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College Connections
An electronic newsletter from the College of Pharmacy
July 11, 2024
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Dear Alumni, Colleagues and Friends,
We are in full summer mode at the College of Pharmacy, but that does not mean things have slowed down. Our students are busy completing their IPPEs and APPEs, the incoming class of 2028 is preparing to join us on campus next month, and the most recent graduates are taking their NAPLEX and MPJEs as they prepare to begin their pharmacy careers.
In this publication, you will see our faculty have been hard at work as well. Three of our current faculty members have been promoted, and we are continuing our search for faculty in central Nebraska to ensure the success of our UNMC Kearney expansion.
Our college's continued success was recently highlighted in the US News & World Report. The UNMC College of Pharmacy is now ranked 19th out of 141 accredited schools of pharmacy, an improvement from our 28th ranking in 2018. While we all agree that rankings have no scientific basis, they do reflect the high regard our peer institutions have for us. Our ranking is a testament to our exceptional graduates, sustained excellence on the NAPLEX, our research productivity, and our many outreach initiatives.
As we prepare for the 2024-2025 academic year, I am excited to see what great achievements we will accomplish together.
My Best,
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2024 Spring Honors Convocation and Commencement | |
The Holland Performing Arts Center was the venue for the 2024 Scholastic Honors Convocation on May 3rd. Fifty–seven students were vested with their doctoral hoods and took the Pharmacist’s Oath. Spring Commencement was held at the Baxter Arena on Saturday, May 4th. | |
2024 Doctor of Pharmacy Degree Recipients | |
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Savona Bateman, Omaha
Hanna Bauer, Ravenna
Hannah Belt, Wayne
Distinction
Jeremy Butsyak, Omaha
Ashley Carron, Saint Louis, MO
Distinction
Vanessa Dinogan, Bellevue
Joshua Dlouhy, Western
Allison Donnelly, York
Distinction
Abigail Drobny, Fort Calhoun
Distinction
Jackson Dubas, Omaha
Christine Glinn, Osceola
Jared Glinn, Aurora
Hannah Hansen, Tekamah
Karen Hoff, Norfolk
Brady Holtmeier, Kearney
Distinction
Samantha Horne, Exeter*
Jared Hunke, Holdrege
High Distinction
Noah Jensen, Scotia
High Distinction
Andrew Jindra, Omaha
Austin Johnson, Lincoln
High Distinction
Noah Kasbohm, Nebraska City
High Distinction
Brianna Kelly, South Sioux City
Zachery Kenyon, Omaha
Kami Kucera, Lincoln
Jordan Kuck, Ord
High Distinction
Cody Lammers, Fordyce
Skyler Maclean, Aspen, CO
Brooke Taylor Maeda, Honolulu, HI
Brianna Martinie Anderson, Omaha
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Megan McKay, Lincoln
Distinction
Allison McKeone, Fremont
Ashley Meacham, Omaha
Distinction
Joshua Meyer, Hastings
Emma Novak, Blair
Distinction
Samuel Novicki, Columbus
Luan Phan, Lincoln
Marco Pinto, Lincoln
Anna Rehberg, Omaha
Distinction
Kalynn Richardson, Colorado Springs, CO
Zackery Rodriguez, St. Thomas, ON, Canada
Distinction
Adam Roskam, Canton, SD
Highest Distinction
Morgan Schenck, Blair
High Distinction
Daniel Schiffmann, Omaha
Chad Schulz, Quincy, IL
High Distinction
Miranda Sheehan, Louisville
Madalynne Stubbendick, Syracuse
Kaitlyn Stukenholtz, Gretna
Madison Suckstorf, Norfolk
Distinction
Cora Svoboda, Ord
High Distinction
Lindsey Tjards, Omaha
Distinction
Anh Tran, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam*
Huong Trinh, Bac Giang, Vietnam
Holly Vandenhul, Lincoln
Distinction
Makinzie Vandewege, Lincoln
Anna Vu, Papillion
Raeanne Whitcomb, Bellevue
Grant White, Neligh
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*Students earning a dual PharmD and MBA degree | |
Spring Honors Convocation Awards | |
The College of Pharmacy Class of 2024, represented by class president Skyler Maclean, presented awards for Preceptor, Faculty Preceptor, and Site of the Year. Alumni president, Greg Schardt, presented the 2024 Alumni Early Career Achievement Award, and incoming alumni president, Jolyn Merry presented the 2024 Distinguished Alumnus Award. | |
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Preceptor of the Year
Dr. Austin Padilla, who precepts students in advanced heart failure and cardiothoracic transplant at Nebraska Medicine, was praised for always putting the learner first during his rotation.
Additionally, students commented on his ability to both challenge them and create an environment conducive to learning. Another student commented “He is the embodiment of what a pharmacist should strive to be”.
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Faculty Preceptor of the Year
Dr. Ally DeringAnderson (‘86) was presented with this year’s faculty preceptor award. Dr. Ally, as she is affectionately called by the students, provides a unique rotation experience including academia, consulting, and legislation.
Amongst her praise, class president Skyler Maclean said “She is the cornerstone of the College of Pharmacy, and we appreciate her more than she knows.”
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Rotation Site of the Year
The Nebraska Medicine Infectious Diseases team were acknowledged for providing students with an opportunity to play a significant role in delivering patient care and making them feel like a valuable asset to the team. Preceptors at this site were praised as knowledgeable and passionate about pharmacy.
Drs. Scott Bergman, Molly Miller (’19), and Jenna Preusker (’13) accepted the award for the site.
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Dr. Christopher Zaleski (‘17) was awarded the Early Career Achievement Award. Dr. Zaleski began his career as a pharmacist at the Nebraska Medicine Retail & Specialty Pharmacy and is currently the HUB pharmacy manager.
Dr. Zaleski’s approach to pharmacy is that of someone who truly cares about the patient outcome. His leadership and workflow improvements directly benefit the patient and contributes to the prevention of potentially dangerous errors.
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Mr. Jacob Dering (‘60) was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Mr. Dering founded an independent pharmacy in Crete, Nebraska where he fostered a sense of community trust.
Throughout his career, Mr. Dering remained a steadfast ambassador for UNMC and the pharmacy profession. His exemplary character, unwavering integrity, and tireless dedication creates an enduring legacy that continues to inspire future generations of pharmacists.
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Academy of Student
Pharmacists Award
Morgan Schenck
Barbara Osborne Manchester Award
Cora Svoboda
Bradley G. Wulf Memorial Award
Skyler Maclean
Clinical Services Award
Skyler Maclean
Cunningham Memorial Award in Pharmacodynamics
Anh Tran
Edward B. (Ted) Roche, PhD “Soul of the College of
Pharmacy” Scholar Award
Karen Hoff
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Excellence in Advanced Practice Experience Recognition
Morgan Schenck
Joseph B. Burt Memorial Award
Cora Svoboda
Kappa Psi Grand Council
Scholarship Key Award
Adam Roskam
Patient Care Champion Award
Savona Bateman
Phi Lambda Sigma Award
Karen Hoff
Phyllis Rhodes Award
Jordan Kuck
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Rho Chi Achievement Award
Chad Schulz
Stephen A. Scholtz Memorial Award
Daniel Schiffmann
US Public Health Service
Excellence in Public Health
Pharmacy Practice Award
Austin Johnson
Varro & Virginia Tyler Award
Adam Roskam
Viatris Excellence in
Pharmacy Award
Noah Jensen
Wolters Kluwer Award of
Excellence
Zackery Rodriguez
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On May 21, the College of Pharmacy hosted its second annual Research Day in the Truhlsen Event Center located on the Omaha campus. Chancellor Gold and Dean Olsen provided welcoming remarks to kick off the event.
The day featured presentations by college faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and Nebraska Medicine residents. Leigh Ann Ross, PharmD, BCPS, FASHP, FCCP, FAPhA, FNAP, Dean and Professor, Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy, served as the event's keynote speaker with a presentation titled "Bridging Horizons: Leadership to Empower Excellence in Translational Research".
A poster session was held in the afternoon and the event was closed with an awards ceremony.
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Best Professional Program Poster Presentation
Theo Blum
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Best Resident Podium Presentation
Katherine Kessel
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Best Graduate Student Podium Presentation Kasturi Siddhanta | |
Best Graduate Student Poster Presentation Katie Muilenburg | |
College Hosts AAPT Annual Convention
The UNMC College of Pharmacy played host for the annual American Association of Pharmacy Technicians (AAPT) convention. Director of Pharmacy Technician Education, Judy Neville, serves on AAPT leadership, and facilitated the convention.
Over 100 pharmacy technicians attended the two-day event held June 7-8 and had opportunities to earn CE credits as well as network amongst peers. Experts presented on topics such as patient assistance programs, precision medicine, drug diversion, vaping & smoking cessation and more. Dr. Chris Zaleski, HUB pharmacy manager, provided convention attendees a tour of Nebraska Medicine’s ‘The Hub’ pharmacy.
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New Addition to the Staff Team
Chase Searcy joined the College of Pharmacy as a Grants Finance Associate on April 8.
Chase, originally from Lincoln, attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and participated on the swim team. In his free time, he likes to golf, play tennis, and hang out with family and friends.
Welcome to the College Chase!
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Student Earns ACS MEDI Fellowship Award
Louise Dow, a 5th year PhD candidate and member of Dr. Paul Trippier's lab, was awarded a one-year American Chemical Society (ACS), Medicinal Chemistry (MEDI) Division predoctoral fellowship. The award aims to promote the development of promising young scientists engaged in predoctoral training programs in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery at US institutions. Through the predoctoral fellowship program the MEDI Division supports the training and development of scientists to continue the discovery and development of novel therapeutic agents.
Louise's submitted project was entitled, "Identification of 17β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 10 Modulators as A New Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease." Alzheimer's disease is one of the most prevalent neurological disorders worldwide, and due to the multiple hallmarks contributing to disease development and progression, it is likely a multifaceted approach will be required to develop therapeutics. Thus, the identification of next-generation drugs remains imperative. Her project focuses on the mitochondrial enzyme 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 10 which was identified to bind amyloid beta and potentiate its toxicity. The aim of this work is to identify new and improved compounds possessing the ability to modulate this enzyme and translate into a cytoprotective effect by preventing the production of reactive oxygen species, DNA fragmentation, and cell death.
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APhA Students participate in Teddy Bear Weekend | |
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Several members of the UNMC APhA-ASP chapter participated in the annual Teddy Bear Weekend at the Henry Doorly Zoo on April 6th and 7th.
The event saw students providing hundreds of stuffed animals with comprehensive health check-ups, which included checking their heartbeats, conducting ear and eye exams, and administering vaccinations. Students also engaged with visitors by sharing important drug safety activities and information.
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Class of 2025 Pinning Ceremony
The Class of 2025 was welcomed to their P4 rotation year during the annual College of Pharmacy Pinning Ceremony on Thursday, May 2.
45 students enjoyed desserts, provided by the Alumni Association and words of rotation wisdom from P4s Kalynn Richardson and Zackery Roriguez. Dr. Carrie McAdam- Marx led students in reciting the Oath of the Pharmacist and instructed the students to place their pins on their white coat lapels.
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David Oupicky inducted into the CRS College of Fellows
David Oupicky, PhD, has been inducted into the Controlled Release Society (CRS) College of Fellows.
The elevation to 'Fellow' is a prestigious recognition of an exceptional individual in the field of controlled release, who has made outstanding and sustained contributions to the field of delivery science and technology.
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Kim Scarsi appointed to dual role in UNMC Faculty Senate
On June 4th, Kim Scarsi, PharmD, was installed as the 2024-2025 UNMC Faculty Senate secretary/treasurer.
The UNMC Faculty Senate is a group of faculty elected from each major academic unit with responsibilities defined by the Bylaws of the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. The Senate serves as the governing body empowered to represent the UNMC faculty.
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Dr. Ronning receives Faculty Award
Don Ronning, PhD, was honored with the UNMC Faculty Senate's Outstanding Faculty Mentor of Graduate Students Award at the April 16 annual meeting.
When asked what he feels is the greatest rewards of mentoring graduate students, Dr. Ronning responded "Observing the students in that “eureka moment” when they discover something new or see a result that no one has previously seen".
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Faculty Promotions
The College of Pharmacy is pleased to announce the promotions of three faculty members.
Ally DeringAnderson, PharmD- Professor
Paul Trippier, PhD- Professor
Megan Keck, PharmD- Associate Professor
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College of Pharmacy Spotlight | |
Highlighting college alumni, students, and/or faculty members! | | |
Today, we highlight Dr. Kristal Dowse, a Class of 2004 alumnus and current preceptor. | |
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Kristal Dowse, PharmD
Class of 2004
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Please describe your path to becoming a preceptor for the College of Pharmacy.
My pharmacy path started as an RHOP student at Chadron State College. During pharmacy school I worked in the Inpatient Pharmacy at UNMC. What an amazing experience that was!
After pharmacy school my first position was a pharmacist at a Critical Access Hospital - Providence Medical Center in Wayne, NE. I had many pre-pharmacy students from Wayne State College come through for shadowing hours! I knew early on that precepting pharmacy students would be one of the best parts of my job.
In 2005, I took a staff pharmacist position at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, NE. Still more opportunities presented to precept students here. In 2018, I moved into the Clinical Coordinator position and officially became the UNMC preceptor for our site.
How many years have you served as a preceptor for UNMC?
I have served as an official preceptor for UNMC since 2018.
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Please describe your practice site, including the location. What special things do the students get to learn from you?
I work at CHI Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, NE. We have a unique site setting because we are the only level 2 trauma center between Lincoln and Denver. We also have our own Life Flight services. We have a very large service area – north up to the Nebraska / South Dakota border and down into Northern Kansas, west to North Platte and beyond – a service area that is the size of the state of Indiana. We have a robust orthopedics service line, cardiothoracic surgeon, neurosurgeons, cardiology, we see all kinds of patients from NICU to geriatric, from critically ill to routine surgicals.
Our pharmacy is open 24/7. Our students get opportunities to see our pharmacists working satellite on our critical care unit. They complete patient profile reviews and attend multidisciplinary rounds every day. We have an outpatient cancer center / infusion center. Students get an excellent opportunity to see our process on chemotherapy compounding and safety checks. We have new clean rooms that are compliant with USP 797. Our students see all that goes into the monitoring, documentation, competencies and cleaning processes of a pharmacy clean room.
We have been building our patient discharge education services. Students have the opportunity to jump in and provide education to our patients. Our pharmacy team is engaged and always excited to have our pharmacy students learn from them. Our pharmacy students feel like a part of the team while they are here!
What is the most rewarding part of being a preceptor for the College of Pharmacy?
It’s very rewarding to have pharmacy students on site and to show them how fun hospital pharmacy can be! A day in hospital pharmacy is never the same! Our pharmacy students learn a lot from us…but in exchange, we learn from them as well!
If you could give one message to our current students, what would you say?
There are so many facets to a career in pharmacy. Let me show you hospital pharmacy, you might just love it!
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Recent Faculty Publications | |
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Drug and nucleic acid delivery and targeting to the brain
Chitkara D., Mahato R.I.
J. Control. Release 2024 369: (684-686)
Engineering a nanoantibiotic system displaying dual mechanism of action
Xing H., de Campos L.J., Pereira A.J., Fiora M.M., Aguiar-Alves F., Tagliazucchi M., Conda-Sheridan M.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024 121:16 (e2321498121)
Imidazole Bioisostere Activators of Endopeptidase Neurolysin with Enhanced Potency and Metabolic Stability
Rahman M.S., Hadi Esfahani S., Zhang Y., Queen A., Aljarrah M., Kandil H., Baez A., Abbruscato T.J., Karamyan V.T., Trippier P.C.
[In Process] ACS Med. Chem. Lett. 2024 15:4 (510-517)
Thermoresponsive Polymeric Hydromorphone Prodrug Provides Sustained Local Analgesia without Apparent Adverse Effects
Jia Z., Wei X., Chen N., Xu X., Zhao G., Fu X., Wang H., Goldring M.B., Goldring S.R., Wang D.
Mol. Pharm. 2024 21:4 (1838-1847)
In Situ Formation of Fibronectin-Enriched Protein Corona on Epigenetic Nanocarrier for Enhanced Synthetic Lethal Therapy
Luo Z., Wan Z., Ren P., Zhang B., Huang Y., West R.E., Huang H., Chen Y., Nolin T.D., Xie W., Wang J., Li S., Sun J.
[Article in Press] Adv Sci (Weinh) 2024 : (e2307940)
A Randomized Trial of Double Verses Single-Dose Etonogestrel Implant to Overcome the Interaction with Efavirenz-Based Antiretroviral Therapy
Chappell C.A., Lamorde M., Nakalema S., Kyohairwe I., Byakika-Kibwika P., Meyn L.A., Pham M.M., Scarsi K.K.
[Article in Press] Am J Obstet Gynecol 2024 :
Investigation of the activity of a novel tropolone in osteosarcoma
Haney S.L., Feng D., Kollala S.S., Chhonker Y.S., Varney M.L., Williams J.T., Ford J.B., Murry D.J., Holstein S.A.
Drug Dev. Res. 2024 85:1
Pharmacy-based CLIA-waived testing in the United States: Trends, impact, and the road ahead
Zalupski B., Elroumi Z., Klepser D.G., Klepser N.S., Adams A.J., Klepser M.E.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2024 20:6 (146-151)
Development of Inhalable Polymeric Nanoemulsions for Delivery of Gene Silencing Therapeutics in Lung Tumors
Siddhanta K., Ding L., Oupicky D.
Mol. Ther. 2024 32:4 (227-228)
Xanomeline-Trospium in schizophrenia: A detailed review and comparison with the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review’s analysis
Nathan Sutera, PharmD, BCPP
Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy Volume 30, Number 6
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Interested in becoming a Preceptor? Contact the OEP office for more information! | | | | |
