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Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences News

WSU Health Sciences students help change state law

By Addy Hatch, WSU News

WSU nursing, pharmacy and medical students will have an easier time participating in community health fairs and vaccination clinics thanks to a bill signed by Gov. Jay Inslee earlier this month.

Student-government leaders from WSU Health Sciences helped develop the legislation, with Rep. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane, as the lead sponsor. It will take effect on July 28.

It amends state law to allow nursing, pharmacy and medical students to be supervised by preceptors from any of those professions while volunteering.

For example, students from all three colleges would be able to give immunizations at a community clinic under … » More …

WSU Health Sciences students learn team approach to opioid addiction

By Addy Hatch, WSU news

Any health care provider in Washington is likely to encounter patients who use opioids, either legally prescribed or illegally obtained.

Caring for those patients takes teamwork and communication – skills that now are being taught to students in the medicine, pharmacy and nursing programs at WSU Health Sciences.

The two-hour class was developed by faculty at WSU using funding from the Washington Department of Health. About 350 students from WSU and Eastern Washington University took the class in January and February.

Soon … » More …

College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences celebrates graduates’ success

On Thursday, May 2, the Washington State University (WSU) College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (CPPS) celebrated the accomplishments of five Ph.D. of pharmaceutical sciences, one master of pharmaceutical sciences and 146 Doctor of Pharmacy graduates at its 2019 Commencement Ceremony. Family, faculty and friends gathered at the Fox Theater in downtown Spokane to honor the new alumni of the college. Among those new alumni are the inaugural Yakima class.

WSU and the Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (PNWU) joined forces to offer the WSU Doctor of Pharmacy degree program in Yakima beginning in August 2015. This collaboration has allowed WSU student pharmacists and … » More …

WSU representatives participate in planning forum of National Community Pharmacists Association

Spokane, Wash.— Recently College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Vice Dean for External Relations Linda Garrelts MacLean and student pharmacist Megan Baker participated in the National Community Pharmacists Association’s Steering Committee Forum. The annual two-day event in Alexandria, Va. is dedicated to wide-ranging, in-depth discussions of the role independent community pharmacies play in health care and how to best position them for the future. They were among 80 pharmacy professionals and student pharmacists who worked with NCPA staff to develop new initiatives that support independent community pharmacies and their patients for the coming year.

In communities across the nation, independent community pharmacies are a … » More …

Allen I. White lecture continues legacy of advancement through leadership

New HIV drug therapies developed by Gilead Sciences were the topic of discussion at the 2019 Allen I. White Lecture presented by Bill J. Smith, Ph.D. on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. Dr. Smith, executive director at Gilead Sciences and head of the Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) department presented, “Long acting therapeutics – pharmacologic, physicochemical, and nonclinical pharmacokinetic characterization of a novel HIV capsid inhibitor,” to more than 100 students and faculty members of the Washington State University (WSU) College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (CPPS).

Smith is the most recent in a long line of speakers brought to the college as part of the … » More …

ASPET award named for former WSU faculty member

Former Washington State University (WSU) faculty member Richard Okita, Ph.D., was recently honored in the naming of the Richard Okita Early Career Award in Drug Metabolism and Disposition. The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) celebrated the naming of its early career award on Tuesday April 9, 2019. The event took place as part of the 2019 ASPET Annual Meeting at the Experimental Biology conference in Orlando, Florida.

The newly named award was established by the ASPET Division for Drug Metabolism and Disposition to recognize excellent original research conducted by early career investigators in the field of drug metabolism and disposition. It … » More …

WSU discovery could aid in battle of debilitative and deadly inflammation

By Charlie Powell, College of Veterinary Medicine

PULLMAN, Wash.—Most, if not all, infections and diseases in animals and people are met with some level of the body’s own inflammatory response.  Sometimes this inflammatory response crosses a line from being protective and useful to becoming debilitative or even deadly.

Scientists in Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals Sciences (CPPS) have discovered an important step in the progression of the body’s inflammatory response that may soon lead to effective management and treatments. The team’s paper was published Monday in the prestigious journal, Nature Communications.

“Inflammation is vital for life, without it … » More …

RxImpact Day: Students advocate for pharmacy practice

Recently student pharmacist Brandy Seignemartin had the opportunity to participate in the annual National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) RxImpact Day in Washington D.C. RxImpact Day allows student pharmacists and other pharmacy advocates from across the nation to share critical patient access issues with legislators.

Seignemartin is a Doctor of Pharmacy candidate in the class of 2020 at the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences on the Washington State University (WSU) Health Sciences campus in Spokane, Wash. She currently serves as the vice president of legislative affairs for the Associated Students of WSU Health Sciences. When she completes her degree, Seignemartin hopes to … » More …

Pharmacy alumna to speak at commencement May 2

Merrie Kay Alzola, class of 1993, senior account executive, Novo Nordisk, will be the keynote speaker at the commencement ceremony of the Washington State University (WSU) College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (CPPS) on Thursday, May 2.

“Merrie Kay’s devotion to the profession of pharmacy is phenomenal.  She is committed to identifying opportunities for student pharmacists to network and build relationships with alumni and other thought leaders.  A shining example of how Cougar pharmacists give back to the college, I am excited to have her speak at commencement.” said Linda Garrelts MacLean, vice dean for the college.

… » More …

Akers recognized with profession-wide award

Julie AkersThe American Pharmacists Association (APhA) announced that WSU’s Julie Akers will receive one of its profession-wide awards at the annual meeting later this month.

Akers, a clinical assistant professor at the WSU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (CPPS), was selected for the APhA’s 2019 Good Government Pharmacist-of-the-Year Award. She was nominated by WSU faculty colleague Jennifer Robinson for her contributions to the pharmacy community through her involvement in the political process.

“Julie has helped me see the importance of politics and policy when advocating for our profession and for our patients. Julie has had this … » More …