Volume 4 Issue 1 January – February 2015

The Monthly Prescription Pursuing Excellence in Pharmacy as Student Pharmacists

American Pharmacy Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists

University of Florida College of Pharmacy Chapter Newsletter

Discover how student pharmacists take knowledge from the classroom and share it in their communities!

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In this Issue…

1, 4 Global Gala: What a

Wonderful World!

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Great(er) Gator Health Fests

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UF APhA-ASP welcomes Michael Jackson

6 Stress Free Pharmacy

8 A Letter from the Editor

Got anxiety on the brain? Learn tips on how to manage pharmacy school stress free!

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Global Gala: What a Wonderful World!

Global Gala 2015 - What A Wonderful World was a night of cultural celebration that took place on Friday, February 6th, at Gator Wesley Foundation. Though the Gator Wesley Foundation was a different, smaller venue for Global Gala than the traditions of previous years (Gainesville Indian Cultural Center), it allowed for a more intimate environment to enjoy the consistently spectacular evening. Over 150 students and faculty were in attendance from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy Gainesville campus and the distance campuses, making Global Gala truly a college-wide affair.  The night’s program included cultural talent performances by both

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Operation Diabetes doing big things!

Pens & Pumps & Class

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Ada Jutba, Carla Figura and Clara-Jessica Rances (1PD)

9 Upcoming Dates/Events

Mr. COP Pageant 2015 7

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Operation Diabetes: Pens & Pumps & so much more!

Diabetes demonstration supplies for Pen & Pump attendees to practice their skills

Stay  tuned  for  next  year’s  class.    We  are  hoping  to  add  a  new  topic:  the  latest  developments  in  type  1  

diabetes  research!

Diabetes Counseling Class In late January, Operation Diabetes and SNPhA Diabetes Initiative teamed up to host its first ever Diabetes Patient Counseling Class. Operation Diabetes typically holds a training session every semester to teach students how to test a patient's blood glucose but this semester, we decided to focus less on the mechanics and more on the patient interaction. The class was targeted towards 1PDs to give them a head start for patient counseling in Pharmacotherapy 1! The class was led by Dr. Laura Smoot, PharmD, BCPS, the Pharmacy Education Coordinator at the NF/SG Veterans Health System. Dr. Smoot was a very engaging speaker, drawing on her years of experience as a pharmacist in the ambulatory care setting. She gave an overview of diabetes management, with an emphasis on target blood glucose ranges for patients with/without diabetes, per the American Diabetes Association guidelines. She also gave some very practical tips for counseling patients, such as the importance of staying calm when counseling a patient that is dramatically hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic. It's important to get the patient's whole story to find out what's normal for them, and what's not. Dr. Smoot's last bit of advice was to be empathetic and patient, and to maximize any opportunity to educate your patients! You might find yourself working to convince a patient that sweet tea does not lower their sugar, as Dr. Smoot did in her clinic!

Students look on as Dr. Laura Smoot discusses an example patient case

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Gainesville Campus’ Operation Diabetes had the pleasure of hosting its 6th Annual Pens & Pumps Learning Class this year on January 30th, 2015. Each year, this evening class is devoted and designed to teach students, including pharmacy and other health disciplines, about the ins-and-outs of diabetes: its management, with a special focus and details on topics that often get glossed over in the curriculum, such as carbohydrate counting. Operation Diabetes would like to express utmost appreciation for our three fantastic speakers of Pens & Pumps: Ms. Kathryn Parker, Ms. Diane Thompson, and Dr. Karen Sando. All of our speakers were certified diabetes educators, but each one represented a different health-related background- dietetics, nursing, and pharmacy, respectively. They presented on topics ranging from carbohydrate counting to the evolution of the insulin pump. In addition, Dr. Sando also taught the students how to inject an insulin pen, using various demo supplies, to imitate an actual injection into a patient. We would also like to thank the UF Students with Diabetes chapter for their support of Pens & Pumps, and overall diabetes education. Because of their collaboration with Operation Diabetes, several students with Type 1 diabetes were available to offer their personal perspectives and stories about how they are living with diabetes.

This year, we were thrilled to have more than 80 students in attendance, with strong interdisciplinary support from nursing, dentistry, and medicine students. Thanks again to everyone who attended Pens & Pumps!

Stephanie Shore Operation Diabetes

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Great(er) Gator Health Fest Farris Hasan VP of National Patient Care Projects

What do you get when you cross a Gator student

pharmacist with a community in need?

Someone willing to fill the gap and go to patients beyond the classroom!

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While it is a tradition for our chapter to host the annual Great Gator Health Fest (GGHF) during a Fall UF Gator football home game, 2015 marks the beginning to a year hallmarked by new traditions! In addition to the usual Fall GGHF, Gainesville’s ASP chapter decided to create more opportunities for the local community to have access to student pharmacists and all the resources we have to offer! We, as student pharmacists, play an integral role to our community by taking the knowledge we learn from the classroom, and bringing it out to those who live outside of those walls. We must strive to provide better and greater Gator health and pharmacy care! What are student pharmacists doing to make a difference?

Patient care projects, both local and national (comprised of 1st and 2nd year pharmacy students), participated in the inaugural Great Gator Health Fest of the 2015 Spring semester. The Patient Care projects who participated include: Pediatric Awareness, Poison Prevention, Geriatric Awareness, Operation Self Care, Operation Heart, and Generation Rx. Tablings and blood pressure screenings were held during the February 20th home baseball matchup between the Florida Gators and the Miami Hurricanes (Go Gators! We won with a score of 4 to Miami’s 3). Student pharmacists were able to counsel attending Gator fans and patrons on many topics, including proper use of common over-the-counter medications, potentially toxic, around-the-house products to be cautious with, and increasing awareness about patients’ health so they play an active role in their therapy and care.

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What are ASP’s future plans for this semester?

Look out for more future Great Gator Health Fests at upcoming UF sporting events: March 17 @ UF Baseball vs. Florida State and April 3 @ UF Softball vs. South Carolina!

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Student pharmacists perform blood glucose screenings and

share information with attendees

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students from all of the campuses of the College of Pharmacy and the University of Florida at large, as well as a successful silent auction made possible by the generosity of local Gainesville businesses. In addition, it was a relaxing evening for students to step away from schoolwork, dress up, and enjoy a catered dinner while playing audience to a variety of performances by their peers. Thanks to the support of the College and generous grants from companies like Publix, Global Gala 2015 raised nearly $7000 in proceeds to go towards medications and supplies for the Global Health Outreach Trips. Everyone played a huge part in making Global Gala successful.

Global Gala Coordinators: (from left to right) Clara-Jessica Rances, Carla Figura, Rubaiyat

Zinat-Haider, Tiffany Harris, Ada Jutba

The Global Gala coordinators would like to thank the College of Pharmacy for supporting this event year after year and the many sponsors who made charitable contributions. Last but not least, the coordinators would like to express their gratitude to the students and faculty. Without their attendance and participation, this event would not have been possible. Global Gala was a memorable night that emphasized that we really do live in ‘a wonderful world!’

(all photo credit: Bao Lam (Orlando Campus)

January Member of the Month:

Tina Nguyen

My  name  is  Tina  Nguyen,  and  I  am  a  1PD  at  UF  College  of  Pharmacy.    

I  grew  up  in  Palm  Bay,  Florida,  and  I  received  my  B.S.  in  Nutritional  Sciences  at  the  University  of  

Florida.    

I  currently  serve  two  positions  within  APhA-­‐ASP:  Operation  Heart  chair  and  Fundraising  chair,  both  of  which  I  enjoy  very  much.

In  terms  of  career  goals,  I  am  

interested  in  pursuing  a  career  in  hospital  pharmacy.  

However,  I  am  also  keeping  an  open  mind  to  explore  different  

areas  in  pharmacy.    

In  my  spare  time,  I  love  playing  my  ukulele  and  swing  dancing.

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Michael  Jackson,  Executive  Vice  President  and  CEO  of  FPA      On February 16, 2015 Gainesville’s chapter of APhA-ASP had the pleasure to welcome a superstar of the pharmacy world: Mr. Michael Jackson! While he shares the same namesake as the beloved king of pop, our guest speaker Michael Jackson is also a well-admired man in his own right. Mr. Jackson, Executive Vice President and CEO of Florida Pharmacy Association (abbreviated as ‘FPA’), plays an important role as an integral part of the FPA Management Team, coordinating FPA efforts to lobby for laws and regulations in favor of protecting rights and advancing the practice of pharmacists, pharmacy interns and staff. With Legislative Days 2015 just around the corner, this meeting was a very informative session that gave Gainesville students to understand the importance of advocating now for our future as pharmacists. At the state capitol (Tallahassee), pharmacy students throughout the whole state come together to be a real-life, ‘in-the-flesh’ example to Capitol Hill employees, councilmen, and other important Florida Legislature officials about the truth of what pharmacy is all about by providing various health screenings and information.

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Jackson shared detailed step-by-step instructions of what it takes to get a bill introduced and passed throughout the Legislative Branch (House of Representatives and Senate) and Executive Branch (Governor Rick Scott) and FPA’s role in the lawmaking process. He also spoke on the importance for students to take the initiative with their future by reaching out to and supporting the local government officials to have fair representation on pharmacy-related issues. While certain issues (e.g. recognition of pharmacists as ‘healthcare providers’ and immunization status for pharmacists and pharmacy interns) are hot issues currently in discussion, there is a reality that we need to stand up and fight for pharmacists’ rights and place in society now or else our futures will be the ones in jeopardy upon graduation in a few years.

For more information about how you, as a student pharmacist, can become more involved with advocating for our future profession or how to become a member of FPA, visit the FPA site at: http://www.pharmview.com Student membership consists of a single-time $20 fee, and covers a 4 year-membership (4 years of pharmacy school).

Much appreciation towards Mr. Michael Jackson for coming to visit the Gator Nation at Gainesville Campus and for everything you do for FPA! We can’t wait to see you at Legislative Days 2015!

FPA’s Man in the Mirror: UF COP Gainesville Campus welcomes

Michael Jackson!

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Volume 4 Issue 1 January-February 2015

‘Stress free’ Pharmacy: Learning How to Deal with Stress Pharmacy school can be a very stressful time in students’ lives, with students having to balance a combination of a rigorous coursework, extracurricular activities, and other responsibilities that makes life altogether so interesting. Sometimes stress can help students to be proactive and productive, but what happens when it becomes too burdensome or too much to handle? How are we to cope with this stress in good, helpful ways? During our first GBM of the semester, we were blessed with the opportunity to have guest speaker and UF Doctoral candidate in Counseling Psychology Shraddha Sundaram M.A speak with student pharmacists on the topic of ‘Reducing Stress and Beating Test Anxiety’. Sundaram used her wit and down-to-earth personality to connect with students and help them open up about issues of graduate school-related anxiety, demonstrated how to properly engage deep breathing techniques, and provided many resources from the UF Counseling & Wellness Center to help with meditation and therapy. Some of the memorable tips she provided include:

2015-2016 Gainesville Campus APhA-ASP Executive Board

(from left to right): Aaron Overton, Farris Hasan, Tavish Tiet, Oliver Ruiz, Samantha Roughton, Jade Haney, Zainab Khatoon, Urvi Patel, Jennifer Binder

President: Samantha Roughton

President-Elect: Oliver Ruiz VP of National Patient Care Projects: Urvi Patel VP of Local Patient Care Projects: Farris Hasan

VP of Legislative and External Affairs: Aaron Overton VP of Membership and Internal Affairs: Jade Haney

VP of International Affairs: Zainab Khatoon VP of Finance: Jennifer Binder

VP of Communications: Tavish Tiet

(not pictured) Chapter Advisors: Professor Thomas Munyer, Dr. Karen Whalen, Dr. Sven Normann

To get more involved with APhA-ASP, feel free to get to know and talk to your officers here in Gainesville!

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• Try to get into meditation or deep breathing to physically help yourself de-stress, even if it’s only 5 minutes’ worth of time

• Peeling an orange- the aroma of citrus can help you de-stress • Walking in areas of nature (e.g. areas with green plants, trees, etc.) help you to realize you’re a small part of

something bigger in life • Talk with someone at the UF Counseling & Wellness Center, or with a friend or roommate about your worries-

talking and voicing your thoughts can help you realize you’re not alone and provide a support system

For  additional  ideas  and  resources,  visit  the  UF  Counseling  &  Wellness  Center  at:  http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/cwc/  

APhA-ASP Gainesville presents Mr. College of Pharmacy Pageant 2015

Tina Nguyen Fundraising Chair

APhA-ASP Gainesville held their 7th Annual Mr. College of Pharmacy Pageant (commonly known as the Mr. COP Pageant) on Saturday, January 31st at the HPNP Auditorium. In this year’s pageant, six outstanding male contestants from our College of Pharmacy competed for the Mr. COP crown. This year’s contestants included: third-year Ryan Bootle, second-years’ Rich Royster and Joshua Levine, and first-years’ Oliver Ruiz, Jared Roth, and Brent Lovato. Throughout the night, two lively emcees, Amit Patel and Jessica Pu, hosted the show and entertained the audience. The contestants showcased their personality and creativity onstage during multiple events. Each contestant impersonated a professor, performed a talent, and responded to questions. During the professor impersonations, the audience erupted with laughter as Jared took on the role of Dr. Frazier and lectured about dinosaurs. Brent kept the audience constantly laughing with his impersonation of Dr. Palmieri in a biochem lecture. During the talent portion, Rich shocked the audience by counting pills while doing a handstand. Oliver also added to the shock factor by using his martial arts skills to break wooden boards. In addition, Jared showed off his “jerk” dance moves and Josh drew works of art on his iPad. Closing the talent portion, Brent played multiple songs on his guitar that everyone could not resist singing along to!

In the meantime, all of the contestants’ performances were judged by panel of professors from the College. This year’s judges included: Dr. Joanna Peris, Dr. Katherine Vogel Anderson, Dr. Karen Sando, and Dr. Karen Whalen. During the time the judges spent making their final decision, last year’s Mr. COP, Justin Desiongco, serenaded the audience with a cover of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’.

When the judges were ready to present the winner, the audience’s anticipation built up. Drum-rolling ensued, and the emcees announced the name of Mr. COP 2015 – Mr. Brent Lovato! Brent’s hilariously accurate impersonation of Dr. Palmieri, his talented guitar-playing and singing, and his clever responses during the Q&A won him the crown for Mr. College of Pharmacy 2015. The funds raised from Mr. COP went towards the APhA-PAC (Political Action Committee), which supports the candidates for federal office who support pharmacy issues. The PAC plays an important role in helping to expand our pharmacy profession. Thank you to everyone who came to support this event, because we raised over $300 towards ‘Back the PAC’! We (Fundraising Chairs Tina Nguyen and Melanie Rolfe) thoroughly enjoyed organizing Mr. COP this year, and we are grateful for this opportunity to fundraise for APhA-ASP!

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Pictured left: Brent Lovato (1PD) Winner of Mr. COP Pageant 2015 Pictured right: (from left to right) emcees Jessica Pu and Amit Patel, contestants Rich Royster,

Oliver Ruiz, Jared Roth, Ryan Bootle, Joshua Levine, and Brent Lovato

A Letter from the Editor

Hello  my  fellow  Gator  student  pharmacists! It  is  my  pleasure  to  be  your  editor  this  year  for  The  Monthly  Prescription,  the  official  newsletter  for  the  University  of  Florida  College  of  Pharmacy’s  chapter  of  APhA’s  Academy  of  Student  Pharmacists.  This  issue  of  The  Monthly  Prescription  includes  a  collection  of  various  events  and  meetings  that  took  place  throughout  January  and  February,  but  I  hope  they  reflect  more  than  just  two  months’  time.  A  common  tradition  that  occurs  at  the  start  of  each  new  year  is  the  declaration  of  new  resolutions  or  changes  to  start  making  in  one’s  lives.  Our  chapter  of  APhA-­‐ASP  is  no  exception.  While  we  may  not  have  an  official  list  of  the  changes  we  want  to  be  realized  throughout  this  year,  I  have  full  confidence  that  we  are  in  a  time  of  change,  and  the  change  is  good.   There  is  a  common  theme  that  I’ve  noticed  about  ASP  2015  thus  far:  we  are  advancing  to  become  better  student  pharmacists  by  focusing  on  the  most  important  aspects  of  pharmacy-­‐  our  patients.  Some  new  changes  we’ve  made  to  our  usual  ASP  activities  include  our  first  Diabetes  Counseling  Class  and  the  addition  of  more  Great  Gator  Health  Fests.  The  Diabetes  Counseling  Class  provides  student  pharmacists  with  tools  and  knowledge  that  goes  beyond  a  simple  blood  glucose  reading.  This  allows  us  to  interpret  and  translate  the  ‘science’  of  the  numbers  into  common  conversational  nuggets  of  information  for  patients  to  be  able  to  make  lifestyle  changes  and  participate  in  taking  control  over  their  health.  This  year,  we  are  also  adding  more  Great  Gator  Health  Fests  (GGHF),  by  moving  past  a  single,  annual  Fall  semester  event  into  multiple  health  screenings  and  fairs  that  span  over  both  Fall  and  Spring  semesters.  The  purpose  of  including  more  GGHFs  is  to  be  able  to  make  larger  ripples  of  impact  within  our  local  community.  A  problem  that  is  all  too  common  with  poor  healthcare  is  the  lack  of  patient  access  to  the  care  they  need.  While  we  recognize  that  the  patients  we  see  are  struggling  with  making  necessary  lifestyle  changes,  being  adherent  with  their  medications,  or  even  showing  up  to  appointments,  we  can  take  the  initiative  to  come  to  them.  With  GGHFs  expanding  to  include  screenings  and  tablings  at  select  sporting  events  and  other  large  gatherings,  student  pharmacists  are  able  to  bring  healthcare  to  where  the  patients  are  and  reach  a  larger  patient  population.  I  look  forward  to  the  day  we  can  look  back  and  see  the  progress  we  make  with  these  new  changes!  I  encourage  student  pharmacists  to  further  your  knowledge  about  counseling  and  going  out  to  be  active  in  engaging  with  our  patients.  Consider  this  an  investment  into  everyone’s  future! Finally,  a  word  about  APhA  2015:  Advancing  As  One-­‐  this  year’s  APhA  Annual  Meeting  &  Exposition,  taking  place  March  27-­‐  30,  2015  at  the  beautiful  San  Diego,  California.  The  theme  for  this  year,  advancing  as  one,  focuses  on  the  different  areas  of  pharmacy  continuing  forward  united  to  propel  the  profession  of  pharmacy  as  healthcare  providers.  Though  APhA  annual  is  taking  place  on  the  West  coast  this  year  (last  year’s  conference  took  place  in  Orlando,  FL),  I  would  encourage  students  to  consider  attending  this  amazing  conference  to  be  inspired  by  other  student  pharmacists  throughout  the  nation  and  realize  that  we’re  all  a  part  of  something  bigger  than  ourselves.  It  is  past  the  original  sign  up  date  (February  4th),  but  you  can  still  sign  up  and  take  advantage  of  all  the  benefits  you’re  entitled  to  as  a  member  of  APhA-­‐ASP!  Keep  an  eye  out  for  what  our  Gator  student  pharmacists  have  to  share  about  APhA  2015  in  a  later  issue  of  The  Monthly  Prescription.  Go  Gators!

Here’s  to  a  semester  of  new  changes  for  the  better,  

   

When  she’s  not  busy  studying  for  pharmacotherapy  or  writing  for  The  Monthly  Prescription,  Jessica  enjoys  blogging,  baking,  playing  guitar  and  doing  yoga!

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Upcoming Events on the ASP Horizon

• February  28  -­‐  March  8     UF  Spring  Break  and  Global  Health  Outreach  Trips  (GHOT)  • March  9-­‐10       Legislative  Days  2015  at  Florida  state  capitol  (Tallahassee,  FL)  • March  16       March  General  Body  Meeting    • March  17       GGHF  @  Baseball:  UF  vs  Florida  State    • March  27-­‐30     APhA  2015:  Advancing  As  One  Annual  Meeting  &  Exposition               (San  Diego,  CA)    • April  3       GGHF  @  Softball:  UF  vs  South  Carolina        

       Look  out  for  these  events  and  more  to  be  covered  in  next  month’s  issue  of  The  Monthly  Prescription!    

Editorial Staff of The Monthly Prescription

Jessica Yung Editor

jyung@ufl.edu

Tavish Tiet Editor-in-Chief

cty168@ufl.edu

A big thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue of The Monthly Prescription, especially our APhA-ASP Historian, Khanh Nguyen!

If you’d like to see your event covered in next month’s issue, email either Jessica or Tavish

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