Recently several students from the College of Pharmacy’s Kappa Psi, Epsilon Kappa chapter assisted with a health screening fair at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Burns, Tennessee. The students provided bone density checks, blood glucose checks and surveys of diabetes mellitus. They also assisted with blood pressure measurement and counseling about blood pressure and nutrition. Participants included Kelly Maguigan, Chris Conkling, Fred ONeal, Niki Walker, Fernando Diggs, Kyla Cunico, Jessica Yost, Chris Kepinski, Joshua Ferrall, Destin Lenz and Sarah Gobin.
Category Archives: College of Pharmacy
Pharmacy student receives scholarship for diversity and inclusion
Erin Todd, a second year student in Belmont’s PharmD program, has been awarded the Walgreens Diversity & Inclusion Excellence Award. This monetary award is given to a student “who embraces diversity and promotes diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus”. Through Erin’s work in the Belmont chapter of SNPhA and as a student ambassador she has worked diligently to promote diversity in pharmacy.
Pharmacy professor published in education journal
Dr. Lindsay Hahn, assistant professor of pharmacy, recently had a manuscript published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education (AJPE). The article reviewed the development and implementation of a solid organ transplant elective course for second- and third-year pharmacy students, assessing the course’s impact on their knowledge in the management of medications, adverse effects, and complications in organ transplantation patients. Dr. Hahn concluded that course participants significantly improved their confidence and knowledge regarding solid organ transplantation and became open to exploring careers or residencies in this area. The full manuscript can be found on the AJPE website.
College of Pharmacy leads first health-focused immersion to Guatemala
The College of Pharmacy partnered with University Ministries for an international spring break Immersion trip geared towards health professional and pre-health professions students. The team was comprised of four faculty and staff members, one professional medical interpreter, eight undergraduate students with an interest or major in healthcare-related fields and two fourth-year pharmacy students. Together they provided diabetes, asthma and vision screenings, as well as nutrition, hygiene and first-aid education to migrant workers at Finca la Azotea coffee plantation, in Antigua, Guatemala. Additionally, the team spent one day working with at Escuela Proyecto la Esperanza, an non-governmental organization school for underprivileged children assessing height weight, and vision percentile projections.
Immersion activities included learning about the processes of growing, harvesting, roasting and packaging coffee, grocery shopping in a neighborhood market, visiting a private university, Universidad Francisco Marroquín, touring the Moore Pediatric Surgery Center and attending religious services on Ash Wednesday.
Pharmacy professor earns Healthcare Information, Management certifications
Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice Dr. Anthony Blash is now certified, (CPHIMS and CAHIMS) by examination, in the area of health care informatics. Faculty with these credentials continuously set Belmont College of Pharmacy apart as an institution where student pharmacists can pursue a concentration that prepares them for specialization in the practice of pharmacy.
Certified Professional in Healthcare Information & Management Systems (CPHIMS) CPHIMS is a professional certification program for healthcare information and management systems professionals. Many organizations require candidates have this internationally recognized certification and are encouraging existing employees to obtain the certification. Continue reading
Belmont Announces Formation of Tennessee Healthcare Hall of Fame
First inductees to be announced at McWhorter Society Luncheon May 1
With a mission to honor men and women who have made significant and lasting contributions to the healthcare industry, Belmont University announced today the formation of a new Tennessee Healthcare Hall of Fame. Sponsored by Belmont’s McWhorter Society, the Healthcare Hall of Fame will announce its first inductees at the McWhorter Society Annual Luncheon on May 1 on Belmont’s campus.
Belmont Provost Dr. Thomas Burns, co-chair of the McWhorter Society, said, “Tennessee has become a premier hub for healthcare and healthcare education in the United States. It’s only appropriate that we recognize and honor the countless men and women who have contributed to the growth of the industry, creating ever higher standards for patient care and well-being. With Belmont’s strong interdisciplinary programming in nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work, healthcare business and pharmacy, we’re proud to host this new Tennessee Healthcare Hall of Fame as these leaders can inspire our students for generations to come.”
Belmont pharmacy students featured in Tennessean article
March 19, 2014
Guatemala trip is life-changing for Belmont pharmacy students
By Mignonne Bryant
| mbryant@tennessean.com
In a Guatemalan hotel, 23-year-old Belmont University student Gena Curl carefully unpacked all that she had brought from Nashville. A wave of doubts swept across her mind: “Am I going to be able to do this? I’m by myself in the pharmacy. Can I handle this?” Curl knew no one in this foreign place and barely spoke the local language, but the experience changed her life forever.
In October 2013, Curl traveled to Guatemala City as a fourth-year pharmacy student to provide free services at the Moore Pediatric Surgery Center — an opportunity offered by Belmont University’s College of Pharmacy, which partners with the Shalom Foundation and BUCOP Medical Missions.
According to Phil Johnston, dean of the pharmacy school at Belmont, roughly 25 students go each year to one of two locations: the surgery center in Guatemala City or a clinic on a coffee plantation in Antigua. Both locations are enabled by the Shalom Foundation. The building in Guatemala was remodeled and created as a surgery center by people from Nashville.
Pharmacy professor has manuscript published
Dr. Kelley Kiningham, Associate Dean of Student for the College of Pharmacy, recently had a manuscript accepted for publication in PLOS One. The article titled, “Nuclear Interaction Between Adriamycin-Induced p65 and p53 Mediates Cardiac Injury in iNOS (-/-) Mice” identified inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) to be important in preventing cardiotoxicity secondary to adriamycin administration. The results support recent findings where oral delivery of inorganic nitrates is suggested for patients receiving adriamycin therapy.
Pharmacy students invited to lecture at Hillsboro High School
Rho Chi members, Hollie Asmussen, Maggie Montgomery and Christie Griffiths, recently gave lectures on analgesics and antibiotics to students at Hillsboro High School. As the academic honor society in pharmacy, Rho Chi encourages and recognizes excellence in intellectual achievement and advocates critical inquiry in all aspects of pharmacy.
Pharmacy students participate in interprofessional training
Fourth-year pharmacy students recently participated in interprofessional team geriatric case training with the Meharry Consortium Geriatric Education Center. To ensure health professional students develop skills for working in interprofessional teams, the Center hosts this annual team training. This is the third year the College of Pharmacy has been involved in this event.
This experience serves as an opportunity for students to develop interprofessional collaborative skills by working as a team on a geriatric case and developing a patient assessment and treatment plan. Faculty experts are available to consult with teams, and nurse practitioners observe and rate team dynamics. The program concludes with an interactive general assembly where an interdisciplinary expert panel provides feedback and answers questions.
Pharmacy students learn about medication adherence first-hand
Second and third-year pharmacy students enrolled in the Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Elective spent the past month learning about the difficulties of medication adherence first-hand. Nineteen students were given a pillbox and 15 candies representing medications with various schedules of administration. Students were required to fill their pillbox according to their medication list. At the midpoint, students were given two medication changes mimicking real-life scenarios. Following the four-week project, students submitted a focused reflection and discussed the experience with their classmates. Students consistently deemed the pillbox experience a positive one.
Pharmacy student gets practice experience in Haiti
Fourth-year pharmacy student Shaneika Walker and pharmacy faculty member Ashton Beggs recently returned from a one-week medical mission trip to Gobert, Haiti. Walker was selected for this Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) last spring. Under the supervision of Beggs, Walker was involved in all medication-related aspects of the trip planning, which began summer 2013. The medical team purchased medications from Blessings International, and it was the responsibility of the pharmacy student and pharmacist to decide which medications and the appropriate quantities to order to treat the variety of disease states encountered. Medications were packaged and labeled appropriately for shipping to Haiti for both the general and health literacy of the Haitian population. While in Gobert, Walker and Beggs were in charge of dispensing medications and counseling patients on each medication dispensed.
College of Health Sciences and College of Pharmacy to partner in Haiti with LiveBeyond
During his recent visit to Thomazeau, Haiti, College of Pharmacy Dean Phil Johnston visited villages with LiveBeyond workers and a Belmont delegation to aid and dispense medications to a woman in postpartum, a father with high blood pressure, a small boy with worms and a man with a hip injury. The most powerful experience of them all was when a man who received medical attention sang a Christian hymn in Creole as his Voodoo-practicing neighbors gathered around and listened.
“It was like watching a Bible story about caring for the least of these,” Johnston said.
He, along with College of Health Sciences & Nursing Dean Cathy Taylor and Nursing Assistant Professor Robin Cobb, visited LiveBeyond’s base in Haiti last week to identify areas of student mission participation and to flush out unique partnerships between the University and the nonprofit organization that would allow Belmont Continue reading
Pharmacy student to compete in national Patient Counseling Competition
Meghan Duquette, a third year student in the College of Pharmacy, will represent Belmont at this year’s national Patient Counseling Competition presented by the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP). Meghan was the winner of this year’s school competition in the College of Pharmacy coordinated by the local chapter of APhA-ASP. The national competition features local winners from 120+ pharmacy schools across the country. This year’s competition will be held in Orlando, FL at the end of March.
The goal of the APhA-ASP National Patient Counseling Competition is to encourage student pharmacists in their efforts toward becoming better patient educators. The competition is designed to reflect changes that are occurring in practice, to promote and encourage further professional development of the student pharmacist and to reinforce the role of the pharmacist as a health care provider and educator.
Dr. Harry Jacobson, healthcare investor and former CEO of Vanderbilt University Medical Center to speak at Belmont Friday
Dr. Harry Jacobson, Chairman of MedCare Investment Funds and a founding partner of Tristar Technology Ventures, will present a public lecture at Belmont University this Friday morning, February 7. He will speak on healthcare innovation from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. in McWhorter Hall Room 114, and the event is open to the public. The lecture is sponsored by the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing as part of their Diagnosing Our Future Speaker Series.
MedCare and its affiliated entities manage approximately $1 billion in assets, the substantial majority of which are related to the medical and healthcare services industry. Currently MedCare has a portfolio of fifteen healthcare companies representing most sectors of the industry including services, information technologies, medical devices, pharm and biotechnology. All of MedCare’s investments are targeted to companies bringing innovation to health care.
Dr. Jacobson is former Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs at Vanderbilt University and CEO of Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). Continue reading
Pharmacy students complete training for HIV counseling and testing
Over a dozen College of Pharmacy students recently completed training for HIV Counseling and Testing at Nashville Cares. The training was sponsored by the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) and is a part of their Remember the Ribbon initiative to improve HIV/AIDs awareness, education, and prevention in minority communities.
SNPhA members from Belmont, including advisor Dr. Edgar Diaz-Cruz, learned through hands on training and role playing how to properly administer the HIV rapid oral test, as well as how to deliver those results with compassion and understanding. Additionally, students learned invaluable education tools about safe practices and the prevention of HIV. The students who completed the training are now officially certified in HIV Counseling and Testing through the Tennessee Department of Health. The students plan on using the skills learned to serve the surrounding communities through education and prevention.
Students completing the training include: Jennifer Chisum, Ricky Church, Marion Compton, Kyla Cunico, Erin Todd, Fernando Diggs, Joshua Farrell, Michelle Krichbaum, Gia Nguyen, Fredrick O’Neal, Ugoeze Onuoha, Sara Thompson and Bailey Bolten.
Pharmacy faculty members present pharmacist training program
On Jan. 11, Belmont University College of Pharmacy hosted a certificate program for pharmacists entitled “Delivering Medication Therapy Management Services.” Developed by the American Pharmacists Association, the interactive training program explores the pharmacist’s role in providing medication therapy management services to patients. The program enhances pharmacists’ clinical expertise in evaluating complicated medication regimens, identifying medication-related problems and making recommendations to patients, caregivers and health care professionals. Pharmacists from Tennessee, Missouri and Kentucky attended the one-day training session led by College of Pharmacy faculty members Dr. Traci Poole and Dr. Ashton Beggs.
Pharmacy students and faculty published
Student pharmacist Jessica Brinkley recently published a manuscript titled “Building a lifelong commitment to service” in the November/December issue of Student Pharmacist. The article which was co-authored by former APhA President, Joshua Senn and chapter advisor, Dr. Traci Poole, highlights the service performed by Belmont’s APhA-ASP chapter for Habitat for Humanity. APhA-ASP has performed numerous healthcare related events over the last few years but is also dedicated to assisting the general needs of Nashville’s underserved population.
McWhorter Society Scholars Announced
Pictured are (from L to R) Dean Pat Raines, student pharmacist Jessica Brinkley, Roland Achenjang, Healthcare MBA student, Mr. McWhorter, MBA student Jacqueline Youde, Dean Cathy Taylor, Student pharmacist Emily Doss, Nursing student Kelsey Maguire, and Dean Phil Johnston. Not pictured is Lauren Moss, who is a student in the Doctorate in Nursing Practice program.
Belmont University introduced the first six McWhorter Society Scholars on Dec. 4. The McWhorter Society, which was formed earlier this year, consists of members of the Nashville area community who are engaged in healthcare and the business of healthcare, and who choose to support future healthcare professionals from Belmont University.
The society is named in honor of long-time Belmont supporter Clayton McWhorter whose leadership and role in the development of healthcare industry giants HealthTrust Inc. and HCA have made a strong impression in the field of health care. In 1996, Clayton, his son Stuart and a close business friend created the venture capital firm Clayton Associates, which quickly evolved into a hub of strategic business development activities related to new firms in healthcare, technology and diversified services.
McWhorter was introduced to the newest scholars to hear their Belmont stories and how they intend to use the degrees they are pursuing at Belmont. Recipients included the following Belmont students.
Pharmacy Hosts TennCare Officer for First Continuing Education Event
Dr. Vaughn Frigon, chief medical officer of Tennessee Health Care Finance and Administration, presented a lecture to Nashville area pharmacists for the College of Pharmacy’s first continuing education on Dec. 3 in the Massey Performing Arts Center.
“We are so glad to be able to offer continuing education credit to pharmacists in the community, especially our alumni, faculty and affiliate faculty. It is important to us to offer programs that are relevant and will make a difference in the everyday practice of our pharmacists who attend,” said College of Pharmacy Continuing Education Coordinator Virginia Walczak.
Belmont, Lipscomb Pharmacy Students Warn of Dangers of Prescription Drugs
Belmont and Lipscomb pharmacy students recently visited Hume Fogg High School to educate students on drug abuse through the Generation Rx program, which educates youth to the epidemic of prescription drug abuse and addiction occurring in the United States.
Both universities’ American Pharmacists Association (APhA) chapters presented on the important issue. The event featured a video highlighting the use of prescription drugs by teenagers and responses by their families as well as recent statistics and addictive trends that are occurring among high school students. Students also participated in a game show competition emphasizing key topics presented.
Pharmacy alum joins Aegis Sciences Corporation
Dr. Ali (Foster) Roberts, PharmD Class of 2012, has joined Aegis Sciences Corporation in Nashville as Clinical Scientist of Healthcare Services. She will offer guidance on healthcare research and outcomes, answer pain management and toxicology related questions that arise during treatment of patients. Dr. Roberts will also provide continuing education related to healthcare and drug testing practices. Previously, Dr. Roberts completed a PGY-1 residency at Memorial Hospital.
Pharmacy alum accepts position with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
Dr. Khang Tran-Tan (PharmD Class of 2013) has accepted a position with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee. He will be working with the company as a Clinical Pharmacist in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Pharmacy alum serves poor in Guatemala
Neda Borhani, Pharmaceutical Doctor, ’13 just returned from Guatemala City, Guatemala, where she supported a surgical team from Austin, TX, in 62 cleft lip and/or palate repairs for some of the poorest kids in Guatemala. Dr. Borhani served as the team’s pharmacist staffing The Moore Pediatric Surgery Center’s pharmacy. Keeping the pattern established by 32 other members of the college’s alumni and students, Neda managed the pre-, during, and post-operative pharmaceutical care of the children who came from across Guatemala to receive free, life-changing care. Read more about Neda’s activity on the BUCOP Medical Missions Facebook page.
Pharmacy alum serving her local community
Dr. Doris Ng, PharmD Class of 2013, has been volunteering for a non-profit organization in Morris County, NJ which assists individuals with substance use disorder get back into the workforce. She attends drug courts and then assists clinicians in interviewing the patients. This non-profit organization helps provide medical assistance, education and support structures for patients with substance use disorder.