The annual event is designed to spark curiosity, creativity and learning of technology, engineering and mathematics festival in children ages 3-11. The event featured more than 20 interactive STEM activity stations, giving children a chance to explore concepts through play, experimentation, problem-solving and discovery.

PharmD candidates Jonathan Santosh, Hector Rivera, Josue Colon, Alana Santiago Gomez and Kelly Nhan engaged with attendees using an interactive board designed to help people identify candy vs medication. They also interacted with the kids using pharmacy coloring pages, word finds, and an activity showing how much sugar is in common foods/ drinks.

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A clinical pharmacist dedicated to advancing patient care through pharmacotherapy expertise, patient education, and research focused on autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma, gave the following four presentations at the conference:

• The Dryness Deception: Your Comprehensive Guide to Sjögren’s Syndrome Beyond Sicca: An Interactive Sjögren’s Disease Bootcamp with co-presenter, Tiffany Terrell, NP

• Year in Review with Q&A with co-presenter, Audrey Gibson, PA-C
• Optimizing Care in Systemic Sclerosis: An Interprofessional Case-Based Discussion with co-presenters, Arifa Javed, MD, and Natalia Trehan, DMD
• Smart Rheumatology: Artificial Intelligence Applications in Clinical Practice with co-presenter, Kyle George, PA-C

Dr. Farrell serves as a member of the RhAPP Board of Directors and as part of the National Conference planning committee. In this capacity, the committee ensures that continuing medical education (CME) programming addresses the professional practice gaps of rheumatology APPs.

In addition, kudos to ACPHS PGY-2 Ambulatory Care Resident, Ava Shimkus, PharmD, who was presented with a scholarship to attend the conference and was part of the RhAPPardy Competition winning team this year.

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Preceptors play an integral role by helping to shape a student’s professional identity and launch their careers. There are more than 500 ACPHS preceptors supporting our experiential rotation sites, modeling professional and decision-making skills, and evaluating students in their settings. ��

The PRIME award recipients not only serve as professional role models, but also show leadership and service to the profession, excellent knowledge and subject matter expertise, dedication to patient care, exemplary dedication to the student learning environment and highly positive comments in student evaluations. ��

This year’s honorees include:��

Monica (Bean) Campbell ’96, RPh��

The PRIME award winner for Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE), Monica Campbell ’96 RPh, currently serves as the supervising pharmacist at Market 32 in Guilderland, New York. In her role, she ensures compliance with all laws and regulations, hires and trains technicians, monitors inventory, dispenses medications, and maintains accurate records.

“But most importantly, I build relationships with patients, counsel and listen,” Campbell said.��

Student nominations noted that Monica is “an incredible mentor and a brilliant pharmacist” who “invested in my learning” making students feel “encouraged and supported” with open communication creating an environment that was easy to work in. One student noted, “I left each day fulfilled and excited for the next.”��

Monica spends time explaining her thought process to students as she goes through her day. ����

“I want them to think like pharmacists. I want to help them understand the responsibility that comes with the job as well as the rewards. That we are human, and so are our patients, and we can make a difference,” she explained.��

She has found working with students as a preceptor rewarding. She utilizes their knowledge to review drug interactions, research disease states, and counsel patients. They are as much a resource for her as she is for them. ��

“It is an honor to be recognized and to know my daily efforts positively impact the students who come through my pharmacy,” Monica said. “I have worked with many students over the years, and they all have one thing in common: they care and that is a great foundation to build on.”��

Kara Candee ’19, PharmD, BCACP��

PRIME award winner for Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE), Kara Candee ’19, PharmD, BCACP is a clinical embedded pharmacist for St. Peter’s Health Partners. ��

Following graduation, Dr. Kandee completed a PGY1 community-based pharmacy residency with Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions and followed up with a PGY2 ambulatory care residency at ����vlog.

As a board-certified ambulatory care pharmacist, she supports the primary care practices and Anticoagulation clinics in the SPHP network. ��

She works with primary care providers and patients to improve patient outcomes, prevent disease progression, and minimize costs by making recommendations for gaps in care and addressing adherence barriers faced by patients. She also assists providers with medication-related questions on complex patients. In addition, she manages warfarin dosing and monitoring while providing patient education.��

As a preceptor, Dr. Candee provides support and encouragement so that students are comfortable and confident when approaching new experiences. ��

“I like to discuss disease states and med mechanisms through topic discussions and patient case reviews to show how everything connects,” she said. “I think it’s important to enjoy what you do and who you work with. Our office is great at creating this environment and we love having students feel this enjoyment too.”��

Students commented that she consistently takes the time for one-on-one topic discussions while always checking in to see if you need support. “She never made me feel bad about mistakes, instead, she encouraged me to learn and grow from them. She gently pushed me outside of my comfort zone every day, helping build confidence in ways I never thought they could. I left this rotation feeling valued as a student, with an entirely new career path opened before me,” a student shared.��

Dr. Candee is immediate past president of the Northeastern chapter of NYSCHP, co-chair of the NYSCHP New Practitioner Committee, involved in pharmacy advocacy through NYSCHP (Standard of Care task force), and mentors for ACPHS APhA-ASP Operation Heart.��

“Precepting is like stewardship for our profession,” said Dr. Candee. “I enjoy mentorship and teaching and feel that I’ve grown so much as a pharmacist because of the support I received from others and the curiosity I’ve had in learning new things and from new experiences.”��

Paris Dade ’23, PharmD��

The ACPHS faculty PRIME award winner, Paris Dade ’23, PharmD, currently serves as assistant professor of Pharmacy Practice at ����vlog. ��

Following graduation, Dr. Dade completed a PGY1 pharmacy residency at Albany Medical Center and a PGY2 ambulatory care residency at ����vlog.��

In her faculty role, she co-coordinates Skills Lab V, a P3 year course that provides students with hands-on experience developing skills applicable to community and ambulatory care practice. She also co-coordinates Self-Care, a P1 year course focused on helping students develop the knowledge and skills needed to make safe and effective over-the-counter medication recommendations.��

In her clinical practice, she provides pharmacy services in a primary care setting, including medication consultations, chronic disease state management, medication reconciliation, and patient education. She collaborates with physicians, residents, advanced practice providers, and other members of the healthcare team to support medication-related decision-making and improve patient care. Dr. Dade also precepts pharmacy students in this setting, helping them apply their clinical knowledge, strengthen their communication skills, and develop confidence in an interdisciplinary practice environment.��

Student nominations noted Dr. Dade was consistently kind, supportive, and genuinely invested in their growth. ��

“She created a learning environment where I felt comfortable asking questions and was encouraged to think critically and apply my knowledge. I learned an immense amount during this rotation, both clinically and professionally, and her mentorship played a huge role in that,” one student reported.��

“I strive to tailor each student’s rotation to their individual strengths, learning needs, and career interests. While my practice is rooted in primary care, I recognize that students pursue many different paths within pharmacy,” Dr. Dade explains. “I make an effort to help each student identify how the skills and experiences gained during the rotation can apply to their own professional goals, whether they are interested in community pharmacy, managed care, long-term care, industry, or another area of practice. My goal is for every student to leave the rotation with greater confidence in their abilities and a clearer understanding of how they can contribute as a pharmacist.”��

Dr. Dade is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) and the New York State Council of Health-System Pharmacists (NYSCHP).����

Her community engagement efforts have focused on expanding access to cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) health screenings for patients in underserved communities in Albany. She hopes to help reduce barriers to preventive care, promote health education, and connect patients with resources that support their long-term health.��

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Four ACPHS microbiology students, Emily Louie, Pravalika Gutta, Duncan Schengrund and Izabella Vredenburg, spent their summers interning at the NYS Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center, Regeneron and Rutgers University.

They presented a range of topics in microbiology, infectious disease diagnostics, and molecular biology during a recent seminar hosted by Dr. Vir Singh. The students also shared information about internship opportunities with Eli Lilly and Regeneron, and concluded with a Q&A discussion on funding, application requirements, and highlights from their experience.

Wadsworth Center, NYS Department of Health

Emily Louie, a 4^th year Microbiology BS/Molecular Biosciences MS student, interned at the Wadsworth Center within the Division of Infectious Disease under the General Bacteriology Department. Her project focused on validating a new DNA extraction system and a novel PCR gene marker for diagnosing Leptospira, the bacterium responsible for leptospirosis.

Leptospira interrogans, the pathogenic strain, is transmitted zoonotically, primarily through rat urine and contaminated soil during rainy seasons, and can cause severe illness including multi-organ failure and Weil’s disease. Humans can become infected when they interact with infected animals.

“Cases have increased in recent years, especially in NYC, so it is important to be able to diagnose it properly,” Emily explained. “My research goal was to move the current assay from one DNA extractor to another as well as add a new gene marker which research has shown to have a higher sensitivity in detecting leptospira to the current assay.”

Emily is continuing this work part-time and her research is going into a validation paper to be implemented on the clinical side.

Regeneron

Nithya Gutta, a 4^th year student in the BS Microbiology program on a pre-med track, held her second summer internship at Regeneron, a large biotechnology company that develops new medicines for serious diseases, with a strong emphasis on research and development across multiple therapeutic areas.

During her internship, Nithya worked often on the TECAN Fluent 1080, and automated liquid handler performing techniques such as PCR and various assays that strengthened her research foundation. She also focused on supporting quality checks on all pharmaceuticals and medicines to ensure no viral contaminants existed.

Nithya explained, “Regeneron interns are paid on an hourly basis, with internships typically lasting 8 to 10 weeks at approximately 40 hours per week. Pay varies depending on the department and the intern’s degree level, with graduate students generally earning more than undergraduates.”

Nithya is committed to LECOM to pursue a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine following graduation.

Rutgers University

Duncan Schengrund, a 3^rd year BS Microbiology and Public Health student, presented his summer research internship at Rutgers University studying PE and PPE proteins in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). MTB is a highly significant global pathogen responsible for approximately 10 million new infections annually and 1.2 to 1.6 million deaths per year, with an estimated 1 billion deaths attributed to it over the course of human history.

His project aimed to clone specific PE and PPE genes, tag them with fluorescent markers (GFP or M. Cardinal), express them in mammalian cells, and use imaging to determine their subcellular localization and potential protein-protein interactions. The project results showed successful protein expression and provided preliminary visual data on protein localization and potential heterodimer formation between PE and PPE partners.

“I generally worked 36 to 40 hours per week and had opportunities to attend weekly seminars with the intern cohort, including journal clubs and guest speaker sessions,” Duncan reported.

Wadsworth Center, NYS Department of Health

Izabella Vredenurg, a 4^th year Microbiology BS/Molecular Biosciences MS student, also interned at the Wadsworth Center but within the Diagnostic Immunology Laboratory of the Division of Infectious Disease. She developed MAC-ELISA assays for several rare mosquito-borne and tick-borne viruses: Powassan, Zika, Jamestown Canyon, and Cache Valley Virus. These viruses, classified as flaviviruses and bunyaviruses, can cause symptoms ranging from mild fever and headache to severe encephalitis, meningitis, and birth defects.

She also screened deer blood samples from the West Coast using a multiplex immunoassay (MIA) and completed CLEP (Clinical Laboratory Evaluation Program) validation packages.

“A notable highlight was that when my supervisor left mid-internship,” Izabella explained, “I became the primary expert on the MAC-ELISA protocol and trained her supervisors—a both challenging and rewarding experience!”

Considering an Internship?

The students encouraged all ACPHS microbiology students to consider applying for internships as you can gain hands-on experience with advanced laboratory equipment and techniques not typically available in undergraduate coursework.

Internships generally prefer students who have completed at least their second year of coursework, with foundational lab skills (e.g., pipetting, PCR, DNA extraction) being important prerequisites.

In addition, most internships are paid, with compensation ranging from approximately $3,000 to $4,000 over the summer depending on the program and student level.

A Canvas module has been created on the micro seminar page to consolidate summer internship opportunities and resources.

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Eight ACPHS students were recently recognized with a 2026 Student Pharmacy Advocacy Certificate for their involvement in pharmacy policy. Students can earn this credential for their participation in pharmacy advocacy events.

The initiative was established by the��Advocacy Alliance which includes five student pharmacy organizations: Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), American Pharmacists Association–Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP), American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP), Rho Pi Phi Pharmaceutical Fraternity (ROPE) and Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists (SSHP).

Throughout Spring 2026, the organizations collaborated to provide students with opportunities to learn about pharmacy advocacy, health policy, professional engagement, and ways pharmacists and student pharmacists can advocate for patients and the profession.

Students are required to attend advocacy-related programming, complete an end-of-program survey, and complete an additional advocacy activity to earn this credential. Options included writing to a legislator, developing an advocacy pledge, creating advocacy-related media, participating in NYS Pharmacy Legislative Day, meeting with a legislator, or writing about a pharmacy policy issue.

“One example of student participation involved contacting members of Congress regarding the Medicaid VBPs for Patients Act (MVP Act) and discussing patient access to value-based purchasing arrangements for medications. A House version of the legislation, H.R. 7871, was subsequently introduced in the 119th Congress on March 9, 2026,” shared��Chanmin Jung ’28, a��BSPK-Pharm D. candidate. “The legislation addresses value-based purchasing arrangements under Medicaid, including arrangements in which payment for a medication may be connected to patient outcomes.”

Certificates were presented to:

• Jan M. Rivera Guerra
• Jonathan Santosh
• Angela Phan
• Zeel Bhagat
• Ellie Aspin
• Sainellys Jimenez
• Sylvia Huang
• Chanmin Jung

Congratulations to all!

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An annual rite of passage, the Pharmacy White Coat ceremony recognizes the completion of a pharmacy candidate’s rigorous classroom instruction phase, marking their official transition into their professional learning years including clinical rotations.����

“This is such an important milestone event in these students’ lives as they commit to becoming competent and caring professionals,” Elena Umland, dean of The College of Pharmacy at ����vlog said. “It is such an honor to guide these future pharmacists as they transition from strictly students to student professional and discover the many ways they can serve the community as a pharmacist.”��

About the Class��

Out of the 101 candidates, 20 are first generation students. They are well-educated and hold an average GPA of 3.4 with:��

• four holding associates degrees��

• 37 with pharmacy technician experience��

• 46 holding bachelor’s degrees��

• four holding masters degrees����

• one holding a PhD��

The majority are U.S. citizens but there are also students from Canada. Many report their countries of birth to include Bangladesh, Canada, China, Egypt, Ghana, India, Iraq, Korea, Nigeria and Russia. Forty of the students are bilingual, while many speak a third or fourth language, as well.����

In addition, the U.S. students hail from 13 states including Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Vermont.����

The Ceremony����

Dean Umland opened the ceremony and welcomed the more than 700 guests before introducing keynote speaker, alumna and past presidential officer of the American Society of��Health-system Pharmacists, Leigh Bricoe-Dwyer ’87, PharmD.����

Dr. Briscoe-Dwyer serves as senior vice president, pharmacy services for CPS Solutions, LLC,��Dublin, Ohio. She began her career as a clinical specialist in HIV and infectious disease at SUNY Stony Brook and has worked in various areas of pharmacy��practice, including the pharmaceutical industry, with the majority of the last 25 years��spent in pharmacy leadership roles in New York, Chicago and Michigan. She received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Albany College of Pharmacy and her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from St. John’s University.����

Before the event, Dr. Briscoe-Dwyer, hosted ‘Lunch with a Leader” for students and shared her insights on how our students will ‘build the future of pharmacy.’

At the ceremony, she asked them to consider what difference they will make in the world.��She encouraged them to “be disruptors by leading the charge toward true patient-centered care.”��

“This is a great time to be a pharmacist,” said Dr. Briscoe-Dwyer.�� “Throughout healthcare, market disruptors are forcing us to reimagine how we deliver healthcare with a focus on improving access, coordination of care and making care more affordable.�� Great news for pharmacists because that is such a big part of what we do.”��

The event included a brief history and significance of the White Coat Ceremony, followed by faculty cloaking, who have the responsibility of guiding students on their path to becoming pharmacists. ��

The ceremony concluded with the recitation of the oath of a pharmacist by the students, followed by a reception in the Gozzo Center, generously supported by Walgreens.

“Walgreens is pleased to be able to celebrate future pharmacists at ����vlog,” said Walgreens Regional Vice President and ACPHS alum, Justin Kraham ’08, PharmD. “The White Coat Ceremony is an important milestone on these students’ journey to becoming pharmacists, and we are honored to be able to be a part of this moment in their careers. As an alum of ACPHS, it is especially meaningful for me to participate in this event.”

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The Distinguished Alumni Award is given to those with a lifetime of career accomplishments and volunteer service to the community or health care field. They are also supporters of the College and its mission to educate the next generation of leaders to improve the health of our society.��

Angelo Angerame has built a broad and successful career across retail pharmacy, hospital and long-term care pharmacy, consulting, and pharmacy leadership. Early in his career, he played a key role in the expansion of Fay’s Drugs and went on to hold management and director-level positions across multiple areas of pharmacy practice. A longtime advocate for the profession, Angerame has served as President of the Pharmacists Society of Orange County and has been recognized by numerous professional organizations for his contributions to pharmacy. He has also dedicated himself to mentoring younger pharmacists and students, encouraging professional involvement and serving as a respected role model throughout his career.��

Daniel Bosley has built a distinguished career in independent community pharmacy, rural healthcare advocacy, and innovative patient care. For more than 25 years, he owned and operated community pharmacies in the North Country, developing programs that expanded access to healthcare, including free prescription delivery, home visits, immunization clinics, and diabetes education. His innovative Farmacy program helped address local food insecurity by connecting underserved residents with fresh produce, groceries, and assistance with SNAP and WIC resources. A longtime advocate for the pharmacy profession, Bosley currently serves as President of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York and has been recognized with the Bowl of Hygeia, NCPA Leadership, NCPA NICE, and PSSNY Excellence in Innovation awards.��

At the October 3 dinner, the College will also recognize seven other individuals who are part of an esteemed global alumni base more than 9,000-plus strong. ��

Outstanding Young Alumni Award:��

• Kaylee Stewart ’24��
• Madyson R. Allard ’20, PharmD, BCPPS��

Friend of the College:

• David Clarke��

Student-Centered:

• Sam Enbawe ’09, PharmD��

Respect:

• Megan Thompson Limbocker ’14, PharmD, BCPS

Excellence:

• Alla Paskovaty ’99, PharmD, BCPS, AQ-ID
• Theresa Bostock ’86, MS, MLS(ASCP)SBB

All of the recipients were selected by a peer-nominated review process for their commitment to the fields of pharmacy and health sciences, as well as those who best personified the values most important to ACPHS such as community, collaboration, integrity and student-centeredness.��

Learn more about all of the 2026 honorees.

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����vlog and Russell Sage College have both been rated highly among the nearly 1,700 four-year colleges and universities examined across the United States in U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 Best Colleges, released today.

The colleges are classified in different lists. According to U.S. News, many institutions were placed in different ranking categories necessitated by a major revision to the Carnegie Classification framework by the American Council on Education (ACE), which has been the foundation of the U.S. News rankings since their inception. Consequently, U.S. News entirely remapped its own categories to align with the new Carnegie framework.

This year’s report also introduces the new earnings by major ranking factor, expands eligibility through the previously announced category changes, and adds new specialty and value rankings.

According to U.S. News, “The new metric also reflects a broader movement across higher education in response to public demand. From state, federal and nonprofit data initiatives to national research forums, the trend is clear: measuring postgraduate outcomes is becoming a standard for evaluating institutional performance.”

����vlog and Russell Sage College are ranked as follows:

ACPHS��

• *8th in Top Private Schools – Regional Universities (North) – (tied)

• *11th in Regional Universities (North) – (tied)

• 44th in Social Mobility – Regional Universities (North) ��

*Top pharmacy school in these rankings

Russell Sage

• 107th in Top Private Colleges – National Universities (tied)

• 45th in Top Performers on Social Mobility – National Universities (tied)
• 172nd in Bachelor of Science in Nursing Programs (tied) among more than 670 colleges and universities nationally

U.S. News has now ranked Russell Sage a top college among national universities for social mobility for eight years in a row.

“Individually, these rankings showcase the excellence of both institutions and the tremendous value they bring to prospective students regionally and beyond,” said Matthew Shaftel, president, Russell Sage College and interim president, ����vlog. “But together, these rankings underscore how uniting two colleges nationally recognized for social mobility and return on investment will create a dynamic engine for workforce development that will transform students, their families, and communities for generations to come.”

The colleges announced their intent to merge in April 2025 to create one of the region’s largest private institutions for higher education with the broadest catalog of programs in healthcare and the health sciences. Pending regulatory approvals, the merger is expected to be completed in Summer 2027.

The combined institution, expected to be known as Russell Sage University, anticipates enrolling almost 4,000 students on campuses in Albany and Troy, New York, as well as online, making it the third-largest private institution for higher education in the Capital Region.

Together, these rankings represent the strengths both institutions bring to the merger with a diverse program portfolio of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, biomedical sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and clinical and health sciences, as well as strong programs in education, business, criminal justice, the sciences, pre-med, pre-health, and arts and humanities.

See the full .

About U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S.��News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and��consumer advice to millions of people on USNews.com each month. A pillar in��Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance,��travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services.

About ����vlog

Founded in 1881, ����vlog is a private college dedicated to educating the next generation of leaders to improve the health of society. ACPHS offers 19 undergraduate, graduate and doctorate programs including online and hybrid options. Students have opportunities to extend what they are learning in the classroom at The Stack Family Center for Biopharmaceutical Education and Training (CBET), at pharmacies in underserved communities, and at The Collaboratory, a public health resource serving Albany’s South End neighborhood. The College, which holds a Carnegie Foundation Research Colleges and Universities designation for its research expenditures, is ranked #1 in New York state for return on investment by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, and holds an A+ for value by Niche.com.

About Russell Sage College 

With more than 3,000 students, Russell Sage College is a coeducational, private university with campuses located in Albany and Troy, New York. Offering a comprehensive selection of undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs across arts and sciences, education, management, and health sciences, the institution is particularly recognized as a regional leader in health professions education. Guided by its motto “Be. Know. Do.,” Russell Sage focuses on providing professional, career-forward degrees firmly rooted in a supportive, community-driven environment.

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The office will provide centralized leadership for animal research, biosafety, chemical safety, laboratory safety, laboratory equipment, and the Animal Research Facility. It will also support both research and teaching laboratories and oversee the institution’s compliance with applicable federal and state requirements.

The IACUC and the Institutional Laboratory Safety and Biosafety Committee will be aligned with this office. The Lab Safety Officer, Animal Research Facility Manager and Veterinary Technician, and Attending Veterinarian will report to Dr. Singh in this capacity.

To support the College’s biosafety measures, Rachel Toshkoff has joined ACPHS as Laboratory Safety Officer. In her role, Rachel will oversee the maintenance of a safe and compliant environment for all activities involving biological materials, ensuring the protection of students, faculty, staff, the community and the environment. The Biosafety Program provides guidance and training to support the safe handling, storage, transportation, and disposal of biological agents and materials used in research and educational settings. Through established policies, risk assessment processes, and regulatory compliance, we promote a culture of safety and accountability across campus.

For the past decade, Rachel worked as a Health and Safety Specialist for the Department of Forensic Sciences in Washington, DC. She holds a BS in Forensic Science.

The creation of a new Institutional Biosafety Committee to oversee the lab’s safety needs has been formed with Nick O’Donnell serving as Chair of our committee. It also includes the following members:

• Rachel Toshkoff, Laboratory Safety Officer and Biological Safety Officer, ex-officio voting member
• Michelle Parent, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Allied Health Sciences, voting member
• Michelle Lewis, Executive Director of CBET, voting member
• Marcel Musteata, Associate Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences, voting member
• Mary Ellen Piche, unaffiliated community voting member
• Andrew Peifer, unaffiliated community voting member
• Shannon Magari, Colden Corporation, Biosafety Consultant, ex-officio non-voting member

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs will remain in place, with Jo Carreno continuing to lead this area. ORSP will focus on the full lifecycle of sponsored and institutional research funding, including funding opportunities, proposal development and submission, post-award administration, sponsor compliance, internal research awards, and research dissemination activities. The team also includes Grants Administrator, Tiffany Catalfamo; Grants Accountant, Frank Stadtlander; and Administrative Specialist, Mel Quinlan.

ACPHS Interim Executive, Theresa Hand, said about these efforts, “This restructuring retains our existing staffing while realigning responsibilities to provide clearer ownership, stronger accountability, more effective risk management, and better support for our faculty and research programs.”

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Gimichi was one of only 27 pharmacy students from across the country chosen for the program.

Working with mentor from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), she and another student researcher explored HIV-associated cachexia and the potential role of cannabinoids in mitigating disease progression.

For Christine, HIV research hits home. More than 3 percent of the population of Kenya, her native country, is HIV positive.�� And stigma around the disease often shaped how people treated those living with it.

Over the summer months, her AACP SAS research team completed the literature search, identified relevant peer-reviewed articles for review and drafted a manuscript.

According to Christine, working on a research project with a professor who has expertise in a specific research area was a great opportunity. The mentorship component guided her through every stage of the research process from identifying a meaningful research question to conducting a comprehensive literature search, evaluating and organizing scientific evidence and developing a literature review.

“This experience has given me a much better understanding of what goes into conducting research and has strengthened my confidence in reading and interpreting scientific literature,” Christine said. “Dr. Joshi gave me insight into how research questions are developed and the importance of generating new knowledge to address unmet problems in healthcare and science.”

Christine also works with Dr. Vir Singh in his lab on HIV research, most recently on his latest research. This past June, Dr. Singh began exploring a novel approach to achieve sustained drug-free viral remission and a functional cure for HIV, commonly referred to as ‘Blocking and Locking of HIV.’ The work is supported by three-year, $493,213 National Institute of Health Research Enhancement Award grant, which allows undergraduate and graduate students like Christine to conduct hands-on biomedical research.

“We are actually working on ways to prevent or even give more people ways that you’re not replicating — in a way, silencing the virus. It doesn’t spread that idea of staying away from people. The virus itself is separate from that individual,” said Christine.

Christine would highly encourage other students to participate in the AACP SAS Summer Research Exchange Program. Now in its tenth year, the program provides student pharmacists an opportunity to participate in summer research projects. More than 100 students have been paired with mentors since the program began. Exchange program students have completed research projects, presented their results at conferences and published peer reviewed articles based on their work.

“For PharmD students who are interested in research, whether in academia, clinical research, or the pharmaceutical industry, this program is an excellent opportunity to strengthen critical thinking, scientific writing and collaboration with researchers from other institutions. It has been a rewarding experience that has helped me grow both professionally and personally.”

If interested, watch for the call for program applications that comes out during the spring semester.

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