poster presentation competition:

• Prevalence Use of Urate-Lowering Medications Among Adults with Gout and the Relationship Between Gout Treatment and Chronic Disease Comorbidities by Jeanlouis Betancourt-Gaztambide, Pharm.D. (’22), M.P.H., M.B.A.; Marcos Ortiz-Uriarte, Pharm.D (’22) ; Alexandra Pérez, M.S., Pharm.D ('05); and Youssef Román, Pharm.D., Ph.D.
  


• Preparation and Stability of Doxycycline Hyclate Capsules Using Resonance Acoustic Mixing Technology by Enrique Nieves, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Jessy A. Marrero, Pharm.D.; Jessica Quiles, Pharm.D.; Ángel Toledo, M.S., research assistant.

Yogita Kathrotiya, (’24) spent the 2nd APPE block completing a rotation in Infectious Disease (ID) at Cleveland Clinic Weston under the direction of preceptor, Damien Alpizar, Pharm.D. (’17). The six-week experience was valuable and enriching and provided an opportunity to work closely with infectious disease specialists, medical students, and other healthcare professionals. According to Kathrotiya, the rotation provided a comprehensive understanding of infectious diseases management, antimicrobial stewardship, and the critical role of pharmacists in patient care. Please read her detailed description of and a reflection on the experience.

At the 57th Annual Florida Society of Health System Pharmacists (FSHP) Meeting, Distinguished Alumni Madeline Camejo, Pharm.D. (‘97) was awarded the Dave Osterberger Excellence in Pharmacy Leadership Award. This prestigious award honors the life and legacy of Dave Osterberger, a former FSHP President and longtime dedicated FSHP member. As an experienced pharmacy executive, Camejo is known for her innovative and exemplary leadership skills within a health-system organization. In her current role as Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer with Baptist Health South Florida, she is responsible for strategizing, developing, and executing pharmacy initiatives that support and grow pharmacy clinical services and operations system-wide. Camejo is a visionary leader with excellent teambuilding, analytical, organization and interpersonal skills. We always love to see our alumni recognized for their talents and dedication to the profession.

Ali Almutairy, Ph.D. (‘22) was promoted to Head of Pharmacology and Toxicology Department at Qassim University.

Ali Althubyani, Pharm.D. (‘21) started as Infectious Disease Fellow at Nova Southeastern University/Memorial Healthcare System.

Genevieve Barreiro, Pharm.D. (‘12) was promoted to Senior manager of pharmacy operations at MCR Health, Inc.

Jennifer Brown (Rutledge), Pharm.D. (‘08) started a new position as a Clinical Pharmacist at AspenRx Health.

Breana Caturano, Pharm.D. (‘21) started a new position as Medication Safety Officer at James A. Haley VA Medical Center.

Kyrsten Chaplin, Pharm.D. (‘21) started a new position as Psychiatric Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center.

Julianna Crain, Pharm.D. (‘11) started a new position as Pediatric Pharmacy Clinical Manager at Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel.

Yarelis Díaz Rohena, Pharm.D. (‘98) started a new position as Associate Manager of Professional Development at the National Community Oncology Dispensing Association, Inc. (NCODA).

Heidy Fernandez, Pharm.D. (‘15) was promoted to Medication Safety & Quality Coordinator for the Memorial Cancer Institute.

Sherin George, Pharm.D. (‘16) was promoted to Pharmacy Manager at Walmart.

Akilah Fuller, Pharm.D. (‘21) started a new position as Senior IT Pharmacy Systems Analyst at Broward Health.

Sheldon James, Pharm.D. (‘13) started a new position as Clinical Staff Pharmacist at Valley View Health Center.

Dionis Malo, Pharm.D. (‘10) was elected to the position of President-Elect with the Florida Society of Health System Pharmacists (FSHP).

Daniel Mehranfard, Pharm.D. (’22) started a new position as a Senior Clinical Scientist Cardiometabolic at Merck.

Daylene Menendez Caraballo, Pharm.D. (‘22) started a new position as Executive Director of Pharmacy and Therapeutics at VivaMas Medical Centers.

Francienid Morales, Pharm.D. (‘98) was promoted to Medical Omnichannel Excellence Lead, US General Medicines at Sanofi.

Mackenzie (Messinger) Krause, Pharm.D. (‘13) started a new position as Clinical Program Senior Manager at Express Scripts.

Dor Partosh, Pharm.D. (‘21) was promoted to Clinical Ambulatory Pharmacy Specialist at Memorial Healthcare System.

Shivani Patel, Pharm.D. (‘21) started a new position as an Assistant Medical Director at the Scienomics Group.

Nandini Ramsumair, Pharm.D. (‘21) started a new position as Clinical Pharmacist – Oncology at Baptist Health.

Larisa Ruiz Serrano, Pharm.D. (’14) was promoted to Senior Medical Science Liaison at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

Greg Suhrheinrich, Pharm.D. (‘19) was promoted to Research Pharmacist at University of Miami Health System.

Olga Wydner, Pharm.D. (’11) started a new position as the Director of Pharmacy at the Florida Department of Health – Broward County.

Ariel Zlicha, Pharm.D. (‘13) started a new position as Director of Pharmacy Operations at Onco360 Oncology Pharmacy.

The SharksRx Alumni Society created the legacy fund to support the College through the knowledge, skills, and financial resources needed to invest in the future of pharmacy education. The Society's goal is to grow student scholarship opportunities. You can help meet this goal by supporting the SharksRx Alumni Legacy Fund. Your contributions help the next generation of pharmacists in perpetuity. For more information on the Legacy Tree contact Carla Luque, Pharm.D., assistant dean, student services. To purchase an engraved leaf with your inscription click here.

The NSU College of Pharmacy provides a variety of training programs and workshops. Currently, the following programs are being offered:

• Initial Consultant Pharmacist Licensure Course & Consultant Re-Certification Conference, General CE Credit (Sept. 23-24, 2023)


• Cancer Therapies 2023: Therapeutic Applications and Outcomes in Case Studies (October 14 & 15, 2023)


• Initial Collaborative Practices Agreement Program (October 14, 2023)


• Initial Test and Treat Certification Program (October 15, 2023)


• Delivering Medication Therapy Management Services - Become a Certified MTM Pharmacist (October 18 and 19, 2023 - must attend both days)


• Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery (November 29 and 30, 8am-12pm - must attend both days)


• Pharmacy Technician Vaccine Administration Training (November 29, 2023)
  

The Silverman College of Pharmacy Alumni events, the training/workshops, and Continuing Education courses are listed on the College of Pharmacy website.

The NSU Alumni Association (NSUAA) hosts a variety of programs and events to keep you involved and active throughout the year. Please check the NSUAA website.