University of Houston College of Pharmacy - the STEM Digital Village

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Alumni NEWS Cougars Ready to Mobilize Diverse Profession to Fight for Patients and Livelihood In the wake of the Texas Pharmacy Association elections last summer, UH College of Pharmacy alumni are pouncing on the opportunity to represent their respective practice areas while seeking common ground among their diverse membership to protect and advance the profession. Leading the pack from UH is Bruce Biundo, R.Ph. (B.S. ’61), pharmacy consultant for PCCA Inc. and co-chair of the UHCOP Dean’s Advisory Council, who was elected TPA Vice President. “TPA is one of the finest state organizations in the country, but it’s going to take strong leadership, as well as educating, engaging and listening to members at the local level and non-members at every level in order to remain – and expand as – a viable, inclusive organization at a time when pharmacy is increasingly specialized,” said Biundo, who previously served as a TPA Board Representative for the Academy of Compounding Pharmacists. Carole Hardin-Oliver, R.Ph. (BS ’83), who was elected Chair- Elect of the Academy of Chain Pharmacists, said she will be working to increase participation in TPA by her constituents. “It is time for our contributions to be made,” said Hardin-Oliver, a Houston-area Pharmacy Supervisor for Walgreens. “We are the largest group of pharmacists, and have an unimaginable effect on the lives and health of so many Texans... it is time that we began to shape our profession. My goal is to increase the participation of our Academy, increase the Scope of Practice of pharmacists in the State of Texas, and address billing disparities that block access to health care in Texas.” Molly Graham Minze, Pharm.D. (‘05), R.Ph., elected Director of the Academy of Clinical Pharmacists, said a task force will be working on redefining the role of the pharmacist to include more clinical aspects in everyday responsibilities. “I practice in the ambulatory care setting, and consider myself a physician extender, much like a PA (physician’s assistant) or NP (nurse practitioner),” said Graham Minze, a Clinical Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University Health Science Center in Abilene. “Pharmacists are in a unique role to manage chronic disease states burdened with heavy medication use for patients. Starting, stopping, or adjusting medications is within the training realm of pharmacists; therefore, pharmacists should be able to provide patient care at a higher level than only dispensing medications to the patient.” In the Academy of Compounding Pharmacists, alumni A.J. Day, Pharm.D. (‘07), R.Ph., Manager of Pharmacy Consulting at PCCA, and Jennifer Downing, R.Ph. (BS ‘97), pharmacist at Med Shop Total Care Pharmacy in Longview, were elected Directors. Mark Lacy photo As the Texas Pharmacy Association’s 2010-11 Vice President, alumnus Bruce Biundo is working to ensure the organization continues to actively represent all interests within the diverse profession of pharmacy. “I have always wanted to represent the profession but wanted to take some time learning about what all is involved with being on the board of an Academy within TPA and how I could provide the most meaningful impact,” said Day, who also was elected to the Texas Pharmacy Foundation’s Board of Trustees. “We are promoting and protecting the art of compounding through ongoing involvement in the community and legislative means. Communicating with compounders on issues that will affect them and raising funds to advance our efforts in the legislation.” Joseph Maxwell, R.Ph. (BS ’78), owner and pharmacist-incharge of Maxwell Pharmacy in Frankston for 25 years, said the Academy of Independent Pharmacists is expanding services to its members through a new Web site and weekly updates. “Some of the issues independent owners are most concerned about is preventing reductions in Medicaid payments, preventing attempts to put Medicaid into a PBM (pharmacy benefit manager) for the state, and deterring mail-order prescriptions,” said Maxwell, AIP Director. “We also want to continue to recruit more preceptors and encourage new graduates to become independent owners as the older generation of pharmacy owners enter retirement.” In addition to the newly elected Cougars, alumna May Woo, R.Ph. (B.S. ‘91), was installed as TPA Speaker of the House, which includes a seat on the TPA board. 22 University of Houston College of Pharmacy
May Graduate Earns TPA’s Distinguished Student Honor Although she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy in May, Stacie Sacky Dacus rounded out her years as a student pharmacist by receiving the Texas Pharmacy Association’s highest honor for students: the 2010 Distinguished Student Pharmacist Award. After passing the MPJE and NAPLEX exams and earning her professional pharmacy license over the summer, Dacus is now a full-time practitioner for CVS/pharmacy in Houston. Her association with both TPA and CVS spans several years and even a generation. Before entering the Pharm.D. program, Dacus worked as a CVS pharmacy technician and served in both director and delegate positions in TPA’s Academy of Pharmacy Technicians. As a student at UHCOP, Dacus not only served as a delegate in the Academy of Student Pharmacists, but she also was elected to represent ASP on the TPA Board of Directors during the same term in which her mother and now-fellow CVS pharmacist, Carrie M. Sacky, R.Ph. (B.S. ’80), served as TPA Vice President. “It was a great honor to serve my fellow student pharmacists across the great state of Texas, as well a privilege to serve alongside my mother,” said Dacus, who also served as a student representative on the UH Pharmacy Alumni Association Board of Directors. “As I transitioned into the role of pharmacist, I soon realized how thankful I was to have had the experiences and opportunities that were provided to me by UHCOP. From my clinical experiences, I have been able to provide my patients with better understanding and management of their disease state.” Although her immediate goal is to get settled into her new responsibilities as a full-time pharmacist, Dacus said she is committed to staying involved with organizations such as TPA Mark Lacy photo Stacie Sacky Dacus, who received her Pharm.D. degree from UHCOP in May and earned her pharmacy license over the summer, is now a full-time pharmacist with CVS/pharmacy in Houston. and APhA – and encouraging students and fellow practitioners to join – after seeing the positive impact that advocacy and activism can mean for the profession and for patients. “I look forward to serving my fellow pharmacists with that same passion for pharmacy as I progress throughout my career,” she said. “It is my responsibility, my obligation, my privilege as a pharmacist. “I hope practicing pharmacists, as well as students, don’t take the legislative or advocacy efforts of TPA, APhA, and local pharmacy associations for granted, for it is through their efforts that I am able to provide aspects of my clinical training within the community setting, such as providing immunizations.” TPA Cougars in Austin Austin served up a plate of hospitality for UH College of Pharmacy alumni and friends during the Texas Pharmacy Association’s 2010 Rxperts Meeting & Expo. More than two dozen UHCOP alumni, spouses and guests reminisced about their campus days, swapped photos of children and grandchildren, and shared their support for UH’s Tier I drive and Dean Lamar Pritchard’s vision for the college. — photos courtesy of May Woo University of Houston College of Pharmacy 23
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Page 5 and 6: SLEH, UHCOP Center Earns ASHP Best
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Page 9 and 10: Eikenburg, Hussain Among UH’s Top
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Page 15 and 16: Lewis Explores Interplay of Host Im
Page 17 and 18: education, H.O.M.E.S. Clinic offers
Page 19 and 20: Cougars Go Global at World Pharmacy
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Page 25 and 26: Pharmacy Golf Tournament Scores $14
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Page 29 and 30: SR2 Pharmacy Library Move Opens Spa
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