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Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences News

Seattle transplant aspires to provide rural patient care

First-year student pharmacist Chase King, age 21, is one of five students in the inaugural class in the rural health track. The track is part of the college’s Rural Health Initiative to recruit, educate, and embed pharmacists in rural communities across Washington state.

I believe that pharmacists can bring about the change needed to bridge the rural health care gap. Many rural residents struggle with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, addiction, obesity, and a myriad of heart conditions, but have little to no access to health care facilities. As a future pharmacist, I hope to provide care in isolated towns, traveling door-to-door, counseling … » More …

Love of chemistry transforms to career in rural health

First-year student pharmacist Bradley Brown, age 22, is one of five students in the inaugural class in the rural health track. The track is part of the college’s Rural Health Initiative to recruit, educate, and embed pharmacists in rural communities across Washington state.

I was raised in Rochester, Washington the youngest of 13 children, where I grew up in a 100-year-old farm house. Rochester is a rural agricultural community with a population of about 2,500 situated between Seattle and Portland. Like many rural communities, everyone in Rochester willingly lends a hand to help a neighbor. This town has raised me as much as … » More …

Veteran pursues PharmD to help rural communities

First-year student pharmacist Michael Sauseda, age 40, is one of five students in the inaugural class in the rural health track. The track is part of the college’s Rural Health Initiative to recruit, educate, and embed pharmacists in rural communities across Washington state.

I applied for the rural health track because I want to help underserved communities, which has been a consistent driving motivation throughout my life. Our motto as a US Special Forces Operator was De Oppresso Liber which translates to, “To Free the Oppressed.” In my 20-plus year military career, I spent 11 years as a Special Forces Medical Sergeant stationed … » More …

Former firefighter finds passion for pharmacy

First-year student pharmacist Amanda Whitehead, age 33, is one of five students in the inaugural class in the rural health track. The track is part of the college’s Rural Health Initiative to recruit, educate, and embed pharmacists in rural communities across Washington state.

As someone who has always lived and worked in rural areas throughout my life, I am truly passionate about bringing much needed health care resources to underserved populations. Living in a close-knit, small town has always been a great comfort to me and I want to support the people in my community in my future pharmacy career in a rural … » More …

April 2022 Updates

FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP

Publications

Puneet Kaur (Doctor of Pharmacy Honors class of 2022, Z. Wang lab), Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Associate Jin Gao (Z. Wang lab) and Pharmaceutical Sciences Associate Professor Zhenjia Wang published, “Liposomal formulations enhance the anti-inflammatory effect of eicosapentaenoic acid in HL60 cells,” in Pharmaceutics in February 2022.

Pharmacotherapy Assistant Professor Jennifer Miller, Pharmacotherapy Assistant Professor Nicole Rodin, Pharmacotherapy Associate Professor and Director for the Center for Pharmacy Practice Research Kimberly McKeirnan published, “Training student pharmacists to administer pediatric immunizations,” in Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning in March 2022.

Kimberly McKeirnan and one other published, “The physician perspective on pharmacist-physician … » More …

Getting to know your new APhA-ASP national president

Kennedy Erickson, class of 2023, was sworn in as the American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) national president during the APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Antonio, Texas in March. Erickson shares what she plans for her presidency and why she believes finding the “Courage to Change,” the theme of her presidency, is crucial to student pharmacists and the field of pharmacy today.
Can you tell us about your presidential theme?
My presidential theme “Courage to Change” was inspired by several events throughout the pandemic. The first being the exaggeration of pre-pandemic problems facing our society when the pandemic … » More …

Step into history: WSU pharmacy’s first female faculty member

When Belle Wenz first stepped onto the State College of Washington (WSC) campus in the fall of 1918—renamed Washington State University in 1959–the world was in the midst of a global pandemic and World War I was just coming to a close. When she received her graduate of pharmacy (PhG) degree in 1920, women had just won the right to vote, and prohibition was in full swing in the United States. She went on to receive pharmaceutical chemist (PhC) and bachelor of science in pharmacy degrees in 1922, earning a four-year degree in a time when a two-year degree was the norm. It was a … » More …

From farm to pharmacy

Tyler Young grew up in Oakesdale, Washington, a town of about 400 people, and a 45-minute drive south of Spokane. He graduated from high school with only 11 other students in his class and his first job was on the wheat farm where he spent summers from ages 14 to 20 spraying weeds in 90-degree heat, driving a tractor, and harvesting the crop. » More ...

Gift launches Rural Health Initiative at WSU

A recent $2.2 million gift to Washington State University’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (CPPS) will increase opportunities for PharmD students to focus on the health care needs of residents in rural Washington. This extraordinary anonymous gift has helped to launch CPPS’ Rural Health Initiative (RHI) to improve access to health care in the rural communities of Washington. Started in the fall of 2021, RHI is an ambitious 10-year plan to create opportunities for student pharmacists and post-graduate pharmacists to specialize in delivery of rural health care. Access to health care providers in rural Washington continues to be a challenge for the nearly 800,000 residents living in these areas. It’s estimated that Washington needs 600 new providers to eliminate this gap in access to care. The Rural Health Initiative aims to alleviate this problem. » More ...

CPPS Announces Faculty Promotions

From the first days in kindergarten, to the last days of a doctoral program, educators serve a critical role in their students’ lives. They guide students through the curriculum, sharing their own experiences and expertise to help students forge their own paths.

At the Washington State University (WSU) College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (CPPS) faculty members are passionate about inspiring the next generation of health care providers and scientists. By giving faculty the opportunity to excel through professional advancement and research, both faculty and students benefit. University promotions recognizes a faculty member’s growth through activities in teaching, research and service.

“These promotions represent years … » More …