PostScript Summer 2008

PostScriptAlbany College of Pharmacy Magazine

Su08

Vol. 19 No. 1

ALUMNI GIVE BACK BY EDUCATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PHARMACISTS 18

+ The Evolution of Pharmacy 23

+ Commencement 6

+ Reunion 30

CoverVF 7/14/08 4:37 PM Page 2

PostScriptSummer 08 Vol. 19 No. 1

PostScript provides an on-going review of Albany Collegeof Pharmacy, featuring news of the faculty, students,alumni, programs and activities of ACP. Published foralumni and friends of the College by the Office ofInstitutional Advancement, the magazine welcomes lettersand story ideas from all members of the ACP community.

Please send story ideas, comments, letters and suggestions to: PostScript Albany College of Pharmacy106 New Scotland Avenue Albany NY 122081.888.203.8010 / [email protected]

© 2008 Albany College of Pharmacy

To the Editor:

“Big Whompa” was an unofficial, unsanctioned co-ed social organiza-tion founded by Bill “W” Jones and David “Stitty” Stitt, Class of 1976.The initiation into the group was simple. All pledges were required toattend a “rush” dinner, generally consisting of rigatoni, and had todrink several shots of tequila before the end of the evening.

In addition to the annual dinner, Big Whompa hosted severalevents during the year, including parties for Halloween, the holi-days and New Year’s, a spring camping weekend, and a Clam Bakeat the end of the school year. Photographs of Big Whompa eventscan be seen in each of the yearbooks from 1972 through 1976.Event organizers also included Dave “Ole” Oles, Mark “Rubes”Roberts, Dave “Clunk” Clark, Dave “Gia” Giarrusso, Tom “Fiorinal”Fiore and the late Frank “Garm” Giamartino, all 1976 graduates.

We believe Bill Jones took this photograph at a homecominggame against Junior College of Albany that was played at ChristianBrothers Academy [the old CBA gym is now owned by ACP and hasbeen renamed the Albert M. White Gymnasium]. The student hold-ing the banner is Bill Schuman ’76. Seated at left are Mark Robertsand Dave Oles. The student with the white cap is Frank Giamartino.

The names on the right hand side of the banner are all studentathletes: David Clark, David Krazinsky (ACP Athletic Hall of Famemember) and Mike Calveric, all Class of ’76. The tally representsBig Whompa point predictions: 25 points for each respective playerand one point for Big Whompa.

BILL “W” JONES ’76WILLIAM I. SCHUMAN ’76

LETTERS /

STAY CONNECTED visit us online at www.acp.edu

EDITORChristine Shields

EDITORIAL BOARDJames J. Gozzo Ph.D. PRESIDENTMedhi Boroujerdi Pharm.D., Ph.D. DEANVicki A. DiLorenzo VP INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENTRobert J. Gould VP FINANCE & ADMIN OPERATIONSPacky McGraw ASSOCIATE VP STUDENT SERVICES

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSStephen Esker ’08James J. Gozzo, Ph.D.Gil ChorbajianJohn M. Marraffa Jr. ’03Patrick RathbunChristine ShieldsDavid Zdunczyk

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERSGil ChorbajianDon Elliott PhotographyVictor GrantKris Qua/Qua PhotoPatrick RathbunChristine Shields

DESIGNCoppola Designwww.coppoladesign.com

OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENTVicki A. DiLorenzoVICE PRESIDENT OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

David ZdunczykASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

Donna BeebeDIRECTOR OF MAJOR GIFTS

Michael J. BuckleyMAJOR GIFTS OFFICER

Gil ChorbajianEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Lynne M. DellaRoccaSYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR

Deanna Ennello-ButlerDIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT RESEARCH

Patrick RathbunASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Deborah S. ReutterCOORDINATOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

Christine A. ShieldsDIRECTOR OF COLLEGE PUBLICATIONS

Christina SpinelliCOORDINATOR OF DONOR RELATIONS AND STEWARDSHIP

Patty TompkinsEVENTS MANAGER


PostScript 1

Ad

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ON CAMPUS

+ New B.S. Degree

+ 128th Commencement

+ Pharmacy Summit

+ SpringFest 08

+ ACP Academy Science Fair

+ NIH Grant for PRI

STUDENT NEWS

+ Student News Foundup

+ The FDA Chronicles

+ Summer Research Awards

+ Pharmaceutical Sciences Awards

+ Rho Chi Goes for the Gold

+ Phi Delta Chi Fundraiser

+ Diving into Adventure

+ Relay for Life

Fn

08

FACULTY NEWS

+ Faculty News + Notes

+ Mac Bonafede on a Mission

+ New Faculty

+ Research Awards

+ Polimeni Busts a Myth

+ Feleder Scores Grant

ADVANCEMENT

+ Scholarships + Awards

Aa

27

ALUMNI AFFAIRS

+ From the Alumni Council President

+ Calendar

+ Online @ ACP

+ Life Elevated: Utah Alums Speak Out

+ Hall of Famers

+ Alumni Events

+ Reunion Weekend

+ Class Notes

+ In Memoriam

Fs

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FEATURE STORIES

+ The Evolution of PharmacyA Dialog with ACP Alumni

+ A Good Return Faculty Alumni Give Back

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2 PostScript

James J. Gozzo Ph.D.

On May 11, 2008, 196 graduates withPharm.D. degrees or B.S. degrees inPharmaceutical Sciences or BiomedicalTechnology, embarked on many varied careerpaths with virtually limitless opportunities.The pages of this magazine highlight somepast and future directions for ACP graduates.

Start with Geno Germano, this year’s com-mencement speaker. Geno began with Wyethin 1984, one year after graduating from ACP.He quickly rose through its ranks, taking onpositions of increased responsibility in areasthat have spanned sales, marketing, businessdevelopment and general management.Today he oversees Wyeth’s U.S. commercialorganization, which is comprised of 3,600employees and approximately $10 billion inannual sales. He is also responsible for theglobal commercialization of products in neu-roscience, gastroenterology, women’s health-care, infectious diseases and transplantation.

Some graduates will move into positionsin academia. One of the features in this issuelooks at ACP alumni who are giving back tothe profession by helping educate future gen-erations of pharmacists as faculty membershere at the College. They continue a tradi-tion that includes such College alumni asDean O’Brien ’20 and Dean Singer ’48. Orperhaps they will pursue a slightly differentpath and follow in the footsteps of JohnMauger ’65, who is now dean of theUniversity of Utah College of Pharmacy. Youcan read more about John and other ACPgraduates who have made their homes outWest on page 32.

The cover story of this issue looks at themost popular destination for this year’sclass, community pharmacy, and its evolu-tion over the past 40 years. The roundtablediscussion features five graduates rangingfrom the Class of ’68 to the Class of ’96 and

discusses a number of topics, including opin-ions on if/how the public perception of thepharmacy profession has changed over theyears.

Just as this time of year represents a newbeginning for our graduates, in many ways,it is also one for the College. As you lookthrough the magazine, you will notice thatPostScript has a new design and a fresher andmore contemporary look.

As for what’s new on the campus, the 320students in the 2008 incoming class repre-sent one of the most distinguished groups inthe College’s history and include: 12 valedic-torians, 8 salutatorians, an average GPA of 92and an average SAT score of 1750. These stu-dents will pursue degrees in Pharmacy,Pharmaceutical Sciences, BiomedicalTechnology (which includes concentrationsin Cytotechnology and Clinical LaboratorySciences) and the new Health and HumanSciences program.

The College is expanding its residenceoptions with the opening of PrincetonSuites, further boosting our capacity tohouse students on campus.

Finally, John Marraffa ’03 has been namedchair of the Alumni Council, the organiza-tion which functions as the representativebody of ACP alumni. John has been instru-mental in helping put together Collegeevents in the Utica/Syracuse area, and I haveno doubt that he will be successful in gettingthe Alumni Council off the ground this year.John has outlined his plans for the Councilon page 28.

As you can see, the College continues togrow in many dynamic ways. I invite you tobe part of our progress.

Our Dynamic Growth Continues

PRESIDENT’S LEDGER /


PostScript 3

Albany College of Pharmacy is adding a new a Bachelor of Science inHealth and Human Sciences beginning this fall. Graduates of the pro-gram will be prepared to enter the workforce in a range of healthrelated fields or pursue graduate/professional school options.

The Health and Human Sciences program blends a curriculumgrounded in the natural sciences with course work in the humani-ties, social sciences and health fields. It’s designed to give students,in consultation with their advisors, the flexibility to tailor their stud-ies to their individual needs.

“This program is ideally suited for the student who is interested ina liberal arts degree with an emphasis on the health sciences,” saidDavid Clarke, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Arts and Sciences atACP. “Students who have an interest in both the humanities and thesciences will find the program particularly appealing.”

Graduates of the new program will be equipped to enter careerssuch as science and health writing, policy analysis and research forgovernment organizations, consumer groups and scientific researchinstitutes. Students will also have an excellent foundation for post-graduate work in law, health services and administration. They may

also choose to pursue graduate programs in nutrition, public health,health administration, anthropology, sociology or other related fields.

“The role played by cultural, social and psychological factors inhealth and illness is an area of emerging emphasis in the health careindustry. This program will help address the need for professionalswith an understanding of these diverse areas, while leveraging theCollege’s strong history in the biological sciences,” said AlbanyCollege of Pharmacy Dean Mehdi Boroujerdi, Pharm.D., Ph.D. “TheHealth and Human Sciences program will serve as a strong comple-ment to our other degree offerings.”

The traditional student will complete the Health and HumanSciences program in four years, though the program may also becompleted part-time. Students will be encouraged to participate in an alternative learning experience similar to the experiential educa-tional component of the College’s Pharm.D. program.

New courses being added for the Health and Human Sciences pro-gram include: Public Policy, Health Advocacy, Global Health and theLegal Aspects of Health Care. These courses will also be available aselectives for students in ACP’s other programs.

Health + Human Sciences Joins the Roster at ACP NEW B.S. DEGREE REFLECTS CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

Shaker A. Mousa, Ph.D., executive vice president and chairman of the Pharmaceutical Research Institute (PRI) at Albany College ofPharmacy, has been awarded a $368,445 research grant from theNational Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.Dr. Mousa, along with a team of PRI investigators that includes Dr.Lawrence Lansing, Dr. Lakshman Sehgal, Dr. Murat Yalcin and PRItechnical staff, will study new methods for limiting the spread ofpancreatic cancer in the body to allow for better treatment of the disease. The research will take place over a period of 22 months.

Cancer cells survive and spread (metastasize) by attaching them-selves to platelets in the bloodstream. Research has shown that theblood thinner Heparin is effective in preventing the bonding of can-cer cells and platelets, but the dosages required to affect this resultlead to increased bleeding or blood loss in patients. Dr. Mousa andhis team will focus their research on modifying low molecularweight Heparin compounds in a way that will still inhibit the bond-ing of the cancer cells and platelets, while minimizing or eliminat-ing the bleeding and other negative side effects associated with highlevels of Heparin.

“Pancreatic cancer is not only hard to diagnose, but it is anextremely aggressive form of cancer. Surgeons rarely operate onpatients with pancreatic cancer when metastasis is taking place asthe surgery tends to accelerate the spread of the cancer,” said Dr.Mousa. “If we can keep the cancer cells from attaching to theplatelets, we can isolate them in the body. They can then be killed

fairly easily by thepatient’s ownimmune system orthrough low levelsof chemotherapy.Once that happens,physicians will havea significantly betteropportunity to treatthe cancer andextend the patient’slife.”

“While thisresearch is focusedon pancreatic can-cer, our findingswill ultimately be applicable to all forms of cancer. That’s whatmakes this particular project so exciting,” added Dr. Mousa.

The Pharmaceutical Research Institute at ACP is dedicated to cut-ting-edge research, pharmaceutical services and education in part-nership with pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companiesand academic and research centers. PRI’s drug discovery efforts focuson angiogenesis, thrombosis and vascular disorders, and the Instituteis also playing a leading role in the development of nanopharmaceu-tical technology.

Halting a Deadly KillerPRI RECEIVES $368,445 NIH GRANT FOR PANCREATIC CANCER RESEARCH

FOR MORE INFORMATION contact the Office of Admissions at 888.203.8010 or visit www.acp.edu

ON CAMPUS /


The addition of the St. John Fisher’s program, which began in 2006, and Touro, which willopen its doors in 2008, gives New York six pharmacy programs. Only California, with seven,has more pharmacy schools.

As the number of pharmacy programs in the state has expanded, ACP Dean MehdiBoroujerdi, Pharm.D., Ph.D., felt the time was right to organize a meeting.

Administrators and faculty from the schools have met informally at industry conferences andother events, but there has never been an organized forum,” said Dean Boroujerdi. “We reachedout to the other five schools regarding their interest in such a meeting, and the response wasoverwhelmingly positive. We were happy to take the lead on arranging the first summit.”

Widely ranging topics were discussed at the meeting, including:

Experiential Education— The group discussed the need for a set of core competencies todefine the experiential education experience. This effort would also include guidelines forpreceptors, to ensure they were clear on the expectations of the program.

Professional Advocacy— The schools agreed to work together more closely to influence leg-islative issues impacting pharmacy practice and pharmacy education. Grassroots efforts werealso discussed to educate communities about the critical role played by pharmacists in ensur-ing positive health outcomes.

Faculty Shortages— According to a recent survey conducted by the American Association ofColleges of Pharmacy, pharmacy programs across the country have an average of 5.6 facultyvacancies. Discussions examined various ways to encourage pharmacy students to pursuecareers in academia and how to attract prospective faculty to move to/stay in New York.

At the end of the day, all of the participants walked away energized by the discussion andagreed to continue their dialogue at industry events and future summits.

“The discussion was very constructive, and any competitive issues that exist between theprograms were ‘left at the door’ in the interests of the overall betterment of New York Statepharmacy education,” said Dean Boroujerdi.

In addition to Dean Boroujerdi, Associate Dean Angela Dominelli ’78, Director ofExperiential Education Laurie Briceland ’83 and Associate Professor Macary Marciniak partici-pated. Selig Corman ’58 (Pharmacists Society of the State of New York), Deb Feinberg ’81 (NewYork State Council of Health-system Pharmacists) and Larry Mohkiber ’71 (New York StateBoard of Pharmacy) also attended.

4 PostScript

Meeting of the MindsACP HOSTS INAUGURAL SUMMIT OF NYS PHARMACY SCHOOLS

ON CAMPUS /

Albany College of Pharmacy initiated and hosted an historic summit of New York State

pharmacy schools in January. Representatives from the University at Buffalo, Long Island

University, St. John Fisher, St. John’s University and Touro College joined ACP administrators

and faculty in Albany to discuss various issues impacting pharmacy education and practice.

Math + ScienceACP ACADEMY WINDS UP YEAR TWO

In an effort to promote interest in math and

science among local elementary school stu-

dents, the College formed ACP Academy in

early 2007. Students from the nearby

Delaware Community School come to the

campus twice a week each semester and

receive one-on-one mentoring from ACP stu-

dents as they explore math and science con-

cepts in new ways.

On April 24, the 17 fourth grade students

enrolled in the Academy graduated from their

second year in the program, marking the

occasion with a Science Fair in the Student

Center atrium. Both ACP President James J.

Gozzo and Albany Superintendent of Schools

Dr. Eva Joseph attended the event and

addressed students and their families. This

year’s ACP Academy class will return next

year as fifth-graders and continue in the pro-

gram through graduation from high school. A

second class of students is expected to begin

the program in the fall.

Fourth grade students test out buoyancy principles.


PostScript 55 PostScript

SprıngFestSpringfest 2008 was a rousing success with gorgeous weather and aplethora of opportunities for fun and sun! The day featured music fromACP’s own See Side Panel and activities that ranged from rock climbingto rodeo riding to bungee jumping. Hungry students and staff finishedup the day with plates from Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Many thanks to KinneyDrugs for sponsoring this great event!

ON CAMPUS /


Commencement 2008

WYETH EXECUTIVE GENO GERMANO ’83 RETURNS TO ACP AS KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Geno Germano ’83, President U.S. and GeneralManager Pharmaceuticals for Wyeth, wasback at his alma mater 25 years after his owngraduation to address the Class of 2008 dur-ing ACP’s 128th commencement ceremonyheld May 11. Germano also received an hon-orary Doctor of Humane Letters degree fromthe College.

Germano started with Wyeth in 1984, justone year after graduating from ACP. He quick-ly rose through its ranks, taking on positionsof increased responsibility in areas that have

spanned sales, marketing, business develop-ment and general management. Over his 20plus year career, Geno has managed businessesacross Wyeth’s pharmaceutical, biotechnolo-gy and vaccines portfolios, both domesticallyand abroad. In his current role, he is respon-sible for Wyeth’s U.S. commercial organiza-tion, overseeing 3,600 employees and approxi-mately $10 billion in annual sales. He is alsoresponsible for the global commercializationof products in neuroscience, gastroenterolo-gy, women’s healthcare, infectious diseases

and transplantation.“The years that I spent at ACP played an

invaluable role in preparing me for mycareer. I hope that my experiences andinsights can help this year’s graduatesachieve their own professional goals—regard-less of the career path they may choose.”

“Graduates of Albany College of Pharmacyhave many attractive career options availableto them once they complete their education.Geno is an excellent example of someone whoused his degree in pharmacy to embark on a

6 PostScript

ON CAMPUS /


PostScript 7

dynamic career with one of the world’s lead-ing pharmaceutical manufacturers. He is aterrific role model for our students, and weare thrilled that he came back to campus toaddress the Class of 2008,” said James J.Gozzo, Ph.D., president of Albany College ofPharmacy.

This year’s graduates have landed jobs incommunity and hospital pharmacies, highereducation, pharmaceutical companies andresearch facilities spread across 20 states andCanada. The largest class in ACP’s history

included 194 graduates who earned Doctorof Pharmacy degrees. Two bachelor’s degreesin pharmaceutical sciences and one in bio-medical technology also were awarded.Although many of the graduates are NewYorkers, countries represented in the Class of2008 include Canada, Cameroon, India andSouth Korea.

The ceremony also included awards forthe student-nominated Teachers of the Yearfor 2007–2008. Student GovernmentAssociation President Neil Tierson presented

the Traditional Teacher of the Year award,which recognizes an outstanding facultymember in the first two years of the curricu-lum, to Department of Arts and Sciences fac-ulty member Ray Chandrasekara, Ph.D.Andrew Flynn ’87, of the Department ofPharmacy Practice, was named ProfessionalTeacher of the Year, recognizing an outstand-ing faculty member in years 3–5.


Kenneth J. Blume,Ph.D., a professor inthe Department ofArts and Sciences,has several entriesincluded in therecently publishedreference book TheAge of Imperialism(Greenwood Press).His articles/entriesinclude those on theAnglo-AmericanTreaty, Rush-BagotTreaty, Adams-OnisTreaty, Webster-Ashburton Treaty,Oregon Treaty, Treatyof GuadalupeHidalgo, AlaskaPurchase,Burlingame Treaty,Hay-Herran Treatyand Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty.

Jen Cerulli ’93,Pharm.D., BCPS,AE-C, has beenappointed an associ-ate editor of theJournal of theAmericanPharmacistsAssociation (JAPhA).As associate editor,Dr. Cerulli will reviewmanuscripts onmedication therapymanagement andmake accept/releasedecisions. An associ-ate professor in theDepartment ofPharmacy Practice,Dr. Cerulli served asthe College’sCoordinator ofCommunityPharmacy PracticeExperiences throughlast semester, work-ing with more than200 student pharma-cists and 75 precep-tors each year. She

has written or co-authored numerouspublications, servedon APhA’s Books andElectronic ProductsEditorial AdvisoryBoard and was guesteditor for a commu-nity pharmacy sup-plement to theAmerican Journal ofPharmaceuticalEducation. Dr. Cerulliis also the recipientof the 2008 AmericanPharmacistsAssociation-Academy ofPharmacy Practiceand ManagementDistinguishedAchievement Awardin Clinical/PharmacotherapeuticPractice. The awardwas presented at theAPhA AnnualMeeting in San Diegoin March. Currently,Dr. Cerulli is on sab-batical and willreturn to ACP in2009.

President James J.Gozzo, Ph.D., hasbeen elected as anofficer of the Albany-Colonie RegionalChamber ofCommerce for 2008.The organization isthe largest chamberin the Albany area.

Nicole Lodise ’02,Pharm.D., has beennamed Pharmacistof the Year by theNew York StateCouncil of Health-system Pharmacists(NYSCHP). She washonored at the NewYork State Council’sAnnual Assembly

held in May 2008.The award is given toa pharmacist whohas been recognizedby his or her peersfor achieving signifi-cant accomplish-ments towards theprogression of phar-macy practice andservices. Dr. Lodise’sareas of interestinclude therapeuticwork in tobacco ces-sation and women’shealth. She hasdeveloped a ground-breaking TobaccoCessation programat Albany MedicalCenter now availableto staff as well aspatients.

Macary Marciniak,Pharm.D, BCPS, anassociate professorin the Department ofPharmacy Practiceand the current ACPFellow at theAmericanAssociation ofColleges ofPharmacy, is therecipient of the 2008Albert B. PrescottLeadership Award.This national awardis given by thePharmacyLeadership Instituteto honor a youngpharmacist who hasdemonstrated exem-plary leadershipqualities in the fieldof pharmacy. Theaward was presentedat the APhA annualmeeting held in SanDiego in March.

Sarah Scarpace,Pharm.D., BCOP, anassistant professor

in the Department ofPharmacy Practice,has received the2008 Carol PowellCancer ResearchAward. The $3,100award was createdby Carol Ban DykPowell ’60 in memo-ry of her husband,who passed away in2004 from brain can-cer. Dr. Scarpace’sresearch deals withthe use of glucocor-ticoids duringchemotherapy andtheir impact on dia-betes outcomes.

Terry Towers ’68,Pharm.D., coordina-tor of communitypharmacy practiceexperiences, hasbeen named therecipient of the CAPS(Capital AreaPharmacists Society)Mario M. ZeollaMemorial Leadershipaward. Towers wasdescribed in hisnomination letter as“an extraordinarypharmacist who hasdelivered advancedpatient care in anexemplary way.”

Alex Steiner,Pharm.D., Ph.D., has been named to the EditorialReview Board of The American Journalof Physiology:Regulatory Integrativeand ComparativePhysiology. AJP is theleading journal in thefield of experimentalphysiology.

Faculty News + Notes

8 PostScript

ParadoxicallySpeakingJOHN POLIMENI’S BOOKBUSTS THE MYTH OFRESOURCE EFFICIENCY

A new book recently published by AssistantProfessor of Economics John Polimeni, Ph.D.,strives to demonstrate and elucidate the curi-ous phenomenon that increased energy effi-ciency leads to increased demand and con-sumption of energy.

Jevons’ Paradox and the Myth of ResourceEfficiency Improvements (EarthScan, 2008), co-authored by Dr. Polimeni in conjunctionwith Kozo Mayumi, Mario Giampetro andBlake Alcott, delves into the work of Britisheconomist William Stanley Jevons and itsimplications for the modern world. In 1865,Jevons published a book called The CoalQuestion which promoted the theory that anincrease in efficiency in using a resourceleads to increased use of that resource ratherthan to a reduction.

This is the first book to provide a historicaloverview of Jevons’ Paradox, give evidence forits existence and apply it to complex systems.

Robert Bryce, the managing editor ofEnergy Tribune who reviewed the book in itslatest issue, credited Polimeni with writing“the most compelling essay” and said thebook “deserves wide attention.”

In researching his book, Dr. Polimenireviewed numerous studies from around theworld on the effects of energy efficiency. Heuncovered the astonishing fact that, between1960 and 2004, U.S. energy intensitydecreased by 113 percent, but consumptionincreased by 100 percent.

“Energy-efficiency is promoted by politi-cians as the silver bullet for our energy prob-lems,” says Dr. Polimeni, “but in reality sucha strategy is counterproductive as it leads tofurther increases in energy consumption.”

FACULTY NEWS /


PostScript 9

FACULTY NEWS /

Carlos Feleder, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant profes-sor in the Department of PharmaceuticalSciences, has been awarded a three yearresearch grant totaling $231,000 from theNational Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Feleder,with the assistance of ACP students, will studythe effects of the spleen in managing fever.

Fever plays a critical part in the body’snatural healing process by helping fightgerms and infections. Prematurely loweringbody temperature to normal levels throughmedication and other measures can interferewith the body’s ability to eliminate patho-genic agents.

However, fevers must be closely monitoredbecause when body temperature exceeds acertain level (approximately 39° C / 102° F),the harmful effects of high fever, such asdelirium, convulsions, seizures, dehydrationor other disorders, increase dramatically.

Dr. Feleder’s research indicates that the

spleen plays an important role in managingfever by releasing a chemical that effectivelysets the fever’s upper limits, thereby ensur-ing the beneficial effects of mid-range fevers,while preventing body temperature fromescalating to dangerously high levels. Thegoal of the research grant is to identify thechemical or “factor” being produced by thespleen during fever and study its mechanismof action.

“Most research in this area has focused onthe liver as the key to managing fever,” saidDr. Feleder. “Our initial findings show thatthe activity of cells in the liver during feveris, in fact, influenced by chemicals producedin the spleen. If we understand how the bodysets upper limits on temperature and learnto influence this process, we can allow thebody to enjoy the benefits of fever and mini-mize the potential threats, thereby accelerat-ing the recovery process.”

“NIH funds approximately 10 percent ofapplicants seeking this type of grant, a factwhich underscores the scope of this accom-plishment and the potential implications ofDr. Feleder’s research,” said Dean MehdiBoroujerdi, Pharm.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Feleder has also obtained a $70,000 fel-lowship for a Ph.D. candidate from China tomanage the day-to-day research activitiesrelated to the grant. Xiujuan Yao, a studentat the China Pharmaceutical University inNanjing, will arrive on campus in Septemberand stay for a period of two years. She willwork closely with both Dr. Feleder and ACPstudents.

The fellowship is being funded by China’sPostgraduate Scholarship Program whichaims to improve scientific collaborationbetween foreign institutions and Chineseuniversities.

Department of Arts and Sciences

Assistant Professor Ray Chandrasekara, Ph.D. — Water and natural resource security issues in Southeast Asia

Assistant Professor Daniel d’Oney, Ph.D. — “A Whisper to the Living: Public Representations of the Houma Indians”

Assistant Professor Marion Jacobson, Ph.D. — “Stomach Steinway: The Popularization of the PianoAccordion in America, 1917–2007”

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Assistant Professor Luciana Lopes, Pharm.D., Ph.D. — Use of campul-based microemulsions as topical delivery systems

Assistant Professor Alex Steiner, Pharm.D., Ph.D. — Leptin as a pro- inflammatory Cytokine

Associate Professor Jeffrey Voigt, Ph.D. — Regulation of VDUP-1 expression in human tumor cells

Assistant Professor HaiAn Zheng, Ph.D. — Computer 3-D molecular modeling and animation for pharmaceutics and pharmacy education

Department of Pharmacy Practice

Associate Professor Leon Cosler, Ph.D. — Regional variation in cancer-care treatment and outcomes

CONGRATULATIONS TO FACULTY MEMBERS WHO HAVE BEEN AWARDED 2008–09 SCHOLARSHIP OF DISCOVERYAND EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE GRANTS FROM ACP’S OFFICE OF GRANTS ADMINISTRATION.

Discovery + Excellence

Carlos Feleder Receives $231,000 from the NIH to Study the Spleen

WHEN THE SPLEEN INCREASES, THE BODY DIMINISHES. —Spanish proverb


10 PostScript

New Faculty Faces

Jeanine Abrons,Pharm.D.ASSISTANT PROFESSORPHARMACY PRACTICE

Jeanine Abrons,Pharm.D., has joinedthe Department ofPharmacy Practicethis past semester asan assistant professor.Dr. Abrons receivedher Pharm.D. fromDrake UniversityCollege of Pharmacyin Des Moines, Iowa.In addition, she holdsa Master of Science inSocial andAdministrativeScience and herteaching certificatefrom the University ofWisconsin School ofPharmacy. She hassignificant work expe-rience in both com-munity and institu-tional pharmacy.

Susan Ludeman,Ph.D.ASSOCIATE PROFESSORORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Susan Ludeman, Ph.D.,will join the college asan associate professorof organic chemistry.Dr. Ludeman receivedher B.A., M.S. andPh.D. degrees in chem-istry from the CatholicUniversity of America inWashington, D.C. Shepreviously served asassociate professor ofchemistry in theDepartment ofChemistry at TrinityUniversity inWashington, D.C. andassistant professor ofoncology at the JohnsHopkins OncologyCenter. Her mostrecent position was asassociate professor inmedicine in the Divisionof Medical Oncology atDuke UniversityMedical Center. In addi-tion to teaching, Dr.Ludeman has authoredmore than 54 publica-tions and six bookchapters. She holds fivepatents and will join theCollege with two activegrants.

Sean Mirk,Pharm.D.ASSISTANT PROFESSORPHARMACY PRACTICE

Sean Mirk, Pharm.D.,will begin his positionas assistant professorof pharmacy practiceeffective August 1,2008. Dr. Mirk receivedhis B.S. from CentralMichigan Universityand his Doctor ofPharmacy from FerrisState University in BigRapids, Mich. He com-pleted his PharmacyPractice Residency inEducation/AmbulatoryCare Focus atMidwestern University,Chicago College ofPharmacy, in DownersGrove, Ill.

DEAN MEHDI BOROUJERDI, PHARM.D., PH.D. HAS ANNOUNCED THE ADDITION OF THREE NEWFULL-TIME FACULTY MEMBERS TO THE COLLEGE

FACULTY NEWS /


Last summer, Machaon “Mac” Bonafede,Ph.D., an assistant professor in theDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, traveledwith his wife and their infant daughter toPinalejo, Honduras to work in a rural medicalclinic in an impoverished area. Though theclinic was well-built and designed, it wasoften without power and running water andhad a permanent staff of only one communi-ty health care worker (with only six days oftraining!).

Mac’s wife, Kate, who just finished herfourth year of medical school at Dartmouth,was the senior medical professional. Dr.Bonafede went to work in the pharmacy, fill-ing prescriptions and writing instructionsfor patients. They were also accompanied byan obstetrics nurse from Maine. During theirstay, the team saw more than 350 patients.

“We received a lot of support from MedicalBridges Inc., who literally provided thou-sands of dollars worth of medications,” saidDr. Bonafede. “They are a not-for-profit groupthat collects and re-distributes surplus med-ications and supplies from hospitals, phar-macies and doctors’ offices. We sent themthe formulary we would be working with,highlighting our critical shortages, and theysent us exactly what we needed.”

The most common complaints the teamcame across were of joint pain and indiges-tion. Diabetes was also very common andpoorly monitored.

By far the most common prescriptionswere for vitamins and Ibuprofen. “This is an

area where vitamins can save someone’s life,”said Dr. Bonafede, who went on to add thatthere was also a need for lots of scabiescream, worm pills and antifungal cream.

“Honduras doesn’t have the labeling andmarketing requirements of the U.S.,” Dr.Bonafede explained. “Products containinghoney are marketed for infants, and there isno shortage of products claiming to helpimprove memory, looks or sexual prowess.What’s worse is that every corner store sellssome pretty potent antibiotics over thecounter so they are often used as a cure-all.”

“Still, this is an area where a little bit ofpressure in the right area can do a lot ofgood. Among other things, we counseledpatients on things like how to take theirmedications appropriately, how to re-hydratea baby with diarrhea and the importance ofnot taking an antibiotic for everything. Wealso handed out a lot of toothbrushes.”

The Bonafedes hope to maintain a rela-tionship with the clinic in Honduras andcontinue to help provide services and med-ical care to the community of Pinalejo.

PostScript 11

FACULTY NEWS /

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT medicalbridges.org

Mission PossibleBONAFEDE JOINS MEDICAL MISSION TO HONDURAS

DR. BONAFEDEFILLS PRESCRIP-

TIONS BEHINDTHE SCENES AT

THE CLINIC. THETEAM SAW MORE

THAN 350PATIENTS DUR-ING THEIR STAYIN HONDURAS.


Student News RoundupMargaret Stack ’08 andAmy Renaud-Mutart’08 finished in the topTen at the 2007 ClinicalSkills CompetitionFinalists at theAmerican Society ofHealth-SystemPharmacists’ (ASHP)42nd Midyear ClinicalMeeting held in LasVegas in December.During the competition,administered byASHP’s PharmacyStudent Forum andsponsored by the ASHPResearch andEducation Foundation,students demonstratetheir clinical skills byassessing patient infor-mation and currenttherapy, identifying andprioritizing drug thera-py problems, identifyingtreatment goals andrecommending a phar-macist’s care plan.Nearly 4,000 studentsand a record-setting 91teams, who won pre-liminary competitionsat their individual phar-macy schools, partici-pated this year.

Sixth-year studentSarah Gruber was fea-tured in an AlbanyTimes Union profileabout her career as atwo-sport athlete atACP. Sarah has playedboth soccer and bas-ketball for each of herfive years at theCollege. She is a cen-ter-midfielder on thesoccer team and thefourth leading scorer inACP history, with 65goals. An off-guard inbasketball, she hashelped the LadyPanthers win theNorthernIndependenceConference for each ofthe past four years. Inaddition to thoseaccomplishments, shecarries a 3.92 average,the second highest inthe Class of 2009. InMay, Sarah began ayear of rotations, mak-ing this past year herlast playing sports atACP, but she plans tocontinue competingafter graduation, even ifjust in a recreationalleague.

Pharm.D. candidateDaniel A. Malone ’08has been awarded theRobert J. BolgerScholarship from theNational Association ofChain Drugs Stores(NACDS). The scholar-ship, which is awardedto “exceptional stu-dents of the highestachievement,” is givento just two studentseach year. There weremore than 450 appli-cants for the NACDSscholarships this year.The goal of the NACDSFoundation PharmacyStudent ScholarshipProgram is to supportthe development offuture leaders in chaincommunity pharmacyand to recognize phar-macy students whohave a strong interestin pursuing a career inchain community phar-macy.

Four sixth-year stu-dents have beenawarded post-graduatefellowships through theErnest Mario School ofPharmacy Institute forPharmaceuticalIndustry Fellowships atRutgers University. Thefellowships offer anopportunity to gainspecialized and in-depth training withinthe pharmaceuticalindustry in a variety ofdisciplines, includingclinical pharmacology,clinical research, regu-latory affairs, medicalinformation, medicalaffairs, marketresearch and market-ing. They are alsoextremely competitive— each year severalhundred studentsnationally apply forapproximately 60 open-

ings. Congratulationsgo to ACP awardeesMaria Berkhin (Roche),Stephen Esker(Bristol-Myers-Squibb:Medical StrategyFellow in Virology),Shawn Leland (Bristol-Myers-Squibb: MedicalAffairs Oncology) andMichael Nashat(Bristol-Myers-Squibb:Medical StrategyFellow inNeurosciences).

Amber Kraynak ’08has been accepted fora Drug InformationResidency at Eisai, Inc.in Woodcliff Lake, N.J.The company is theU.S. pharmaceuticalsubsidiary of Eisai Co.,Ltd. of Japan, aresearch-based healthcare company thatfocuses its efforts inthree therapeuticareas: neurology, gas-trointestinal disordersand oncology/criticalcare.

Michael Dobis ’08 co-authored a paper enti-tled “A TheoreticalApproach to ReduceDiscardedPharmaceuticals in theEnvironment,” withDepartment ofPharmacy PracticeAssistant ProfessorJohn M. Polimeni,Ph.D., AssociateProfessor Leon Cosler,Ph.D. and Departmentof Arts and SciencesAssistant ProfessorRay Chandrasekara,Ph.D. The paper will bepublished in TheInternational Journal ofEnvironmental, Cultural,Economic, and SocialSustainability.

Three ACP student-fac-ulty pairs have receivedAmerican Associationof Colleges ofPharmacy (AACP)Scholarships for the2008 Wal-Mart AnnualConferenceScholarship Program.The following ACP col-laborators were select-ed to receive scholar-ships: Leona Blustein’09 and PharmacyPractice AssistantProfessor Sara Dugan,Pharm.D., BCPP;Whitney Caron ’09 andPharmacy PracticeAssociate ProfessorGina Garrison ’94,Pharm.D.; Fellow KatiePallotta ’06 and formerDepartment ofPharmacy PracticeChair Sue Bruce ’99,Pharm.D., BCPS. Thescholarship evaluationteam sought “evidencethat both parties [stu-dents/mentors] had astrong interest inenhancing their prepa-ration for a career inacademic pharmacy.”The scholarships willbe used to fund travelto the AACP annualmeeting in Chicago thissummer.

Congratulations to thenewly elected mem-bers of the 2008–2009Student GovernmentAssociation ExecutiveBoard: President NeilTierson ’11, VicePresident ChristinaHage ’12, SecretarySherif Rizk ’13,Treasurer EricaPascale ’10,Programming ChairCourtney Magill ’10and Publicity ChairColleen Lawless ’11.

Tasmina Hydery ’11and Alex Villanueva ’09have been awardedAmerican Foundationfor PharmaceuticalEducation (AFPE)Gateway to ResearchScholarships to con-duct research withDepartment ofPharmaceuticalSciences faculty during2008–2009. AFPEgrants only 15 awardsnationally. Tasmina willwork with Robert Levin,Ph.D., Department ofPharmaceuticalSciences, on a projecttitled, “Mechanism ofthe protective effect ofcoenzyme Q10 andalpha lipoic acid onobstructive urinarybladder dysfunction.”Alex will work withCarlos Feleder, Ph.D.,Department ofPharmaceuticalSciences, on “The pre-optic anterior hypothal-amic area neuronalnetwork mediatesendotoxic hypotension.”

The U.S. Public HealthService (USPHS), partof the Dept. of Healthand Human Services,has named sixth-yearstudent Lindsay Bell awinner of an Excellencein Public HealthPharmacy Practiceaward. The award rec-ognizes pharmacy stu-dents who are workingto address publichealth issues in theircommunities. Lindsayserves as the CancerEducation Chair forACP’s Colleges AgainstCancer chapter as wellas co- chair of the“OperationImmunization” com-mittee of APhA.

STUDENT NEWS /

Students toured Pfizer in Groton, CT with Steve Hansel ’85.

12 PostScript


PostScript 13

STUDENT NEWS /

ACP’s Gamma Gamma chapter of the RhoChi Pharmacy Honor Society has been select-ed for the organization’s annual ChapterAchievement award (beating out 87 chaptersin the nation!). The award recognizes thechapter’s many campus, local communityand regional initiatives and was presented atRho Chi’s annual meeting held in San Diegoin March.

“This marks the first time that GammaGamma has won a Chapter AchievementAward in the 32 years since our student chap-ter was chartered at ACP,” said Gina Garrison’94, Pharm.D., who serves as faculty co-advisorto the group with Sara Dugan, Pharm.D.“We’re very proud of our students. Despite thehigh academic demands in the rigorous phar-macy curriculum, they have successfullytaken this chapter to a new level.”

Whitney Caron, a sixth-year student andimmediate past president of GammaGamma, accepted the award on behalf of thechapter. In addition to receiving theengraved plaque, she will now serve as amember of Rho Chi’s national ExecutiveCouncil.

“The award is truly a reflection of the ded-ication of the entire Gamma Gamma chap-ter,” said Whitney, adding that the group’sgoal for 2007 “was to increase our visibilityon campus and in the Albany community.” One of Gamma Gamma’s most unique proj-ects was “Kapsules for Kids.” The chapter cre-ated a spaceship board game for HIV-positivechildren at Albany Medical Center to providethem with a fun way to practice taking theirmedications and learn about treatment com-pliance. The 60 game kits they created willserve the hospital for another five years.

Members also set up appointments forACP students to meet with legislators to dis-cuss bills pertinent to the practice of phar-macy in New York State. Many Rho Chi stu-dents participated in Albany’s PharmacyLegislative Day at the Capitol in 2007, wheremore than 95 students spoke with lawmak-ers from their home districts.

The chapter’s work did not stop over thesummer; several Rho Chi members volun-teered as counselors at the Circle of LifeDiabetes Camp in the Albany area monitoringinsulin doses and blood sugar for young chil-dren. Back on campus, chapter members alsomet with incoming students and their par-ents during summer orientation sessions andprovided input on how to succeed at ACP.

Lastly, the chapter organized the very firstRho Chi Region I meeting, held in Albany thispast fall. They hosted a reception at theDesmond Hotel in conjunction with theAmerican Pharmacists Association Academyof Student Pharmacists Midyear RegionalMeeting. More than 40 students from seven ofthe nine Region I Rho Chi chapters attended.

“The national office really commendedour efforts as few regions are able to organ-ize regional events,” said Dr. Garrison, whoalso serves as Region I Councilor on thenational level. “This award has really ener-gized our chapter. We are all thrilled toreceive national recognition of the many ini-tiatives we have undertaken on the local andregional level.”

Gamma Gamma Goes for the GoldACP’S RHO CHI CHAPTER WINS TOP AWARD

The Bachelor’s of Science in PharmaceuticalSciences program presented “Excellence inResearch” awards to seven students at anApril luncheon. The Senior Research Awardwent to Jacilyn Basle ’08. Other award recipi-ents were Tasmina Hydery ’11, NeilMandalaywala ’09, Joshua Marlow ’10,Florian Radu ’10, Alexandra Rehfuss ’09 andShaarika Sarasija ’09.

Diving Into Adventure

The Outdoor Club, led by Associate ProfessorMike Raley of the Department ofPharmaceutical Sciences, visited Hondurasover semester break to become certified scubadivers. A group of 10 ACP students participatedin the “FTA” (fun, travel, adventure).

Pharmaceutical SciencesResearch Awards

Jacilyn Basle in the lab with Jeffrey Voigt, Ph.D.

Whitney shows off Rho Chi ’s award.


14 PostScript

outside

the N

ational

institute

s of he

alth

The FDA ChroniclesTHE LIFE OF A SIXTH YEAR PHARMACY STUDENT INTERNING AT THE FDA

Stephen Esker ’08, Pharm.D.


PostScript 15

Sunday, January 6

Welcome to Maryland

Today is the day before the start ofmy five weeks here at the Foodand Drug Administration (FDA) inSilver Spring, Maryland. Locatedjust a few miles from theWashington, D.C. metropolitanarea, this branch of the FDA isbrand new and its campus isexpected to be completed some-time in 2009. Known as the “WhiteOak” campus, this area representsthe FDA’s plan to consolidate itsmultiple buildings into one centralheadquarters. Until recently, theFDA had branches in several citiesin Maryland, including ShadyGrove and Rockville.

Monday, January 7

How to become a secret agent

Today is Day One on my road tobecome a secret agent for the U.S.Government. While I’m exaggeratinga bit, I must admit that gaining secu-rity access into the buildings is noeasy task! However, two forms ofI.D. and several pages of paperworklater, I now have my very own FDAIdentification Badge. My first day hasreally been awesome. I got a touraround the White Oak campus frommy preceptor, Todd Bridges, a youngpharmacist who graduated fromVirginia Commonwealth University’sSchool of Pharmacy. As a TeamLeader in the Division of MedicationErrors and Technical Support

(DMETS), Todd works within a largerbranch known as the Center forDrug Evaluation and Research. Toput it simply, his job revolves aroundthe concept of reducing the numberof errors that occur with regards tothe labeling and packaging of med-ications. For example, he looks atpotential “look-alike/sound-alike”medications (e.g. Celebrex vs.Celexa). He sits on a committee thatreviews potential problems beforethey come to the market and alsoreviews MedWatch reports that aresent to the FDA to determine if badlabeling/packaging may be leadingto patient harm. I’m definitely excit-ed to be getting involved in someprojects!

Monday, January 14

Interested in prison pharmacy?

Today we traveled into the heart of Washington, D.C. to the UnitedState Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to learn about the unique careeropportunities that exist for phar-macists in the federal prison sys-tem. In each major metropolitanarea in the U.S. there is at leastone federal prison in which thereis a great deal of medical care,including clinical pharmacy andthe distribution of medications.The presenters gave personal testimonials and the one lastingimpression I gained was that forthe first time ever, these prisonersfelt like somebody truly cared forthem.

Wednesday, January 16

A great way to serve your country

Today we learned all about theUnited States Public HealthService (USPHS). The USPHSCommissioned Corps is a team of more than 6,000 trained publichealth professionals dedicated to delivering the nation’s publichealth promotion and disease prevention programs whileadvancing public health science.As one of America’s seven uniformed services, theCommissioned Corps fills essential public health leadershipand service roles within our feder-al government agencies and pro-grams. The Corps has officers inmany professions, including phar-macists, physicians, nurses, den-tists and more. More specifically,we listened to several great sto-ries from a pharmacist who servedin the USPHS for more than 31years, working in different branch-es of the organization includingthe FDA, BOP and Indian HealthService. Perhaps the most inter-esting aspect of his career was hisrole as the Senior Public HealthAdvisor to Afghanistan for theUnited States Department ofHealth and Human Services forseveral years. His story was trulyamazing, and he opened up oureyes to the range of career oppor-tunities for pharmacists.


16 PostScript

Thursday, January 17

Who says government work can

,t be fun?

One of the best things about thisrotation has been meeting all ofthe other pharmacy students whohave traveled from differentregions of the country to come tothe FDA. Besides fellow ACP stu-dent Mike Nashat ’08, Pharm.D.,there are quite a few other stu-dents including: Mike fromWisconsin, Andrew from Chicago,Avni from Minneapolis, Amy andKristen from St. Louis, Anna fromBoston and several others. Sure,we see each other each day forProfessional Student Lectures, butwe really get to know each otherafter the office closes. Tonight wedecided to start the weekly tradi-tion of Thursday night Happy Houron Capitol Hill. It was a great time,we made some great friends, andate some delicious falafel (if youhaven’t tried it, you’re missingout!)

Thursday, January 24

ASHP headquarters

Unlike our friends across the roadat Albany Medical College who canjoin and have one unified voice inthe American Medical Association,we as pharmacists have a variety ofdifferent professional organizationsto join. One of those is theAmerican Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) andthis morning our group traveled tothe ASHP headquarters in down-town Bethesda, Maryland.

Essentially, ASHP is an organiza-tion through which pharmacy stu-dents and pharmacists alike canadvance their careers through clin-ical residencies as well as researchand industry fellowships. In fact,ACP just recently chartered itsASHP chapter which provides agreat opportunity for students tolearn more about the organization.

Monday, January 28

We get the warhead andhold the world ransomfor... one million dollars!

I know what you’re thinking… why is he quoting Dr. Evil fromAustin Powers? Remember in the movie when Dr. Evil is talkingon the big screen to all of theinternational leaders of the world?That’s kind of what I did today,except it was as a member of theFDA speaking with members ofthe major health care regulatorybodies in Europe, New Zealand,Australia and Canada. I just satthere like a deer in the headlightsas the committees from each ofthese countries spoke aboutpressing (and confidential, sorry)issues concerning medications.Perhaps the neatest part about it all was the fact that I actuallyknew quite a bit about what theywere talking about in theirdebates! It was a great opportunityto expand my knowledge about the medication problems currentlyaffecting the globe and a wonderfullearning experience!

Friday, February 8

Time to say goodbye

Today is my last day here. I had alot of people tell me that it waswonderful to have me in the office.Not only is the experience at theFDA unparalleled, but the peopleare also very welcoming. My rec-ommendation to any and all stu-dents here at ACP is to takeadvantage of the many opportuni-ties available to you. While youmay not find the FDA as interest-ing as I did, I am sure that thereare many opportunities for you togrow in the pharmacy profession.The worst thing you can do isshortchange yourself on the expe-riences available to you in thiscareer.

The Experiential Education componentof the Doctor of Pharmacy program isthe opportunity for students to stepout of the classroom and academic laboratory and into a variety of real-world practice settings, putting theknowledge they have gained to use in hands-on pharmacy experiences.Practice sites include community phar-macies, hospitals, ambulatory careclinics, research laboratories, managedcare facilities, academia, governmentagencies and the pharmaceuticalindustry. Select opportunities for inter-national rotations also are available.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.acp.eduor e-mail [email protected]


PostScript 17

STUDENT NEWS /

Leona Blustein, Pharm. D. ’09, with Sara Dugan, Pharm.D.Assessment of Substance Use and Abuse among Pharmacy Students

Amanda Dihmess, Pharm.D. ’13, with Thomas Lodise, Pharm.D.Molecular and Clinical Epidemiology of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae

Jacklyn Hosmer, Pharm.D. ’12, with Luciana Lopes, Pharm.D., Ph.D., and Adwoa Nornoo, Ph.D.Development of Microemulsions Containing Paclitaxel for the Topical Treatment of Kaposi’s Sarcoma

Pamela Leonardi, Pharm.D.’10, with Jeffrey Voigt, Ph.D.The Role of VDUP-1 in Regulating the Growth and Differentiation of Tumor Cells

Elaine Liu, BSPS ’11, with Alexandre Steiner, Pharm.D., Ph.D.Will the Shift from Fever to Hypothermia during Severe Systemic Inflation Aid the Host?

Neil Mandalawala, BSPS ’09, with Shaker Mousa, Ph.D.Role of VDUP-1 in Tumor Growth, Angiogenesis and Metastasis

Jessica Phelps, BSPS ’11, with William Millington, Ph.D.Is Arecoline Addictive?

Anjoli Punjabi, BSPS ’11, with Arnold Johnson, Ph.D.Preventing Septic Shock as it Relates to the Lungs—Hypothesis: Activation of the Wnt-pathwayWill Promote the Increase in Permeability and Edema Caused by the Tumor Necrosis Factor

Alexandra Rehfuss, BSPS ’09, with Robert Levin, Ph.D.Ischemic Etiology of Incontinence in Women

Peter Youssef, Pharm.D. ’11, with Martha Hass, Ph.D.Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Phospholipids by TLC-ATRFTIR

Summer Research AwardeesTen students split evenly from the Doctor of Pharmacy program and the B.S.program in Pharmaceutical Sciences have been named as Student SummerResearch awardees for 2008. Congratulations go to the following studentswho will be working with faculty mentors from across the College during thehighly competitive eight-week program. A stipend and housing are provided for participating students.

PHI DELTA CHIFUNDRAISING

Six Brothers from ACP’s Alpha Theta chapterof Phi Delta Chi attended the annual St.Jude’s Children’s Hospital Telethon hosted byWRGB-TV in March. Worthy CorrespondentNeil Tierson ’11, Worthy Chief Counselor TimHenderson ’10, Worthy Alumni Liaison OwenFoley ’10, Grand Vice President for StudentAffairs Stephen Esker ’08, Matthew Covich ’09and Whitney LaPier ’11 appeared live on thebroadcast to support St. Jude’s.

Neil and Stephen spoke about Phi DeltaChi’s involvement in the Prescription for Hopecampaign and presented St. Jude’s with acheck for more than $4,700.

Prescription for Hope is a nationwide fund-raising effort launched by PDC in 2007 thathas committed $200,000 to St. Jude’s over afour-year period. Upon completion, one of thehospital’s patient pharmacies will be namedin honor of the fraternity.

The campaign has ties to ACP in moreways than one. Working with the developmentstaff at St. Jude’s, Sean Greene ’00, whoholds a position in Phi Delta Chi’s nationaloffice in addition to his full-time job atWegman’s, was instrumental in coming upwith the idea for the program.

“I was inspired by Jeff Jellin, the foundingeditor of The Pharmacist’s Letter and a frater-nity brother of ours, who made a personalcommitment to St. Jude’s from the proceedsof his very successful journal,” said Greene.“He challenged me to find a way to increasePDC’s support. With this campaign, we wentfrom raising $8,000–$12,000 a year to bring-ing in $75,000 in just the first semester.”

HOPEINAUGURAL RELAY FOR LIFE A BIG SUCCESS

Albany College of Pharmacy held its first-ever “Relay for Life” event on Friday, April 18.The event, organized by ACP’s Colleges Against Cancer chapter, raised $31,000, farexceeding their goal of $20,000.

Students, faculty, administrators and members of the local community walked around theschool’s track from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. to celebrate cancer survivors, remember thoselost to cancer and raise money to help fight the disease.

“Relay for Life” is one of the American Cancer Society’s signature events. It is held overnight to represent the fact that cancer never sleeps.

The luminaria ceremony says it all.


18 PostScript

FEATURE STORY /


PostScript 19

Just a little over a decade after its 1881 founding, ACPadded to its faculty Frank Richardson and De Baun VanAken, both graduates of the Class of 1884, to teachMateria Medica and Chemistry. Launching a trend forfaculty alumni to become involved in other aspects oflife at the school, Van Aken later went on to become sec-retary of the College and president of the AlumniAssociation.

Beloved, long-time dean Francis J. O’Brien ’20 joinedthe faculty shortly after his graduation and helmed theschool for more than 20 years until his retirement in1967. He was replaced that year by Walter Singer ’48who led the College until 1982. The tradition of ACP

graduates returning to educate and mentor future phar-macists continues to this day.

A long-standing member of the current faculty isProfessor Rinaldo DeNuzzo ’52, M.S., a fixture at AlbanyCollege of Pharmacy for more than 50 years.

When Professor DeNuzzo began teaching at theCollege, the faculty consisted of just 17 people under theleadership of Dean O’Brien, with whom he worked close-ly for 25 years. For more than five decades, “Prof” hasserved the College in a range of capacities, complement-ing his role as an educator with dedicated service asdirector of public relations, placement director, coordi-nator of alumni affairs and editor of the alumni news.

ALUMNI GIVE BACK BY EDUCATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PHARMACISTS

From its very early beginnings, Albany College of Pharmacy has consistently utilized the expertise of its alumni when looking to enhance the faculty roster.


At the 2001 commencement, “Prof” was hon-ored with a Doctor of Humane Letters degreein recognition of his longtime service to theCollege and his exemplary lifetime achieve-ments.

In the 1950s, when he first began teach-ing, longtime staff member Katherine Glavinwas registrar and one of the few members ofthe administration other than Dean O’Brien.The library was in a classroom, with LoellaDobbins presiding as head (and only) librari-an, and the gym doubled as the cafeteriawith bleachers used as dining surfaces. Oncethe Diamond Jubilee Wing was added in1957, a new cafeteria was added and the“Panther’s Den” in the basement provided amuch-needed space to unwind with pool andcard games.

There were just two programs of study atACP—pharmacy and medical technology; in1960, Prof was there to witness the creationof the five-year pharmacy degree. He alsoreminisced about the first freshman dorm,

opened in 1985. Alumni House, located onHolland Ave., was very near to the mostrecently opened housing option at ACP—Holland Suites—added last year.

“ACP now has a large campus, looks like auniversity, offers a myriad of courses and hasa large student body,” notes Dr. DeNuzzo,who encourages alumni to visit when in theCapital District so that they can see first-hand all of the exciting changes at theCollege.

One of the newest additions to the ACPcommunity is Terry Towers ’68, B.S., who inDecember was named coordinator of commu-nity practice experiences. Towers brings awealth of experience to the job. The majorityof his prior work has been in the communityarena, most recently, as a diabetes care andmedication management specialist with RiteAid. He also oversees quality assurance, check-list development, student placement and siteexpansion for community pharmacy.

“I came back to ACP because I thoughtthat I could give back something to my pro-fession,” says Towers. “I wanted to be able to

transfer some of the passion that I have forpharmacy to our future pharmacists.”

“The difference between the College fromwhen I graduated to today is like night andday. We had just had one building—the pres-ent-day O’Brien building—which was muchsmaller than it is now.” The Blythe Wing,containing the library and administrativeoffices was added in 1981.

This spring, Towers was awarded theCapital Area Pharmacists Society’s Mario M.Zeolla Memorial Leadership award created inmemory of faculty member Mario Zeolla ’97.Towers was described in his nomination let-ter as “an extraordinary pharmacist who hasdelivered advanced patient care in an exem-plary way.”

Though Bob Hamilton ’77, Pharm.D.,came back to ACP in 1982 as an assistant pro-fessor after earning his Pharm.D. fromVirginia Commonwealth University, he con-tinues to find his position to be a source ofnew and exciting challenges.

“I have enjoyed working at ACP because ithas provided me with great opportunities togrow and explore,” says Dr. Hamilton.

His roles have included department chairfor pharmacy practice, director of the profes-sional experience and Pharm.D. programs,and, most recently, director of continuingprofessional development. In his research,Dr. Hamilton has worked with the New YorkState Office of Medicaid Management toassess and improve the use of drug therapiesin the Medicaid population and also workedfor several years with the New York StateDrug Utilization Review Board.

As the newly appointed founding dean ofACP’s satellite campus in Colchester,Vermont, Dr. Hamilton faces one of the mostexciting opportunities of his long and suc-cessful career and is excited to be heading offto the Burlington area with his family.

“I am honored to head Vermont’s firstpharmacy school,” Dr. Hamilton says. “I lookforward to assembling a team and workingwith Vermont students to offer a premieracademic program, consistent with ACP’s

long commitment to pharmacy education.” Angela Pasquariello Dominelli ’78, Ph.D.,

took a different path after her graduationfrom ACP, heading off to Union College forher MBA and a Ph.D. in Administrative andEngineering Sciences.

When she came back in 2000 as a facultymember in the Department of PharmacyPractice, she could not have imagined thatshe would one day be named associate deanfor academic affairs and assessment—a perfectfit for someone whose research and teachinginterests include pharmacy education.

“As a student at ACP, I felt that facultymembers knew who I was and took a gen-uine interest in me as a person,” Dr.Dominelli says. “I believe it’s key to maintainthat same level of concern and considerationfor our students.”

In addition to her administrative andteaching duties, Dr. Dominelli has publishedin the areas of total quality management,the influence of pharmacy education on stu-

dent perceptions of pharmaceutical advertis-ing, the personality traits of medical technol-ogists and the comparison of service qualitypreferences of consumers and web surveys.

The best part of her job is the people,from students to faculty to administrators,says Dr. Dominelli. “People are the core ofevery organization. Working with intelligentand caring people makes a huge difference.”

After graduation from ACP, Melinda Reed’79, MBA, completed a residency at theNational Institutes of Health and worked forseveral years in hospital pharmacy.

“It was there that I taught students onrotations and found that I really loved teach-ing,” she says.

Soon after, she was back at ACP, this timeas an instructor in the PharmaceuticsLaboratory. In 1985, she received her MBAfrom the University at Albany. Over her 25years at ACP, she has also worked as aninstructor in the Professional PracticeLaboratory and taught accounting beforereturning to the Pharmaceutics Lab.

“The College differs so much from when I

20 PostScript

FEATURE STORY /

I came back to ACP...to give something back to my profession. I wanted to be able to transfer some of the passion that I have for pharmacy to our future pharmacists. —Terry Towers ’68

As a student at ACP, I felt that faculty members knew who I was and took a genuine interest in me as a person. I believe it’s key to maintain that same level of concern and consideration for our students. —Angela Pasquariello Dominelli ’78


PostScript 21

attended ACP—even in the number of stu-dents per class. I’m glad that now there areno bells that ring between classes and thatevery professor does not seat the studentsalphabetically!”

Now an associate professor in theDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, LeonCosler ’82, Ph.D., teaches courses includingpharmacoeconomics and health outcomes,epidemiology and public health at ACP.

In 2007, Dr. Cosler was named director ofACP’s newly-created Research Institute forHealth Outcomes (RIHO), formed to addressthe need for high-quality, scientificallysound medical and financial data in healthoutcomes and pharmacoeconomic research.

Through RIHO, Dr. Cosler has beeninvolved with interdisciplinary teams of fac-ulty who conduct outcomes research relatingto cancer, HIV, infectious diseases and envi-ronmental issues. He also represents ACP inthe Upstate New York Consortium for HealthCare Research and Quality and was influen-

tial in establishing a new master’s degreeprogram in health outcomes research.

More than 25 years after his graduation, Dr.Cosler reflects on life at ACP “back in the day.”

“Everyone lived off campus from thebeginning so the scramble for housing andcompatible roommates was a huge part ofthe experience,” says Dr. Cosler. “I was verylucky in that the roommates I found on DayOne are still my very best friends.”

Then a member of and now advisor to RhoPi Phi, Dr. Cosler notes differences in life out-side of class as well.

“The drinking age was 18 back then, and itmade for a much different social environ-ment,” he remembers. “Several times eachsemester, organizations sponsored ’mixers’—essentially large, well-attended dinnerdances.”

“The experiences I gained at ACP remainthe most significant in my life,” Dr. Coslergoes on to say. “Faculty encouraged me topursue graduate training, for which I am

very grateful. Teaching here is like ’givingback’ to the faculty members who took a spe-cial interest in my future. Now I try to passthat on to my students.”

A member of the Class of ’83, LaurieBriceland, Pharm.D., followed up her Doctorof Pharmacy degree from SUNY Buffalo witha fellowship in antimicrobial management atHartford Hospital.

She returned to ACP in 1987 as a facultymember in the Department of PharmacyPractice and has risen through the ranks tobecome a full professor. Now in her 21st yearat the College, Dr. Briceland serves as directorof Experiential Education. Over those years,she has seen many changes at the Collegeand in experiential education in general.

“The program has evolved from an inpa-tient-focused post-baccalaureate program toan entry-level program which encompassescommunity, hospital, ambulatory care, pub-lic health and elective rotations,” explainsDr. Briceland. “Additionally, ACP now offers

Teaching here is like ‘giving back’

to the faculty members who took a

special interest in my future. Now I

try to pass that on to my students.

—Leon Cosler ’82

My time at the College has given

me the opportunity for continued

growth and personal achievement.

—Ellen Kennett ’91

Left to Right: Aimee Strang, Angela Dominelli, Leon Cosler and Bob Hamilton

Left to Right: Andy Flynn, Terry Towers, Gina Garrison,

Stephanie Young, Jeanine Rose, Lee Anna Obos, Melinda Reed,

Ellen Kennett, Ellen Williams, Terry Lubowski, Tanya Vadala

and Jennifer Evans

FEATURE STORY /


introductory practice experiences in thecommunity and hospital settings to intro-duce students to the practice environmentsearly in the curriculum.”

“When I first began coordinating the expe-riential education offerings at ACP, the pro-gram had just four students from the Class of’91; now more than 200 students areinvolved,” Dr. Briceland says. “While the expe-riential curriculum has changed over theyears, there is a constant that remains—theconcept of experiential learning—that stu-dents are placed in a number of optimallearning environments to be precepted bydedicated professionals, working in teams toprovide the best level of patient care possible.”

Andy Flynn ’87, B.S., has a special bondwith his students. An instructor in the phar-macy practice lab since 2002, he has gottenlots out of his experiences as both a studentand faculty member.

“I really enjoy interacting with my stu-dents the best,” says Flynn. “It’s so rewardingwhen one of them thanks you for teaching aconcept they didn’t understand.”

For his dedication to his students, Flynnwas named Professional Teacher of the Yearat this year’s Commencement. The award

recognizes an outstand-ing faculty memberwho teaches in years3–5.

Flynn’s years atthe College have hadother benefits—bothcareer-wise and person-ally. “My ACP educationhas given me the flexi-bility to choose thecareer in pharmacythat is right for me,” hesays. “I also made manyfriends here as a stu-dent that I still keep inclose contact with.Most importantly, I metmy wife Kelly [LetawaFlynn ’89] at ACP.”

Ellen Kennett’91, B.S., has been backat ACP since 1993.Initially, she worked asa part-time instructorin the pharmaceuticslab. Over the ensuingyears, her role at ACPhas expanded alongwith the growth of theCollege and, beginningin the fall, she willcoordinate a whopping14 laboratories. After

serving for 10 years on the board of directorsfor the ACP Alumni Association, includingthree as president, she recently completed atwo-year term on the Faculty Senate.

“I have had many positive experiences atACP,” says Kennett. “The faculty has beenvery supportive, and I have enjoyed my inter-actions with them as well as the students.My time at the College has given me theopportunity for continued growth and per-sonal achievement, and I can honestly saythat I look forward to the experiences thateach day offers.”

Two years after graduation, Lee AnnaObos ’91, B.S., began her career at ACP as aPharmaceutics Laboratory instructor andcoordinator. Over the years she has alsotaught in the Professional Practice I lab,Home Health Care course and coordinatedthe Professional Practice II course.Eventually, her job responsibilities grew toinclude planning for the renovation of theThroop Pharmacy Museum, an historic drugstore that had been moved lock, stock andbarrel from its original home in Schoharie,N.Y., and installed at the College in 1938.

As curator of the Throop since its renova-tion and reopening in 2001, Obos has created

displays of historic artifacts throughout theCollege, written grants, chaired the ThroopPharmacy Museum Scholarship EndowmentCommittee and hosted tours of the museum.In addition, she has curated exhibits on theThroop and the history of pharmacy forAlbany International Airport, the Ten BroeckMansion and the Schenectady CountyLibrary.

She has been recognized with a Certificateof Commendation from the AmericanInstitute of the History of Pharmacy for herdedicated service and contributions to thefield of the history of pharmacy. Her articleson the Throop have been published in theInstitute’s Apothecary’s Cabinet as well asPostScript. In 2006, Obos received theOutstanding Service to the Profession ofPharmacy Award from the ACP AlumniCouncil.

“I like having a job that allows creativityboth in the laboratory and the museum,”says Obos. “I have made many contactsthroughout the world due to my museumwork, and I am continually learning myself.”

Gina Garrison, Pharm.D., graduated fromACP with a B.S. in Pharmacy in 1994. Afterworking in community and hospital pharma-cies, she returned to ACP for the two-yearpost-baccalaureate Doctor of Pharmacy pro-gram, graduating in 1998. She went on tocomplete a primary care residency at theBuffalo VA Medical Center and joined the fac-ulty at ACP in 1999 as the first assistant pro-fessor of pharmacy practice in the non-tenure track. Promoted to associate professorat ACP three years ago, she is also a clinicalassistant professor with the Department ofMedicine at Albany Medical Center.

With a clinical practice at Latham InternalMedicine and Pediatrics Group of AlbanyMed, Dr. Garrison and her students work col-laboratively with physicians and nurses tocollect patient medical history information,discuss medication benefits or side effectsand recommend drug therapies. Her practicesite is an excellent example of the expandingrole that pharmacists play in prevention andmanagement of disease.

Her teaching and research is focused onprimary prevention of disease, including car-diovascular risk management for commonconditions such as dyslipidemia, hyperten-sion and tobacco abuse.

In addition to several professional mem-berships, Dr. Garrison serves as a faculty co-advisor to ACP’s chapter of the Rho ChiNational Pharmacy Honor Society, which shebelonged to as a student (see article page 13).

Stay tuned for more about our faculty alumni in the fall issue of PostScript.

22 PostScript

My ACP education has given me

the flexibility to choose the career

in pharmacy that is right for me

—Andy Flynn ’87

Alumni faculty at the 2008 Commencement exercises.


PostScript 23

The Pharmacy ProfessionAn Evolution Over Time

1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

PostScript recently sat down with five alumni ranging from the Class of ’68 to the Class of ’96 to survey their thoughts on the evolution of

the pharmacy profession over the last 40 years. Participating in the discussion were: w Jane Wells Fox ’68, who works in the New York

State Office of Medicaid Management and whose background includes experience in both institutional and community pharmacy. w Tom

Golden ’71, who along with his wife, Mary Hunter Golden ’73, works as a pharmacist in the Apple Pharmacy in Malta, NY. w Mary Garry

Giamartino ’78, who owns, operates and practices at the Hotel Pharmacy in Brattleboro, VT. w Steve Hansel ’85, who is senior director

of the Department of Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics, and Metabolism (PDM) at Pfizer. w Heather Bartle Ferrarese ’96, who is a clinical

pharmacist at Bartle’s Pharmacy in Oxford, NY, which was founded by her father, Brian Bartle ’62. Here’s what they had to say.

FEATURE STORY /


24 PostScript

Why did you choose ACP and what wasyour experience like? Tom: My grandfather graduated from ACP in1918 and my father graduated in 1950. OnceI decided on pharmacy as a career, it wasshoo-in that I would go to ACP. I was particu-larly proud to be in one of the last classeshandpicked by Dean O’Brien.

Jane: It was the 60s, and there were limitedcareer opportunities for women. I thoughtabout teaching, but my heart wasn’t in it. Myfather and I did a tour of ACP. I walked awaythinking “this is the place for me.” It was agreat decision.

Steve: I was always interested in health relat-ed professions. I enjoyed science. I wasintrigued by pharmacists and how theyinteracted with patients. I eventually becameinterested in pharmaceutics. There was verylittle research then at ACP. Now, there arefantastic research-based opportunities forstudents. I’m jealous!

Jane: When I was at ACP, it was either medtech or pharmacy. There weren’t many choic-es. You didn’t even get to choose where yousat. From the first day through graduation Isat in Section 4. And since my last name wasWells, I always sat at the back of the room. Igot married in college and my namechanged, but that didn’t seem to matter. Istill stayed in Section 4!

Mary: I’m originally from Brooklyn, so forme it was a toss up between ACP and St.John’s. Russ Denegar, who was then dean ofstudents, played the pivotal role in my deci-sion. I had a great experience at ACP. It was-n’t really even a campus back then, but noneof us cared.

Heather: I knew that I wanted to work inhealth care and patient care. I thought aboutnursing and other possible avenues, butnothing seemed to be a good fit. My father isan alumnus (Brian Bartle ’62), and I grew upin a family pharmacy setting. I decided to

pursue something I knew I would enjoyrather than searching for something that Imight enjoy. Plus, the Kirkpatricks weregood friends of the family—my father workedfor them when he was going to school—and Iloved the idea of having them as myguardian angels in Albany.

What was the biggest difference betweenyour expectations as a student and thereality of being a practicing professional?Tom: Your entire educational experienceback then was pretty sterile. Once you beganworking and you realized that someone’s lifecould be affected by something as small as amissing dash or period, it hit you quite hard,the gravity of what we do.

Jane: That’s very true. One of the earliest andmost important lessons that I learned wasthe last prescription of the day is as impor-tant as the first.

Mary: When I started, you could walk into apharmacy, get any prescription that your

doctor wanted you to have, and life wasgood. Today, there are many other complicat-ing factors that need to be negotiated. Wecan spend up to five or six hours to get oneclaim paid for a patient. And that’s quiteoften someone who is sick or dying.

Heather: In school we emphasized patientcare and patient education, and I was takenaback by the restrictions placed on pharma-cists that prevent us from doing what we arefully capable of doing. I had big dreams fol-lowing graduation of all the things we weregoing to change at the pharmacy, but it hastaken years to help make these a reality.

Steve: I’m now involved in drug developmentand research, but regardless of your field ofexpertise, you need to be able to connectwith people, establish trust and communi-cate. That’s what I learned from my earlyexperiences as a pharmacist at the VA, andthose lessons have really carried through myentire career.

What has been the most significantchange to your field over the course ofyour career?Steve: The biggest changes certainly are onthe technology front. There are scientific dis-ciplines today that did not exist 15 years ago.

Jane: First and foremost for retail pharmacyhas been automation. You enter informationinto a computer and the next day someone isat the door at 9 a.m. with everything you need.

Tom: Automation is it. Back when I graduat-ed, our prescription logs were in a largebinder, and there were no patient profiles,per se. If they lost their bottle, they might beout of luck on refilling their prescription.When the first computer systems arrived,they automated patient profiles, so that look-ing for things like drug interactions, allergiesand billing information all became easier tomanage and handle. The rise in the numberof prescriptions being filled on a daily basishas been another big change. I remember inmy grandfather’s store, a busy day was 65–70

prescriptions. In 1980, it was 150–200. Today,300–400 is considered a busy day. We have aspecialty pharmacy for nursing homes acrossthe street from us, and they can fill morethan 1,000 prescriptions in a day.

Mary: Insurance companies and PBMs areplaying a much larger role in determiningwhat medications patients can have, regard-less of whether patients pay their premiums.In my opinion, that’s not right. On the plusside, we’ve seen the advent of medicationtherapy management, which is a good thing.We have always prided ourselves on takingcare of our patients and counseling them,and MTM gives us greater freedom to do justthat. Contrary to what some people mightthink, pharmacists are not robots.

Heather: I would say it’s the implementationof Medicare D. It’s given greater access tohealth care and more people are now takingthe medications they need because they arebetter able to afford them.

FEATURE STORY /

Tom Golden at the Apple Community Pharmacy demonstrating the Parata Robotic Dispensing System, working with ACP student intern Patty Snider ’09 and speaking with a customer.


PostScript 25

What would you like to see happen to makethe profession of pharmacy even better?Steve: The first thing that comes to mind isan increase in the number of students pursu-ing research-based careers. Research is an art,and it takes time to develop those skills. Butit’s getting increasingly difficult to find tal-ented individuals who are willing to committo research for an extended period of time.That is why we are seeing research increas-ingly done outside the U.S. where resourcesand labor are both plentiful and less expen-sive. This shift is changing the face of phar-maceutical research from an academic-orient-ed endeavor to a production-oriented one.

Heather: We need to remove the regulatory bar-riers that prevent pharmacists from doing thingslike drawing blood or sending a fax to alert thepatient’s doctor to a recommended change intherapy. We are medication therapy experts.That’s our specialty. Unfortunately, we are nottrusted to do that. To not be able to practice atyour fullest capabilities is a disservice to theentire profession, not to mention the patients.

Mary: I just want to take care of my patientsto the best of my ability. That’s what makesmy day, and I think I should be able to dothat. But that’s not always the case.

Jane: We need to be better at tracking whatour patients are doing. It is extremely diffi-cult to manage the profiles of our [Medicaid]patients, and the net result is lost moneyand patients not following their prescribeddrug therapy regimens.

Tom: Certain drugs are prone to overuse. Youhave to be vigilant to make sure they arebeing used in the proper manner. It comesdown to trust. The more personal the rela-tionship, the better you are able to workthese things out.

Jane: It puts us in an awkward position. Howdo you say to someone that they can’t havetheir heart medication?

How have your customers’ needs changedsince you began your career?Mary: Years ago we had a lot of people whosmoked. We see many less smokers now, butthe obesity rate has become a real tragedy.Obesity has surpassed smoking and heartdisease as the number one health relatedcost for employers. If people are interested,we sell them a pedometer at cost. We tellthem to walk 10,000 steps a day. We even setand regulate it for them. Beyond the obesityissue, drug therapy today is so complex thatif you don’t take the time with each patientto go over their medications, they are goingto be confused. That’s a lot of time, butthat’s what we’re there for.

Jane: When I worked in a community set-ting, you had a certain group of people youdealt with. At the state, there is a whole dif-ferent profile. The patient is not someoneyou meet face to face. So you make the bestdecision you can.

Heather: Customers have definitely changed.

They are savvier and more educated. Theyask more questions than they used to 12years ago. The barrier that “we know morethan they do, and they don’t want to appearsilly by asking” is gone. If it’s on their mind,they’ll ask it.

Tom: Another thing that connects with that is internet access. Patients will come into thepharmacy with information about some newbreakthrough that might be ten years down the road, and they want to know what we haveheard about it. Demand starts before anythingever hits the retail side. Ever since WalterKronkite promoted Motrin, they are looking forthe next silver bullet to come down the pike.

Steve: Our customers are ultimately patients,physicians and payers. I would have to saythe one fundamental shift over the last 20years—and it’s a good one—is that today weinvest much more effort in understandingwhat represents a legitimate breakthroughfor patients and physicians and then use

that information as a detailed roadmap fromthe earliest points in the drug discoveryeffort. Our biggest research challenge is tothen quickly deliver effective, safe new medi-cines that meet those needs.

Has the public perception of pharmacistschanged since you graduated? Jane: I don’t think there has been a change. Ithink people have always recognized theknowledge we have to offer.

Tom: I believe yes, it has changed. I think weare held in higher regard than when I firstgot out of school. We’re now seen as more ofa health care professional, not just a techni-cian to fill a bottle of little red pills thatgrandma needs.

Steve: The view of the pharmaceutical indus-try has done a 180 degree turn from 20 yearsago. That’s due largely to the fact that somedrug companies have made very big profits,plus there have been some high profilerecalls which have tainted the industry.

However, I’ve found that this shift in publicopinion does not dampen researchers’desires to contribute to improved publichealth care through our chosen occupations.

Mary: There are some very rural people whostill do not believe that women can be phar-macists, but they are the minority. I wouldguess that probably 95% of the people todayhave no problem speaking with a femalepharmacist. I’ll add that, generally speaking,doctors are more willing to call pharmacistsfor advice than was the case years ago.

Heather: When I was in college, pharmacistswere regularly voted as America’s most trust-ed profession. That’s not the case any longer,and I’m not sure why. Overall, I think we arevery valued. I have been able to help the chil-dren of people whom I went to school with. Ilove that they want my advice before theysee the doctor or go to a clinic. I think thereis respect for the knowledge we have and theassistance we provide people.

FEATURE STORY /

Drug therapy today is so complex that if you don’t take thetime with each patient to go over their medications, they aregoing to be confused. That’s a lot of time, but that’s whatwe’re there for. —MARY GARY GIAMARTINO

stomer.


“I would like to complete a residency

and one day work in a hospital

helping patients manage their

medications. I hope to be able to

play an active role in the commu-

nity and help make patients’ lives

easier. Learning about pharmacy

and the new and innovative things

that are happening in the field has

really been enjoyable for me.”

HOLLY CHAKNIS ’09JAMES J. ROOME JR. ’79

AWARD RECIPIENT

Awards + Prizes

ALBANY COLLEGE OFPHARMACY DEAN’SENDOWMENT FOREXCELLENCE SCHOLARSHIP

Douglas MalehNora MorganEmily NapperKristin Whitaker

ALLEN BARNUM ’24 ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP

Steven Leggett

JACOB G. BAURLE ’31 MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

Elizabeth Burke

MILTON BERNSTEIN ’31 ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP

Selena Manzer

OREN O. BIGELOW ’42ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP

Aislinn EarlyPenny GrossStephanie HaynesCortney KomendaNathan Rogers

ELLEN WIDENMANN BOYIANSCHOLARSHIP

Job EdwardsJoshua Vinson

DEBRA BRAMER ’87 MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

Kathleen Dopp

BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBBSCHOLARSHIP

Aimee Moses

CLASS OF 1988 ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP

Ryan Madison

ALFRED J. COLLINS, JR. ’53/WARNER-LAMBERT/JC PENNY SCHOLARSHIP

Daniel Duffy

THOMAS CUTBUSH ’68SCHOLARSHIP

Karen Holmes

CVS SCHOLARSHIP

Laura FoxGreg Holmes

DEMERS FAMILYSCHOLARSHIP

Elena Napper

H. RUSSELL DENEGAR ’43 SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Aimee Moses

RINALDO V. DENUZZO ’52 ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP

Robin CarvilleDonald LansingAllison ReyngoudtMargaret StackJoshua VinsonLisa Wu

BARBARA M. DILASCIA ’55 MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

Brian Matthews

DONOVAN FAMILYSCHOLARSHIP

Maya Murilo

HARLAND R. ECKLER ’20 ALUMNI FUNDSCHOLARSHIP

Salvatore Bottiglieri

JOHN E. FLYNNSCHOLARSHIP

Hamed Abouzeid

HAGGERTY MEMORIALSCHOLARSHIP

Daniel FortierKatrina Van der Kloet

HENNING SCHOLARSHIP

Emily Mozingo

KENNETH G. HUNTER ’25SCHOLARSHIP

Nora Morgan

PAUL A. JABLONSCHOLARSHIP

Kamalpree DhamiMina IliaJohn NahasAniwaa Owusu ObengEmilia Smal

BURT ORRIN KINNEYALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP

Megan JensenRahne Minckler

KIRKPATRICK SCHOLARSHIP

Joseph Carreno

E. CHARLES LEIGHTON ’59 MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

David Sanderson

RITA E. LEIGHTON ’86SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Stefanie Alger

GEORGE C. LEWIS ’28ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP

Magdalene AssimonShakil FarooquiRebecca Hohenforst

ELI LILLY SCHOLARSHIP

Anthony DebboliNicholas DiPirro

EDWARD MALKONIAN ’34 ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP

Craig Laing

DONALD MCANDREW ’62 MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

Nicholas DiPirroBrittany Higgins

JAMES MCGUINESS ’71 ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP

Yu Jin LimSuzanne Visser

DR. KENNETH W. MILLERSCHOLARSHIP

Katherine Frank

JAMES J. MORRISSEY JR. ’65SCHOLARSHIP

Jennit Raju

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHAIN DRUG STORESSCHOLARSHIP

Jessica BlanchardAnna Vasyukhnevich

FRANCIS J. O’BRIEN ’20 ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP

Solomon ChangVanessa EbosiemKeith FreemanKathryn HogleSvetlana KanaevaSunjeev KonduruEvan KujawskiKaren LamVictoria MatosMichael McCarthyJeffrey MeredithPhuong NguyenYuliya PokhylkoGurmukh SinghJoan Westcott

HENRY A. PANASCI JR. PHARMACY SCHOLARSHIPFUND

Samantha Nolan

BERTRAM RAPOWITZ ’58SCHOLARSHIP

Maya Murilo

RITE AID SCHOLARSHIP

Krista KellySamantha Nolan

ELLIS H. ROBISON ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP

Selena Manzer

CAROL LEE SOWEK ’74 MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

Tania Hobbs

ALBERT M. WHITESCHOLARSHIP FUND

John Adamchick

WOMEN’S CLUB FUND OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITYCOLLEGE OFPHARMACEUTICALSCIENCES

Sarah Gruber

MICHAEL P. AND ELSIE K.YUDA SCHOLARSHIP

Peter AveryJessica BlanchardEdmund DeCarloNicholas DiPirroLaura FoxThomas GiovinazzoSteven LeggettNicole MontanaroAmanda Siddon

26 PostScript

2007–2008 Scholarship RecipientsCongratulations to ACP’s 2007–2008 scholarship recipients and many thanks to the donors and corporations who gave so generously toward these awards.The achievements of these outstanding scholars are made possible by yourcontinued support. We couldn’t have done it without you!

ADVANCEMENT /

For more information about how you can contribute to scholarships and awards

at ACP, contact Donna Beebe at518.694.7125

or email [email protected]

Holly Chaknis ’09, left, accepts the James J. Roome ’79Award from Shannon Rivers Miller ’04, Pharm.D., BCPS

In addition to the scholarships, 20 prizes andawards, totaling almost $6,000, were presentedto 26 students. Holly Chaknis ’09, entering her

final year in the Pharm.D. program, was therecipient of this year’s James J. Roome ’79Award. A native of Gloversville, N.Y., Holly is

eagerly looking forward to a fulfilling career inpharmacy in the near future.


PostScript 27

My name is John M. Marraffa Jr., and I am honored and excited to be serving as chair of

Albany College of Pharmacy’s Alumni Council. I graduated from ACP in 2003 and have

played an active role in the College community ever since I first stepped on to campus

more than ten years ago. I am currently employed as a Pharmacy Manager for Walgreens

Co., in New Hartford, NY. w Right now is a time of tremendous growth at the College. I see

this as a unique opportunity to transform our alumni association and your relationship with

ACP into a relevant part of your professional life. As major developments reshape our pro-

fession, we need to support ACP in maintaining its position as a leader in providing quali-

ty education. w There have been a lot of changes on campus in the last decade, yet so

much has remained the same. It is one thing to hear about change, but it’s even better to

see it firsthand. I want to bring alumni back to campus during the upcoming year and

encourage you to visit facilities such as the Pharmaceutical Research Institute and the

stunning Student Center. I need you to rediscover ACP and help support its mission. w As

chair of the Council, I would like to redefine the alumni association. I plan to serve your

interests while building new and improved relationships with alumni. My goal is to make

the Alumni Council an active partner in executing the vision for the College. The Council

can be a catalyst for change, when and where that is appropriate, while building trust at

each step of the way. w I’d like to provide a strong alumni network for students as well. I

believe that mentoring will make a significant difference to our future colleagues and that

this network can foster an environment which will encourage students to grow, both per-

sonally and professionally. w I am grateful to be working with such a talented and com-

mitted team. w So here it comes, the call to action part. YOU are what’s needed to create

a college community that matters. I invite you to become (or stay) involved, to help me

carry out this vision. We need you to be a part of our future as well as our history.

Dear Alumni,

John M. Maraffa Jr., ’03ALUMNI COUNCIL CHAIR

ALUMNI AFFAIRS /


Put Your Best

Face Forward!

Stay up to date with all alumni-related

events, activities and news through the

ACP Alumni Facebook Group

Search for “Albany College of Pharmacy Alumni”

in the groups section of Facebook.com and join today!

28 PostScript

ALUMNI AFFAIRS /

EVENTS CALENDARSEPTEMBERSaturday, September 13Syracuse Alumni Event Syracuse University Football Game

Sunday, September 14Continuing Education Program: Annual Cardiology Update 4 credit hours

Sunday, September 21DC Alumni Event Stay tuned for details.

Tuesday, September 23Continuing Education Program: Annual Geriatric Symposium 3 credit hours

Friday, September 26White Coat CeremonyThe traditional ceremony marking the start of the professional curriculum for third-year Pharm.D. students.

OCTOBERFriday, October 3–Sunday, October 5Family Weekend 2008 Stay tuned for details.

Thursday, October 9Continuing Education Program: Pain Management Symposium 3 credit hours

Classes of 1940–1959 Luncheon Stay tuned for details.

Sunday, October 26Continuing Education Program: Barbara DiLascia Lecture +Annual Oncology Symposium 4 credit hours

NOVEMBERFriday, November 7Career FairOpen to all ACP studentsAlbert M. White Gymnasium2:00-5:00 pm

Saturday, November 8Interview DayAn opportunity for all graduating ACP students to meet with prospective employers. 9:00 am–4:00 pm

FOR A COMPLETE LISTING of all ACP events visit www.acp.edu

E-mail for Life!ACP is excited to announce that the College is rolling outa new service that will allow you to acquire an ACPalumni e-mail address.

The Office of InstitutionalAdvancement has contractedwith Google to offer all alumni anACP e-mail account that will lit-erally last a lifetime. This e-mailaccount—which will have an e-mail address [email protected]—willprovide an excellent way to keepin touch with your fellow class-mates and other alumni throughthe years. It’s also a unique wayto maintain a connection to theCollege.

To acquire your ACP alumni e-mail address, please send an e-mail to [email protected] with the following information:

• Full Name • Class Year • Telephone # • E-mail address, if available

Once your information isreceived, the College will set upyour new email account and fol-low up with instructions on howto get started. We will also estab-lish a link to the login page viathe Alumni Relations tab on theACP Web site to make it as con-venient as possible for you touse.

All @alumni.acp.edu accountsshare the same features asGoogle’s popular G-mail service, including:

• 6+ GB of e-mail storage • 20 MB attachment limit • Instant messaging

with Google Talk • Ability to have e-mails

automatically forwarded to another existing e-mailaccount

There are no costs associated with establishing or maintaining an ACPalumni e-mail address. Neither ACP nor Google have access to individualaccounts, other than to reset passwords or delete them altogether.


PostScript 29

ALUMNI AFFAIRS /Alumni Events

HIRE CALLING

Career panels featuring ACP alumni and faculty were heldeach semester this academic year. Featured speakers atthe November event were Leigh Bricsoe Dwyer ’87, JohnMarraffa ’03, Steven B. Hansel ’85 and James Hopsicker

’91. The February panel featured faculty member JeanineAbrons, Ed Dombrowski ’75, John George ’81, Dale Lewis

’93 and Scott Terrillion ’85.

Alumni gathered in St. Peterburg, Fla. for a tour of MTSMedicationTechnologies, Inc., an international provider ofmedication compliance packaging systems designed toimprove medication dispensing and administration. Picturedleft to right are Dominick Matarrese ’62, Dave Sellis ‘xx, VPfor Automation Services at MTS; Dick Cornell ’65; ToddSiegel, CEO of MTS; Kelly Letawa Flynn ’89; Lucy DeNuzzo,Bob Stote ’60; Rinaldo DeNuzzo ’52 and Andy Flynn ’87.

Board of Trustees member and nationally recognized invest-ment strategist Hugh Johnson presented a workshop on“Investing Today for Tomorrow” at the College in March.Attending were Neil Tierson ‘11, Lou Morandi, pharmacysupervisor for Walgreens, ACP President James J. Gozzo,Hugh Johnson, Colleen Lawless ‘11 and Vice President ofInstitutional Advancement Vicki DiLorenzo.

w This year’s Career Fair will be held on November 7, 2008 FOR MORE INFORMATION or to reserve a booth for your company, call Patty Tompkins at 518.694.7123

Last fall’s Career Fair drew a record-breaking 50 companiesand 125 participating representatives, including many ACPalums. More than 400 students attended, and more than 80sixth-year students interviewed with potential employers on the following day.


30 PostScript

REUNIONWEEKEND 08

Reunion 2008, held June 6–8, was a whirlwind three days of fun, friends and fireworks. Highlights of the weekend

included 1958’s 50th Reunion Dinner at Wolfert’s Roost, which featured a humorous overview of the class history and a

record setting class gift of more than $107,000; unveiling of the Robison Dining Hall in the Student Center; Class of ’83


brunch; dedication of the Kirkpatrick Suite, in honor of the beloved Margaret and Ozzie Kirkpatrick, and of the Class of 1957 Garden; an afternoon of

reminiscing at Ralph’s Tavern; a showdown on the courts between the classes of ’57 and ’58 and an evening barbecue topped off by a spectacular

fireworks display. For more Reunion photos, visit www.acp.edu and click on Alumni.

PostScript 31

ALUMNI AFFAIRS /


32 PostScript

For Tom Kametz ’99, the opportunity for

adventure made all the difference when it

came time to decide where to settle once his

diploma was in hand. He quickly adapted to

life in his adopted state and over the years

and has acted as an unofficial booster for

Utah, recruiting many other ACP alumni to

move west and take up pharmacy positions.

Tom himself was attracted to the state by

Rite Aid employee Al Rivlin ’62 who, during

an Interview Day at ACP, told him about the

high demand for pharmacists in Salt Lake

City prior to the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Now a staff pharmacist at Harmons

Grocery in Draper, Utah, Tom has worked as

a recruiter in both his current position and

in his previous job at Rite Aid.

“I recruited two other guys from my class

to come with me and, after graduation, Rick

Sillato, Ken Cudney and I took the Utah

boards and moved out here,” says Tom. “Over

the years, I’ve recruited other ACP grads.

Many have come and gone; Tom Forrest ’97,

Jen Dipasquale ’00 and Robert Haddad ’97

have all lived out here for some time.”

“We now have a pretty adventurous set of

ACP alums out here in Salt Lake City,” says

Tom of the group that currently includes

Colin ’02 and Sarah Caroll-Price ’02, Paul

Webler ’97 and Jen Smith ’03. Paul is a

floater at Harmons Grocery, Colin is

employed at Rite Aid in Draper, while Sarah

is pharmacy manager at the Orem Rite Aid.

Jen is now in med school in Chicago and

splits her time between there and the Rite

Aid in Orem.

“We’ve all been out here for several years

now skiing and hiking the Rockies together,”

says Tom. “In the winter we ski some of the

best terrain at the 11 ski resorts here in town.

In the summers you’ll find us hiking the

National Parks nearby including Zion, Bryce,

the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Arches and

Canyonlands. We all also mountain bike in

the Wasatch National Forest quite a bit and

find time to rock climb, river raft and camp

as well.”

“I enjoy variety in life,” explains Tom.

Along with wife Angel and their new son,

Tom lives in a house he bought unfinished

and completed himself. He says he hasn’t

“had the guts” yet to try the hang glide

launch at the end of his street but that can’t

be far off! The couple also has a rental and a

cabin property up on Bear Lake in Northern

Utah and own a business, Cascadia Indoor

Water Features, which creates water features

for businesses and homes.

“Salt Lake City has been a good place for

opportunity,” says Tom, who adds that it’s

also the youngest city in the U.S., with an

average age of 28.

The ACP influx continues. Come July, Jeff

Graves, Matt Smollin and Pete Davey, all

2008 Pharm.D. graduates, will be moving to

Utah to start their careers in the Salt Lake

Valley and life adventures out west.

UTAH’S STATE SLOGAN IS “LIFE

ELEVATED” AND FOR ALUMNI

WHO RESIDE THERE THAT HAS

BEEN PARTICULARLY FITTING.

THOUGH THEIR JOBS KEEP

THEM BUSY, THE STATE IS

KNOWN AS A PARADISE FOR

OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS AND

ITS MANY NATURAL ATTRAC-

TIONS ARE AN ADDED BONUS.

Life Elevated

Photos Left to Right: Tom Kametz rock climbing inBrentwood Canyon in Salt Lake City/Colin and Sarah Pricehit the slopes/Paul Webler and Jen Smith hiking in ArchesNational Park/Jen Smith in Millcreek Canyon

ALUMNI AFFAIRS /


PostScript 33

Though he grew up in upstate New York, another transplant toUtah is John Mauger ’65, dean of the University of Utah Collegeof Pharmacy in Salt Lake City. To John, life in Mountain West hasmeant a more relaxed living style, a solid economy and beautifulscenery.

“Utah offers competitive salaries, excellent health systems,world-class music and arts, several university and professionalsports attractions, skiing, hiking and other outdoor sports, all ina beautiful setting,” says John, who resides in SLC with his wifeKaren.

That setting is particularly important to John, an accomplishedwatercolorist who specializes in small studies of landscapes andflowers, some of which feature the local flora and fauna. One ofhis paintings, “Winter Whisper” was featured on the cover of theJournal of Managed Care Pharmacy.

A state resident since 1994, John came to Utah via Nebraska,where he was based for several years at the University ofNebraska Medical Center. He has enjoyed a long career in highereducation; previously he spent more than 10 years at the coordi-nator for graduate studies in the pharmaceutical sciences atWest Virginia University.

“Like most every state, Utah has a pharmacy shortage,” saysJohn, who goes on the explain that, while a majority of the phar-macy graduates of the College of Pharmacy remain in Utah, thePh.D. graduates are dispersed nationally and internationally aftergraduation.

A professor of pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical chemistry,John has a research interest in drug standards for medicinesthat affect public health world-wide. In particular, his work con-cerns convective mass transport principles applied to drug deliv-ery problems. In keeping with his interest in drug dissolution, hehas served on the USP Biopharmaceutics Expert Committee.

He has published extensively in both journals and books andholds a patent related to masking bitter tastes for pediatric drugformulations.

Dr. Mauger was recently elected as a fellow of the AmericanAssociation for the Advancement of Science and also currentlyserves as chairman of the board of directors of the United StatesPharmacopeia. He also is past president and vice president of theAccreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.

John W. Mauger ’65

SPORTS SHORTS

Hall of Fame Inducts ThreeTwo former players and a current coachwere inducted into the Albert M. WhiteSports Hall of Fame this spring. KristenRenaud Scanio ’98, Jim Holmes ’92, andRich Komulainen were honored at theevent, which also celebrated theachievements of the 2007–08 ACP athletic teams.

Two of the inductees continue toexert a direct influence on ACP ath-letics.

Known as the “father of ACP soccer,” according to former men’sbasketball coach and current Associate VicePresident for Student Services Packy McGraw, Komulainen hascoached the men’s team for the past 23 seasons and has won an his-toric 139 games. His 1990 team, which belonged to the Colonial StatesConference as well as the Northern Athletics Conference, won bothconference championships. In 2005 and 2006, Komulainen teamed withHolmes as his assistant and led the Panthers to consecutive NorthernIndependence Conference championships.

“Rich has built great connections with his student athletes over 23years,” said Ryan Venter, ACP athletics coordinator. “He continues toproduce winning teams, on the field and in the classroom.”

Holmes, in addition to being the current assistant men’s coach, wasa standout soccer player at ACP, two-time team captain and 1991’smost valuable player. In that season, he led the Colonial StatesConference in scoring and was named to the all-conference team. Adriven, flexible and unselfish athlete, according to McGraw, Holmeshas served as assistant coach for the past four seasons, helping tolead the Panthers to unprecedented success. In the 2005 and 2006seasons, the men’s soccer team won two conference championshipsand compiled a record of 22-4.

“Jim is an extremely talented coach and, as a graduate of ACP,knows how tough it is to play a sport and succeed academically,”Venter said.

“I have proven myself in the professional world utilizing team work,commitment, hard work, situational analysis and networking—allskills that I learned playing soccer,” added Holmes. “I hope now tohelp teach team members how important those things can be both atACP and in life.”

Scanio, a five-year member of the women’s basketball team(1994–98), left the team as one of its finest all-time point guards. Sheranks eighth on ACP’s career scoring list. Scanio was named to theNorthern Independence Conference first team twice, while also beinghonored as the 1996-97 most valuable player.

Scanio’s coach at ACP, Tom Weaver, calls his former point guard andteam leader, “a true commander in chief who led by actions, not words.”

McGraw described Scanio as a well-rounded player who alwaysgave exceptional effort and could often be “found on the floor, divingfor loose balls.” For her 1997-98 academic and athletic achievements,she was named by the Basketball Coaches Association of New York asone of the top scholar-athletes in the state.

ALUMNI AFFAIRS /


34 PostScript

1939We received word from Cynthia SpagnolettiGabriels ’60 that her uncle, Salvatore V. Massa,passed away on January 18, 2008. After his 1939graduation from ACP, Sal joined the army andserved as a medical specialist during WWII. Hewas wounded during the invasion of Normandyand for his heroism received three Bronze Stars,the French Legion of Honor and numerous othermedals. After the war, he owned and operatedMassa’s Pharmacy for 17 years. Sal is survivedby his wife Betty of Naples, Fla., two sons, hisgrandson and several nieces and nephews.

1949Stewart M. Brooks recently authored the bookLingua Medica: Everyone’s Guide to UnderstandingMedical Terminology. A graduate of ACP and thePhiladelphia College of Pharmacy and Science,Stewart is the author of more than 40 basictexts in the medical sciences and, together withhis wife Natalie, has written and edited a num-ber of works and references in nursing and pub-lic health.

1951Harold Jaffee, Hal Seitz and Dave Silverhart,long-time ACP buddies pictured left to right, metup in Boca Raton, Fla., at a reception held byACP Dean Mehdi Boroujerdi, Ph.D.

1960Michael Lotano wrote to say that he is the fatherof six and grandfather of nine! Now semi-retired, he works part time for the New YorkState Department of Mental Health. He is a resi-dent of Glenville, N.Y.

1961Harry Norman has been honored by theFireman’s Association of New York State as wellas the Hudson Valley Fireman’s Association for50 years of service as a volunteer member of theSlater Chemical Fire Company. A resident ofBeacon, N.Y., Harry is a staff pharmacist atVogel Pharmacy.

1965John W. Mauger was recently elected as a fellowof the American Association for theAdvancement of Science (AAAS). John, who isprofessor and dean of the University of UtahCollege of Pharmacy, was elected by his peersin AAAS for his leadership in academic pharma-cy and for his contributions to drug standardsfor medicines that affect public health world-wide. He also currently serves as chair of theBoard of Directors of the United StatesPharmacopeia and is past president of theAccreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.For more on John, see article page 33.

1966Susan D. Dahm retired in August 2007 after 42years of working in the lab at St. Peter’sHospital. Susan is a graduate of the MedicalTechnology program at ACP. She resides inAlbany….Bob Hartz also retired in the fall. Bobbegan his career at Wheelock’s Drugstore inHancock, N.Y. and started his own business, theHancock Drugstore, in 1987. After he sold toRite Aid in 1995, Bob remained on at the storeuntil his retirement. Bob and wife Alice have twochildren, Nicole and Paul.

1972Arthur W. Muldoon wrote with sad news aboutthe passing of his wife Wendy Vragel Muldoon,also Class of ’72, who succumbed to cancer inJune 2005. Exactly one year later, on June 25,2006, Art’s new grandson was born.

1975Philip Rose has been retained as a sales andmarketing consultant for Senetek, PLC, a lifesciences company that develops technologiesthat target the science of healthy aging. Philiphas 30 years experience in the field and in gen-eral executive management of large pharma-ceutical research companies. For nine years hewas vice president of corporate sales for GlaxoPharmaceuticals and then went on to becomevice president and general manager of NorthAmerican operations for ICN Pharmaceuticals.Subsequently, he became president and CEO ofObagi Medical Products, a specialty pharmaceu-tical company focused in the fields of dermatol-ogy and plastic surgery.

1976David M. Stack has been named president andCEO of Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader insustained release injectable technologies. Davidis currently the CEO and founding partner ofStack Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a commercializa-tion, marketing and strategy firm serving emerg-ing health care companies. He is also an execu-tive partner at MPM Capital. Prior experienceincludes stints as president, CEO and director ofThe Medicines Company and president and gen-eral manager of Innovex, Inc….Rick Hogle andwife Alana have owned and operated the FairfaxPharmacy in Fairfax, Vt. since 1991. The Hoglesare proud to announce the birth of their firstgrandchild, a little girl, Payton Alana, on January4, 2007....Bill Schuman wrote to fill us in on theBig Whompa photo in the last issue (see Lettersto the Editor). Bill retired from a 28-year career

in the United States Public Health Service andcurrently operates a pharmacy staffing company,The Capsule, Inc. He resides in Gallup, NewMexico with his family. Friends can contact himat [email protected].

1977Alumni from the Class of ’77 gathered for a mini30th Reunion at the 2007 Northeastern DrugUtilization Review program sponsored by ACP’sOffice of Continuing Professional Development.Pictured left to right, back row, are RickLavigne, Joe Maiello and Bob Hamilton (seearticle page 18). In the front row are DebbieUnderhill Henderson, Sharon Rochinsky andTeo Luksa Daley.

1979Siblings Beth Graham Magin, Benjamin Graham’71 and Bernie Graham ’71 all participated in amission to Guatemala this past April. Beth, who isemployed at Marra’s Pharmacy in Cohoes, headedup the pharmacy unit. Bernie is dean of theNesbitt College of Pharmacy and Nursing atWilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. while histwin Ben, a dentist retired from the U.S. Air Force,currently practices at the Stratton V.A. in Albany.Also along to lend a hand was Bernie’s son,Bernard III. The trip was sponsored by the GlensFalls Medical Mission Foundation, which twice ayear sends volunteer teams of pharmacists, doc-tors, dentists and nurses to provide medical careand education to this under-served area.

1980Richard Cummings was recently named super-vising pharmacist at Kinney Drugs in LakePlacid, N.Y. Richard has performed patient careservices for more than 25 years and has lived inthe Lake Placid area for more than 20. A strongsupporter of the community, he has beeninvolved for the past five years in the North ElbaChristmas Drive which distributes food to needyfamilies during the holidays. He has also sup-ported the IronMan Triathlon for the last severalyears…Kenneth Knutti was featured in a recentarticle in the Nantucket Independent. Ken movedto the island in the spring of 1981 and has beenemployed at Nantucket Pharmacy ever since.His classmate and future wife Jill Audyckimoved to the island in 1984 and was hired atCongdon’s Pharmacy, which until last year oper-ated next door to Nantucket Pharmacy. The cou-ple married in 1989 and in 1992 adopted theirfirst child, Emma, from Chile. In January 1997they had their daughter, Caroline, and the fol-lowing month Ken brought home John, anotherchild they adopted from Chile. Ken and Jill haveboth continued their jobs as pharmacists since

Class Notes

ALUMNI AFFAIRS /


PostScript 35

moving to the island, but after Congdon’s closedlast year, Jill got a job with Alan Bell, the ownerof both Nantucket Pharmacy and another islanddrug store. Now she alternates between the twostores and, in busy periods, overlaps shifts withher husband. In their spare time, the couplespends time with their kids and tends theirflower and vegetable gardens.

1981Stephen J. Hulse has been named vice presi-dent of sales for EKR Therapeutics, a specialtypharmaceutical company focused on commer-cializing and maximizing the potential of propri-etary acute-care products. Steve brings 25 yearsof experience in the pharmaceutical industry toEKR, including extensive management expertiseat the district, regional and national levels. Hismost recent position before joining EKR wasdirector of sales, Central Area, with PDLBioPharma.

1983Laurie Briceland passed the United StatesFigure Skating’s (USFS) “adult pre-bronzemoves” test in March. A relative newcomer tofigure skating, Laurie has three daughters whoskate competitively and decided to take up thesport after spending so much time at the icerink. She prepared for the test for approximatelytwo years, skating weekly with a coach. Laurieserves as president of the Albany Figure SkatingClub. More about Laurie on page 18.

1990Andrew Beelen, M.D., has been named seniordirector of clinical research in infectious dis-eases at Myriad Genetics, Inc., a biopharmaceu-tical company focused on the development ofnovel healthcare products. In his new position,he is responsible for the overall strategy anddirection of clinical development in the infec-tious disease field. Previously, Andrew worked at GlaxoSmithKline, where he was most recentlydirector of clinical pharmacology and discoverymedicine at their Infectious Diseases Center forExcellence in Drug Discovery. After graduationfrom ACP, Andrew earned his medical degreefrom the State University of New York HealthScience Center at Syracuse (Upstate MedicalUniversity)…. Cheryl Ryan lives in Charlotte,N.C., with husband Mike and “two wonderfuldogs.” She works for PharMerica, a long-termcare company, and loves it. Cheryl ran her veryfirst marathon, the Mayor’s Midnight SunMarathon in Anchorage, Alaska, on June 21,2008. She trained with the Leukemia andLymphoma Society’s Team in Training whichraises money to help find a cure for leukemia,lymphoma and myeloma and improve the quality of life for patients and their families. To contribute and see what she’s doing to make a difference, visitwww.active.com/donate/tntwnc/cheryl.

1991Manuel Ramirez became the new owner of theDichter Pharmacy on Broadway in New York Cityin March. The pharmacy was Manny’s first placeof employment. He began there in 1982 as astockboy, working summers and vacations, andstayed on as a pharmacist for two years after hisgraduation from ACP. The store was purchasedfrom the estate of his former boss.

1992Salpe Archanian Tavarez gave birth to a beauti-ful baby girl on March 25, 2008. Kristina Elverajoins big sisters Elina, 7, and Madelene, 4. Bothsisters are very excited about Kristina!! Salpe iscurrently working at home for Pharmerica andwill be returning to consulting work in July.

1994Lisa Morana Baumander has owned theMedicine Shoppe Pharmacy in Liberty, N.Y., forthe past 10 years. She was previously employedat Fay’s Drugs in Liberty and then at theCommunity General Hospital pharmacy beforedeciding she preferred working with the com-munity in a retail setting. Husband Leon is post-master at the Ferndale Post Office….TinaValdeon and family welcomed newest additionEmilio, born June 7, 2007. He joins sistersStephanie, 12, and Rachel, 9. Tina is a supervis-ing pharmacist for CVS and resides in CliftonPark, N.Y.

1995C. Michael White has been named director of anew federal center established at the Universityof Connecticut School of Pharmacy. Funded bythe Agency for Healthcare Research and Qualityin the U.S. Department of Health and HumanServices, the center is one of 14 Evidence-basedPractice Centers nationwide. Mike and his co-workers will conduct reviews of research onhealth topics of vital interest to the U.S. healthcare system and advise federal and state policymakers, professional organizations and insur-ance companies to help determine the highestquality, most effective and most cost-effectivetreatment and delivery options available….Carrie Fuller married Dennis Ryan on April 7,2007. Carrie is a pharmacist at the HollandPatent Pharmacy and Dennis owns his own con-struction business….Diadra Halfmann andNicholas Brogcinski ’03 are planning aSeptember 2008 wedding. Diadra is a pharma-cist at Wegman’s in East Rochester while Nick ispharmacy manager at Walgreens in Rochester.They live in Spencerport, N.Y.

1997Jennifer Ann Broton and Ralph StephenAlexander were married August 25, 2007, inSyracuse with a reception following at BelhurstCastle in Geneva, N.Y.. Jennifer is a pharmacistat Wegmans while her husband is a principal ofthe Alexander Law Offices. The couple reside inSkaneateles.

1998Maureen O’Grady Walsh and husband Brianwelcomed daughter Bailey Madigan Walsh onApril 10, 2007. Bailey joins big brother Brendan,who was born in April of 2005. Maureen is aninpatient staff pharmacist at Albany MedicalCenter.…Marcy Hernick has completed herPh.D. and postdoctoral work and is now anassistant professor in the Department ofBiochemistry at Virginia Tech. She says she“absolutely loves it.”

Julie Wilmot accompanied a medical mission tothe Dominican Republic after reading about thisworthwhile effort in the last issue of PostScript.The pharmacist in charge of the CVS inCortland, N.Y., Julie says she has “always want-ed to do something like this.” Julie was one offour pharmacists on the trip, which also includ-ed Sarah Kokosa ’07. Sarah learned about themission during her residency at CampbellUniversity in North Carolina.


WE HOPE YOU ENJOYEDThe New PostScriptWe’d love to have your input, feedback and suggestions. Contact ACP’s

Office of Institutional Advancement at [email protected].

w Look for our Alumni Survey in your mailbox this fall.

36 PostScript

1923Daniel A. SpadaroDecember 9, 2007

1931Henry BennettFebruary 14, 2008

1939Salvatore V. MassaJanuary 18, 2008

1940John R. BottingMay 1, 2008

1942Fred IsabellaNovember 28, 2007

Brooks Franklin“Frank” WoodDecember 25, 2007

1946Joyce M. Myner-KupperMay 3, 2007

1949Anthony J. ConteFebruary 13, 2008

Solomon LevineFebruary 27, 2008

1951Patricia Barry CarneyFebruary 27, 2008

Dorothy M.DeLafayette JenksMay 31, 2008

1953Newell “Buzz”DanielsDecember 22, 2007

1955Earl A. KellyJanuary 14, 2008

1969Lawrence E. LenihanOctober 25, 2007

1970Ann HallMarch 5, 2008

1978Kathleen BosworthLuceyApril 8, 2007

1985Lisa Nelson McNallyMay 20, 2008

1990Eric C. MealyJanuary 6, 2008

2000Michael G. BrunoNov. 25, 2007

IN MEMORIAM1999James Cataldi and wife Danielle have a newaddition to their family. Daughter Ella Michellewas born on July 25, 2007 and joins brotherDominic, now two years old. James is the ownerof Main Street Pharmacy in Marcellus, N.Y.…TomKametz and wife Angel welcomed son TylerThomas Kametz (below) on January 29, 2008.Tyler weighed in at 7 lbs., 1 oz. and was 18 inch-es long at birth. For more on Tom, see article onpage 32….Mary Beth McAndrews and Michael G.Kupiec ’91 were married on October 11, 2007 ina destination beach wedding ceremony at thePink Shell Resort in Fort Myers, Fla. After ahoneymoon in the Dominican Republic, the cou-ple returned home to DeWitt, N.Y. and their jobsat Kinney Drugs.

2001Jennifer Bowes married Steven Roy Morgan onJune 8, 2007 at Belhurst Castle in Geneva, N.Y.After a honeymoon to France and Greece, theMorgans returned home to Syracuse, whereJennifer is a pharmacist at University Hospital.

2002Wayne B. Peters and Tabatha Ann Easley weremarried on November 3, 2007 in Hawaii.Classmate John Copeland served as best man.Wayne is a pharmacist at West Grocery inLancaster, Pa., and the couple resides intown....Jerrod and Rachael Brady Richardscelebrated the birth of their second baby on May 7, 2008. Abigail Rae weighed in at 7 lbs., 7 oz. and measured 19 inches. She joins olderbother Ethan Brady Richards, who is nearly two.The family moved to a new house in Manlius,N.Y. just three weeks before Abigail arrived.

2005Joshua Schomer and Tiffany Parkhurst wed onMay 19, 2007. The groomsmen included ACPbuddies Mark Zlotnick, Matt Jones and GregJones. Josh is employed by CVS in NewHampshire.

2006Jason Donald Ford and Casey Lynn Deyo weremarried Aug. 17, 2007. Jason is a pharmacist for Kinney Drugs and FitzPatrick Cancer Center.The Fords reside in Plattsburgh.

2007John Animasaun was featured in an AlbanyTimes Union article about two trips he made to Nigeria to raise awareness of AIDS. John first became interested in the subject whiledoing a clinical rotation supervised by ACP faculty member Christopher Miller, Ph.D., during which he worked with HIV patients atAlbany Medical Center. John received a grantfrom Christian Pharmacists FellowshipInternational to travel to Nigeria and created the World Care International Organization to con-tinue his work in the country. With the help of his church, he also was able to set up two scholarships for high school students inNigeria....Nicole Griffiths married MichaelChudacik on June 16, 2007. Her attendantsincluded Kara Jastemski and Jessica Knowles.Nicole is employed at The Pharmacy in JohnsonCity, N.Y. The couple reside in Binghamton.

To submit class notes or update your address please write PostScript EditorAlbany College of Pharmacy106 New Scotland AvenueAlbany NY 12208or e-mail [email protected]


For more informationABOUT HOW YOU CAN ENSURE THE FUTURE OF ACP

THROUGH PLANNED GIVING OPPORTUNITIES, CONTACT DIRECTOR OF MAJOR GIFTS DONNA BEEBE

AT (518) 694-7125 or [email protected]

In 1959 when he graduated, Warren Ficke was 21 and single

and, in the days between Korea and Vietnam, “there was a little

thing called the draft.” After receiving his NYS pharmacy license,

Warren applied to the Navy’s Officer Candidate School and was

assigned to the US Naval Hospital in Washington from 1960–1963.

Warren subsequently attended the University of Washington for

an advanced degree; then got a license to practice in the state.

Heading next to California, he passed the boards there in 1966 and

shortly after got a job at Longs Drugs. He started in Longs’ Oakland

pharmacy, transferred to Hemet in 1974 and has been there ever

since. Currently, he serves as pharmacy manager.

Married to Evelyn for 41 years, the couple have two daughters,

Heather and Alison—both in medical fields.

Warren is looking forward to heading back east for his 50th

ACP Reunion next year and eagerly anticipating playing in the

Alumni Golf Tournament that weekend.

“ACP made me the professional I am today,” he says. “I had the

good fortune of having my mother and father put me through

College; now I want to give back. I’ve been working in drug stores

since I was a sophomore in high school. Even when serving in the

military, I was a pharmacist—I couldn’t have picked a better career.”

To make a charitable gift of value to the College while realizing

significant tax benefits on his estate, Warren has generously

included ACP in his estate plans as a member of the Francis J.

O’Brien Society.

WARREN FICKE ’59

PLANNED GIVING /

“ACP made me theprofessional I am today.”


Albany College of Pharmacy106 New Scotland Avenue, Albany New York 12208

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BACK IN THE DAYGet into the “wayback machine”

and help us fill in the blanks in ACP’s

history! Each issue of PostScript will

feature a “vintage” photo from the

archives. If you can supply any info on

the activity, event or people pictured,

we would love to hear from you!

Contact PostScript EditorOffice of Institutional AdvancementAlbany College of Pharmacy 106 New Scotland Ave.Albany, NY 12208or e-mail [email protected]


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PostScript Summer 2008