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Washington State University
Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences March newsletter

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 …

March 2022 Updates

FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP

Publications

Pharmaceutical Sciences Associate Professor Sayed Daoud and four co-authors published, “Perturbation of Wnt/b-catenin signaling and sexual dimorphism in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,” in Hepatol Research, a peer-reviewed journal from the Public Library of Sciences.

Pharmaceutical Sciences Assistant Professor Anil Singh, Mahamudul Haque (PhD ’20), Pharmaceutical Sciences Assistant Professor Abdul Basit, Pharmaceutical Sciences Associate Professor and Director of Industry Engagement Bhagwat Prasad, Pharmaceutical Sciences Professor and Executive Director of Graduate Programs Salahuddin Ahmed and six co-authors published, “Ets-2 propagates IL-6 trans-signaling mediated osteoclast-like changes in human rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblast,” in Frontiers in immunology in December 2021.

Presentations

Allen I. White Distinguished Professor of … » More …

Bringing health and wellness education to the Spokane community

Over the month of February, pharmacy student volunteers from the Washington State University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences spent a few hours each Saturday at the Mobius Discovery Center teaching children and families in the Spokane community about health and wellness. The activities were arranged by Spokane chapters of the American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) and Kappa Psi (a professional fraternity).

Olivia Hiskey, class of 2023, served as the primary organizer and communicator between the college and Mobius, and helped organize the supplies and volunteers needed to successfully host the activities each week. Hiskey shares her experience and why … » More …

How summer on the lake may impact your liver

As the weather warms, daydreams of summer set in; the sounds of birds chirping, the smell of freshly mown grass, the feel of a cool swim on a warm day. But as the flowers begin to bloom so do algae unleashing a green scum across bodies of water and toxins that can affect the health of anyone exposed to too much.

Microcystin-LR is the most common and the most potent toxin produced by freshwater blue-green algae. It was first identified as a potent liver toxin in the 1980s and has since been linked to liver damage and cancer. Today, levels of the toxin are monitored … » More …

March 2021 Updates

FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP

Publications

United States Transuranium and Uranium Registries (USTUR) Postdoctoral Research Associate Martin Šefl, USTUR Assistant Professor Maia Avtandilashvili, USTUR Director and Professor Sergei Tolmachev, ”Inhalation of soluble plutonium: 53-year follow up of Manhattan project worker,” in Health Physics in February 2021.

Pharmacotherapy Assistant Professor Taylor Bertsch, Pharmaceutical Sciences Assistant Professor Travis Denton, Pharmacotherapy Assistant Professor Nicole Perea (Rodin), Pharmaceutical Sciences Assistant Professor Ayesha Ahmed and Pharmacotherapy Associate Professor Kimberly McKeirnan published, “Drug development and the process of transitioning to team-based learning in a qualitative way,” in the peer-reviewed journal Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning in February 2021.

Kimberly McKeirnan and … » More …

New York Times cites WSU on growing demand for pharmacists and technicians

Vice Dean of External Relations Linda Garrelts MacLean started seeing a growing demand for pharmacy students in April 2020, just two months after the COVID-19 pandemic officially kicked off in the US. First came the requests by public health officials for students to help at COVID-19 testing sites. Soon, the need for student pharmacists and their skills in being able to communicate with patients and knowledge in administering vaccines became a bright spot in a very challenging year of virtual learning.

“We are receiving requests from pharmacies and providers, big and small, for our students. They know our students have the skills they need to … » More …

Use of goldenseal may compromise glucose control in diabetics on metformin

By Judith Van Dongen, WSU Health Sciences Spokane Office of Research
Originally published in the WSU Insider February 8, 2021

SPOKANE, Wash. – Diabetic patients taking the natural product goldenseal while taking the prescription drug metformin may be unwittingly sabotaging their efforts to maintain healthy blood glucose levels. This concern arose from a recent study published in the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics.

Metformin—the world’s most-prescribed oral glucose-lowering medication—was included in a cocktail of selected drugs given to participants in a clinical study led by scientists at Washington State University’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The study sought to determine the impact of … » More …

Pharmacy’s Angie Stewart to lead interprofessional coalition in Yakima

College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Associate Dean for the Yakima Extension and Associate Professor of Pharmacotherapy Angie Stewart was selected as incoming executive director for the Yakima Valley Interprofessional Practice and Education Collaborative (YVIPEC). Stewart has been an integral part of the YVIPEC since its inception, serving on various committees and leadership positions. » More ...

March 2020 Updates

FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP

Publications

J. Roberts and Marcia Fosberg Distinguished Professor of Pharmacotherapy Danial Baker published, “Drug evaluation – tenapanor (Ibsrela),” in Wolters Kluwer Health’s The Formulary Monograph Service (FMS) in January 2020. 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.

Danial Baker published, “Drug evaluation – trifarotene (Aklief),” in the FMS in January 2020.

Danial Baker and Drug Information Center Resident Brittany Craft published, “Drug evaluation – brolucizumab (Beovu),” in the FMS in January.

Pharmacotherapy Clinical Professor Terri Levien, … » More …