William (Bill) Gaskins is a 1969 College of Pharmacy graduate, clinical pharmacy instructor, Washington State University (WSU) Athletics Hall of Fame inductee and was director of pharmacy at Pullman Regional Hospital for 43 years. This fall he will also be the first-ever recipient of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences R. Keith Campbell Lifetime Achievement Award.
A note from Linda Garrelts MacLean
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
It is a distinct privilege to write my first column as the interim dean of the Washington State University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. And, more importantly, it’s an honor to lead our college, which is represented by incredibly dedicated faculty and staff; highly engaged and invested alumni and friends; and, of course, our student pharmacists and Ph.D. students, who continue to amaze me every day with their professionalism and leadership.
No one can deny that these are particularly challenging times in health care and pharmacy is no different. But when challenges arise, the need for innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship, becomes even greater. Those are three tenets of the WSU CPPS experience, which I believe help set our program apart. We are not about the status quo and never have been. Status quo = standing still. We are a program on the move. A good example of this is our bold advocacy for provider status. And our movement from a program ranked in the top 50 colleges of pharmacy, to the top 20–due to robust growth in our research portfolio while continuing to provide an exceptional PharmD program. In addition, we have implemented programs to treat patients for minor ailments and conditions, and we have data to prove that it works as access to care is increased, patient health outcomes are achieved and costs are decreased.
The status quo is not what fierce leadership is about and it’s not what pharmacy practice needs right now. We need to create openings for innovative, accessible care and create opportunities for pharmacists to treat patients in new and advanced ways. That takes leadership and an entrepreneurial mindset. We know that pharmacists are the most accessible health care providers who are uniquely positioned to bridge the health care shortage, particularly in rural communities all over this country.
As a former board member for the American Pharmacists Association, I have seen first-hand how our national organizations are continuing the momentum to achieve provider status. That’s a start, but there’s much more work to be done and many more opportunities that lay ahead in this great profession. At our college’s recent white coat ceremonies in Spokane and Yakima, I reiterated one of my all-time favorite quotes from former WSU College of Pharmacy Dean Allen I. White. Although he made this statement nearly 40 years ago, it’s never been more relevant. In 1978, Dean White quoted the poet Berton Brayley, writing that for pharmacists, “the best jobs haven’t been started, the best work hasn’t been done.”
We’re on this journey together and I look forward to working with each of you during the coming months.
With much respect,
Linda Garrelts MacLean, interim dean
WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
P.S. I hope you like the new design of CougaRx News, which is meant to be more easy to read and scroll through. I would love to have your feedback on this new format so please reach out to me with any comments!
Student Spotlight
Johanna Pantig, a fourth-year pharmacy student at WSU Health Sciences in Spokane, has been named Washington State University Student Regent for the 2019-20 academic year.
At age 26, Pantig’s resume is already filled with leadership positions, honors, and volunteer experiences.
She served as president and vice president of the Associated Students of WSU Health Sciences and chair of the WSU Student Government Council. She received the Chancellor’s Excellence Award last spring, and the student of the year award for third-year students in the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. She’s a … » More …
Spotlight on Success
Research news
Pharmaceutical scientist Zhenjia Wang has developed a new technology that harnesses the immune system to deliver drugs directly to infection sites within the body. He was recently awarded a $1.3 million NIH grant to advance his research.
Pharm.D. News
“You need to remember you are not going on this journey by yourself, so I’m going to ask you to rely on yourself, each other and your networks.”
This is the advice that Interim Dean Linda Garrelts MacLean gave incoming student pharmacists at white coat ceremonies over the course of two days from August 15-16.
Pharm.D. News
This year at the Phi Delta Chi Professional Pharmacy Fraternity’s 72 Grand Council in Anaheim, California, Washington State University’s Gamma Psi chapter was once again recognized as a top performing chapter and several members were elected and appointed to national and regional offices.
Alumni Updates
WA State Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission Executive Director, and WSU College of Pharmacy alum, Steve Saxe, class of 1977, gave his thank you and farewell speech at his last commission meeting before retiring. We wish him a happy retirement and are proud of the many avenues he positively impacted our profession over his career.
Recently Don and Marge Cox celebrated 75 years of marriage with a cruise to Alaska. Don is 98 years old and graduated from the WSU college of Pharmacy in 1947. Here Don is pictured with his great granddaughter, Aubrey, daughter of Craig Cox (also a College of Pharmacy grad, class of 1999).
Craig Cox, class of 1999, was recently promoted to full Professor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy where he has been teaching for the past 20 years. Craig serves on the Board of Directors for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and has spent the past several years creating a collection of innovative movie training series aimed at teaching health professionals the art of teaching. View movie trailers at www.mini-series.org. Craig’s grandfather, Don, father, David and brother, Matt are also WSU Pharmacy grads (classes of 1947, 1971 and 2005, respectively). Craig currently resides in Lubbock, Texas with his wife Shalyn (also a pharmacist) and children Aubrey (5 yrs) and Cayson (18 months).
Speaking of generations of WSU pharmacists, congratulations to entire Doane family on the admission of Andrew Doane to the Yakima pharmacy class of 2023. Andrew will represent the third generation of Doane family pharmacists, after his grandparents Ronald ’50 and Carol Doane; his father Dave ’86 and uncles Rick ’71 and Ken ’75. Pictured are (l to r): Dave, Andrew and Rick Doane.
We are sad to report the death of Kenneth Ramon Petersen, class of 1996. Our deepest condolences to his family. Read full obituary
Want to be listed in our alumni updates? Send us your career information or let us know what you’ve been up to at gocougs@pharmacy.wsu.edu!
Faculty Scholarship
Publications
Pharmacotherapy Clinical Assistant Professor Cheyenne Newsome and five co-authors published, “A cross-sectional survey evaluating transgender-related care education in United States pharmacy school curricula,” in Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning in August 2019. Read article
J. Roberts and Marcia Fosberg Distinguished Professor Danial Baker published, “Drug evaluation – midazolam nasal spray (Nayzilam)” in Wolters Kluwer Health’s The Formulary Monograph Service (FMS) in August 2019. Wolters Kluwer Health is a drug and health information publisher, the FMS is a resource used in the formulary decision making process for hospitals and managed care systems on recently released and investigational drugs.
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Other News
Breaking News!
Washington State was one of 27 states selected by the Community Pharmacy Foundation and Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Networks (CPESN) to participate in the new “Flip the Pharmacy” grant program. Holly Whitcomb Henry, (’78), Pharmacotherapy Clinical Associate Professor Julie Akers (’00), along with other CPPS faculty, employees of the Washington State Pharmacy Association, and a faculty member from the UW School of Pharmacy, will collaborate on a plan to help transform community pharmacies in Washington state from a product-driven business focused on a moment in time, to a service-driven business focused on a patient care plan over time.
See the CPF website for more information
Free clinic at Logan Elementary vaccinates dozens of children
Students from the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences joined the Spokane Regional Health District to offer free vaccines to students at Logan Elementary.
Read more from KXLY
Steve Gleason Institute for Neuroscience featured at symposium
Three inaugural fellows who will play a pivotal role in researching new treatments for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases were announced, including Pharmaceutical Sciences Assistant Professor Travis Denton.
Read more
CPPS looking for pharmacy alumni to participate in Pharm.D. applicant interviews
The College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences believes alumni and current student pharmacists are the best representatives of our college and program and want to give applicants opportunity to interact with both groups while on campus for interviews. We need your help to get this done. Please email us at pharmacy.admissions@wsu.edu to learn more or sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040a45aaa723a57-201720181
