Welcome to the College of Pharmacy

Abraham Kovoor was studying a brain protein, called RGS9-2, that he had previously related to the involuntary, random and repetitive body movements that are side effects of drugs used to treat Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia.

While studying these side effects, which are called dyskinesia, Kovoor, an assistant professor in the University of Rhode Island’s College of Pharmacy, discovered that RGS9-2 also plays a role in regulating body weight.

Results of his study were published in the November issue of PLoS One, an interactive open-access, peer-reviewed scientific and medical research journal. Full Story

 

President Dooley has been formulating and discussing four key Transformational Goals during the first two years of his tenure. The Transformational Goals are ambitious. URI is not seeking to play catch up with its peers, or merely to equal them, but rather to become known and respected as a leader in each of the areas described. Published earlier this semester, the Transformational Goals for the 21st Century offers more details about these goals.

 

PharmD students graduating from the College are well known for their many accomplishments. The passage rates on the national licensing exams in pharmacy are very high for College graduates – our averages are in the 95-97% passage rate. The graduating class of 2011 achieved a 100% passage rate for both the NAPLEX (National Association Pharmacy Licensing Exam) and MPJE (Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam).

For the College, this is the first time that we have achieved a perfect result. We commend all of the graduates, faculty, preceptors, and staff who have worked hard in so many different ways to achieve this outstanding result.

Go Rhody!!

The University of Rhode Island’s College of Pharmacy is taking part in a national competition titled Script Your Future Medication Adherence Advocacy Challenge for the month of October. Students will be competing to find the best methods for advocating medication adherence to the public, especially those with chronic diseases. These students are trying a variety of creative methods to get the message about medication adherence across to the public. Examples include health fairs, senior center visits, walks for the cause, wallet cards where patients can list their medications, and online video presentations.

The National Consumers League launched the student competition through the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores this month to help their three-year campaign that focuses on patients with chronic illnesses like diabetes, respiratory disease and cardiovascular disease. Rhode Island is sixth in the nation for the highest percentage of chronic illnesses.

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College of Pharmacy is pairing home visits from pharmacists with the latest technology, providing instant access to a patient’s medical history and medications, all in an effort to reduce hospital readmissions.

The Center for Technology and Aging has awarded a Tech4Impact Diffusion Grant to the College of Pharmacy to work collaboratively with the Rhode Island Department of Elderly Affairs to gain more experience with and to evaluate the benefits of technologies that improve patients’ transitions from hospitals to their homes. The one-year, $98,000 grant will make it possible for a pharmacist to visit the homes of patients who have been discharged from the hospital, double check medications prescribed in the hospital against those prescribed by the patient’s regular doctors, and help the patient create their own electronic personal health record.

“The pharmacist can add tremendous value and help avert problems,” said URI Pharmacy Associate Professor Stephen Kogut, who will oversee the grant. “Too many patients end up back in hospitals, especially elderly patients.”

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The University of Rhode Island has entered a partnership with Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, Pa., one of the world’s most energy-efficient and sustainable conservatories.

The five-year partnership will help to provide information on a proposed energy-efficient conservatory at URI and enhance URI’s and Phipps Conservatory’s educational programs.

Richard Piacentini, executive director of Phipps Conservatory, a URI College of Pharmacy alumnus, and catalyst of the collaboration, is looking forward to sharing information. Full Story

College of Pharmacy students received top awards at the first Discovery@URI event, held on April 13, 2011. This event showcased the breadth and wealth of research, scholarship and innovative endeavors being undertaken at URI. Over 100 stellar students and groups presented their fascinating work at this event. First place honors were awarded to Simon Sarkisian, a MS student in the College of Pharmacy, and join third place honors when to Joseph Schrader, a BS Student in the college. Full Story

As president and chief executive officer of California-based OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Paul Hastings has helped improve the lives of people around the world through his work in the biotechnology industry.

As the first member of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender community to receive the University of Rhode Island’s Diversity Award for Lifetime Achievement, Hastings is hoping to change the culture on campus. Hastings will be honored and will serve as the featured speaker at the University’s 13th Annual Diversity Awards banquet to be held at the Memorial Union Ballroom, Tuesday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m. The event is coordinated by the Multicultural Center, the Office of Community, Diversity, and Equity, the Diversity Awards Committee, the Office of Affirmative Action, Equity, and Diversity, and the Graduate School. Full Story

Dr. Estus will be presented with the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists Leadership in Education Award at their National Meeting in May. Her endeavor "Students and Older Adults Learning from One Another: Intergenerational Activities Between URI College of Pharmacy and South Bay Manor" was lauded by members of the review committee as being of great benefit to both the students and the seniors they serve.

University of Rhode Island researcher Navindra Seeram has discovered 34 new beneficial compounds in pure maple syrup and confirmed that 20 compounds discovered last year in preliminary research play a key role in human health.

Today at the 241st American Chemical Society’s National Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. the URI assistant pharmacy professor is telling scientists from around the world that his URI team has now isolated and identified 54 beneficial compounds in pure maple syrup from Quebec, five of which have never been seen in nature. Full Story

As part of her research into breast cancer, University of Rhode Island scientist Roberta King has for years been studying the role of an enzyme in regulating estrogen activity.

King is specifically interested a type of enzyme, called sulfotransferases, which contribute to balancing and regulating numerous biologically active compounds such as estrogen and dopamine.

Now the associate professor of biomedical sciences in the College of Pharmacy is targeting dopamine sulfotransferase and its potential role in the transmission of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. In a partnership with Thomas Mather, professor of entomology and director of the URI Center for Vector-Borne Diseases, King and her research team are looking at how tick dopamine sulfotransferase affects tick salivation and ultimately the feeding process that leads to Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. Full Story