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Ron Jordan, formerly president of the largest professional pharmacy association in the world and who established himself as a founder and builder of numerous health care firms, has been named dean of the University of Rhode Island’s College of Pharmacy. The East Greenwich resident has served as interim dean of the College for nearly two years. He succeeds Donald Letendre, who left the dean’s post in September 2007.

“Ron’s collaborative nature, understanding of pharmacy and the broader health fields, leadership skills and strong business sense are exactly what are needed at this time to complement the expertise of the faculty and to sustain our position as one of the leading pharmacy education, research and outreach programs,” said Donald H. DeHayes, URI provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.

During his term as interim dean, Jordan has increased alumni support of the College to levels never before experienced. He secured commitments for $4 million in private funding for a new home for the College, and he helped raise $2 million in private support for research and scholarships. The building project, which will break ground later this summer, is also being supported by $65 million in bonds approved by Rhode Island voters in 2006. Full story

The University of Rhode Island has been awarded a five-year, $18 million grant by a branch of the National Institutes of Health to strengthen biomedical research capacity in Rhode Island. One of the largest grants in the University’s history, the grant is the third in a series of multi-million dollar awards the agency has given URI for this purpose since 2001, for a total of $42 million. The grant was awarded by NIH’s National Center for Research Resources, the same agency that awarded the University $8 million in 2001 and an additional $16.5 million in 2004.

“Collaborative, multidisciplinary learning is a hallmark of the research and education experience here at URI, and this biomedical research program is a prime example of how successful this approach to problem solving can be,” said URI President Robert L. Carothers. “The tremendous growth of this initiative and the exciting results it has already generated are a testament to the strength of our College of Pharmacy and the network it has built with other institutions around the state.” Full story

Two teams of University of Rhode Island pharmacy students finished among the top 15 colleges in a national video public service announcement contest sponsored by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

There were 67 entries, many aided by substantial production budgets, in the contest called, “It’s Global.” The URI students produced their videos without any funding support. Full story

The University of Rhode Island Foundation announced that the University has received a gift commitment for $500,000 from the Mario Family Foundation, based in Princeton, New Jersey. The president of the Mario Family Foundation, Dr. Ernest Mario, received his master’s degree and doctorate from URI’s College of Pharmacy in 1964 and 1966, respectively. He received his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University.

This most recent gift from the Mario family will support the College of Pharmacy’s planned construction of a $75 million, state-of-the- art facility to become home to the University’s fast-growing and highly regarded pharmacy program. The gift will, in particular, support the inclusion of a 167-seat 3D “visualization auditorium” within the building. Full story

Use of saliva would reduce need for blood tests. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is reviewing a University of Rhode Island pharmacy professor’s proposal to use saliva as a non-invasive way to monitor concentrations of anti-rejection drugs in patients that undergo transplants.

Associate Professor of Pharmacy Fatemeh Akhlaghi said saliva offers a pain-free way to measure levels of immunosuppressive agents such as cyclosporine, and mycophenolic acid, which are essential in preventing organ rejection after transplantation. She is also researching the use of saliva for monitoring the concentration of two other immunosuppressive drugs, tacrolimus and sirolimus.

“Routine concentration measurement for these agents is essential for their efficacious and safe use. This is currently done through blood tests that are usually administered twice a week in a clinic or hospital,” Akhlaghi said. Full story

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