pcom school of pharmacy march 15, 2017 pharmdigest · pdf filepharmacy student, angie amado...

PharmDigest Published by the Pharmacy Student Council

Volume III Issue II Winter 2016

PCOM School of Pharmacy - Georgia Campus March 15, 2017

PharmDigest 1

Health Career

Academy

GA-PCOM students spoke to 500 Central Gwinnett High School students in the Medical and Health Career Academy on November 4, 2016.

APhA Diabetes

Fundraiser

On November 9, 2016, APhA members raised funds for the American Diabetes Association and awareness for diabetes through their display and cornhole games.

The winter term is a joyous one as

we have the holiday break in

addition to celebrating a new year!

Inevitably, with the new year

comes new opportunities, new

beginnings and lastly resolutions

for the new year. We all know many

people (including ourselves), that make resolutions for the

new year; the members of the GA-PCOM chapter of

American Pharmacists Association decided to take this

opportunity to encourage everyone to maintain those

resolutions. The American Heart Association emphasizes

the importance of healthy eating, physical activity, weight

management, and smoking cessation in relation to

decreasing the incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular

disease.

The members of APhA decided to focus on physical

activity for our event. We organized an hour long jump

session at Skyzone. For those that may not know, Skyzone

is an indoor trampoline park that includes numerous

trampolines, a foam pit, a couple of dodgeball arenas, and

a basketball area. Everyone that went had a fantastic time

as we got the opportunity to mix “fun” and “exercise”

together for all ages. Needless to say, 60 minutes later,

many calories burned and heart rates elevated, the event

was an absolute success. The GA-PCOM chapter of APhA

would like to encourage everyone to stick to their

Pharmacy Student, Angie Amado (class of 2018) and Allen Quetant (DO class of 2019)

visiting classrooms with health career academy mentees to discuss their experiences

and the application process for PCOM.

APhA members, Hilda Alvarez, Summer Forte, Kevin Moy, and Nidhi Gandhi (Class of

2018) with their display.

Heart Healthy

Anthony Alexander Class of 2018

(Heart Healthy continued on page 2)


Policy On Tap

On November 15, 2016, GA-PCOM APhA members attended Policy on Tap along with Mercer’s APhA students to discuss important pharmacy related legislature at Wild Heaven Beer.

Rho Chi Initiation

Rho Chi Pharmacy Academic Honor Society inducted 19 new P3 members on November 29, 2016 at the 1818 Club in Duluth.

ASHP Midyear

Student pharmacists and GA-PCOM Faculty attended the 2016 Midyear Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, NV from December 4-8, 2016.

2 PharmDigest

resolutions and make conscious efforts to maintain a

healthy lifestyle.

As the 2nd Vice President of the

Student Government Association here

at GA-PCOM, my primary role is mainly

to assist all of the SGA President's

duties and to help represent the PCOM

student body in external affairs. But

those are not the only duties I have! A

large part of my time is devoted to what I like to call

“Student Campus Life” which consists of being a student

liaison for vending machines, cafeteria, parking, Student

Health, security and the Student Activity Center. I work to

host events for the PCOM family with the ultimate goal to

unite all students, faculty and administers. In past months,

my committee and I have collected from GA-PCOM

members over 60 handwritten thank you letters to troops

deployed outside of the United States in hopes that they

will receive our thanks and appreciation during

Thanksgiving. A recent event that we have hosted for the

campus was a Christmas Ornament Event. Students

received hot chocolate, cookies and an ornament to

decorate for the Christmas holiday! This gave the students

a chance to step back from their daily routine and enjoy the

holiday festivities. Our final event for this year was the

annual PCOM Spring Formal where students and faculty

were able to come together to enjoy good food, company

and music. The location of the formal was at 550

Trackside, Lawrenceville, GA on March 10th. Everyone

who was in attendance had a blast and I encourage

everyone to come back for next year’s Spring Formal.

Student Campus Life

Sirena Hu

Class of 2018

Pharmacy Students Ilbeth Charles, Anna-Kay Forrester, Sonam Patel, Anjani Patel, Shivani

Patel, Hilda Alvarez, and Ebony Darden (Class of 2018).

Newly inducted Rho Chi members with Dean Okamoto.

Third and Fourth Year GA-PCOM students with faculty after the GSHP Reception Dinner.

(Heart Healthy continued from page 1)


Secret Snowman

Selfie

In spirit of the holiday season, a raffle was held. Students either searched the campus to take a selfie with the secret snowman or made a bookstore purchase.

Professional Wear

Fashion Show

On December 7, 2016 P1 Class Representative Arrington Mason-Callaway led the Professional Fashion Show and presentation.

Ask a Librarian

Pharmacy students met with campus librarians for relaxation therapy and stress relief.

PharmDigest 3

In July, we began our pharmacy rotations with the

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, School of

Pharmacy. We are the newest members of the PCOM

pharmacy residency program, which launched in 2015.

The residency program, developed in conjunction with

Gwinnett Medical Center (GMC), provides 12 months of

clinical training. The pharmacy residents have the

opportunity to teach at PCOM and will receive a teaching

certificate at the end of this highly competitive program.

In addition to giving formal lectures, residents also work

with students in lab and case studies. We were given a

unique opportunity to help design a new men’s health

elective that is offered for third year students at PCOM this

spring. During our time at GMC, we work with clinical

pharmacists, staff pharmacists, pharmacy administration

and emergency department pharmacists to receive

additional training in areas such as internal medicine,

critical care, cardiology, and ambulatory care.

Not only do we serve as a drug information resource, we

also assist with the continuing education of other

pharmacists, nursing, medical staff and students. Having a

chance to mentor and precept students is one of the

aspects of the residency we enjoy most. All residents are

required to complete projects during residency, which

allows us to conduct research on topics which can lead to

quality improvement.

We both recently presented our research projects at the

American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists Midyear

Clinical meeting in Las Vegas. Brandon’s project examined

Getting to Know Our

Pharmacy Practice

Residents Dr. Brandon Cunningham and Dr. Keith Johnson PGY-1 residents at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

School of Pharmacy

Pharmacy students Kass Chehab, JT Rust (Class of 2018), and Nessa Samuel (Class of

2019).

Catrina Hill (Class of 2018) taking a selfie with the secret snowman.

James McGary, Lawrence Uwaeke, Joseph Monplaisir (Class of 2020), Nick Hernandez

(Class of 2019), Musawenkosi Gwebu, Andrew Mote, and Bernard Afriyie (Class of

2020).

(Getting to Know Our Pharmacy Practice Resi-

dents continued on page 4)


Angel Christmas

Tree

SGA set out an Angel Christmas Tree for local shelters Students and organi-zations on campus were able to pick an angel off the tree to purchase items for those in need.

Colors for CHOA

In early December, ASHP collected over 700 crayons, markers, colored pencils and coloring books for Chil-dren’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Christmas Ornament

Event

Pharmacy students decorated Christ-mas ornaments and ate cookies for an SGA event on December 21, 2016.

4 PharmDigest

the appropriateness of statin dosing in

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

( PCI) and Coronary Artery Bypass Graft

(CABG) patients. Keith’s project

evaluated the impact of having a

pharmacist working as part of the stroke

team in the Emergency Department.

Brandon Cunningham received his

PharmD from Auburn School of Pharmacy

and plans on obtaining an internal medicine

position after finishing his residency. Keith

Johnson, PharmD graduated from Virginia

Commonwealth University, School of

Pharmacy and plans on obtaining an

ambulatory care position after finishing his

residency.

If you are alive and breathing, you

have probably heard the old adage

“What happens in Vegas, stays in

Vegas.” While this is typically true for

most activities that occur while living it

up in Sin City, I found an exception.

The things I learned and experienced at ASHP’s Midyear

Conference came back to Georgia with me and I plan to use

them to better myself academically and professionally. I’m

going to break the golden rule of Las Vegas and share a

little bit of what happened there with you.

The first thing I learned: there are a ton of students

looking to do the exact same thing that I am, which is to

obtain post-graduate residency training. I sort of knew this

already from going to Midyear last year in New Orleans,

but I really understood what it meant for me this year. The

(What Happens in Vegas continued on page 5)

Keith Johnson

What Happens in Vegas

Kerry Ward Class of 2018 ASHP President

Chelsea Davis (Class of 2018) donating to Colors for CHOA.

Sirena Hu, Hershika Patel, Quyen Vo, and Lauren Avery (Class of 2018).

Carla Flores, Destini Brannon, Hollie Manning, and Hershika Patel (Class of 2018).

(Getting to Know Our Pharmacy Practice Resi-

dents continued from page 3)

Brandon Cunningham


Skyzone

APhA members invited the entire pharmacy program to enjoy some cardio and relax after a stressful week of exams on January 13, 2017.

PCOMFIT Semi-

Formal

Pharmacy students attended PCOMFIT’s semiformal at Wild Heaven Beer on January 21, 2017.

National Patient

Counseling Competition

On January 23, 2017, APhA held their national patient counseling competition. Summer Forte will be representing PCOM in the national competition at the APhA Annual Meeting March 24-27, 2017. PCOM will help cover expenses of attending the annual meeting.

PharmDigest 5

Midyear Conference, touted as the largest gathering of

pharmacy professionals in the world, hosts over 20,000

attendees with a large majority of those being students.

Power suits are everywhere and it is easy to get

overwhelmed by the competition. I

tend to look for the positive in things so

I used it as a reminder that I need to

strive to make myself the best

candidate possible for next year and to

not get complacent because there are

thousands of students willing to step up

for a residency position. Even if you are

not seeking residency training after

graduation, you can still use the

experience for your benefit. The job market these days is

saturated and if you become complacent, somebody will be

happy to take your place. Wake up each day with a goal to

be better than you were the day before and you will be

headed in the right direction.

The second thing I learned: We as pharmacists are

our greatest advocates. Every year politicians in Congress

gather to write new legislation to better our country.

Sometimes those new laws involve pharmacy and the

patients we serve on a daily basis. Currently there is only

one congressman whose profession before serving in

Congress was being a pharmacist. His name is Buddy

Carter and he owns a few pharmacies where I grew up in

Georgia, so I know him very well. He is there fighting

battles for pharmacists around America against other

politicians who have input in lawmaking regarding

pharmacy but have no background in pharmacy or

healthcare whatsoever. Attending Midyear made me realize

just how important it is to be involved with professional

organizations. Whether it is ASHP, APhA, NCPA, these are

the people that advocate for us. They fight for us to use our

extensive education to maximally benefit our patients. The

point is that, if you haven’t already, join one of these

organizations Take an active stake in the profession. Be an

advocate! Nerea Irusta (class of 2018) counseling GA-

PCOM resident Brandon Cunningham.

(What Happens in Vegas continued from page 4)

APhA members Anthony Alexander, Jamie Mabe, and Erish Malonzo (Class of 2018) playing

trampoline dodgeball.

Angie Amado (Class of 2018), Kayla Clark (Class of 2019), Faith Chang and Ilbeth Charles (Class of

2018).

Kerry Ward and Haley Ethredge (C lass of 2018)

presenting an ASHP poster at Midyear

(What Happens in Vegas continued on page 6)


Day at the Dome

On January 31, 2017, student pharmacists gathered at the Gold Dome for GPhA’s annual Day at the Dome. They were able to spread the word to legislators about the Patient Protection Act and issues that are important to pharmacists.

Atlantic Province

Conclave

Kappa Psi members attended their annual Conclave meeting January 27-

29, 2017 at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead, GA.

African American

History Month

On February 1, 2017 GA-PCOM students celebrated African American

History Month by presenting posters in the atrium .

6 PharmDigest

These are just a few of the many things you can

learn from attending ASHP’s Midyear Conference. Start

now to make yourself a better candidate and join an

organization and be an active member.

I completed my Bachelors of Arts (BA)

and Master of Science (MS) in biology

from the University of Tehran in 2012.

While I was pursuing my MS, I had an

opportunity to work on various research

projects with Dr. Zeynali in basic science

and pharmacy departments. I really

enjoyed my time doing research and

realized that I finally found my passion to carry out

research in the field of health care. Following my dream I

joined PCOM School of Pharmacy to pursue my PharmD.

At PCOM I got the opportunity to work on project

“Development of iron oxide (USPIO) and gold

nanoparticles for drug delivery” with Dr. Vicky Mody at Ga

-PCOM’s Pharmacy Lab. We developed Co3+, Ni3+, and

Mn2+ doped USPIO and gold nanoparticles. Our main goal

for this study was to synthesize these molecules, which will

be selectively targeted onto the specific tissues. USPIO are

easy to synthesize and provide an advantage in the area of

drug delivery where they can be used to target tissues due

to their small size or via the use of tissue specific ligands.

Additionally, USPIO can also be directed on specific sites

under the influence of external magnetic field. Once these

drugs are loaded on magnetic nanoparticles and injected

into a patient, an external magnet can be placed on the

outside to attract drug loaded nanoparticles at the desired

site to attain site specific therapeutic effect.

Our work is still in progress, and I really enjoyed

(Passion for Research continued on page 7)

GA-PCOM and UGA College of Pharmacy P1 students at the Capitol.

GA-PCOM Kappa Psi members at Conclave.

Vanessa Ibeh-Kingsley, Jermila Ingram, Megan Alyssa, Kayla Waymyers, Jessica Smith and Sitembile

Lee (Class of 2019).

(What Happens in Vegas continued from page 5)

Passion for Research

Irandokht Khaki

Class of 2018


Falcons’ Friday

Friday February 3, 2017 was named Falcons Friday to celebrate the Falcons competing in the Super Bowl on February 5, 2017. GA-PCOM students dressed in their Falcon attire.

LMSA

Pharmacy students volunteered at Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) Regional meeting at GA-PCOM on February 4, 2017.

Poster Presentations

On Friday February 10, 2017, third year pharmacy students presented their Pharmacoeconomic Analysis Posters in the atrium to faculty, staff, and fellow students.

PharmDigest 7

developing nanoparticles. I believe

nanotechnology is the future of the

medicine and the magical bullet as

envisioned by Dr. Richard Feynman in

1959 will be reality in a few years. My

advice to you is start early and don’t

let your passion for research die.

I currently work at a 460 bed, level 1-

trauma teaching hospital. My residency

program offers a great balance between

pharmacy practice, teaching, research, and

administration. The residency provides me

with well-rounded experiences. Typically, I arrive early to

begin working up my patients in preparation for rounds

with my interdisciplinary team. During rounds, I provide

evidence-based recommendations as well as drug

information to achieve effective patient-centered care.

After rounds, I follow up with patients who require

counseling. Other responsibilities include managing

patients on vancomycin and aminoglycosides, performing

antimicrobial stewardship functions, anticoagulation

monitoring, managing consults leading total parenteral

nutrition service, conducting medication use evaluations,

and staffing responsibilities.

There are various teaching opportunities available

through a teaching certificate program, I also serve as a

preceptor to fourth year pharmacy students, deliver in-

services to physicians and other health care providers, and

I have created and will present a continuing education

lecture to our pharmacists. The research component

includes a yearlong research project in an area of my

interest and I am also involved in the process and care of

patients enrolled in a clinical trial. Finally, the

(Passion for research continued from page 6)

Corey Slacks, Lauren Avery, Anna-Kay Forrester (Class of 2018), Crystal Reeves, Lauren Batts (Class

of 2019), Anthony Alexander, Kyle Parkins, and Sirena Hu (Class of 2018).

Ketan Patel, Sirena Hu, and Mark Martinez (Class of 2018).

Isaac Masion, Ebony Miller, Corey Slacks, Karishma Patel, Soo Yeon Yoon, Glen

Phillips, Haley Ethredge, and Stephen Shim (Class of 2018).

The Daily Dose: Residency

Dr. Tina Simpson PGY-1 at Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center

(Daily Dose: Residency continued on page 8)

Irandokht and colleagues at her

research presentation


Important Dates

March 21, 2017

Loan Repayment Strategies

Financial Literacy Series

March 24-26, 2017

GSHP Spring Meeting

Savannah, Georgia

March 24-27, 2017

APhA Annual Meeting

San Francisco, California

March 27-30, 2017

AMCP Annual Meeting

Denver, Colorado

April 4, 2017

Home Buying Basics


April 19, 2017

Financial Planning


May 8-12, 2017

Finals Week for Third Year

Pharmacy Students

May 15, 2017

Clinical Rotations Begin for

Third Year Pharmacy

Students

May 26, 2017

GA-PCOM class of 2017

Graduation Ceremony

May 29, 2017

Memorial Day Holiday

May 30– June 2, 2017

Finals Week

8

administration exposure allows me to serve on several

subcommittees and taskforces. I attend pharmacy

management meetings, participate in the development of

quality improvement projects, formulary review, and

participate in the creation and modification of policies and

procedures.

Residency training is a distinctive experience for

pharmacists and I am definitely growing professionally.

This invaluable time that is solely dedicated to my learning

has helped facilitate my transition from student to

practitioner. There is a great deal of autonomy expected as

a resident at my institution, which enables me to further

hone my clinical knowledge and critical thinking abilities

through the variety of

exposures to different

disease states and

clinical situations

while refining my

leadership and

administrative skills.

Though it is very

demanding, this

experience has truly

been rewarding as I

have the opportunity

to make a direct impact on the care and outcomes of the

patients I serve on a daily basis. Pharmacists are an

integral part of the healthcare team as we play a significant

role in patient outcomes and safety. I have also been able

to develop my confidence as a practitioner through

collaboration with the different members of the team. With

the changes in our health care system, a pharmacist’s role

is expanding.

When contemplating your career path, I urge you to be

open–minded in rotations, think about your interests

Visualize where you see yourself. If there is a desire to work

in a hospital, academia, or specialize, consider investing

an additional year or two in your training. I know this

experience has offered me a great foundation that will

equip me to be a successful clinical pharmacist.

(The Daily Dose Residency continued from page 7)

The Daily Dose is a recurring section in

the PharmDigest featuring a pharmacy

student’s life while in school and

highlighting one of their experiences.

Want to be featured?

Contact us:

[email protected]

or

[email protected]

pcom school of pharmacy march 15, 2017 pharmdigest · pdf filepharmacy student, angie amado...

Documents