CoverWho says good guys don’t wear black hats? Two mem-

bers of the Pharm.D. Class of 2014 show their

Longhorn spirit immediately following graduation. See

more graduation highlights beginning on page 10.

The University of Texas Longhorn Pharmacy FocusEditor: Vicki B. Matustik

Editorial Advisor: Susan Brown

Cover Photo: Vicki B. Matustik

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at the University of Texas Printing Division.

Articles or comments may be submitted to Focus Editor,

College of Pharmacy, 2409 University Avenue A1900,

The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712-

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College of Pharmacy. None of the material contained

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Longhorn Pharmacy Focus is distributed at no charge to

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LonghornPharmacy FO

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2 S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

p e r s p e c t i v e s

s t u d en t s

f a c u l t y & s t a f f

a l umn i

c on t i n u i n g e d u c a t i o n

g i v i n g

3 Dean’s Message4 Flipping for Pharmaceutics7 Young to direct interprofessional education8 A medical school for UT Austin

10 Pharm.D. Class of 201412 Graduate students complete studies13 Research Day14 Explore UT15 Compounding honors

Clinical skills competitionHonors Day

16 A passion for people - a heart to help18 Student News

19 On the cusp of an Ebola vaccineNew cancer center to enhance collaborative research

20 Spring social; teaching recognitions21 Davis cited citizenship

Williams to lead AAPS journal22 McGinity retirement24 Retiring Talbert to receive Chalmers Award26 Faculty News

28 The Alumni President’s MessageAlumni Association Executive Officers

29 Alumni news30 Never too late

Homecoming Weekend

31 Pharmacy Practice SeminarOnline CPE

32 Psychiatric Update Delivery MTM Services

33 Arlyn Kloesel Campaign34 The Campaign for Texas

Its summertime in Central Texas, and it is sizzling hot! One could also use this term to describe theaccomplishments of our students, faculty, and alumni that are included in this issue of the LonghornPharmacy Focus.

UT Austin is starting a medical school – the Dell Medical School, the first medical school started on atier one university campus in more than 50 years. This provides many new opportunities for the Collegeof Pharmacy – with regard to Pharm.D. student education, graduate education, and research.Interprofessional education and team based care are critical components of the core philosophy of theDell Medical School, and the college has been working with medicine, nursing, and social work to createplans for interprofessional education that will emphasize the role of interprofessional teams in providingpatient care. To provide college leadership for this initiative, we appointed Dr. Veronica Young as thecollege’s first director of interprofessional education and community engagement. While a faculty mem-ber in the Pharmacotherapy Division located at UTHSC San Antonio, Veronica was a leader in imple-menting and evaluating community based interprofessional service learning programs. We look forwardto her leadership in leading the development of such programs across our four campuses in collaborationwith our partners in other health professions.

Members of our faculty are active in implementing new student centered active learning programs for ourstudents. The creative efforts of Drs. Bill Williams and Hugh Smyth in implementing a “flipped class-room” for our P1 student pharmacists in pharmaceutics is vividly described in this issue.

Faculty members are national leaders in conducting innovative research, and this is reflected in the articledescribing Dr. Maria Croyle’s efforts in developing a vaccine against the deadly virus Ebola. Now, how isthat for changing the world?

Lastly, this issue of the Focus describes the retirement of two faculty who have changed the lives of multi-ple generations of students. Both Drs. Jim McGinity and Bob Talbert are outstanding faculty, and inparticular, Dr. Talbert was awarded the Robert K. Chalmers Outstanding Pharmacy Educator Award bythe American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy during in its annual meeting in July.

In spite of severe budget constraints, our college continues to achieve excellence – largely because of theextraordinary efforts of our faculty, students, alumni, and friends. We thank each and every one of youfor everything that you do in support of our college – whether it be precepting a student, giving a lecture,or providing the donations that make a real difference in the college. Because of you, The University ofTexas College of Pharmacy is changing the world!

Hook em!

M. Lynn Crismon

Dean

The Dean’s MessageDear alumni and friends,

perspectives

3F O C U S

4 S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

perspective

Room 104 is buzzing as members of the first-year pharmacyclass gather. Conversation is at a fever pitch. By the start of thespring semester, classmates are accustomed to being togetherfor class, but not here. Sanchez, a building assigned to theCollege of Education, is located on the far southern boundaryof the Forty Acres – blocks away from the pharmacy complex.The room is one of only a handful across campus that canaccommodate the new format of this pharmaceutics class.Casual observers may note the noise level, the white coats, andthe classroom full of students so early on a Friday morning,but the significant occurrence taking place may not be asimmediately apparent – a revolutionary approach to teachingand learning known as a flipped classroom.

A form of blended learning, the flipped classroom requiresstudents to complete assigned readings drawn from textbooksand other scholarly works prior to class. Instead of a tradition-al lecture format, class is devoted to practical application of theinformation in exercises that might traditionally be assigned ashomework. Students are grouped into teams of five membersto apply the material to a case study by examining a drug prod-uct profile and developing a pharmaceutical developmentaction plan. Pharmaceutics I (PHR 356C) represents the col-lege’s first full-blown, flipped classroom approach. Drs. BillWilliams and Hugh Smyth are the faculty pioneers who areleading the way.

Williams steps to the front of the massive room.Approximately one-quarter of the students sit at cluster tablesin the lower, center portion of the space while the remainder ofstudents are situated in elevated, curved seating similar to thatfound in a stadium or performance venue.

The chatter quietens as he advises the class to put away assort-ed electronic devices – smart phones, computers, iPads, etc. –and pick up devices referred to as “clickers.” It’s quiz time.This opening exercise is designed to assess whether the stu-dents have adequately absorbed the information from theadvance readings. The computerized testing system displaysone question at a time on a large screen at the front of theclassroom. Students are given time to use their clickers toelectronically record their response among the true/false ormultiple-choice options.

Two or three students burst through the classroom doorsshortly after the quiz begins. Backpacks and purses in tow,white coats somewhat askew, they enter with clickers in hand.Just inside the classroom, they pause, read the question on thescreen, and record their answer before moving to their seats.

The system collects student answers, provides immediate veri-fication that everyone has logged a response, and tallies thepercentage of students indicating a correct answer. Quiz con-cluded, Williams addresses the questions, discusses responses,and reviews material connected to any questions in which asignificant percentage of students record a wrong answer.

FLIPPING FOR PHARMACEUTICS

7:45 am

7:40 am

Professors Hugh Smyth

and Bill Williams

5F O C U S

perspective

It’s Smyth’s turn and he briefly presents the first case. Topicfor the week is transdermal patches. As he concludes, heinforms the class that today’s study is now available for down-load in an electronic software called Canvas. The large screenat the front of the classroom displays a digital clock displayingone hour – the time the teams have to develop their actionplan. Seconds tick away.

Students are grouped into teams at the first of the semesterand work within these groups for the duration of the class.Each of the 26 teams must research the case and put togetheran action plan that must be electronically submitted before theend of the hour. Teams develop strategies for developing thecase report with work split among members. The groups sittogether for each class, but their locations within the class-room vary from week to week.

“The teams on the lower floor level are seated around a tablemaking it easier to confer with one another,” Smyth explained.“Teams in the other seating have to make accommodations toconfer with members standing in front of the tabletop where ateam mate is seated. To be fair, we rotate the team locationsfrom week to week.” Students, he added, requested the rotat-ing seating assign-ments to help assurefairness. Tabletopsigns display teamnumbers and indi-cate the seatingassignment for eachclass period.

“The team approachis real-world experi-ence,” Williamsexplained. “As professionals they will be working in teamswith other health care providers – pharmacists, physicians,nurses – to determine the best therapies for patients. Theywill work with people with different levels of knowledge, dif-ferent approaches to the problem, and with various personalitytraits. It’s important to learn to work with these differencestoward the common goal of helping the patient.”

Teams go to work. Students are advised that if they do notunderstand any aspect of the case for more than five minutes,they should seek help from a member of the instructional teamby raising their hand. Faculty and teaching assistants moveabout the room, responding to students with raised hands.They offer guidance and interaction based upon need by ask-ing a series of their own questions to guide the student toarrive at his or her own conclusion.

The buzz returns to the classroom, but this time, laughter isreplaced with the click of computer keyboards as studentssearch the literature on their specially designed web portal,confer with their teammates and enter their portion of theresearch for the report.

Work required for the case studies evolves as the semester pro-gresses with students first learning to gather basic informationsuch as active ingredients in drugs and how to conduct litera-ture searches. As the semester progresses, product informa-tion is often provided in the case outline and more challengingquestions or situations within the case provoke students todive deeper into their understanding.

“In a traditional lecture, the focus is mostly on facts and infor-mation from text,” said Amanda Bui, a P4 PharmD student inthe spring who started her PhD studies this summer withWilliams. “In the flipped-classroom format, the student isgiven a real-life situation and must apply the knowledge theyhave learned from the readings. This format provides the ben-efit of gaining a deeper understanding of information byengaging the students to apply their knowledge.”

8:15 am

8:30 am

6 S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

Ashkan Yazdi, Pharm.D. ‘11 and a graduate teaching assistantstudying with Smyth, warns the class that time for the firstcase study is nearing conclusion.

Conversation levels pick up again as class members concludetheir portion of the research and begin consultation with teammembers to develop the team report. Before the time expires,each team will upload their completed case study. Over thenext few days, the teaching assistants will review the submittedstudies, assigning a grade to each.

“I love this,” said Williams as he leaves one raised hand andmakes his way to another. The course covers the same materialas it did in its lecture format, but countless hours have beendevoted to working the material into the new structure.Williams and Smyth make sure that the outside readings pro-vide the students with everything they need to address the casestudies. The studies themselves are now the center focus ofthe classroom, and Williams, Smyth and the student teachingassistants have devoted a significant portion of the planningtime making sure that all aspects of the complicated studieswork. Despite their best efforts, minor adjustments have beennecessary as the semester evolved.

“It is unimaginable the amount of time and coordination thatit takes for a class like this to run smoothly,” said Yazdi. “Forany class to go through the flip process, the professor(s) needto be flexible enough to fine tune the teaching plan and taketheir students’ feedback seriously.”

Yazdi said he admired the successful manner in whichWilliams and Smyth flipped the pharmaceutics class. “I wit-nessed the metamorphosis of the class,” he said.

In addition to the grades students earned for the team reportsfrom the in-class studies, the course also included mid-termand final exams. For the mid-term exam, Williams and Smythsplit the questions with half coming directly from questionsused on exams under the old format and half drawn from thecase studies the students completed this semester.

“We wanted to test how students under this concept scoredcompared to students learning the material in the more tradi-tional lecture design,” he continued. “The students under thisformat did better. By requiring immediate application of thematerial, students seem to better grasp the concepts.”

“This has been a great semester for this course, but we (he andSmyth) could not have done it without the teaching assis-tants,” Williams reflected as the last class of the semesterdraws to a close. “They have done a great job.”

The teaching team met weekly to discuss the procession of theclass and to iron out issues in the format. In addition toWilliams, Smyth and Yazdi and Bui, the team also includesZachary Warnken, a P4 PharmD/PhD student whose PhDprogram begins this summer under the joint supervision ofWilliams and Smyth; Leena Prasad, a current PhD student inWilliams’ lab; and Kristen Haas, a third-year PharmD studentserving as an Advanced Academic Assistant (AAA).

Yazdi participated inthe same pharmaceuticsclass in 2008 as a firstyear pharmacy student.“This format is engag-ing the students on amuch deeper level(than the format usedwhen he took theclass),” he said.

perspective

9:00 amContinued from page 5.

Continued on page 7.

7F O C U S

Dr. Veronica Young has been named asthe inaugural director of interprofes-sional education (IPE) and communityengagement for the college. Sheassumes her appointment immediately.

“Veronica is highly qualified to holdthis position,” said Dean M. LynnCrismon in announcing the new posi-tion. “She already has a proven trackrecord for creativity and leadership in implementing IPE-based community engagement programs as a faculty memberin the college’s Division of Pharmacotherapy.”

Interprofessional education occurs when students from two ormore professions learn about, from, and with each other toenable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes,according to the World Health Organization. The goal is toprepare a collaborative practice-ready health workforce aimedat improving the quality and safety of care delivered.

Therefore, the most effective IPE experiences are those inwhich students of different professions work together provid-ing team based patient-centered care. Young previously served

as clinical associate professor within the PharmacotherapyDivision in San Antonio. She moved to Austin duringSummer 2014.

In her new role, she will lead the college’s efforts to build anarray of interprofessional education curricular elements in coreand elective content as well as didactic, laboratory and experi-ential courses. In addition, she will facilitate development andsupport engagement in interprofessional co-curricular andextra-curricular elements.

“Developing interprofessional education and collaborativepractice learning experiences that meet core IPE competenciesand are meaningful to students are key components to trans-forming the culture of healthcare,” said Young. “Our goal is toempower students to work effectively together to deliver quali-ty patient-centered and community-oriented care.”

Her responsibilities include engaging and building partner-ships with schools/colleges, departments and programs acrosscampus that educate students or residents who interact withpatients. Young will participate in the college's strategic plan-ning process to generate immediate, short-term and long-termgoals and objectives for interprofessional education and com-munity engagement. She also will conduct research andscholarship in these areas.

Having presented her work at numerous national and interna-tional meetings, she is well recognized for her innovation inthis area. She currently is a faculty fellow in the AmericanAssociation of Colleges of Pharmacy's Academic LeadershipFellows Program and is a UT System patient safety fellow.

In recent years, the college has developed a number of innova-tive interprofessional education and community engagementactivities.

“With the development of the Dell Medical School, it is criti-cal that the college develop the infrastructure needed to col-laborate with medicine, nursing, social work, and otheracademic units in order to make The University of Texas atAustin a leader in these areas,” Dean Crismon continued. “Iam confident that Dr. Young will provide the necessary leader-ship, creativity, and innovation to lead the college in theseareas.”

In addition to her academic administration appointment,Young's appointment as clinical associate professor will trans-fer to the Health Outcomes and Pharmacy Practice Divisionon the Austin campus.

perspectiveYoung to direct interprofessional education

Position seen as key to college interaction with medical school students

Veronica Young

“Information can be easily found and learned with the help ofthe Internet,” Bui said, adding that with each student bringingat least one, and sometimes several electronic devices to class,they have increased the bandwidth capabilities of the roomseveral times over the course of the semester to handle the vol-ume of information being sought via electronic devices. “Theflipped-classroom format teaches students how to find reliableinformation, how to decipher it, and how to apply it to a par-ticular case. Team-based learning is the future of education.”

Flipping for pharmaceuticsContinued from page 6.

The PHR 356 C instructional team

8 S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

Editor’s Note: UT Austin is the first tier-one university in decades to establish anew medical school. The College of Pharmacy, along with other health-relatedprograms within the university, anticipates that the school will lead to an increasedemphasis on interprofessional collaborations and education initiatives. The firstclass is scheduled to be admitted in 2016.

Dr. S. Claiborne “Clay” Johnston has beennamed inaugural dean of the Dell MedicalSchool at The University of Texas at Austin.He will lead the school in developing newapproaches for teaching, patient care andresearch that seek to transform both medicaleducation and health care delivery.

Johnston formerly served as associate vice chancellor ofresearch at the University of California, San Francisco. He is apracticing neurologist who specializes in preventing and treat-ing stroke. He joined the UT Austin team in Austin in March.The first class of students is expected in Fall 2016.

“There is no greater opportunity for improving health carethan by building a medical school from the ground up at a topinstitution like UT and in an entrepreneurial city like Austin,”said Johnston.

“The current antiquated models of health care are failing us. Ifwe start from scratch, we can design a medical school thatempowers doctors to embrace new technologies, work collabo-ratively, perform cutting-edge research — and, ultimately, bet-ter serve patients while driving down costs.”

Johnston, 49, earned a bachelor’s degree in physics at AmherstCollege and a medical degree from Harvard University. Heearned a Ph.D. in epidemiology at the University ofCalifornia, Berkeley, and completed residency and fellowshiptraining in neurology and stroke at UCSF.

At UT Austin, he will serve as medical school dean and uni-versity vice president for medical affairs. He will be a profes-

sor of neurology and will continue to treat patients.

“We have a vision for creating at UT Austin one of the finestmedical schools in the world. The cornerstone of that school isits founding dean,” said UT President Bill Powers. The DellMedical School is the culmination of efforts by State Sen.Kirk Watson who, in 2011, launched his “10-in-10” initiativeto improve health care in Central Texas.

In 2012, the UT System Board of Regents committed $25million a year, and an additional $5 million for the first eightyears, to establish and operate the medical school at UTAustin. The Seton Healthcare Family committed $295 millionto build a teaching hospital that will partner with the school.

In addition, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation pledged$50 million to establish the school. Travis County voters in2012 approved an increase in the tax rate for Central Health,the countywide hospital district, and commit $35 million eachyear to support the medical school.

The Dell Medical School will provide a comprehensive med-ical education to students and medical residents and, alongwith its partners, support a full range of medical services forthe community, including women’s health.

A medical school for UT AustinInaugural dean named

perspective

When The University of Texas at Austin’s Dell MedicalSchool opens in Fall 2016, it will join a campus alreadydevoted to health. The university has launched a yearlongseries covering medical news and research happening acrossthe university called “In Pursuit of Health.”

One of the first features within the series was titled, “UntilThere’s a Cure: 21 Ways Longhorns Fight Cancer.” Thestory showcases the research initiatives of 21 UT facultyincluding pharmacy faculty members John DiGiovanni,Rong Cui, Jim Koeller, Janet Walkow and Kevin Dalby.

Read this story athttp://www.utexas.edu/know/2014/04/22/21-ways-long-horns-fight-cancer/

Another story in the series features pharmacy faculty mem-ber Dr. Maria Croyle and her lab’s efforts to develop anaffordable, available, and effective vaccine against ebola.This story is available on page 19 of this issue of Focus or canbe seen at http://www.utexas.edu/know/2014/05/05/on-the-cusp-of-an-ebola-vaccine/

Clay Johnston

Teaching hospital gets a nameSeton Healthcare Family's new $295 million, 211-bedteaching hospital will be named Seton Medical Center atThe University of Texas. The announcement was made inApril by President and Chief Executive Officer JesúsGarza, president and chief executive officer of the hospital.

Construction of the facility will begin in late 2014 with thenew hospital slated to open in 2017. It will serve as the pri-mary training site for students at The University of Texas atAustin’s new Dell Medical School.

9F O C U S

Construction begins for new school

perspective

Construction of the Dell Medical School began in late Aprilwith a ceremony at the site of the new complex. UT PresidentBill Powers and Dell Medical School Dean Clay Johnstonjoined community leaders, office holders and UT System offi-cials in thanking community organizations, Travis Countyvoters and Michael and Susan Dell for supporting the visionto create the new school.

“We’re doing this so we can better serve society by finding newways to deliver health care,” said UT President Bill Powers.“Innovation will be the underpinning of the Dell MedicalSchool.”

The ceremony, including remarks by a series of dignitaries, washeld beneath a large white tent at 15th and Red River streetswhere the education and administration building will rise. Anearby medical office building, research building and garagealso will be constructed as part of the $334 million project.

Ground is expected to be broken this fall on the UT campusfor a $295 million teaching hospital, which will be owned andoperated by the Seton Healthcare Family.

“Make no mistake. Today isn’t just about three new buildingson our skyline,” said State Sen. Kirk Watson, who has ledefforts to create a medical school in Austin. “Our communitywill be different – healthier and stronger – thanks to this proj-ect we’re launching today.”

The school will include research, educational and administra-tive facilities, as well as a medical office building and parkinggarage totaling 515,000 square feet. It will be located at theintersection of 15th and Red River streets, near the current siteof University Medical Center Brackenridge and UT Austin'sSchool of Nursing.

The first facilities are expected to be complete for the inaugu-ral class of students in fall 2016.

“Dell Medical School will offer a complete and comprehensive

medical education to all of its students and will work withmultiple partners on the clinical side to help provide a fullarray of services to patients,” Johnston said. “From the researchlab to the bedside and then out into the community, we willdeliver on the promise of better health and health care. Weneed to embrace technologies and new models of health caredelivery that better meet the needs of the entire community.”

• Dr. Robert Messing - professor of pharmacology and toxi-cology and UT Austin’s vice provost for biomedical sciences -co-chair of the steering committee to oversee early develop-ment of the new school’s curriculum, research, clinical train-ing, and community engagement programs; chair of searchcommittee for identifying the inaugural dean

•Dean Lynn Crismon - served on search committee for inau-gural medical school dean, steering committee for develop-ment of the school, architectural design committee formedical school education and administration building, and asco-chair of the curriculum oversight committee

• Dr. Steven Leslie - former dean of pharmacy and specialassistant to the president for medical education - oversawmost of interactions that set in motion activities to help etab-lish partnerships and funding plan for new medical school

• Rick Morrisett, professor of pharmacology/toxicology -served on the basic science curriculum committee

• Pat Davis, senior associate dean for academic affairs, andDebra Lopez, clinical associate professor of health outcomesand pharmacy practice - served on the interprofessional edu-cation working group.

Above, the former landscape around the Frank Erwin Center onthe northeast side of campus, and below, the proposed Phase 1 con-struction plan for the medical school/hospital complex for the samearea. Reconfiguration of Red River Street south of the ErwinCenter began this spring.

Pharmacy’s roles in the new medical school

10 S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

students Class of 2014

Class membersOlubolanle AfolayanMatthew BelisleAlina BelousovaVipin BhagatAmanda Birnbaum Nikki BradleyAndrea BrooksAmanda Bui�Jennifer Burg***Jonathon CantuNicole Casciello**Anita CastilloRamiro CavazosDonna ChanJeffrey ChanChristina Chang**Rannon ChingJoshua ChoiLogan ConnorSergio CrosbyMolly Curran*Hannah DavisRavi DavuluriAndrew DelgadoKristina Le DinhSarah Duong*Ian DurrantElizabeth Espinoza Bernadette EspirituVeronica FassioCaleb FloresJacob Flores

Gregory FurmanTulsi GajeraJose GallegosMichael GarciaApril Garner*Kathryn Gates*Hayley Gray Summer HayesRose HerrClifford Ho**Van HoWilliam HolleyDaphne HongJennifer HornMahria IbanezOgechi IwuorieJocelyn JosephMary KarrKatherine Kelly**Brady KelsoRachel Kemper***Ashley Kersten Ahmed KhandekarTed KimDavid KingDerek Krajewski Amanda Krebs**Sherman KuanErin LandMeghan Lawson***Brian LesticoKam Lam Vivian LiWei Liu

Carly Madsen**Rachel Magruder* Stephanie Martinez***Travis McCauley***Ana MedinaJustin MeisetschleagerMarguerite Monogue Jessica Morales*Mariam Mousavi*Rene MunozDamaso Navarro II*Monique Nguyen*Toan NguyenAlicia OlsonHannah O'MaryvJesus OrtegaGabriel OrtizVictor OyugiAllison PackerCatherine Pham*Daniel PhamChristopher PoonClarence RichardsonMichael RiveraCarolina Rodriguez*Stephanie RuckerRichard SabelSteven SchultzNaeda SetterboNicholas SmithRobert Smith, Jr.John SupakEdouard Tekodo

Kristen ThomasAndrew ThompsonAngelrae ThompsonJuan TorresJennifer TranMartin TranChristopher Van EatonJustin VargheseMichael VasquezC. N. Velasquez-MoralesMai VuTony Vu**Justine WangZachary WarnkenvJamie WebbAmanda WintersYunlu Zhu

Anticipated GraduationDate: August 19, 2014Ivy AbrahamRobert FeinbergOlivia LiaoVina Nguyen

***Highest Honors Top 4% of class

**High HonorsNext 6% of class

*HonorsNext 10% of class

� Pharm.D./Ph.D.Program

students

11F O C U S

2014 honors and awardsCollege of Pharmacy Award for Highest GPAHighest grade point average in required doctor of pharmacy courses.......................................................................................................................................Tony Vu

College of Pharmacy Award for Second Highest GPASecond highest grade point average in required doctor of pharmacy courses....................................................................................................................Stephanie Martinez

College of Pharmacy Award for Outstanding ResearchFor completion and dissemination of outstanding research projects..........................................................Andrew Delgado, Ogechi Iwuorie, Carolina Rodriguez

College of Pharmacy Award for Excellence in Patient CareFor delivery of exceptional patient-related care and demonstration of excellent patient communication skills..................................................................Allison Packer, Christina Chang, Catherine Pham

College of Pharmacy Award for Dedicated ServiceFor exceptional contributions of service to the college, the university and/or the profession of pharmacy..........................................................................Nicole Casciello, Daniel Pham, Jocelyn Joseph

College of Pharmacy Award for Exemplary LeadershipFor the provision of outstanding leadership to the college, the university and/or the profession of pharmacy.....................................................Mary Beth Karr, Stephanie Martinez, Marguerite Monogue

College of Pharmacy Alumni Association Mortar and Pestle AwardFor leadership, service, patient care, and research......................................................................Molly Curran, Veronica Fassio, Kristen Thomas

College of Pharmacy 2014 Class OfficersPresident-Molly Curran Vice President-Robert Smith Secretary/Treasurer-Justin Varghese

Honor and award recipients

12 S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

students

Graduate students complete studies2014 Spring GraduateSTUDENT DIVISION THESIS/DISSERTATION DEGREE

Ayo Adeyemi Health Outcomes/ “Evaluation of the relationship between body mass index and Ph.D.Pharmacy Practice healthcare cost, utilization and health-related quality of life

in adult diabetic patients”

Ryan Bennet Pharmaceutics “Thermal processing vyclodextrins and thermoplastic polymers for Ph.D.bioavailability enhancement of poorly water-soluble drugs”

Pooja Desai Health Outcomes/ “Incidence, predictors, healthcare utilization and cost associated Ph.D.Pharmacy Practice with antipsychotic polypharmacy in the Texas Medicaid population”

Gilwan Kim Health Outcomes/ “Factors associated with the initiation of biologic disease-modifying M.S.Pharmacy Practice antirheumatic drugs in Texas Medicaid patients with

rheumatoid arthritis”

You-Li Ling Health Outcomes/ “Outcomes and expenditures of clostridium difficile M.S.Pharmacy Practice infection in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients”

Tatiana Makhinova Health Outcomes/ “Medication utilization, adherence and use of relief agents M.S.Pharmacy Practice among Texas Medicaid patients with persistent asthma”

Mandy McCracken Pharmacology/ “Evidence of inter- and intra-subunit alcohol and Ph.D.Toxicology anesthetic binding cavities in the glycine receptor”

Tolani Ogunsanya Health Outcomes/ “Prostate cancer prevention and early detection decisions M.S.Pharmacy Practice among Black males less than 40 years old”

Meredith Vasquez Health Outcomes/ “Economic evaluation of using adenovirus Type 4 and Ph.D.Pharmacy Practice Type 7 vaccines in United States military basic trainees”

students

13F O C U S

The Louis C. Littlefield Celebrating Pharmacy ResearchExcellence Day observed its tenth anniversary this year.

The Office of the Associate Dean for Research and GraduateStudies coordinated the event under the direction of Jane AnnParker. Dr. Carlton Erickson, senior associate dean of researchand graduate studies, served as official host. Presentations by aguest researcher and a faculty member highlighted the dayalong with poster presentations from 130 students and post-graduate scholars.

Dr. Jamie Barner, professor of health outcomes and pharmacypractice, presented the distinguished faculty lecture with anoverview of her work in health outcomes. Her research inter-ests include medication therapy management, health outcomesand medication adherence. She teaches courses in healthcaresystems, pharmacy services, pharmacoeconomics, researchmethods and data analysis. She received the inaugural Collegeof Pharmacy Educator of the Year Award in 2013.

The Keynote Scientific Lecture was presented by Dr. PaulAmbrose, president of the Institute for Clinical Pharmaco-dynamics in Latham, N.Y. He is an honorary research fellowin infectious diseases at University of Oxford, UK and adjunctassociate research professor at the University of Buffalo inNew York. His research focuses on anti-infective translationalscience with the goal of improving patient care through theapplication of pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic principles.

Abstract winners had an opportunity to briefly outline theirresearch studies. Winners included:

• Undergraduate Program - Saazina Afsah, “Fetal Exposuresto Environmental Endocrine Disrupters Affect SociosexualBehaviors in Adult Rats.” (Dr. Andrea Gore, Division ofPharmacology/Toxicology)

• Professional Program - Mark Myers, “Pre-ClinicalEvaluation of the Toxicology of a Recombinant Adenovirus-Based Ebola Vaccine in Non-Human Primates.” (Dr. MariaCroyle, Division of Pharmaceutics)

• Pharm.D. Postdoctoral/Resident Program - Emily Gordon,“Weight-Based Dosing of Vasopressin in Patients withSeptic Shock.” (Kay Green, Division of Health Outcomes/Pharmacy Practice)

• Graduate Program - Tianyi Cheng, “A Novel Mechanismof Skin Tumor Promotion Involving Interferon-g/SignalTransducer and Activator of Transcription-1 Signaling.”(Dr. John DiGiovanni, Division of Pharmacology/Toxicology)

• Ph.D. Postdoctoral Program - Junhua Zhao, “Roles ofDNA Repair Proteins in Processing Genetically UnstableDNA Structures.” (Dr. Karen Vasquez, Division ofPharmacology/Toxicology.)

For the first time this year, awards were presented for bestposters. Honorees included:

• Natalie Boyd, “Characterization of Antimicrobial Activitiesfor Bacteroides Isolates Collected from U.S. MedicalCenters.” (Dr. Chris Frei, Division of Pharmacotherapy)

• Kristina Jonsson-Schmunk, “A Single Dose NasalAdenovirus-Based Vaccine Provides Long-Term Protectionfor Non-Human Primates From Lethan Ebola Infection.”(Dr. Maria Croyle, Division of Pharmaceutics)

• Ted Kim, “Impact of Cancer Supportive Care PathwaysCompliance on ED Visits and Hospitalizations.” ( JimKoeller, Division of Pharmacotherapy)

• Chia-I Lin “Biosynthetic Studies of Lincomycin: AThiosugar Containing Antibiotic.” (Dr. Hung-wen Liu,Division of Medicinal Chemistry)

• Achinto Saha, “6-Shogaol from Dried Ginger InhibitsGrowth of Prostate Cancer Cells Both In Vitro and In VivoThrough Inhibition of Multiple Signaling Pathways.” (Dr.John DiGiovanni, Division of Pharmacology/ Toxicology)

Research DayStudents showcase research projects at 10th annual event

Clif Littlefield and Carl Erickson

Saazina Afsah, Mark Myers, Emily Gordon, Tianyi Cheng, Junhua Zhao

Natalie Boyd, Kristina Jonsson-Schmunk, Ted Kim, Chia-I Lin, Achinto Saha

14 S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

students Explore UT

Partnership with nursing school yields high success

The college joined the rest of the UT Austin community onMarch 1 as it flung open its doors to welcome visitors forExplore UT 2014, the biggest open house in Texas. Eventswere held throughout the campus from 11 a.m. through 5 p.m.This year marked the 15th anniversary of the event.

For the second year in a row, programs from the College ofPharmacy and School of Nursing shared space within thepharmacy complex. Under the theme science safari, a varietyof events and activities were scheduled at the college includinginformation targeted to prospective students in both pharmacyand nursing, current events topics of general interest, freehealth screenings, and fun activities for all.

The college offered annual favorites such as “Junior BevoSafari Adventure” and the “Hogwarts Jungle Potions Class.”

New this year, the college offers “3D Tour of Drugs” and“Drugs in the Pop Culture.” Both offerings were geared toteen audiences and proved very popular. In the first, partici-pants had an opportunity to take a unique look at medicationcompounds through 3D glasses to learn how the drugs helpfight disease. The second program featured current Pharm.D.students as presenters who discussed common drugs found inpop culture.

Free health screenings including blood pressure, cholesterolscreening, body mass index, and blood sugar screens were wellreceived.

Explore UT student co-chairs Neha Pabla andWendi Guo

El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley Cooperative students at event

Hogwarts Potion Class teaches compounding. Above, cast members:below, lab assistants for participation portion of program.

Students provide free health screenings.

Posters and booths offer valuable information.

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15F O C U S

Academic achievement was the focus of the day on April 12 asThe college joined the university community for Honors Day2014. The event marked the 66th year of recognizing studentacademic achievement.

Pharmacy students recognized for academic successes andtheir guests gathered at Darrell K. Royal-Texas MemorialStadium's North End Zone’s eighth floor facility. The pro-gram included welcoming remarks by Dr. Patrick Davis, seniorassociate dean for academic affairs. Highlight of the event wasthe individual recognition of students who received honorcords. A luncheon followed the program.

Afterward, pharmacy students joined with other universityscholars in the university-wide celebration at the ErwinCenter.

Dr. Lori Holleran Stekler, distinguished teaching associate

and professor of social work, presented the keynote address atthe university-wide event. She is an addictions therapistturned scholar whose research focuses on adolescent substanceabuse prevention, intervention, and recovery.

In recognition of those honored at the 66th annual HonorsDay program, the UT Tower was lit orange on April 12.

Compounding honors

Honors Day

Clinical skills competition

A three-person student team captured second place at thefourth annual national Student Pharmacist CompoundingCompetition.

The team consisted of students Ravi Davuluri, AshleeBrunaugh and Felicia Kasra. Students compete in three por-tions including compounding classic, regulatory challenge, andposter presentation of quality compounding. The Longhornteam placed second in both the compounding classic and regu-latory challenge before being announced as second place over-all finishers.

It was the first time that a UT Austin team has competed inthe national event. Dr. Nathan Pope, clinical assistant profes-sor of health outcomes and pharmacy practice, serves as facultyadvisor for the team.

“The students were dedicated to the competition meetingweekly with me leading up to the event,” said Dr. Pope.

“They acted with the utmost professionalismand represented the university and the college well,” he added.

The University of Florida College of Pharmacy served as thenational event host, and MEDISCA was the corporate spon-sor for this year’s competition. The event provides an educa-tional experience for student pharmacists and increases theirexposure to the pharmacy compounding industry.

Dr. NathanPope withstudent com-petitors RaviDavuluri,Felicia Kasraand AshleeBrunaugh

Longhorn students fared well in the clinical skills competitionat the 2014 Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacistsannual seminar in Houston.

Nancy Pattyn and Staci Warren took first place honors in theP3 competition while Shiyi Geng and Steven Lee captured anhonorable mention in the same category.

Meanwhile, Brittny Henderson and Sarah Rumbellow tookhonorable mention in the P1 competition. Congratulations toall students who participated in the competition.

The Clinical Skills Competition is an interactive, team-basedanalysis of clinical scenariosfor hospital/health-systempharmacists. It providespharmacy students theopportunity to enhancetheir skills in collaborativepractice with physicians inproviding direct patientcare. Staci Warren and Nancy Pattyn

16 S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

students

students

Editor’s Note: Joseph Brewster, P-4 student, spent six weekslast summer participating in a medical mission trip in Cusco,Peru. Here, he writes about his experiences.

My trip to Cusco, Peru last summer was nothing less thanexhilarating. It all started from a simple email I received oneday. I began to read about this program and all that it had tooffer, and was honestly doubtful that I would even get accept-ed, since they only chose 30 people from around the world.Each student needed to meet a certain GPA requirement andmust have finished at least one year of medical classes. I decid-ed to apply and was humbled to be one of the 30 applicants toparticipate.

The program was structured as a 6 week study abroad andmedical mission trip. My peers and I studied Spanish for fourhours each weekday in addition to 15 hours of a medicalSpanish class in the local school in Cusco, Peru. We also vol-unteered at two of the local clinics and had shadowing andmedically related experiences at one of their three hospitals.

Two days a week, we would shadow and volunteer in the hos-pital while learning about the Peruvian healthcare system.Each student was placed in their specialty to personalize theirtraining. Being a pharmacy student, I had the opportunity toshadow pharmacists and interns in the ER, NICU, pediatrics,trauma, in-patient, and out-patient pharmacy. It was an eyeopening experience to see the similarities and differences inour healthcare systems. For example, the number one diseasestate in Cusco is diabetes with hypertension being a close sec-ond. Oral medications are most commonly prescribed for dia-

betes, and enalapril for hypertension. Insulin is the last line oftherapy for diabetics and is rarely dispensed. In addition, theymainly had access to only one strength of each medicationsuch as Ibuprofen in 400 mg strength.

Nothing compared to what I learned next. If you are Peruvian,any and all medications for tuberculosis (TB), HIV, and AIDSare completely free along with any vaccines needed. Also, ifyou can’t afford your diabetes medication, it was free as well.Despite the Peruvian people not having any cost barriers fortheir medications, compliance was still a major issue that phar-macists are struggling to combat just as in the United States.

People would line up at 2 am at the hospital to see a physician.The hospital was complete chaos each morning with hundredsof people competing for an appointment. In addition, the hos-pital was overpopulated with some wards having six patients toa room and others having one bathroom for the entire floor.However, despite the conditions, the people were extremelygrateful to receive healthcare. I learned so much through mytime shadowing the pharmacists.

One memory stands out the most. I was volunteering in theER pharmacy at the hospital and a lady came in with a littlegirl and a baby strapped to her back. She was getting threemedications, one being an antibiotic. The pharmacist told herthe price of the medications which totaled around $1.10 (U.S.currency) and the lady started pleading saying she couldn’tafford it. My heart was torn to see the despair in the lady’seyes. I quickly told my pharmacist that I would gladly pay forher medication and it would be my joy. The lady was overjoyed

Joseph Brewester taking in the local sites in Peru.

A passion for people – a heart to help

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17F O C U S

students

and could not stop thanking me. It was moments like this onethat made this trip so meaningful and solidified the reason Ichose pharmacy as a profession.

Our visits to the clinics were just as significant and impactful.Although they were not so much pharmacy based, it was defi-nitely people based, reaching out to make a difference in theirlives. One clinic run by nuns was for children who were aban-doned and left to die on the streets as well as adults who hadno one to take care of them. Many of these patients struggledwith learning and physical disabilities. The director instructedus that it was really not about what we said, but a simple warmtouch and smile that could make all of the difference in theirlife. I was able to give back by washing clothes by hand andhanging to dry, feeding the children, reading to them, and dis-tributing gifts I had brought from the states. I was humbledthat I had the opportunity to volunteer there.

The last clinic in which we volunteered was affiliated with aschool. The school was mainly for special needs children withvarious learning disabilities such as Down syndrome. Underdirection of the learning specialist, we worked with toddlersand showed them different skills such as tying a shoe, puttingon lotion, stacking, smelling differentiation, and climbing.

The techniques were very insightful to learn and implement.We also had the opportunity to play with the children duringtheir recess break. This was one of the best times of the tripbecause the children were awesome and so friendly! Wedanced, played soccer, and most importantly loved on the chil-dren and let them know that we cared. One girl in particularnamed Flor suddenly came to give me a huge hug and wouldnot let go. She was adorable and absolutely melted my heartwithin five seconds. She holds a special place there to this day.

This trip confirmed that I have a passion for people and aheart to help. There is so much need in this world includingour surrounding communities, and we can make a dynamicdifference if we only reach out. I know another trip to Peruwill be in my future soon because, believe it or not, I feel as ifthey made a bigger impact in my life than I could have madein theirs. We say here at the University of Texas that “Whatstarts here changes the world” and I choose to live up to thisstatement and make a difference one person at a time.

Playing with children at a local clinic.

Even though patients often arrived early and had to wait in longlines, they were extremely grateful to receive healthcare.

18 S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

faculty & staff Student news

Grad students awarded AFPE fellowships The American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Educationhas notified three graduate students that they have receivedrenewed or new fellowships for 2014-2015.

Grace Lee and Sonya Veron received notification that theirAFPE Pre-Doctoral Fellowships in the PharmaceuticalSciences have been renewed for the next academic year whileBenita Bamgbade was named as a new recipient of anUnderrepresented Minority AFPE Pre-Doctoral Fellowshipfrom AFPE.

Lee is a graduate student in the Division of Pharmacothera-py studying infectious diseases with Dr. Chris Frei. Veronstudies obesity with Dr. Ted Mills in the Division ofPharmacology and Toxicology. Bamgbade works with Dr.Jamie Barner in the Division of Health Outcomes andPharmacy Practice.

Pair named as EPS recipientsAshlee Brunaugh, who has just completed her second year,and Ryan Popp, who recently completed his first year ofpharmacy studies, have been named to receive EndowedPresidential Scholarships for academic year 2014-2015.Each of the 239 EPS recipients will receive $2,500 in finan-cial assistance.

Miller awarded IACP scholarshipIsaac Miller, a P2 student, was one of eight students nation-ally selected to receive a $2,500 scholarship from theInterntional Academy of Compounding Pharmacists(IACP). The award comes from the IACP Foundation’sFund-the-Future program to provide financial assistance tostudents to attend the Compounders on Capitol Hill.

San Antonio awards programSan Antonio Pharm.D. students enjoyed participation intheir first awards program this spring at The University ofTexas Health Science Center Student GovernmentAssociation Students Awards Night. Four awards were pre-sented during the program including recognition for leader-ship - Tony Vu; clinical skills - Rachel Kemper;research/scholarship - Andrew Delgado; and the communityservice learning award - Katherine Kelly, Jessica Morales,Veronica Fassio, and Ashley Kersten.

Scalo earns PhRMA Foundation FellowshipGraduate student Julieta Scalo has been awarded a Pre-Doctoral Fellowship in Health Outcomes from thePharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of AmericaFoundation. The award provides $25,000 per year for up totwo years. The PhRMA Foundation fellowship aims to sup-port promising students during their research by providing astipend and funds to cover costs incidental to their training.For almost 50 years, the PhRMA Foundation has helpedthousands of scientists advance their careers and has inspirednew generations to enter biopharmaceutical research.

Two cited for UTEP recognitionChristopher Poon and Michael Rivera, both members of the2014 graduating class, were selected as outstanding graduatestudents for the College of Health Sciences at TheUniversity of Texas at El Paso.

Poon served as Project Collaborate chair in El Paso. Hishonors include the Presidential Leadership Scholarship atUTEP, various other UTEP scholarships, and the Walgreen’sScholarship. He was named to the president’s honor roll.Rivera served as vice president of the El Paso StudentPharmacists Association.

Faculty and students pose with Dean Crismon during a break atthe Spring 2014 Annual Meeting of the American PharmacistsAssociation in Orlando, Fl.

Student honorees, from left, Veronica Fassio, Jessica Morales, TonyVu, Katherine Kelly, Andrew Delgado, and Rachel Kemper.

faculty & staff

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On the cusp of an Ebola vaccineResearch team has identified vaccine; working on mass productionHalf a world away in western Africa, the deadly virus Ebolastirs terror in the hearts of residents as more than 600 con-firmed diagnoses and 390 resulting deaths have been attrib-uted to the pathogen in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberiasince January 2014.

The particular strain of the virus, known as Zaire Ebola, is oneof the deadliest strains of the pathogen, with a fatality rate ofapproximately 90 percent. There is no known treatment orpreventative vaccine — until now.

Dr. Maria Croyle, professor of pharmaceutics, is on the vergeof a research advancement that promises to change the gamein the fight against ebola. Her lab has developed a one-dosevaccine that has proven effective in both rodent and primatesubjects.

Croyle’s lab has partnered with Canadian researchers HeinzFeldmann and Gary Kobinger since 2007 to develop a non-injectable vaccine that is quick acting. The vaccine can beadministered via the nasal passage.

“We had to take into consideration that most ebola outbreaksoccur in Africa in regions where there are likely no facilities tosupport safe injections,” Croyle says. “An oral or nasal admin-istration is much more portable when moving from village tovillage.”

Their research has yielded a small quantity of vaccine that hasprotected the animal subjects from the most severe reactions tothe virus even after repeated exposure. Many do not get sick,and those that do become ill show improved survival andrecovery rates.

After compiling the data from their work with primates, the

researchers will submit their findings for review and publica-tion later this year. The next challenge for Croyle and her part-ners is to find a way to produce large quantities of the vaccine.Croyle says increased funding is needed to advance theresearch project to the next level.

“We are on the cusp of having an effective vaccine,” she says.“We're only a step or two away from an effective weaponagainst ebola.”

Dr. Maria Croyle, center, with her research team

Editor’s Note: Dr. Kentya Ford, assistant professor ofhealth outcomes and pharmacy pratice, was one of two fac-ulty with a discipline in science, technology, engineering,mathematics, or health care featured in a recent publicationby The University of Texas at Austin’s Division of Diversityand Community Engagement. Highlights of the articleappear here.

Kentya Ford is dedicated to developingcourses that will help future pharmacistsdecrease healthcare disparities among underserved popula-tions.

“Pharmacists are in community settings and patients have freeaccess to pharmacists,” she explains. “If pharmacists have rap-port with patients and if they understand how to communicate

with patients, they can help explain how to prevent and man-age disease.”

She is passionate about getting African Americans to quitsmoking given the high rates of early mortality. Throughgrants from the National Institutes of Health and St. David’sCenter for Health Promotion and Disease PreventionResearch, she and an interdisciplinary research team areassessing the incidence of cancer-related health risk behaviorsand the role of culturally based social and environmental fac-tors in the adoption of those behaviors among AfricanAmerican college students. The behaviors include risky sexualbehavior, poor diet, use of tobacco and alcohol, and physicalinactivity - the most cited behaviors that lead to cancer. The

Kentya Ford featured in UT’s diversity publication

Continued on page 21.

Kentya Ford

faculty & staff

20 S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

Students turned the tables on their professors this spring inevaluating the teaching of their faculty and awarding thosewhose work they deemed the best of the best. At the sametime, they recognized outstanding attributes of members ofthe student body.

Dr. Patrick Davis, senior associate dean foracademic affairs, was named 2013-2014educator of the year. Davis received numer-ous awards for his teaching and is an inau-gural member of the university’s prestigiousAcademy of Distinguished Teachers. Heteaches core Pharm.D. courses in basicprinciples in drug metabolism, medicinalchemistry and pharmacology of antimicrobial agents, vaccinesand immunizing biologicals. He also teaches several electivecourses including advanced antimicrobials, emerging infec-tions, and the academic internship for preparing future faculty.

Dr. Maria Croyle, professor of pharmaceu-tics, was named teacher of the year for theP1 curriculum. In the first year curriculum,she introduces students to physical andchemical principles of drugs via classroomand lab, and teaches pharmaceuticalbiotechnology.

Dr. Elizabeth Hand, clinical associate pro-fessor of pharmacotherapy, was namedteacher of the year for the P2 curriculum.She is the pediatric clinical coordinator andinfectious disease pharmacy specialist atUniversity Hospital of San Antonio whereher areas of interest include improvingmedication management in the pediatricpopulation with a focus on antimicrobial

stewardship and treatment of infections.

Dr. Bryson Duhon, clinical assistant ofpharmacotherapy, was named teacher ofthe year for the P3 curriculum. He prac-tices in the adult internal medicine settingwhere he is involved with the medical man-agement of the adult hospitalized patient.His principal interests include infectiousdiseases, diabetes, and innovative pedagogi-cal techniques.

Dr. Matthew Herpin, a graduate student working with Dr.Maria Croyle, won the award for teaching assistant of the year.

Student voters also looked to their classmates for awards andhonors. Among the honorees were:

• Best Dressed - Martha Evans

• Best Smile - Sun Seo

• Most Athletic - Liz Fry, Yoko Kirase, Samantha Vogel

• Class Clown - Ben Brunell

• Congeniality Award - Andrew Hwang, Kristin Welch,Bobby Lamontange, Esli Tebedge, Lynn Pham, Isaac Miller

• Best Eyes - Kristen Haas, Kelly Niemic, Marshall George

• Most Likely to Help a Fellow Classmate - Tisa Stephenson,Maria Solia, Ryan Popp

• Most Involved - Sarah Rumbellow, Jeseli Flores

• Most Spirited - Joseph Brewster, Scott Jermain, Joel Moore

• Most Likely to Succeed - Tyler Varisco

• Rookie of the Year - Marilyn Mootz

Spring social; teaching recognitions Students honor teaching; name educator of the year

Patrick Davis

Maria Croyle

Bryson Duhon

Elizabeth Hand

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Dr. Patrick Davis, senior associate dean foracademic affairs, has been named by TheUniversity of Texas at Austin as a 2014recipient of the Civitatis Award.

The award, established in 1997, recognizedoutstanding faculty citizenship and is con-ferred upon members of the faculty in recog-nition of dedicated and meritorious serviceto UT Austin above and beyond the regular expectations ofteaching, research, and writing. The UT Austin presidentmakes the award presentation based upon recommendation ofthe Faculty Council Executive Committee.

Lawrence D. Abraham, associate dean of the School ofUndergraduate Studies and professor in the Department ofKinesiology and Health Education, also received the award.

Davis has received numerous honors during his tenure at the

university. Most recently, he was among nine designated as2013 Provost’s Senior Teaching Fellows. In May 2013, he wasone of six educators from UT Austin named to the UT SystemAcademy of Distinguished Teachers and, in March 2013, hewas one of five UT Austin faculty cited to receive thePresident’s Associates Teaching Excellence Award.

He is a member of the university’s Academy of DistinguishedTeachers (1995) and is a recipient of the UT System Regents’Outstanding Teaching Award (2010). He has received theCollege of Pharmacy’s Texas Excellence Teaching Award ontwo occasions.

His research efforts focus on the impact of educational tech-nology on teaching and learning in the scientific component ofthe professional (Pharm.D.) curriculum.

The UT tower was lit orange on March 20 to honor Davis,Abraham, and other faculty and staff cited for honors.

Patrick Davis

Civitatis Award honors citizenship Davis among two tapped for prestigious honor

Dr. Bill Williams has been named edi-tor-in-chief of AAPS PharmSciTech, theonline research journal of the AmericanAssociation of PharmaceuticalScientists.

“AAPS PharmSciTech is one of the lead-ing research journals serving these criti-cal areas of research," Williams said."My predecessor, Dr. Lee Kirsch,expertly guided the journal to its prominence today. I owe atremendous debt of gratitude to Dr. Kirsch and look forwardto serving AAPS and its members. I am honored to be chosenas editor-in-chief.”

Williams holds the Johnson & Johnson Centennial Chair inPharmaceutics and serves as head of the PharmaceuticsDivision where he has worked since 1995. Prior to joining theuniversity, Williams worked in the pharmaceutical industrymainly engaged in product development, analytical characteri-zation and manufacturing at both brand and generic compa-nies.

“AAPS is delighted to have someone of Dr. Williams’ statureand publishing reputation to lead AAPS PharmSciTech in com-ing years,” said AAPS Executive Director John Lisack, Jr. “Iwant to commend the AAPS Publications Committee, itssearch committee, and our publishing partner Springer fortheir work in identifying Dr. Williams. We look forward toworking with him to move AAPS PharmSciTech forward.”

Williams has been a member of AAPS since its inception andhas been heavily involved with the association in variouscapacities. He has also served as editor-in-chief of the journalDrug Development and Industrial Pharmacy since 2000.

Bill Williams

Williams to lead AAPS journal

team also will examine family-related factors, peer influence,health literacy and mental health indicators that are associat-ed with the adoption or avoidance of the behaviors. The two-year longitudinal study will be conducted at Prairie ViewA&M University, a historically Black college.

Ford explained, “Historically black colleges and universitiesprovide a nurturing environment to a large percentage of ourAfrican American students, but there are still unique chal-lenges the students face due to family influence, having fami-lies early, needing to work full time, financial challenges, andmental health indicators. These all play a role in the students’potential for success even in that supportive environment.”

Ford said the initial NIH grant will help her advance this par-ticular line of research to larger studies.

“When you look at overarching health outcomes, we can helpdevelop interventions to prevent negative risk behaviors andmake a real difference in health outcomes,” she said.

Continued from page 19.

Ford - Diversity study

They came from around the globe, just asthey had done earlier in their lives, to spendtime with their mentor and friend.

Approximately 100 students and colleaguesof the retiring pharmaceutics professortraveled across town and across the world inNovember to celebrate 37 years of serviceby the college’s favorite Aussie, Dr. JamesMcGinity. A reception in his honor was held in conjunctionwith the annual meeting of the American Association ofPharmaceutical Scientists in San Antonio. Highlight of thegathering was announcement of the Dr. James W. McGinityGraduate Endowment in Pharmaceutics. Many of thoseattending the event contributed to the endowment asfundraising continues toward the $250,000 goal.

Bill Williams, chair of the college’s Division of Pharmaceutics,served as an organizer for the event. He was one of the manyformer graduate students who studied under McGinity’ssupervision.

“As a former graduate student mentored by Jim and now a fac-ulty member collaborating with Jim, I thank him for all thewisdom and encouragement that he has bestowed upon me,”Williams said. “He has been a positive influence on me andmy family. I wish him all the best in retirement.”

For many of those attending the event, McGinity’s encourage-ment played a critical role in their decision to pursue graduatestudies.

“Dr. McGinity had a significant impact on my life,” said Dr.Linda Felton, chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical

Sciences at the University of New Mexico. “While an under-graduate, he provided (me) an opportunity to work in his labo-ratory. Those experiences inspired me to pursue an advanceddegree.”

“After a few years of working as a pharmacist, Dr. McGinityagain gave me a wonderful opportunity as a graduate studentunder his supervision,” she continued. “He was an excellentrole model, demonstrating patience, encouragement, andhonor. My educational experiences provided the foundationfor a great career in academia. I have traveled the world, metinteresting people, and contributed to science. Words trulycannot express how grateful I am for the opportunities thatDr. McGinity provided to me.”

Still another former student and attendee at the gatheringdescribed McGinity’s influence as going beyond educationalpreparation and career to life lessons.

“Jim's children were young when I was there,” said Dr. MarkCoffin, who directs research and development projects withGlaxoSmithKline. “Despite a huge load of professionalresponsibilities, he made his top priorities clear - wife, Kitty,and children, Rachel and Michael.”

“Jim is a big believer in fitness and working hard. I appreciat-ed his encouragement to regularly exercise so I took advantageof running around Town Lake several times a week whilespending a lot of hours in the lab,” he continued. “He was nota supporter of all nighters, and he talked to me about researchbeing a marathon and not a sprint. ‘Get your good 6-7 hoursof sleep a night, Mate, and keep at it,’ he would always say.”

Finally, Coffin said his mentor encouraged his students to stay

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faculty & staff McGinity retirement

Former students, colleagues honor retiring pharmaceutics faculty member

Jim McGinity

Continued on page 23.

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faculty & staffpositive. "He was always looking for the best in people, and

hoping for the best professionally despite whatever challengeshe (McGinity) faced."

Born in Brisbane, Australia, McGinity earned his bachelor'sdegree in pharmacy in 1967 from the University ofQueensland in Brisbane before earning his Ph.D. in physicalpharmacy from the University of Iowa in 1972.

He worked as a research investigator for E.R. Squibb and Sonsand as an associate professor of pharmacy at Texas SouthernUniversity before joining the faculty of the UT Austin Collegeof Pharmacy in August 1976.

McGinity delights in sharing that he considered himselfsomewhat of a master negotiator when he was able to securepromise of a new refrigerator as his start up package from thenDean James Doluisio. Later, he said, he learned that incomingresearchers were negotiating start up packages costing thou-sands of dollars. “I was thrilled with a new refrigerator,” hesaid laughing.

He rose through the academic ranks and served as assistantdirector of the Drug Dynamics Institute and as head of thePharmaceutics Division. He taught both professional degree(Pharm.D.) and graduate students with distinction, but it is inhis research lab that he has excelled, both in mentoring stu-dents and in advancing scientific dis-coveries.

McGinity partnered with FengZhang, one of his graduate students,to develop a polymer technology thatmade oxycontin virtually tamperproof. The highly effective painreliever previously had been pulledfrom the market due to its suscepti-bility to abuse. Their technology wasoriginally unveiled in Zhang’s 2000dissertation for which UT honoredhim with the 2000 OutstandingDissertation Award in the Division ofEngineering and Materials Sciences.

The reformulated oxycontin products, sold through licenseePurdue Pharma, is the only approved abuse deterrent versionof oxycodone on the market. The university continues toreceive a percentage of revenues on the sale of the drug.

Many of his former students recall his repertoire of McGinityisms including:

• There is no simple process to solve complex problems;

• Make your mistakes fast;

• It’s research by crisis in a company; and

• ‘T’ for Texas, meaning graduate students get breadth anddepth.

Continued from page 22.

faculty & staff

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faculty & staff

Robert L. Talbert, professor of pharmacotherapy, culminated a40 year career this spring, celebrating the occasion in tradi-tional Talbert fashion - going about the business of educatinganother class of pharmacy students. He also participated forhis final time as a member of the faculty stage party at gradua-tion 2014.

He was honored for his distinguished career in pharmacy edu-cation this summer when he received the 2014 Robert K.Chalmers Distinguished Pharmacy Educator Award from theAmerican Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).

The award, the highest recognition of outstanding contribu-tions to pharmacy education awarded to a pharmacy academi-cian, was presented on July 27 at the AACP’s annual meetingin Grapevine, Texas. The award is named for the late RobertK. Chalmers, former AACP president and distinguished edu-cator.

“It is rare that one finds a professor who truly challenges a stu-dent pharmacist to be the best possible pharmacist that she orhe can possibly be. Bob possesses that rare ability,” said DeanLynn Crismon, one of Talbert’s former students.�

“Bob has truly been a man for all seasons,” Crismon said in arecent interview. “He is a brilliant clinician, outstandingteacher, accomplished scholar and researcher. In addition, hehas been truly committed to providing leadership and serviceto the college and the profession.”�

Talbert said he is honored to receive the award but that thegreatest reward of his teaching career has been “seeing theaccomplishments of former students, residents and fellows,many of whom have gone on to achieve national and interna-tional recognition.”�� His greatest challenge, he said, has beento remain competent in a highly sophisticated and rapidlychanging area of pharmacotherapy management.

“Dr. Talbert has been an esteemed pharmacy educator, inter-nationally-recognized therapeutics researcher, and prolific

scholar for nearly 40years,” said Dr. ChrisFrei, who leads the col-lege’s Division ofPharmacotherapy. “Hehas mentored manyindividuals who havebecome national phar-macy leaders them-selves. His impact onthe division, college,and profession will befelt for many years.”

Talbert cited a numberof factors which he deemed critical to his professional successincluding a high level of curiousity.

“Curiousity is important to maintaining an interest in yourprofession, to growing your profession - to continue to developnew knowledge and information that is useful for society,” hesaid.

“My advice to young pharmacy educators is to become pas-sionate about learning, teaching and helping others, whetherthose others include patients, other professionals, learners orcolleagues,” he said.

He also credited several people who have been instrumental inhelping him in his career, including former UT pharmacy fac-ulty member Dr. Cliff Littlefield, and the three deans heserved under while at UT Austin – Drs. Jim Doluisio, StevenLeslie and Lynn Crismon.

“Cliff Littlefield taught me a lot about patience,” he said.“You don’t have to react to everything that is in the environ-ment. You have to pick and choose the things that you really

Talbert receives Chalmers Award Pharmacy educators’ highest award honors retiring faculty member

Talbert and a Pharm.D. graduate at the May ceremony.

Talbert with the faculty colleagues at Commencement 2014.

Robert Talbert

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25F O C U S

faculty & staffcan work on and accomplish, and do not blow everything

totally out of proportion.”

“Dr. Talbert is among those pharmacy faculty who initiatedthe transformation of pharmacy education and practice by firstbelieving that pharmacists had a larger role in patient care andthen developing the practices upon which the evidence basewas built,” said Dr. Lucinda L. Maine, executive vice presidentand CEO of AACP. “We are proud to recognize the manyways he has contributed to our profession and the academy.”

Talbert holds the SmithKline Centennial Professor ofPharmacy within the college. He also holds an appointment asa professor of medicine at the University of Texas HealthScience Center in San Antonio. He is responsible for didacticand clerkship teaching of baccalaureate and Pharm.D. stu-dents and supervises activities of these students on the medi-cine service at University Hospital in San Antonio.

He is a member of the Drug Usage Committee and theCardiovascular Subcommittee of the Pharmacy andTherapeutics Committee for University Hospital.

The author of more than 120 scientific and professional arti-cles and book chapters, Talbert says his greatest legacy topharmacy is his work as editor of “Pharmacotherapy: APathophysiology Approach,” soon to be released in its ninthedition. The book has been a required textbook in more than90 percent of the schools of pharmacy in the United States andhas been translated into several languages. Dean Crismoncalled the book, “the gold standard” for our profession.

Talbert has been the major professor and/or program directorfor more than 40 mentees and has served on the supervisorycommittees for 40 additional students. Two of his studentswon best thesis awards from the University of Texas at Austin.

He received his bachelor of science in pharmacy (1971) and

doctor of pharmacy (1974) degrees from the University ofKentucky and completed a residency at the A.B. ChandlerMedical Center in Lexington, Ky. under the direction of Dr.Paul Parker.

In 2007, Talbert was named recipient of the Russell R. MillerAward from the American College of Clinical Pharmacy forsubstantial contributions to the literature of clinical pharmacy.In 2006, he received the Distinguished Service Award fromthe American Heart Association’s Texas Affiliate, and in 2005,he received the American Society of Health-SystemPharmacists’ Sustained Contributions to the Literature Awardand the UT College of Pharmacy Preceptor of the YearAward.

“Find your passion.

Pursue that passion.

Accept the challenges.

Seek others to help

you along the way.

Look for every opportunity.”

– Bob Talbert

Robert Talbert

Editor’s Note:In May, Robert Talbert delivered a “last lecture” reflecting uponhis career and insights gathered from his experiences over thecourse of his career. View this video at:https://mediasite.phr.utexas.edu/UTMediasite/Play/123cfdf10b5f467abf6675b2394a74201d

He reflects upon his career in pharmacy education with DeanLynn Crismon in a second video. View the conversationbetween the two educators at http://youtu.be/sShPoWjCePU

For direct links to the two videotapes, visit the college websiteat www.utexas.edu/pharmacy, click on banner story two andlook for the links at the bottom of the story.

Staff members celebrate anniversariesPharmacy staff mem-bers celebrated serviceanniversaries at a Mayuniversity-wide pro-gram. Among thehonorees were DeanLynn Crismon whoobserved his 35th yearat the university.Other pharmacy hon-orees include:

Mario Bermea, Business Office - 30 years

Elisa Fischer, Pharmacotherapy - 30 years

Debra Foulds, Medicinal Chemistry - 30 years

Glen Baumgart, Continuing Education - 15 years

Sharla Brewer, Dean’s Office - 15 years

Herman Schwarzer IV, Business Office - 15 years

Pei Wang Thomas, Research Associate - 15 years

Rebecca Schwarz, Medicinal Chemistry - 10 years

faculty & staff

26 S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

Story goes here.

faculty & staff

Brown designated as APhA fellowDr. Carolyn Brown has been named a fel-low by the American PharmacistsAssociation (APhA). A professor in theDivision of Health Outcomes andPharmacy Practice (HOPP), Brown wasselected by the APhA Academy ofPharmaceutical Research and Science.Her research focuses on understanding

cultural and social elements that may impact both quality ofcare and therapeutic outcomes of patients with chronic ill-nesses, particularly ethnic minority patients. Dr. JamieBarner, also a professor in the HOPP Division, was elected afellow in the same APhA Academy in Spring 2013. Herresearch includes investigations into medication therapy man-agement, health outcomes and medication adherence.

Gonzales to lead alcohol groupRueben Gonzales, professor of pharma-cology and toxicology, has been namedpresident-elect to the Research Society onAlcoholism. The election means that hewill serve this year as president-elect, aone-year term beginning in June 2015 aspresident, and a third year as past presi-dent.

Erickson named to Purdue honorDr. Carlton Erickson, associate dean forresearch and graduate studies, has beenselected as a distinguished pharmacyalumnus by Purdue University.

Erickson was among four cited for thehonor at an April event held in WestLafayette, IN. He joins a growing num-ber of faculty members within the college

to receive the recognition including Drs. James Doluisio(1984), Steven Leslie (1994), and James Kehrer (2004).

Erickson has studied the effects of alcohol on the brain formore than 45 years. He addresses groups of health providersand the general public regarding the evidence for clinicaldependence as a medical disease. He recently was appointedto a three-year term on the Board of Governors at theHazelden Graduate School of Addiction Studies and serveson the Board of Directors of the Texas Research Society onAlcoholism.

Ridings-Myhra receives leadership awardJennifer Ridings-Myhra, assistant dean forexperiential and professional affairs, hasreceived the 2014 KE/Merck VanguardLeadership Award presented by KappaEpsilon Fraternity. The award, estab-lished in 1989, recognizes members whomake exemplary contributions in theirarea of practice, demonstrate leadershipqualities of service beyond self, and partic-

ipate in professional achievements that influence others serv-ing as role models to young practitioners. She serves asdirector of the college’s state wide experiential program, lec-tures in several pharmacy courses, and coordinates the profes-sional development convocation for third year students. Sheis secretary to the Texas Pharmacy Congress and serves as thecollege’s liaison to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy and theNational Association of Boards of Pharmacy on internshipand examination matters. She coordinates activities of theTexas Consortium on Experiential Programs.

AACP taps two to fellows programsRenee Acosta, clinicalassociate professor ofhealth outcomes andpharmacy practice, andDr. Hugh Smyth, asso-ciate professor of phar-maceutics, have beentapped to participate infellows programs sponsored by the American Association ofColleges of Pharmacy.

Acosta will participate in the AACP Academic LeadershipProgram designed to develop the nation’s most promisingpharmacy faculty for roles as future leaders in academic phar-macy and higher education.

Smyth has been named to the Academic Research FellowsProgram that is designed to develop the nation’s most promis-ing pharmacy faculty research investigators.

Participants are nominated to the program by their deans.

Faculty news

Carolyn Brown

Rueben Gonzales

Carlton Erickson

Renee Acosta Hugh Smyth

JenniferRidings/Myhra

NACDS selects Rush for scholars programSharon Rush, clinical assistant professor ofhealth outcomes and pharmacy practice, hasbeen selected as a 2014-2015 FoundationFaculty Scholar by the National Association ofChain Drug Stores Foundation. Launched in2012, the program educates assistant profes-sors from U.S. schools and colleges of phar-macy about designing, implementing and

publishing community pharmacy-based patient care research.Nathan Pope, clinical assistant professor of health outcomes andpharmacy practice, was a participant in the 2013-2014 program.

Gore pegged to lead Faculty CouncilDr. Andrea Gore, professor of pharmacologyand toxicology, has been named chair-elect ofthe Faculty Council of The University ofTexas at Austin. She will serve in this capaci-ty for one year before advancing to chair ofthe council. The Faculty Council serves as agovernance leadership body for the generalfaculty. It has the authority to consider mat-

ters of educational policy including regulations dealing with stu-dent activities, requirements for admission, honors or degrees,approval of degree candidates, catalog changes, and reports ofspecial and standing committees.

Shepherd quoted in USA Today articleDr. Marvin Shepherd, professor of health out-comes and pharmacy practice, was quoted in aMay 20 article in USA Today titled“Prescription drug scheme highlights nationalproblem.” The article addressed issues of safe-ty and security of the nation’s pharmaceuticalsupply chain, citing incidents where unused,expired or mislabeled prescriptions have been

resold to unsuspecting pharmacies and patients.

Shepherd, who serves as director of the college’s Center forPharmacoeconomic Studies, said the problems cited in the article“are much bigger than people will admit,” adding that greed is theunderlying reason for these practices.

Shepherd also leads the Partnership for Safe Medicines, a groupof non-for-profit organizations and individuals that have policies,procedures or programs to protect consumers from counterfeit orcontraband medicines.

Rascati honored by ISPORDr. Karen Rascati, professor of health out-comes and pharmacy practice, is the first recip-ient of the Marilyn Dix Smith LeadershipAward presented by the International Societyfor Pharmacoeconomics and OutcomesResearch (ISPOR). The award, established in2014, honors its namesake, the founding exec-utive director of ISPOR. Dix Smith is credited

with extraordinary leadership in helping to establish ISPOR, andrecipients of the award are selected to recognize their ownextraordinary leadership to ISPOR. Honorees must have demon-strated consistent, broad and meaningful direction to ISPOR in aleadership role. The award was presented at the June ISPORmeeting in Montreal, Canada.

Smyth to edit research journalHugh Smyth, associate professor of pharma-ceutics, has been named as the new editor-in-chief of Informa Healthcare’s premier researchjournal Drug Development and IndustrialPharmacy (DDIP). The journal is one of theoldest and most established journals in thefields of drug development and pharmaceuti-cal technology.

“Informa’s decision to name Hugh reflects upon our division’scontinued contributions and recognition by our peers as leaders inthe field,” said Bill Williams, head of the Division ofPharmaceutics and the former editor-in-chief of the journal.“The selection process was highly competitive, so this reflectsupon Hugh’s own exceptional contributions to UT Austin, theCollege of Pharmacy and the Division of Pharmaceutics.”

The journal publishes 12 issues annually in simultaneous printand online editions.

Lam honored for teaching excellenceDr. Francis Lam, clinical associate professor ofpharmacotherapy, was awarded a 2014 FacultyAssembly Teaching Excellence Award in Mayby the UT Health Science Center SanAntonio Dental School. In addition to teach-ing pharmacy students in San Antonio, Dr.Lam, and other pharmacotherapy faculty, alsoteach dental and medical students.

alumni

27F O C U S

alumniFaculty news

Sharon Rush

Andrea Gore

Karen Rascati

Marvin Shepherd

Francis Lam

Hugh Smyth

alumni

28 S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

alumni

Salutations Fellow Alumni,

Three years ago when I decided to makethe leap to represent you as president ofthe Pharmacy Alumni Association, littledid I know how many facets are involvedin keeping the college running like amachine and in maintaining our stand-ing as one of the top programs in thenation.

Let me tell you that my term as president has been very educa-tional and certainly makes me appreciate the quality educationI received from our prestigious college. Whenever you get achance, take a moment to thank all the staff and administra-tors that work tirelessly to uphold these standards so that we,and future students, may be honored to say that we are gradu-ates of The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy.

With this in mind, let’s not forget the amazing faculty fromwhom we had the privilege to learn. On the front page of thecollege’s website are highlights featuring Dr. Maria Croyle andher research on a potential Ebola vaccine and Dr. RobertTalbert and his receipt of one of the highest honors bestowedupon pharmacy educators. These are just two members of thefaculty that are shaping our students into the future gamechangers in our profession.

Also during my time as president, I was able to better under-stand the challenges and vision that Dean Crismon has for thecollege. With construction under way on the medical school,our college is working together with other health professionalschools to develop interprofessional education in order to bet-ter prepare future practitioners to work in collaborative teamsto meet the needs of their future patients. How’s that forchanging the world!

We have so much to be thankful for because of the qualityeducation we received from the College of Pharmacy. It istime to recognize that and give back.

For those of you who have joined me in becoming preceptorsin the field, thank you for your service to the college. You are abuilding block in the development of future pharmacists.

To those that volunteer to serve on college committees and thealumni board, thank you for your service. Your willingness toassist provides necessary feedback to further improve our pro-grams.

To those that give financially, thank you. I know about fivehundred or so students that could potentially benefit fromyour generosity as I did when I was a student.

My message is simple – let’s all find a way to give back to thecollege.

Serving as president of the Pharmacy Alumni Association hastruly been a pleasure and honor that I will cherish as a key-stone in my career. Let’s keep changing the world for the bet-ter and never settle for anything but the best.

Hook’em!

Connie GelineauUT College of Pharmacy Alumni President

The alumni president’s message By Connie Gelineau

PresidentConnie GelineauRichardson, Texas

Past-President Alexis BalkoCorpus Christi, Texas

President-ElectEric HoAustin, Texas

Secretary-TreasurerLori EvansRowlett, Texas

Member-at-LargeKris Klein-BradhamAustin, Texas

Member-at-LargeMark ZamuttAustin, Texas

Austin Reg. Reps.J. Nile BarnesKristi Westbrooks TorresChristine Wicke

Dallas Reg. Reps.Bethany BoydSteven Knight

El Paso Reg. Rep.Jenny Splawn

Fort Worth Reg. Rep.Lance Ray

Houston Reg. Reps.James CoxKaty Toale

Panhandle Reg. Rep.Earon Flake

Rio Grande Valley Reg. Rep.Isidro Ramirez Jr.

San Antonio Reg. Rep.Jose Cervantes

2013 Student Body PresidentJobby JohnAustin, Texas

Student LiaisonJoseph BrewsterAustin, Texas

Assistant Dean forDevelopment and AlumniRelations (ex-officio)Susan BrownAustin, Texas

Assistant Director forDevelopment and AlumniRelations (ex-officio)Lauren McIlwainAustin, Texas

Development Associate(ex-officio)Katie ConyersAustin, Texas

2013-2014 College of Pharmacy

Alumni Association Executive Council

Connie Gelineau

alumni

29F O C U S

Alumni newsShirling Dale Garrison, B.S. ‘56, died in February at age79. He practiced in independent retail pharmacy oepratingWeaver’s Pharmacy for many years with Paul Trantham.

Gay Dodson, B.S. ‘69, executive director of the Texas StateBoard of Pharmacy, was recently named honorary presidentof the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. She waspresented with the honor during the group’s annual meetingin May to recognize her strong commitment to protectingpublic health and her active commitment to the Association’sinitiatives.

Kay and Ed Zost, B.S. ‘69 and M.S. ‘71, travelled toGuatamala in may for their 13th medical mission trip. Theywere part of a surgical team that provided surgery to 50-100patients, many of whom have waited months or years for thesurgery.

Paul F. Davis, B.S. ‘70, and Steven Knight, Pharm.D. ‘08,were honored during the April annual meeting of the TexasSociety of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP). Davis wascited to receive both TSHP’s Distinguished Service Awardand the TSHP Board of Directors’ Lifetime Award ofHonor. He formerly served as executive director for TSHP.Knight was named to receive the New Pharmacist Award.He serves as secretary of TSHP and as president of theMetroplex chapter. He works as a staff pharmacist withMethodist Dallas Medical Center. Dr. Jim Wilson, associateprofessor of health outcomes and pharmacy practice, receivedthe Pharmacy Leadership Award.

R.G. Cook, B.S. ‘75, and owner of Kerrville Drug, was hon-ored in March with a Health Mart Community HealthcareExcellence Award for consistently providing care and servicesthat add measurable value to patient health care and commu-nity wellness. His is one of 10 pharmacies across the countryto receive the prestigious award.

David Elliott, Pharm.D. ‘81, serves as director of the WestVirginia Geriatric Education Center, a facility that providesprofessional training to students and health practitionersregarding the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of healthproblems affecting the elderly. He also serves as a professorof clinical pharmacy at the Charleston Division at WestVirginia University.

Robert Kuhn, Pharm.D. ‘84, has been named the KentuckyHospital Association Professor at the University of Kentucky.He is the first pharmacy faculty member to hold the profes-sorship. He has been an active member of the UK facultysince 1985 and has directed the pediatric pharmacy specialtyresidency for more than 25 years.

Deana Dossey, B.S. ‘92 and Pharm.D. ‘03, received theTSHP Special Recognition Award for her outstanding orga-nizational activities. She is senior pharmacist and the phar-macist-in-charge at the Baylor Scott and White Hospital inTaylor, and she is as a preceptor faculty member for pharmacystudents from both UT Austin and Texas A&M HealthScience Center. She supervises students in the pharmacytech program at Austin Community College.

Big thanks to Kim Klotz, B.S. ‘95, and Sara Lott, Pharm.D.‘09, for accompanying student Taylor Dean in attending theCedar Valley Middle School Career Fair in early May.Alumni volunteers play a critical role in helping to spread theword about UT pharmacy.

Dana McCormick, B.S. ‘95 of Grapevine, has been namedthe new president of the Academy of Managed CarePharmacy.

Jamie Tweedle, Pharm.D. ‘02, was featured in an NPR blogin early June concerning the efforts of hospital administratorsto cut medication errors in the emergency room by staffingthem with pharmacists. Tweedle practices in the ER atChildren’s Medical Center in Dallas.

Lance Ray, Pharm.D. ‘06, has been elected treasurer of theTexas Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Texas Pharmacy Today, a publication of the Texas PharmacyAssociation (TPA) recently featured four of our finest UTalumni - Harriet Monsell, B.S. ‘77; Mark Comfort,Pharm.D. ‘03; Mark Newberry, Pharm.D. ‘03; and GayDodson, B.S. ‘69.

Monsell is co-owner with her husband Toby Young of TheMedicine Shoppe in Belton. Monsell and Young’s shopfeatures compounding, immunizations, hormone counsel-ing, and herbal products.

Comfort currently serves HEB as the pharmacy managerat the Hancock Shopping Center store in Austin. Hestarted with the company in 1998.

Newberry started working at his father’s TarrytownPharmacy when he was five years old. Today, Mark is theowner/pharmacist at Tarrytown.

Dodson, who serves as executive director of the TexasState Board of Pharmacy, got her start in pharmacy work-ing as a retail pharmacists in the Dallas area. She moved tothe state board as a compliance officer beginning in theearly 1980s.

Spotlight features longhorn pharmacists

alumni

30 S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

Memories will be made at

Homecoming Weekend November 7-8, 2014

Alumni Reception & Awards CeremonyFriday, November 7 • UT Club

hors d’oeuvres and cash bar

Tailgate PartySaturday, November 8 • College Courtyardtailgate picnic • cash bar • burnt orange everywhere

Register at: http://www.utexas.edu/pharmacy/dean/alumni/homecoming.html

By Tim Durham, B.S. ‘70

Sometime in the very early1970s, soon after graduationfrom UT, I was working as ahospital pharmacist, working asa flight instructor, and rodeo-ing, and all-in-all doing prettywell at it. A year or two later, Ihad some rather bad luck. No,let me rephrase that… I did areally dumb thing. I was entered in the bull riding in Ridgway,CO. Due to the ever-present pre-contest jitters, I jumped intothe chute and moments later, off we went. If I remember cor-rectly, I bucked off - a little embarrassing, but it happens. Luckof the draw.

Then came the real pain and embarrassment. I discovered thatI had not taken off my UT senior class ring before the ride.The bull and the cold weather, sadly, took care of that for me. Iwas heartbroken to have lost my icon.

Turns out that a young cowboy named Mark Nichols, thearena director/chute boss in 1974 or 1975, was kicking in thedirt in front of the chutes when something shiny caught hiseye. He picked up an old beat-up ring, caked with dirt and“arena mud” and gouged a bit from years of tilling and harrow-ing, but miraculously intact. T.L.D. was inscribed inside thering.

In late 1975, Mark tried to seek UT help in finding the ownerof the ring. After the unsuccessful attempt, he tossed the ringinto a cigar box, shoved it into a desk drawer, and forgot aboutit for 40+ years. Late last year, Mark decided to try once againand asked his friend Ken to use the computer to get into touch

with that T.L.D. guy from UT.

Fast forward: January 25, 2014 – my 68th birthday. I got amessage from area code 512, from the dean of something. Ipushed it to the back of the pile for later consideration.

Back to the note from AC 512 ... I looked at the note again.The number looked like a personal cell phone number. Ireturned the call to Susan Brown, the assistant dean of alumnirelations. Turns out that a letter from some people named Kenand Marlena, in Colorado, on behalf of some ol' cowboynamed Mark, had somehow matriculated its way through thecollege bureaucracy to her desk asking for assistance in locat-ing this T.L.D., Class of ‘70. Maybe she likes cowboys, phar-macists, or a good mystery, but for whatever reason her interestwas piqued. Thank goodness! She tracked me down via uni-versity records, the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, Googleand, of course, Facebook.

I will remember this one birthday as more unique and specialthan any of the other 67 celebrations. All because a youngpharmacy graduate, a cowboy, a friend, and an assistant deanall persevered to bring my ring back across the expanse thathas been my life.

You should take away some thoughts from this story:

• Cowboys were almost always good folks back in my era. Tothe best of my knowledge, they still are.

• Computer-literate people from UT are good folks.

• If bad luck counts (it always does), then good luck shouldcount, too.

As you can tell from the snapshot that’s posted with this mis-sive, I'm one lucky guy.

Never too late 40+ years later, ring returned to owner

31F O C U S

continuing education

continuing education

32 S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

Upcoming CPE Programs from The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy

Registration is Now Open: http://www.utexas.edu/pharmacy/ce/conferences/psych/The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy is proud to be hosting the 25th Annual Psychiatric PharmacotherapyUpdate, October 23 & 24, 2014 in Austin, Texas.

Addressing Psychiatric PharmacotherapyTopics for Today’s PracticeThis conference’s goal is to improve the quality of care delivered to peo-ple with mental health problems by providing timely and clinically use-ful information for the practicing clinician. Conference speakers focuson the practical application of neuroscience principles and evidence-based approaches for the treatment of serious and persistent major psy-chiatric and neurologic disorders, including depression, schizophrenia,bipolar disorder, and dementias. Participants are provided with treat-ment advances in the psychiatric pharmacotherapy of children, traumat-ic brain injury, substance abuse, and an update on newpsychotherapeutic uses of existing agents and new psychotropic agents that will impact your practice in the next year.

Who Should Attend? • Interprofessional ProgramPharmacists, psychiatrists, physicians, nurses, psychologists and social workers who specialize in or have an interest in neuropsy-chiatric disorders and wish to enhance their awareness and knowledge of the most recent advances impacting contemporarypractice. 15 CPE Credit Hours

Additional Information Available on Conference Website: http://www.utexas.edu/pharmacy/ce/conferences/psych/

“The UT Psychiatric Pharmacotherapy Updatebegan 25 years ago to address an unmet need forhigh quality continuing education for psychiatricpharmacy specialists. Since that time, it has grownto a regional interprofessional educational meetingthat addresses the psychiatric pharmacotherapyneeds for a variety of mental health professionalsin Texas as well as from other states. We areproud that the UT College of Pharmacy has beenable to provide leadership in providing high qualitypharmacotherapy education for mental health pro-fessionals.”

M. Lynn Crismon, Pharm.D., Dean & James T.Doluisio Regents Chair and Behrens CentennialProfessor, The University of Texas at Austin Collegeof Pharmacy

The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy is a licensed instructional partner of APhA’s Delivering Medication TherapyManagement Services Certificate Training Program (MTM). The college is now offering MTM programs in two locations.

Austin, Texas

Saturday, July 12, 2014*

The University of Texas at Austin

Houston, Texas

Saturday, August 15, 2014*

Texas Medical Center

*Note: Must complete self-study program prior to live seminar. Recommend registering at least two weeks prior to the seminar.

Additional information available on conference website: http://www.utexas.edu/pharmacy/ce/conference/mtm/

The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

33F O C U S

givingArlyn Kloesel Endowment

For Excellence in Pharmacy For more than 30 years, Arlyn Kloesel challenged pharmacy students to reach for excellence. He was oneof the first faculty members that generations of enteringclass members met, and he was often the one they soughtout at their graduations to share in the celebration. HisCare and Respect for the Elderly Program has proven lifechanging for countless students.Upon his retirement, the college launched the ArlynKloesel Endowment for Excellence in Pharmacy. As theCampaign for Texas draws near its conclusion, you areinvited to consider designating a gift to honor this truelegend of Texas pharmacy.

After graduating from the UT College ofPharmacy (COP) in 2012, I was fortunateto move to Columbus, Ohio for a combinedMaster’s and pharmacy residency programat The Ohio State University. June 30,2014 marked the end of my residency, and Iwill be starting a new position at TheUniversity of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston,as a pharmacy clinical informatics specialist. As I reflect on thepreparation and mentorship that I received at the UT COP, Iam honored to be a part of such a great network that spans thenation. In life people make investments in other people withthe hopes that they will pay it forward. When I graduated, Iwas compelled to make a pledge in honor of my parents andtowards the Kloesel Endowment because both of my parentsand Arlyn Kloesel made huge investments in me.Understanding that my donation will be used to foster educa-tion and research that advances pharmacy practice brings joy tomy heart. The support a graduate can provide to a studentthrough a donation could mean a life changing experience, thusinvesting in future graduates who will hopefully do the same.As I continue to meet extremely successful pharmacists whograduated from Texas, it confirms the saying “What starts herechanges the world!”

Hook' em! Emmanuel N. Enwere, Jr., Pharm.D., M.S. Class of 2012

The College of Pharmacy is where I spentfour very special years learning and growingin all facets of life. I feel very blessed tohave graduated from this prestigious pro-gram. During pharmacy school, I developeda strong passion for psychiatric pharmacythanks to my professors and mentors. Tomake my dream a reality, I pursued residency training atMichael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center. I returned to TheUniversity of Texas at Austin for PGY2 training in psychiatricpharmacy. Because of the quality training I received at theCollege, I am now practicing at Houston Methodist Hospitalin the Behavioral Health Transition of Care Program.Although it has been a few years since I graduated from theCollege, I still reflect on the quality education and experience Igained at UT College of Pharmacy. Pretty regularly, I findmyself hearing Arlyn lecturing us - "don't go on autopilot."These types of meaningful lessons learned inside and outside ofthe classroom will never be forgotten and will continue toimpact my daily pharmacy practice. By making this pledge tosupport the College of Pharmacy, I am giving back to theCollege that raised me both professionally and personally.

Hook 'em! Saadia Ali, Pharm.D.Class of 2011

If you would like to be a part of this history-making tribute to Arlyn Kloesel, you can do so by contactingthe Pharmacy Development Office at (512) 232-2779 or by going to the university’s website for onlinegiving at https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/utgiving/online/nlogon/?menu1=PH**

giving

34 S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

Campaign for Texas nears August conclusion

$30M(that’s M for million) in new gifts

A personal best for the College of Pharmacy.

16new planned gifts

9 with a total value of $15.5M7 yet to be determined value

Contact Susan Brown, (512) 475-9758, to learn how to plan now to help the college tomorrow..

27,849total gifts – SO FAR – to pharmacy

THANK YOU!!

27new endowments, totaling almost

$2.44Mwhich fund

98student awards

Funds will assist students financially withtuition, books, and travel stipends at a time

of skyrocketing costs to attend pharmacy school.

The history-making Campaign for Texas is on the final stretch. We are grateful.

More than 27,000 contributions to the College of Pharmacy. We feel the love.

If you haven’t yet had the time to join us – it’s not too late.

Use the link below to make your gift today. https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/utgiving/online/nlogon/?menu1=PH**

focus on

35F O C U S

AdmissionsRichard Wilcox(512) 471-1737wilcoxrich@austin.utexas.eduand

Ann Spencer(512) 471-4425ann.spencer@austin.utexas.edu

Alumni/Donor Address ChangesKatie Conyers(512) 232-2779Kathryn.conyers@austin.utexas.edu

Alumni Events & InformationKatie Conyers(512) 232-2779Kathryn.conyers@austin.utexas.edu

Donations, Gifts, Endowed ScholarshipsSusan Brown(512) 475-9758skbrown@austin.utexas.edu

College/High School RecruitingGreg Caldera(512) 475-9754greg.caldera@austin.utexas.edu

Continuing EducationGlen Baumgart(512) 471-6213gbaumgart@austin.utexas.edu

CurriculumPatrick Davis(512) 471-1737patrick.davis@austin.utexas.edu

Financial Aid/ScholarshipsJennifer Ridings-Myhra(512) 471-9752jennifer.ridings-myhra@austin.utexas.eduandUT Student Financial Assistancewww.utexas.edu/student/finaid

Graduate Program AdmissionsStephanie Crouch(512) 471-6590swcrouch@austin.utexas.edu

Internships/PreceptorsJennifer Ridings-Myhra(512) 471-9752jennifer.ridings-myhra@austin.utexas.edu

Student Professional AffairsDiane Ginsburg(512) 471-1737diane.ginsbox@austin.utexas.eduandStudent Affairs Office (512) 471-1737

College Quick Reference

July4 Independence Day Holiday (campus closed)26 AACP Annual Meeting, Grapevine, Tx30 Texas Pharmacy Association Conference/Expo,

San Marcos 31 UT Austin reception at TPA

August11 Texas Pharmacy Congress25 New Student Orientation Begins26 White Coat Ceremony27 Classes begin

September1 Labor Day Holiday (campus closed)21 NABP-AACP District 6-7-8 Meeting,

Whitefish, Montana

October12 ACCP Annual Meeting, Austin, Tx15 SACNAS National Conference, Los Angeles, CA.19 UT reception at NCPA meeting23 Pharmacy Career Day24 P4 Senior Interview Day

November2 AAPS Annual Meeting/Expo, San Diego, CA7-8 Homecoming Weekend7 Alumni Reception/Awards Ceremony

UT Club, 6 pm8 Tailgate Party, Pharmacy Courtyard, 3 hours

prior to UT Austin vs. West Virginia game15 APhA Annual Meeting, New Orleans, La.27-28 Thanksgiving Holiday (campus closed)

December5 Last class day7 ASHP Midyear Meeting, Anaheim, Ca.17 Pharmacy graduation exercises22-31 Winter Break (campus closed)