The ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists) Midyear Clinical Meeting is an opportunity for pharmacy professionals from around the world to network, learn and discuss. One student described the event as a “madhouse” of health care professionals looking to get noticed among the thousands of potential employers who set up booths there. In December 2019, ASHP held their Midyear Clinical Meeting in Las Vegas, where over 25,000 pharmacy professionals gathered at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. WSU student pharmacists took part in the poster presentations in record numbers, with 36 students representing WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. ASHP Poster Presentations are informal discussions among meeting attendees where health care professionals can discuss ideas that have been successful in other health care systems. Presenting is a voluntary effort and students are required to submit their proposals for acceptance. Below are a few summaries of WSU student pharmacist’s presentations at the event.
Cody James Damman, class of 2020
Using educational-based videos to increase access to health-related information
My poster presentation was about a project I’ve been working on called the Carbidopa Sofa. The Carbidopa Sofa is a YouTube-based education platform that is aimed towards providing easier access to higher level health sciences information while being geared towards the general public. With the help of two other students, Linh Nguyen and Brandon Lujan, we have created a series of six videos discussing the stigma of drugs, scientific terminology, as well as the pathophysiology and therapeutics behind Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Disease. In the pathophysiology videos we explore the brain and what specifically goes wrong that leads to the conditions, and what systems as a whole are affected. Specifically, with Alzheimer’s we’ll be exploring a few of the many currently proposed hypotheses on what causes it. In the therapeutics videos we discuss some of the more common modes of treatment, what medications may be used, and some key details about those medications. In the future, I hope to grow the scope of the Carbidopa Sofa to include such topics as specific drug highlight videos, microbiology, rare and unique diseases, and the history of the relationship between humans and medicine.
Katherine Dier, class of 2021
Impact of education on perception of naloxone and the opioid epidemic
I presented research I had been working on with Angela Nguyen and Dr. Nicole Perea through APhA-ASP’s Generation Rx. Our committee was interested in increasing awareness for naloxone, a drug that works to reverse opioid overdoses by kicking the opioid off its receptor and nullifying its effects. Opioid overdoses can be fatal, so knowing what this drug is, how to get it, and how to use it are important.
We wanted to create an educational, interactive presentation for students in health care and local organizations that encounter at-risk populations for opioid overdose. Therefore, we adapted a PowerPoint from Dr. Perea, created some case studies and Kahoot questions and brought naloxone demonstration kits to each presentation. As part of the research, we had over 100 audience members take pre- and post- surveys with questions such as what were their perceptions of opioids, naloxone, and their ability to use naloxone, as well as a place for comments. We found that our presentation made a statistically significant positive impact and that we achieved our goal, showing that pharmacy driven education can have a positive impact in this area.
Connor James Capdeville, class of 2021 and Adriel Supnet, class of 2021
Exploring the relationship between extracurricular leadership and stress in student pharmacists
To set themselves apart from the field of applicants for residencies and staff positions, student pharmacists partake in extracurricular involvement in student organizations. We sought to analyze whether there was a cost associated with this involvement with respect to student performance in their coursework and their general well-being. A survey was developed based on the Perceived Stress Survey tailored to the course requirements for WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences that was sent to students appointed or elected to organizational leadership. Though we expected to see a positive relationship between degree of involvement and stress, no such correlation was discovered. A significant number of respondents said both that involvement in organizations was necessary to receive a residency, and that they were planning to apply to a post-graduate training position. This data led us to surmise that those students who seek out these leadership positions and responsibilities are those who are willing to put in the extra work required of them during a residency. People tend to bite off what they can chew.