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Washington State University
Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences December newsletter

Driving a reproductive health campaign during a pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread across the country in early 2020, student pharmacists Brooke Kotlarz, Kaitlan Belocura and Kennedy Erickson worked with various stakeholders in the community to educate and empower individuals on reproductive health. They share their experience of pivoting to a virtual campaign in Washington state and discuss the vital role that pharmacists play in helping to inform local communities about reproductive health.  » More ...

Finding health care solutions for medically underserved rural areas

In the United States there are 14 million people living in medically underserved areas where access to health care continues to be a chronic problem with no clear solutions. Many residents who live in rural areas don’t have access to doctors, nurses, or pharmacists, and getting medical attention often translates to a several hours drive to the nearest city. College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (CPPS) Associate Professors of Pharmacotherapy Kimberly McKeirnan and Megan Undeberg are finding ways to bridge this health care gap.

“There is such a disparity of care for the rural sector,” said Undeberg, who also grew up on a farm … » More …

Medicine-carriers made from human cells can cure lung infections

By Sara Zaske, WSU News

SPOKANE, Wash. – Scientists used human white blood cell membranes to carry two drugs, an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory, directly to infected lungs in mice.

The nano-sized drug delivery method developed at Washington State University successfully treated both the bacterial growth and inflammation in the mice’s lungs. The study, recently published in Communications Biology, shows a potential new strategy for treating infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

“If a doctor simply gives two drugs to a patient, they don’t go directly to the lungs. They circulate in the whole body, so potentially there’s a lot of toxicity,” said Zhenjia Wang, … » More …

December 2020 Updates

FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP

Publications

Allen I. White Distinguished Associate Professor of Pharmacotherapy Joshua Neumiller and co-authors published, “Incretin drugs in diabetic kidney disease: biological mechanisms and clinical evidence,” in the Nature Reviews November 2020 edition of the Nephrology Journal.

Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Associate (Z. Wang lab) Jin Gao, Pharmaceutical Sciences Associate Professor Zhenjia Wang and four co-authors published , “Co-delivery of resolving D1and antibiotics with nanovesicles to lungs resolves inflammation and clears bacteria in mice,” in the Communications Biology, a peer-reviewed open-access resource from the SpringerNature.

Pharmaceutical Sciences Associate Professor Bhagwat Prasad and two co-authors published, “Utility of Quantitative Proteomics for Enhancing the … » More …

WSU and Columbia Basin College set new path for pharmacy students

Students in the Tri-Cities area can now complete pre-requisite courses for the WSU Doctor of Pharmacy program at the cost of attending CBC. In a collaboration between Columbia Basin College (CBC) and Washington State University (WSU), students who complete the approved transferable Associate of Science-Transfer (AS-T) degree will be eligible for admissions into the WSU Doctor of Pharmacy program.

“As someone who grew up not too far from Tri-Cities, I’m proud that we can now offer students new opportunities and career pathways that did not exist before. This new collaboration fulfills WSU’s mission as a land-grant university, which is rooted in accessibility and public service,” … » More …

Native American Heritage Month Spotlight

November is Native American Heritage Month and it is a time for us to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions and histories of our First Americans and honor their important contributions to the community. First-year student pharmacist Estebon Hughes of the Spokane tribe shares some of the driving forces as to why he chose to work in health care and become a pharmacist.

What inspired you to become a pharmacist?
My mother works in health care and I have always looked up to her and the work that she does. I wanted to become a pharmacist so that I could help people … » More …

Army combat veteran on her journey to becoming a pharmacist

Monica Sines never imagined a career in pharmacy. As a driver in Tikrit and Mosul in Iraq, transporting Iranian, Iraqi and Pakistani workers safely to their destinations, 19-year-old Sines witnessed harrowing scenes while serving in the military.

“I saw things that people at that age should not see,” said Sines, who is now 35 and a third year at the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences pursuing her Doctor of Pharmacy.

Sines joined the military in November 2002 at age 18, just before the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. After six years of service, Sines left the military in 2008 and received her bachelor’s degree … » More …

Finding the right dosing for children

Prescribe at your own risk. That is the general feeling that most doctors get when prescribing medicine to children. Due to ethical and legal challenges, conducting clinical trials on children has proven to be a major obstacle for drug researchers. In fact, many prescription drugs rarely go through clinical trials using children. As a result, doctors only have two options in pediatric care: 1. Don’t prescribe children drugs shown to be effective in adults, or 2. Prescribe drugs off-label to children at their own risk. That’s where Dr. Bhagwat Prasad, Associate Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences at WSU, is transforming pediatric precision medicine so that drugs … » More …

December Updates

FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP

Publications

Pharmacotherapy Clinical Associate Professor Kimberly McKeirnan and two co-authors published, “The value and potential integration of pharmacy technician national certification into processes that help assure a competent workforce,” in the peer-reviewed journal Pharmacy in September 2019 as part of the Special Issue Pharmacy Workforce Support Personnel. Read article »

Kim McKeirnan and one co-author published, “Implementing immunizing pharmacy technicians in a federal healthcare facility,” in Pharmacy in October 2019  as part of the Special Issue Pharmacy-based Immunization Services. Read article »

Pharmacotherapy Clinical Assistant Professor Lauren Marcath and two co-authors published, “Challenges to assess substrate-dependent allelic effects in CYP450 enzymes … » More …