News from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Feb/March 2011

The Pulse

2 Basketball Players

Make History3 Advocate for Your

Patients 4 Pharmacists Near the Top in

Honesty-Ethics Survey

Rabbit Season?Duck Season?

See SteinerContinued on page 5

Glass Seeks to Reduce Risks of Heart Attack

See MilitaryContinued on page 4

Steiner’s Project Explores Treatment of SepsisKaren Glass, an

Assistant

Professor in the

Department of

Pharmaceutical

Sciences on the

Vermont

Campus, has

received a two-

year grant from

the American Heart Association in

the amount of $132,000. Dr. Glass,

who joined the ACPHS-Vermont

faculty in fall 2010, will be

researching new approaches for

reducing the risks of heart attack in

individuals suffering from heart

disease.

The statistics on heart disease are

numerous and daunting. According

Alex Steiner,

an Assistant

Professor in the

Department of

Pharmaceutical

Sciences on the

Albany

Campus, has

received a four-

year grant from

the American Heart Association in

the amount of $308,000. He will be

researching the effects of naturally

occurring hypothermia in patients

suffering from severe sepsis.

Sepsis is a dangerous bodily

response to infection that has a 40

percent mortality rate, affects five to

ten percent of intensive care unit

Military Service Plays Important Role in Lives of Students

Faculty Members Receive Heart Association Grants

The military has played, or will play, a key role

in the lives of several students at ACPHS.

Whether they have already served in the armed

forces or have commitments to do so, these

students all share a common interest in service.

Several students are involved with reserve

forces, including Dan Corwin ’14, Anthony

Changelo ’14 and Lisa Bochenek ’17.

“I would say that my personality definitely is

service driven,” Bochenek said. “I love serving

my country, fighting for freedom and helping

others.”

Bochenek joined the Navy after high school

and has 16 years of service, six as an

Intelligence Officer. Her brothers and father

served in the Air Force. Though she’d love to

be a naval pharmacist, Bochenek said it might

be too late to change her career path, so she

See GlassContinued on page 5

to the Centers for Disease Control

(CDC), heart disease is the

leading cause of death for both

men and women. Every year

about 785,000 Americans have a

first heart attack, while an

additional 470,000 individuals

who have already had one or more

heart attacks have another attack.

In 2010, heart disease cost the

United States an estimated $316

billion, a figure which includes

health care services, medications,

and lost productivity.

The onset of heart disease causes

additional stress on the heart,

leading to damage of the heart

(ICU) patients, and causes more

than 200,000 deaths each year.

Yet despite its severity and

prevalence, most Americans

know little about it. The NewYork Times cited a study last

September in which 3 out of 5

Americans age 18 and older

responded that they were not

familiar with the term sepsis.

Sepsis can often develop in

patients suffering from conditions

such as pneumonia, appendicitis,

and meningitis. Ninety percent

(90%) of patients who become

septic develop a fever, which is

plans to combine her skills to work in a Veterans

Administration hospital.

Corwin and Changelo recently became

commissioned Air Force officers and were

named Air Force Health Profession Scholarship

Program Award winners. For 45 days of the

year, they will serve on active duty as well as

fulfilling some rotation requirements and post-

graduate work at military facilities.

Corwin said he was intrigued by the military

because he likes the command structure as well

as what he heard from Air Force members

serving overseas. He likes the idea of moving

around every few years because of the

perspective it will provide.

“My ability to always serve and give to others

probably comes from values that I learned as a

Boy Scout to always be helpful and make your

community better than when you came to it,”

Corwin said.

Changelo was also interested in the traveling and

service aspects of the military.

Danielle Zsido '14 with her ROTC group. Danielle isin the first row, second from the left.

2

2 The Pulse Feb/March 2011

Several ACPHS basketball players are rewriting

the College’s record books with their

accomplishments. Their feats are even more

impressive when considering that ACPHS men’s

basketball history stretches back nearly 100

years, and the College has had a women’s team

since the 1970’s.

Kelly VanValkenburgh ’12 is now second on the

all-time women’s scoring list with 1,522 points

(behind Randi Maurer ’07 with 1,621). Zach

Bratek became the 17th player in Panther history

to pass the 1,000 point mark this season. And

despite being a first year student, Kelsey Johnson ’16 also made history

by becoming the first Panther ever to be named Hudson Valley Women’s

Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week for four

straight weeks.

Johnson is no stranger to basketball accolades,

having played in New York’s Section X high school

championship game in two of her four varsity years

at Franklin Academy High School in Malone, NY.

She was also voted Section X MVP and Outstanding

Female Basketball Player for her senior season.

Humbly, Johnson said she just tries to play hard

every game and owes her opportunities to

teammates.

“My teammates are very good basketball players, and we are patient and

move the ball well,” she said. “As long as we play as a team and win, I

am happy.”

Johnson was especially happy on February 20

when the women’s team defeated St. Joseph’s

(NY) by a score of 73-47 to claim the Hudson

Valley Women’s Athletic Conference

championship. The team finished the season

with an overall record of 16-5, including

winning all six conference games by an average

margin of just over 39 points per game.

Like Johnson, VanValkenburgh, who averaged

19 points and eight rebounds per game, has a

similarly unselfish and team-focused outlook,

saying she never thought she would be a part of

ACPHS athletics history.

“It didn’t cross my mind that I’d reach the scoring goals I have thus

far,” she said. “I never pay attention or am aware of how many points I

have while playing. It’s always more important to me to get the win

during a game than it is to achieve a personal goal.”

After winning the Northern Independent Conference championship in

his first year, Bratek said he knew he’d be in the ACPHS history books,

though he didn’t know he’d again be a part of ACPHS history because

of his personal accomplishments.

“I believe that I was able to achieve my level of success on the

basketball court due to some really great coaches and players,” he said.

“I think in three years of high school basketball, I lost about four

games. So the fact that I’m so competitive has really helped me. I just

hate losing.”

ACPHS Basketball Players Rewrite History BooksLady Panthers Roll to Conference Championship

President Gozzo speaks withstudents following a breakduring the inaugural ACPHSResearch Forum. The Forumfeatured more than 40presentations from facultyacross all departments of theCollege (top left).

Pharmacy Practice AssociateProfessors Jennifer Cerulli andJeffrey Brewer answeredlistener questions during a onehour appearance on WAMCPublic Radio (bottom left, withhost Ray Graf).

Notre Dame residentscelebrated the renovation of theresidence hall’s fifth floorfollowing last fall’s flood with aFebruary tiki party (top right).

On February 12, students,faculty and friends of ACPHS-VT hosted the “FebruaryFreeze.” They enjoyed anevening of dinner, conversationand dancing (bottom right).

Scenes From Our Two Campuses

Kelly VanValkenburghmakes room for adrive to the basket.

The women’s team celebrates the HVWAC Championship.

Feb/March 2011 The Pulse 3

I have never been as impressed by the

youth of Egypt as I have been over the past

several weeks. Not only did they display the

courage to stand up for their rights, a type of

courage largely absent in the country for the

past three decades, but they did so with

grace. The protesters at Liberation Square

voiced their demands peacefully, despite the

aggression which targeted them. As their museum was

threatened, they linked arms to protect it; as their fellow

citizens were injured, they created makeshift hospitals to treat

them; and as security forces disappeared, they restored security.

They have sent a message to the world that youth can be a force

of positive change.

By Sarah Scarpace

Professional advocacy is an important part of

being a member of any health care profession.

Without such advocacy, practice advances,

which improve both individual patient and

public health, are not possible. For pharmacists,

educating legislators, the public, and other health

professions about the high level of clinical

services they can provide is an important first

step to effecting legislative changes that make a

difference in the lives of patients.

As a United States citizen,

you have the right to meet

with your legislator about

issues that are important to

you. By sharing your

concerns on a regular

basis, legislators can better

articulate the need for

change to their peers who

must also be convinced in

committees and in the

legislature at large for a

bill to be supported.

New York has held a “Pharmacy Day” in Albany

for more than ten years, supported in large part

by the Pharmacist Society of the State of New

York (PSSNY), the New York State Council of

Health-systems Pharmacists (NYSCHP), and as

importantly, the NYS Schools of Pharmacy.

This year’s event will be held on Tuesday,

April 17, and it represents an excellent

opportunity for students to learn about

advocacy and the political process.

The very first Vermont “Pharmacy Day” was

held February 17, 2011 at the Montpelier

Statehouse. At this inaugural event, the key

state pharmacy professional organizations

joined students, faculty, and administrators

from ACPHS to educate lawmakers about the

future of pharmacy practice and those

legislative items which impact the practice of

pharmacy in Vermont. It was an important first

step in establishing an ongoing dialogue about

critical patient care issues.

One of the things you learn by participating in

such events is that beyond simply advocating

your own position, you must also effectively

counter the arguments of opposing groups. In

fact, broadening the base of support to include

other practitioners (e.g., patients, physicians,

nurses, health payers, etc.), is critical for any

health care legislation to be supported.

The passage of New York’s “Pharmacists as

Immunizers” bill in 2008 was due not only to

years of advocacy by pharmacy professional

organizations and schools of pharmacy, but

also through the support of the NYC Health

Commissioner, who stressed the importance of

this change to protect public health.

Vice Provost forResearch and PRIChairman ShakerMousa is a native ofEgypt. His daughterand son-in-law serveas doctors in Cairo andoffered medical supportto many governmentprotesters in TahrirSqaure (left), wheremuch of the politicalunrest took place.

Legislative Day Offers Chance to Have Your Voice Heard

My Reflections on EgyptBy Shaker Mousa

“Everyone is concerned

about paying for health care.

Outcomes Research can

provide the tools to maximize

the bang for the buck.”

Learn more about how this can be

achieved by visiting the College’s

Facebook page and watching the video

of Dr. Leon Cosler.

It should be noted that these annual events, while

important for showcasing solidarity on important

practice issues, are only one day of a 365-day

year. Advocacy occurs all year long through

professional organizations and in other less

formal ways.

Like any member of the public, legislators are

often influenced by their personal interactions

with their providers. For example, it is very

difficult to overcome a negative experience that a

legislator has had with his/her pharmacist,

particularly when you are trying to convince

him/her that pharmacists are professionals and

trained to provide high-level clinical care to

patients.

You can also be an effective advocate by simply

being a good representative of your profession in

daily interactions with patients and enhancing

your visibility in community-based professional

outreach programs.

The bottom line is that there are many ways to

make a difference in the future of your

profession. Choose those methods that work best

for you. Your patients will thank you for it.

Sarah Scarpace, Pharm.D., is an Associate Professorof Pharmacy Practice and Assistant Dean forPharmacy Professional Affairs.

The PulseWe want to hear from you!

Do you have a story idea or photo

for the next issue of The Pulse?

E-mail the Editor at

patrick.rathbun@acphs.edu.

Expert View

Sarah Scarpace

Shaker Mousa

“

”www.facebook.com/acphs

4 The Pulse Feb/March 2011

Military from page 1

By the NumbersGallup's annual Honesty and Ethics survey

(by profession)

Nurses

Military Officers

Pharmacists

Grade School Teachers

Medical doctors

Police Officers

Clergy

Judges

Day car providers

Auto mechanics

123456789

10

There is a series of

posters that have

appeared around campus

that might make you look

twice or possibly think

twice.

The red and white posters

feature optical illusions,

but their primary function

is to educate the college

community about on-

campus drug, alcohol and prescription use. The

posters highlight the results of a 2010 survey

conducted by the counseling office which was

designed to compare real and perceived student

behaviors. The findings might be useful and

surprising.

“The whole idea is to educate the campus about

what’s going on,” Director of Counseling

Services Peter Cornish said.

Cornish said there is a large discrepancy

between perceived use of alcohol and drugs and

actual usage figures. People tend to

overestimate the numbers of users, Cornish

said, for many reasons, including the fact that

people tend to remember extreme and/or

negative examples.

According to the National Social Norms

Institute at the University of Virginia, the

approach behind the survey and resulting

poster campaign is to help “correct negative

misperceptions (usually overestimations of

use), and to identify, model, and promote the

healthy, protective behaviors that are the

actual norm in a given

population. When

properly conducted, it

is an evidence-based,

data-driven process,

and a very cost-

effective method of

achieving large-scale

positive results.”

Cornish said the social

norms approach began

in reaction to scare tactics

used for school

populations against drug

use. He thinks the

campaign has had some

positive results from what

he’s seen and heard on

campus.

“It’s been generally

positive in the sense that

people are looking at the

posters,” he said. “I can say when data has been

discussed people have expressed surprise at the

findings. It has challenged misperceptions.”

The Counseling Office conducted their research

in March 2010. The office plans to modify and

repeat the survey this March and again in 2012,

with the help of the Initiative for Substance

Abuse Prevention, a campus committee, made

up of students, faculty and staff. They plan to

use similarly themed posters to display results,

but will emphasize different data for each

campaign.

Posters Shed Light on Real and Perceived Student Behaviors

5 – The percentage increase pharmacists earnedsince Gallup’s 2009 Honesty and Ethics Poll.

57 - The percentage of respondents whothought members of Congress had “low or verylow ” standards for honesty and ethics.

71 – The percentage of respondents whothought pharmacists had “very high or high”standards for honesty and ethics.

1976 – The year Gallup started conductingthe poll.

Alexander West ’13 (left) in the Army Reserves.

Lieberman applied to be an Army

pharmacist, but received a civilian job

offer instead. However, she will be the

first person contacted if any of the

accepted pharmacists become ineligible.

Alexander West ’13, a student on the

Vermont Campus, took a different

journey to the military. After high school,

West’s intent wasn’t to go straight into

four or more years of school. He wanted

a different experience.

West became a combat medic in the

Army Reserves, graduating in the top

three in his class of more than 400 and

serving eight years in New York, Texas

and Germany. He said he has many fond

memories and served because his fellow

soldiers needed him.

“The Army was indeed the critical

turning point in my life,” West said. “Had

I not joined, I would most likely not be

where I am sitting now. I attribute much

of my knowledge and success to my

military experiences.”

“In the Air Force, I know I will have

many unforgettable life experiences that

many civilians will never have the

chance to experience,” he said. “Having

the opportunity to advance my career

within the field of pharmacy and in the

military suits my personality of always

striving to reach my goals of becoming

a better person and valued

professional.”

Similarly, Danielle Zsido ’14

appreciates the military lifestyle. She

has lived it – both her parents spent

more than 20 years in the Army, and she

participates in the Reserve Officer

Training Corps (ROTC). She was also

recently chosen for an Army pharmacy

internship at Fort Carson, Colorado.

“I’ve always known that I wanted to be

an officer and a pharmacist in the Army,

and ROTC was the best route for me to

accomplish this,” Zsido said. “I feel that

being a pharmacist in a military hospital

offers more adventure and excitement

than a typical job at any local pharmacy,

and I am excited to help soldiers as

much as I can.”

Travel and service are also appealing to

Jen Lieberman ’11, who will begin a

civilian military job this summer.

“I think that the military suits my

personality well,” she said. “I like the

structure and discipline that it offers as

well as the chance for travel.”

Feb/March 2011 The Pulse 5

Another ACPHS student made a global

connection recently when sixth-year student

Osamah Awad completed one of his pharmacy

rotations near Ahmedabad, India.

Awad analyzed

clinical trials for

cancer drugs at

Cadila

Pharmaceuticals

from September

through November

2010.

“I was interested in going overseas and wanted

to do a clinical trial,” he said.

Awad said he pursued the opportunity because

he has always been interested in the drug

development process and didn’t know when he

would have the opportunity of going overseas

again.

“Since I was young, I’ve wondered about

medications,” he said. “The mechanisms and

actions of drugs have always been interesting to

me.”

Awad worked ten-hour shifts researching drug

efficacy in 80 cancer patients and put together a

150-page summary, which was originally

intended to be 60 pages. The two-year study

Student Completes School’s First Rotation in Indiawill end next year and eventually include

more than 200 total patients.

“I really learned a lot from being there,” he

said.

Awad also did a bit of sightseeing in India. He

visited the Taj Mahal and various religious

sites. Awad also became familiar with

institutional review board protocols, such as

for patient safety, consent and confidentiality

when he was abroad.

The opportunity in India came about because

of a connection Arts and Sciences Instructor

Sunanda Sukumar forged with Cadila’s Senior

Vice President of Research and Development

Glass from page 1 Steiner from page 1

tissue. Unfortunately, the heart is incapable of producing

replacement cells, so it responds by growing existing cells, a

phenomenon known as cardiac hypertrophy. Instead of

strengthening the heart, however, hypertrophy significantly

weakens the heart muscle, making the individual more

susceptible to a heart attack.

Cardiac hypertrophy is spurred by the reactivation of dormant

gene expression pathways in our bodies. The focus of Dr.

Glass’ grant will be to explore the molecular mechanisms that

reactivate these signaling pathways and gain insight into the

design of new therapeutic strategies for preventing and treating

cardiovascular disease.

“If we can block the gene expression pathways that stimulate

cell growth in the heart, we can prevent the onset of cardiac

hypertrophy, and, by extension, reduce the risks of heart attack

among patients who suffer from heart disease,” says Dr. Glass.

Working at ACPHS-Vermont is something of a homecoming

for Dr. Glass, who is a native of nearby Essex Junction,

Vermont, and received her Ph.D. in

Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

from the University of Vermont. In

addition to her research activities, she

teaches courses in pharmacology,

medicinal chemistry, and infectious

disease.

now understood to be part of the body’s natural response to fighting

infection.

Up until the 1970’s, however, it was widely believed that fever represented

an additional threat to the health of patients, so clinicians would take steps to

bring down the patient’s temperature. Research has since shown that fever

can benefit the body’s ability to fight infection. As a result, physicians today

will let a fever run its course in most septic patients, except in extreme cases

when the fever approaches a level that threatens brain function.

The remaining ten percent (10%) of septic patients – typically those with the

most severe cases of sepsis – develop hypothermia instead of fever, whereby

their core body temperature falls below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The cause

and effect of hypothermia in this patient population remains a mystery to

physicians and scientists, and it is the focus of Dr. Steiner’s research.

When a septic patient develops hypothermia, the standard practice today is

to immediately “warm” the patient due to the prevailing belief that

hypothermia represents an even greater threat to the patient’s health than

sepsis. Dr. Steiner’s research will challenge this belief by testing the

hypothesis that hypothermia might actually offer benefits for severely septic

patients similar to way fever aids those with milder

forms of sepsis.

“Severely septic patients face a 70% mortality rate. If

naturally occurring hypothermia can be shown to help

these patients cope with sepsis, it could impact the way

they are treated and help increase their chances of

survival,” says Dr. Steiner.

Awad poses with co-workers at Cadila Pharmaceuticals.

Awad and his family at an entrance to a mosque.

Bhaswat Chakraborty. Through Sukumar’s

brother, Jayant Bhattacharjee, she asked

whether Cadila would be interested in taking

ACPHS students for rotations. Chakraborty,

Bhattacherjee’s former classmate, agreed and

has since reached out to Sukumar to talk about

how happy he was with Awad’s work. The

rotation site is open to future pharmacy

students.

“If students open themselves up to this

opportunity, I know it will be an eye-opener,”

Sukumar said. “Once you get out into the

world, it makes an impact on you.”

Awad recently finished a rotation at St. Mary’s

Hospital in Troy and will complete his last

rotation at the Stratton VA Medical Center

before graduating in May.

Ahmedabad

INDIA

PAKISTAN

AFGHANISTAN

CHINA

March

Friday, March 4 – Homeless Action Comm. Sleep-A-Thon

Monday-Friday, March 14 - 18 – Spring Break

Thursday, March 17 – Annual Respiratory Disease and

Pharmacotherapy Program (CE)

Friday-Saturday, March 18 - 19 Annual Pharmacy Practice

Institute (CE)

Monday, March 21 – Classes resume

April

Tuesday, April 12 – Pharmacy Legislative Day

Friday-Saturday, April 15-16 – Relay for Life

Friday, April 22 – CLS White Coat Ceremony

Monday-Friday, April 25-29 – National Medical

Laboratory Professionals Week

Thursday, April 28 – Springfest

May

Monday-Friday, May 9 - 13 – New York State Board

Review

Friday, May 13 – Hooding and Awards Ceremony

Saturday, May 14 – Commencement

Thursday, May 19 – CDPHP Workforce Team Challenge

Monday, May 23 – Summer session classes begin

Monday, May 30 – Memorial Day

June

Friday-Sunday, June 3-5 – Reunion Weekend

The Pulse Editorial StaffEditor

Patrick Rathbun

ContributorsGil ChorbajianShaker Mousa

Sarah Scarpace

DesignerDebbie Reutter Lussier

Send questions, comments or submissions to patrick.rathbun@acphs.edu or

call 518-694-7131.

6 The Pulse Feb/March 2011

Checking The PulseA roundup of ACPHS news and notes� Congratulations to Student Scholarship Winners

The American Pharmacists Association has chosen two ACPHS students

among its nine 2010 Foundation Scholarships, making ACPHS the only

school in the country with multiple winners. Scott Beeman ’12 was chosen as

the Paul Pumpian Scholar, and Kyle Guay ’11 was selected as the Sam

Kalman Scholar. Applicants were evaluated on their potential to become

pharmacy leaders, as demonstrated by involvement in school and community

activities and academic performance. Additionally, Bhumi Patel ’14 was

awarded a National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation Pharmacy

Student Scholarship. She was one of 58 students (out of more than 500

applicants) to be recognized. Brooke Davidson ’11 was named the recipient

of the Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Legacy Scholarship. She is a student in

the Clinical Laboratory Sciences program.

� Kile to Serve on Board of Health Information Organization

Director of Continuing Education and Professional

Development David Kile has been chosen to serve

on the Health Information Xchange New York

(HIXNY) Board of Directors. HIXNY brings health

care providers and insurers together to “secure

technology infrastructure and services to enable

physicians, hospitals, health plans, and other health

care providers to interact, share information

resources, and conduct the business of healthcare in a

collaborative manner.”

� First MBA Classes Offered on Albany Campus

Union Graduate College (UGC) has begun offering courses from its MBA

program on the ACPHS Albany campus. While ACPHS students have

previously been able to enroll in UGC’s MBA program, they were required to

travel to the school’s Schenectady campus for classes. The first class offered

on the ACPHS campus, Introduction to Healthcare Management, began

January 5 and currently has 17 students from the B.S. and pharmacy

programs, including two from the Vermont Campus who participate via

distance technology. The next class, Healthcare Marketing, will begin March

30 and continue through June 8. The class will be open to 30 ACPHS

students. For those interested in learning more about the program, an

informational session is scheduled for March 24 at 11 am in LIB 312. A

separate session will be scheduled for the Vermont Campus.

� Peer Program Participants Share Experiences at Training

Conferences

The continuing success of the Peer Tutoring Program, whereby upperclassmen

at the College assist students in core science and math courses, was

recognized in the fall when Joseph Cross was invited to conduct ethical

scenario training at the Training Association for College Tutors annual

conference. Similar recognition will take place in March for the Peer Mentor

program when Rebecca Cope, Peter Aiello, and Mark Phillips, each of

whom serves as student coordinators in the program, attend an advising

conference in Burlington, Vermont. The three

students will be part of a panel presentation about

starting a mentoring program. Separate from the

Tutoring program, the Peer Mentor Program pairs

upperclass students with new students to assist with

their adjustments to college life. Following the

conference, the participating students will visit the

Vermont Campus to meet with students and faculty.

� Get Blackboard on Your Phone

ACPHS’s Blackboard has gone mobile. With the app, users can navigate

Blackboard pages as they would through laptops. Currently, the app is

available through AT&T- and Sprint-supported devices, including Droids,

Blackberrys and iPhones. Visit Blackboard’s mobile page for more

information and downloads:

http://www.blackboard.com/Platforms/Mobile/Overview.aspx.

Spring Calendar

Pharm.D. Concentrations

Many Pharm.D. students do not realize that they can apply

for concentrations within the Administration, Management

and Economics umbrella. The four available concentrations

are listed below:

• Economics • Management

• Health Outcomes • Marketing

By completing the associated requirements, the

concentration will appear on official college transcripts.

For more information, please contact Pharmacy Practice

Assistant Professor John Polimeni or Director of Continuing

Education and Professional Development David Kile.

Joseph Cross