Newsletter: October 2021 Update |
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UCSOP Halloween Dress-Up Day |
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Hello UCSOP Community!
As we move past the midpoint of the semester, I wanted to let you know about some of the good things that are happening here at UCSOP. Our faculty continue to be active in scholarship, teaching, and service. We recently received the largest grant award in the history of our school. Dr. Lindsay Acree was awarded an additional $6 million in funding to expand her work in combatting opioid overdoses here in West Virginia. In addition, Drs. Tamer Fandy and Suhila Sawesi presented a research poster on work in the Fandy laboratory on leukemia at the AAPS PharmSci 360 conference. Dr. Fandy also recently received another $100,000 in grant funding to support his research on cancer. Mrs. Condee and our students and staff recently held a “Boo to the Flu” shot clinic for the UCSOP campus helping keep the members of the UC community safe for the upcoming flu season.
We are proud of our students and alumni. The 2021 pass rates for the NAPLEX and MPJE reflect a double-digit increase from last year. Two of our UCSOP alumni, Dr. Brandon Coleman (2019) and Dr. Tristan Maynard (2021) presented their research posters at the ACCP Annual Meeting.
We continue to have great student applicants interviewing for next year’s entering P1 class and look forward to welcoming more students into the Class of 2026.
G. Scott Weston, PhD, BPharm, MBA, RPh
Dean
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Acree Receives $6 Million Grant |
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Due to her tremendous work, Dr. Lindsay Acree has been awarded an additional $6,000,000 from the WV State Opioid Response Grant, sub-grantee of WV DHHR Department of Behavioral Health.
The total grant award was increased from $1,950,000 to $7,950,000. This increased the total amount to be spent specifically on naloxone to the purchase of almost 95,000 naloxone kits (2 doses per kit) for the state of West Virginia. These kits will be provided to organizations that work in the area of prevention, corrections, those leaving jail, individuals in treatment programs (abstinence based or pharmacologic treatment), hospitals to be distributed to those at high risk, Quick Response Teams (QRT's), Health Departments, Harm Reduction Programs, etc. This is the largest grant awarded in the history of UCSOP program. Congratulations Dr. Acree!!
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From “La Isla del Encanto” to the
Mountain State
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By: Adrián Esteban Rodríguez-Negrón, Class of 2022
Over the past three years, the number of students from Puerto Rico (PR) matriculating to the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy (UCSOP) has been exponentially increasing. Some might be asking themselves: “Why would someone from an island in the Caribbean come all the way to the mountain state of West Virginia (WV) to study pharmacy?” Based on my experience, there are a thousand reasons why students from Puerto Rico might end up in WV. However, I wanted to focus on a few of the more relevant responses, incorporating my fellow Puerto Rican pharmacy students’ thoughts. I received a wide variety of answers, but before starting that discussion, let me give you a brief historical summary of PR and how pharmacy schools operate in the territory.
In 1493, the Spanish discovered Puerto Rico. In 1898, Spain ceded the island at the end of the Spanish-American War and Puerto Rico became a colony of United States of America. Since then, Puerto Rico has been a territory of the United States, which makes Puerto Ricans U.S. citizens. In this small Caribbean Island, there are only two pharmacy schools. One is a public school, linked to the government, while the other is private. Both schools accept around 40 to 60 students per year, and they receive hundreds of applications annually. After attending pharmacy school orientations in the island and learning about requirements and how competitive it is to get in, competitive students often feel discouraged and overwhelmed.
The narrow acceptance rate on the island is only one reason why Puerto Rican students chose to matriculate to the UCSOP. Many students from PR prefer UCSOP over the Puerto Rican schools due to the wide cultural diversity, better networking and experiential opportunities, and higher probabilities of getting accepted into the program, thanks to the flexibility provided by the admissions department to each individual student. Approximately 60% of students mentioned that their primary reasons of why they decided to join UCSOP was the outstanding service prior and during admission and how approachable and welcoming the faculty was during the entire process. Pricing was also one of the reasons mentioned. Many students said that UCSOP is less expensive when compared to other top private schools in the nation. The small class size was another attractive factor that drew Puerto Rican students to UCSOP. Small class size has offered a more personalized interaction between students, professors, and faculty advisors. Some students also mentioned that they wanted a new experience out of the island to improve their English. Others felt that by coming to the U.S., they would have more opportunities such as different residency options and a wide variety of pharmacy fields that are not available or as common in PR. Other reasons mentioned by the students included the opportunity to obtain different certifications offered by the program or simply because of the great feedback received from other students from the island that were already studying at UCSOP. It is interesting how the number of Puerto Rican students has grown in our school over the years.
When I started my first year at UCSOP, we were only two students from Puerto Rico. The number of students per class went from three, to nine, and this year we have twelve students from the island. I believe that UCSOP has been fascinated by our hard work, charisma, and academic performance since we first matriculated in 2018, leading them to increase their recruitment effort on the island. I am thrilled that I have had the opportunity to inspire and help students through their admission process and pharmacy journey. I hope that in the future competent students from the island continue to apply to the UCSOP to represent our school of pharmacy, while acquiring all the necessary skills they need to be outstanding health care providers in the future.
Special thanks to Ashley Lam from the Class of 2022 for all her editing recommendations and to all the Puerto Rican students for their contribution and giving their personal reasons for joining UCSOP.
Class of 2022
Class of 2023
- Alejandra Albino-Ramírez
- Richelys Matos-Buffit
- Stephany Vázquez-Ríos
Class of 2024
- Adriana Rodríguez-Rivas
- Jonathan Méndez
- Jonathan Robles-Díaz
- Natán Pérez-Sola
- Sindy Canales
- Stephanie González-Olivo
- Yairisis Rivera-Serrano
Class of 2025
- Alejandra Báez-González
- Carolina Ramos-López
- Christopher Quiñones
- Gabriela Pérez-Febles
- Laura González
- Natalia Rodríguez-Mercado
- Neisha García-Matos
- Paola Colón-Cruz
- Victor Rojas
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CPFI passed out toys and Drug Addiction Flyers at the St. Albans Trunk or Treat on October 19, 2021 to more than 700 kids and their families. Joining CPFI was also the UC Innovation Scholars (Circus theme) and CAMC Residents (Harry Potter theme) two who are UCSOP graduates Dr. Danielle Hoff and Dr. Taylor Schliesser.
CPFI held a pumpkin carving event on Friday, October 22.
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Dr. Julie Testman alongside Drs. Terry Cyfers, Jackie Hyrt, Judy Mahoney, Jennifer Pack,Stephanie Posey, David Ramsburg, and Mindy Smith have advanced to round two of the UC IC Innovation Competition with their project "Health Science Certifications and Continuing Education Programs." Congratulations Dr. Testman!
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UCSOP Hiring Chair for Department of Pharmacy Practice |
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Chair, Department of Pharmacy Practice - University of...
Chair, Department of Pharmacy Practice University of Charleston School of Pharmacy, Charleston Campus The University of Charleston School of Pharmacy seeks applicants for a Chair in the Department of Pharmacy Practice. UCSOP is designed to...
Read more
www.ucwv.edu
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Allen Published in Anthology |
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Ms. Betsy Allen was recently published in a paranormal romance anthology titled "Masks & Mayhem". Read more about the book by clicking the photo to the right. |
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Say hello to one of the newest members of our UCSOP family, Finley Bostic. He is the son of Sarah and Josh Bostic. (Class of 2016)
Are you an UCSOP alumni and have a new addition to your family? We'd love to send you a bib! Email Jamie at [email protected]
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Carly Stover
Communications Coordinator
Assistant to the Dean
Phone: (304) 357-4728
Fax: (304) 357-4868
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