Newsletter: December 6, 2019
November Recap
From the Dean's Desk
Hello UCSOP Community!

November has been a very eventful time for the School of Pharmacy. Not only did we observe Thanksgiving break, but we celebrated this time with numerous activities and prayers.
 
I am so proud and honored to inform you about the new agreement signed between University of Charleston School of Pharmacy and West Virginia State University. Under this agreement, students who earned a minimum of 90 credits at WVSU and meet the criteria for admission to the UC School of Pharmacy will be able to transfer the student’s grade transcript back to WVSU for the express purpose of documenting student completion of any and all degree requirements set by WVSU in the student’s chosen field of study. These students will receive a bachelor’s degree in either biology or chemistry from WVSU.

This “3 + 4 Charleston Dual Degree Program in Pharmacy” is a pre-pharmacy program that will give the students the opportunity to complete their degree in two phases: Phase I consists of three years of undergraduate education at WVSU, and Phase II consists of four years of pharmacy education at the UC School of Pharmacy. Both WVSU and UCSOP are excited about this new opportunity for our students.

I would like to thank Dr. Tim DeRose of Walgreens who presented the UCSOP with a donation of $12,000 to fund scholarships for our student pharmacists! The Walgreens Diversity Inclusion Excellence Award and the Walgreens Multilingual Scholarship focus on students with an interest in community pharmacy. 

Let me finish by the following quote by John F. Kennedy:

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them” 

Likewise, I cannot express my appreciation enough in words to the faculty, staff, students, friends, and all stakeholders of UCSOP for all that you do to help us accomplish our mission and goals. We will live by those and continue to become better every day. Have a wonderful and highly deserved Christmas and New Year’s break ahead!

All the best, 

Md Omar Faruk Khan , BPharm, MPharm, MBA, PhD
Interim Dean
Walgreens Donates Scholarship Funds
On November 26, Tim DeRose of Walgreens presented the UCSOP with a donation of $12,000 to fund scholarships for our student pharmacists! The Walgreens Diversity Inclusion Excellence Award and the Walgreens Multilingual Scholarship focus on students with an interest in community pharmacy. Thank you Walgreens for investing in our school and the future of pharmacy!
New Partnership with WV State University
The UCSOP has partnered with West Virginia State University to offer a seven-year, dual degree Doctor of Pharmacy program. Pre-pharmacy students at WVSU will complete three years (90 credit hours) of undergraduate coursework and then matriculate into the UCSOP. After their first year at the UCSOP, those students will receive their bachelor's degree in either chemistry or biology from WVSU.
Articulation agreement signing took place at the UC Innovation Center on November 8.
Read more about the agreement here.
Alumni Save the Date
The University of Charleston School of Pharmacy invites all alumni to attend the 2020 Alumni Reception on June 26 and June 27.

June 26, 4:30-7:30 P.M. 
Recovery Sports Grill
600 Virginia Street East 
Charleston, WV 25301 

After the reception, alumni have the option to take a short walk to Haddad Riverfront Park to enjoy live music as part of Charleston’s Live on the Levee series. 

June 27, 2-5 P.M
Wine & Jazz Festival 
Reception in the School of Pharmacy building 
Class photos will be taken. Five and ten-year reunion lapel pins will be provided to members of the Class of 2015 and 2010.
ExRx Open House
On November 9, the UCSOP welcomed prospective high school and undergraduate students and their families to experience pharmacy school and the profession. Students spent time learning about career opportunities in pharmacy and then participated in the following activities: 

  • Compounding Lab conducted by Mr. Ron Ramirez
  • Pharmacogenomics Lab conducted by Dr. Aymen Shatnawi
  • IV and Simulation Lab conducted by Mrs. Jane Condee

The SOP will hold another ExRx Open House on February 22 and the ExRx Bootcamp, four-day camp, in Summer 2020.
Walgreens- November 5 Convocation
Walgreens Pharmacy was our guest for Convocation on November 5. The topic covered was "Adherence and Proportion of Days Covered." Following the presentation, Walgreens provided lunch at the Leadership Luncheon where students asked follow up questions concerning the presentation and our guests, Dr. Timothy DeRose and Dr. Sabrina Ray, provided personal testimonies about community pharmacy in a rural setting.
APhA Diabetes Certificate Program

"The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) developed  The Pharmacist and Patient-Centered Diabetes Care  Certificate Training Program, an educational experience designed to equip pharmacists with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to provide effective, evidence-based diabetes care. The program provides comprehensive instruction in current diabetes concepts and standards of care and incorporates case studies and hands-on skills training focused on the situations most likely to be encountered—as well as the services most needed—in community and ambulatory care practice settings. Participants will gain experience evaluating and adjusting drug therapy regimens for patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, counseling patients about lifestyle interventions, analyzing and interpreting self-monitoring of blood glucose results, and assessing the overall health status of patients to identify needed monitoring and interventions."

Click photo to view larger.
UCSOP Partners with Health Department
On November 20, the UCSOP partnered with the Kanawha County Health Department to conduct a health fair at Christ's Kitchen in St. Albans. This health fair provided HIV testing and Naloxone training. Dr. Lindsay Acree, Clara Kima (P4), and Jasleen Kaur (P4) represented the SOP and conducted the Naloxone demonstrations.
Polsinelli Awarded INBRE Grant
The University of Charleston School of Pharmacy (UCSOP) has received a $30,000 grant from the West Virginia IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence. (WV-INBRE) This funding will be used to study the enzymology and regulation of the histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) to assist in the development of chemotherapy for aggressive forms of cancer including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Student researchers at the University of Charleston will participate in drug design and finding HDAC3 inhibitors.
Gregory Polsinelli, assistant professor, will be the principal investigator of this project alongside student researchers and collaborator Faruk Khan, interim dean of UCSOP. Marshall University will also provide assistance.
“I am very grateful for the grant award provided by WV-INBRE. The funding will allow my lab to train approximately three students in the fields of enzymology and cancer epigenetics, Polsinelli said. “Undergraduate and pharmacy students will have the opportunity to complete research in my laboratory this Spring and Summer.”
Power to End Stroke Dinner & Health Fair  
SNPhA students prepared a heart healthy meal and performed blood pressure screenings for residents of the Ronald McDonald House on November 7.
Bowyer Guest on Rural Health
 Radio Podcast
Dave Boywer is the guest on this week's episode of Rural Health Radio. Rural Health radio was incepted ten years ago to serve as a place of research and learning. Health care leaders are able to share ideas and challenges on this forum. The podcast's focus this week was on pharmacy in rural areas.

“You have to be willing to take chances and be willing to stand up for what you believe in…” - David Bowyer

Follow the link below to listen in!
174: A Conversation with David Bowyer

This week on Rural Health Leadership Radio, we're talking about pharmacy in rural areas. We're having that conversation with David Bowyer, Department Chair and Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Charleston, School of...

Read more
rhlradio.com
Carly Stover
Communications Coordinator
Assistant to the Dean
Phone: (304) 357-4728
Fax: (304) 357-4868
Email: carlystover@ucwv.edu