Recently, four Belmont student pharmacists volunteered their time at a hands-on science summit for the Tennessee Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Research (TWISTER). TWISTER is a program to inform and motivate high school girls to pursue science and technology careers, provide positive role models and engage young women with limited opportunities for success in positive math and science experiences.
Pharmacy students Erica Evans, Laci Hendress, Jessica Paullet and Lindsey Smith dedicated a Saturday to mentor young women and promote pharmacy as a career field. These students modeled the professional, career-oriented women who work in pharmacy to 9th through 12th grade girls. “TWISTER seems to be a wonderful opportunity for these highly motivated individuals,” said Hendress.
These four women have demonstrated excellence in academic coursework, the work place and extracurricular activities while at Belmont. “I was excited to have the opportunity to give back, especially to this group of girls because I had so many mentors in my life who inspired me to set my goals higher and to go achieve them,” said Smith.
Category Archives: College of Pharmacy
Belmont Hosts Society of Student Pharmacists
Belmont School of Pharmacy recently hosted 120 student pharmacists from Tennessee’s five schools of pharmacy (Belmont, East Tennessee State University, Lipscomb University, Union University, and the University of Tennessee) for the third annual Tennessee Society of Student Pharmacists meeting. TSSP is the student branch of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association. At the meeting, Shanna Harris, a third-year pharmacy student at Belmont, assumed the presidency of the TSSP.
“TSSP provides student pharmacists opportunities including leadership, community service and networking with fellow students and pharmacist across the state,” said Dr. Cathy Ficzere, assistant professor of pharmacy and director of Drug Information Services. “Whether our students remain in Tennessee after graduation or not, these skills will go with our students ‘From Here to Anywhere.’”
The TSSP meeting included a full day of programming with keynote address from U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, M.D., workshops on medication therapy management and the family model of addiction recovery and a legislative update from the executive director of TPA, Baeteena Black.
College of Health Sciences Partners with HealthStream and Laerdal to Develop Content for New Platform in Medical Simulation
Faculty members at Belmont University’s Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing are playing a vital role in the development of content that will be made available for use in an innovative new platform to deliver healthcare education through medical simulation.
SimCenter™, announced publicly in January, is a joint product of Nashville’s HealthStream (NASDAQ: HSTM), a leading provider of learning and research solutions for the healthcare industry and Laerdal Medical, a global leader in the provision of educational solutions for healthcare providers and educators. SimCenter is an innovative simulation management platform designed specifically for healthcare institutions to manage their simulation initiatives. It is comprised of a fully integrated system of software designed to work with advanced patient simulators used in medical education and made available through the Internet via software as a service (SaaS).
Belmont educators have been part of the initial content development team of leading medical simulation centers that have been creating scenarios for use within SimCenter. “This is a groundbreaking solution that will revolutionize the way simulation is performed in healthcare training,” said Beth Hallmark, Ph.D. RN, director of simulation at Belmont University.
“The Simulation Center faculty members from Belmont’s College of Health Sciences are representative of a growing group of thought leaders that are pioneering medical simulation,” said Robert A. Frist, Jr., president and chief executive officer, HealthStream. “We are delighted to have Belmont join our global network of leading educators offering best-in-class simulation content to the industry.”
ACPE Visits School of Pharmacy
On March 9-10, the Belmont University School of Pharmacy underwent a successful Monitoring Visit by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. The visit is another step in the multi-year review process that the school is undergoing as it moves toward eligibility for full accreditation in 2012. During the visit, the review team toured McWhorter Hall and other campus facilities, met with faculty and students, as well as with area health care providers.
Dean Phil Johnston said, “It’s gratifying when your professional peers are so complimentary about the thing into which our faculty have invested such effort over the past four years.”
Belmont Adds Chapter of Delta Chi Professional Pharmacy Fraternity
The Gamma Xi Chapter at Belmont University was recently inducted into Phi Delta Chi Professional Pharmacy Fraternity. Gamma Xi is the 86th Chapter chartered since the founding of the Fraternity on November 2, 1883. The Phi Delta Chi Fraternity develops leaders to advance the profession of pharmacy and its allied interests. It is a lifelong experience, promoting scholastic, professional and social growth in its Brothers. Over 25 Brothers from 13 different chapters across the United States were present to initiate 23 founding Brothers from Belmont University School of Pharmacy. The Gamma Xi Chapter of Phi Delta Chi looks forward to working with the other fraternities and organizations on campus to help develop a healthy culture for students, faculty, administration and community residents.
College of Health Sciences selected for Health Information Technology Scholars Program
The Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing at Belmont University has been selected to be part of the 2011 Health Information Technology Scholars Program (HITS), which is supported by a five-year $1.5 million grant provided by The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Bureau of Health Professions (BHPr) in partnership with the Office of Health Information Technology (OHIT). This is the fourth year of the grant and Belmont is one of 29 universities to join the program in 2011.
Dr. Beth Hallmark from the School of Nursing and Dr. Kelley Kiningham from the School of Pharmacy submitted the project proposal to integrate electronic health records in medical simulation via inter-professional collaboration. Both will attend a planning conference in March and complete the project during the next year.
The HITS program is designed to merge informatics, tele-health, simulation and e-learning to create powerful learning environments, to integrate IT in curricula to educate future practitioners, to expand infrastructure for clinical learning processes, and to optimize patient safety and drive improvements in healthcare quality.
Health Sciences faculty receive promotions
Congratulations to faculty members in the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing who were granted promotions by the Belmont Board of Trust this week.
Renee Brown in the School of Physical Therapy was granted tenure and a promotion to Professor. Nancy Darr in the School of Physical Therapy was promoted to Professor. Kelley Kinningham in the School of Pharmacy was granted tenure. Teresa Plummer in the School of Occupational Therapy was granted tenure and a promotion to Assistant Professor. Linda Wofford in the School of Nursing was granted tenure and promotion to Associate Professor.
Dr. Jack Williams, Dean of the College, commented on the actions. “Please join me in congratulating these folks for a job well done and for their positive leadership in their programs, the college, the university, and the community!”
School of Pharmacy Sends Christmas Presents to Children in Need
The school of Pharmacy recently collected 42 boxes for Operation Christmas Child. The boxes will be sent all over the world to children that do not receive Christmas presents.
The boxes contained a variety of presents for children between the ages of 2 and 14. Pharmacy students sent toys, race cars and dolls for the younger children and hygiene and beauty products for the older children.
“I think that this is a great project that will touch many children’s lives all over the world and show them the real reason that we celebrate Christmas,” said Christina Sudeen, a pharmacy student and participant in Operation Christmas Child. “I am glad that Belmont School of Pharmacy has participated in this project for the past two years, and I hope that it will be a tradition that the school will keep participating in for many years to come.”
Pharmacy Students Collect Food for Second Harvest
Students in the School of Pharmacy recent held a three-class competition to collect canned food items for Second Harvest Food Bank. The food drive took place Nov. 8- 19, and the students collected approximately 2,200 food items. The food drive was run as a competition between the first, second and third year classes in the School of Pharmacy with each cohort aiming to collect 300 non-perishable food items. The P3 class raised just over 300 items, the P1 class raised over 600 items, and the P2 class won the contest with just over 1,000 items. The items collected by the students were donated to Second Harvest Food Bank. The students also incorporated a “Faculty Challenge” in the contest, and the faculty donations were donated to St. Luke’s Community House.
Belmont’s new pharmacy featured on local news
Belmont University’s new teaching pharmacy was recently featured on NewsChannel5 in Nashville. You can view the report at the NewsChannel5 website, with accompanying story below:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont University is on the cutting edge of local medicine. The school is the only one in the state with its own pharmacy.
The fully operational pharmacy has two aims: to serve the campus community and train future pharmacists. The pharmacy is open to students, staff and the surrounding community.
The students are getting hands on experience right on campus, which is a program that’s the first of its kind here in the state.
Students and staff also get a deep discount of prescription medication. Some medicines are as much as 25-percent off.
University Administrators said the pharmacy has also become a major selling point to potential students.
McWhorter Hall Wins National Award for ESa’s Design
Belmont University’s McWhorter Hall—which houses the Schools of Pharmacy and Physical Therapy as well as the Department of Psychological Science—has received a Citation of Excellence Award in the national Learning By Design competition. The annual competition is sponsored by the National School Boards Association and Stratton Publishing and Marketing, Inc.
McWhorter Hall is one of 11 Citations of Excellence Award winners that were deemed the best in the nation by a recognized panel of architects and educational facility specialists. This facility and the other 10 winners will be published in the 20th Anniversary Spring 2011 edition of Learning By Design. Winners were chosen on the basis of innovative design and design excellence.
The academic building, designed by Earl Swensson Associates, Inc. (ESa), maintains the historical architectural style prevalent on the Belmont campus, while containing innovation for which the university has become known. Experiential learning spaces include a sophisticated, licensed campus pharmacy and a clinic that provide services to students, faculty and staff. Interdisciplinary simulation labs add futuristic dimensions to the programs taught within the facility.
Significant sustainable features designed into the building include a 20,000-gallon water storage tank that captures excess ground and storm water for recycling as a campus irrigation source. Surrounding the rooftop cupola are native Tennessee plants comprising the extensive green roof that reduces the urban “heat island effect,” thereby reducing heating/cooling costs. The roof continues Belmont’s efforts to be environmentally responsible. Hodgson & Douglas provided the landscape architectural design for the green roof. R.C. Mathews Contractor served as the project’s general contractor.
ESa, based in Nashville, is a 49-year-old architectural firm practicing throughout the U.S. and globally in the design areas of education, healthcare, hospitality, senior living, corporate office, and the arts & community. Other Belmont campus projects the firm has designed over the years include the recently completed Patton Hall/Bear House residence hall, Maple Hall, the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing Center, the Beaman Student Life Center/ Curb Event Center/Maddox Grand Atrium, Bill & Carole Troutt Theater, Leu Center for the Visual Arts and the Jack C. Massey Business Center.
McWhorter Hall Dedicated
Governor Bredesen, others participate in ceremony honoring healthcare leader Clayton McWhorter and the late Fred McWhorter
Belmont University honored Clayton and Fred McWhorter Friday morning during the official dedication ceremony for the newly opened McWhorter Hall. The 90,000 square foot, state-of-the-art academic building houses the University’s Schools of Pharmacy and Physical Therapy, as well as the Department of Psychological Science. McWhorter Hall was named in honor of Belmont Trustee Emeritus and Chairman of Clayton Associates, Clayton McWhorter, and his brother, the late pharmacist Fred McWhorter. Both men dedicated their careers to the healthcare field, making a difference in the lives of countless individuals and championing healthcare reform.
In addition to Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher and Board of Trustees Chairman Marty Dickens, others offering remarks included Tennessee Governor and longtime McWhorter family friend Phil Bredesen, SHOUTAmerica Executive Director Landon Gibbs and Clayton Associates President Stuart McWhorter, Clayton’s son.
While all the speakers remarked on Clayton McWhorter’s countless contributions to healthcare and the education of future generations, the event centered around Clayton’s brother Fred, who was a practicing pharmacist for more than 50 years. Clayton McWhorter said, “My brother Fred practiced pharmacy like it should be practiced and stayed true to his profession, loving every minute of it. I believe he would be honored to have this building bear the McWhorter name, but I’m even more hopeful that the student pharmacists and other health care specialists learning within these walls will look to my brother as a premier model of their profession.”
A portrait of the brothers, painted by noted artist Shane Neal, was unveiled at the ceremony along with a plaque of dedication: “I will consider the welfare of humanity and relief of suffering my primary concerns (Oath of a Pharmacist). This building is dedicated in honor of beloved healthcare leader Clayton McWhorter and his brother, longtime practicing pharmacist Fred McWhorter. May their example of professional knowledge, personal integrity, innovative leadership and tireless giving to their community and their patients inspire the many students who will walk these halls.”
Pharmacy Student Receives National Achievement Award
Pharmacy student Ali Foster is a recipient of the 2010 RXportfolios National Achievement Award for her outstanding professional portfolio.
As a winner, Ali will receive national recognition as RXportfolios sends e-mails about Ali’s award to 90,000 pharmacists, 9,000 students,1,500 pharmacy school faculty and administrators and 2,000 industry executives. In addition, letters are sent to all Pharmacy University Deans about Ali’s achievement.
A committee of pharmacy industry professionals selects one winner from each school of pharmacy, and the decision is based on content, quality of writing and overall accomplishments displayed in a professional portfolio.
Health Science Faculty News
Here is what some of the College of Health Science professors have been up to recently:
Dr. Michael Voight, a professor of Physical Therapy, was appointed to the State Board of Physical Therapy by Governor Phil Bredesen. Dr. Voight was one of 135 men and women chosen throughout the state of Tennessee to represent their respective areas of expertise. In regards to the appointments, Governor Bredesen commended “all those appointed for their willingness to serve the state through its boards and commissions. Tennesseans have always been recognized for dedicating their time and talents to serve their fellow citizens, and I appreciate these men and women for upholding this tradition.”
Dr. Voight also spoke at the National Athletic Training Association annual meeting in Philadelphia, at the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting held in Providence Rhode Island, and taught a group of 50 European physiotherapists the Netherlands about physical assessment of golfers and the implications for exercise in the management and prevention of golf related injuries.
Dr. Teresa Plummer presented at the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology of North America (RESNA) annual conference in Las Vegas, NV.
Using findings from her dissertation research concerning the current state of wheelchair assessment and procurement process, she presented and also taught a half-day instructional course on the “relationship between vision, posture and mobility.”
Dr. Penny Prowers organized a team of students that presented at the RESNA conference. A write-up of their experience at the conference can be found here.
Dr. Ruby Dunlap participated in the 2010 State Health Plan Regional Workshop. These workshops are conducted by the Tennessee Division of Health Planning to get feedback from citizens on Tennessee’s proposed health goals and strategies for the state.
Dr. Dunlap advocated for strategies designed for health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and the optimizing of the roles of non-physician clinicians such as nurse practitioners to increase access to health care and decrease health disparities.
Dr. Salvatore Giorgianni was appointed to the Statewide Advisory Board to the Governor’s Office on the Men’s Health Report Card.
Belmont Increases Pharmacy Faculty with 8 New Appointments
Belmont University’s School of Pharmacy welcomed eight new faculty members this fall as the school continues its growth toward the goal of enrolling 300 students by 2011. Seventy-four new students enrolled in the PharmD program last week, bringing total enrollment to about 225.
The School of Pharmacy moved into McWhorter Hall, a new state-of-the-art facility several weeks ago, expanding classroom and lab space for the entry level doctoral program. The School remains on track in its effort to gain full accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) once it has graduated its first class in 2012 and met all accreditation standards.
Belmont Celebrates Opening of New Health Sciences Building – McWhorter Hall
Belmont University celebrated the grand opening of the new 90,000 square foot McWhorter Hall at a ribbon cutting event held on campus Saturday. The state-of-the-art academic building houses the Schools of Pharmacy and Physical Therapy, as well as the Department of Psychological Science. McWhorter Hall is being named in honor of Belmont Trustee Emeritus and Chairman of Clayton Associates, Clayton McWhorter, and his brother, the late pharmacist Fred McWhorter. Both men dedicated their careers to the healthcare field, making a difference in the lives of countless individuals and championing healthcare reform. In addition to his longtime relationship with the University and his work on the School of Pharmacy’s initial Study Team and External Advisory Committee, Clayton is also providing a major leadership gift in support of Belmont’s new academic building.
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “This building is a model, 21st century academic facility that will provide the perfect space and environment where our students and faculty can intersect in service to help meet the medical needs of our community and our world. We are honored to have the McWhorter name on the building, knowing that it will endow this space with a legacy of compassionate, professional care for others that our students will be equipped to emulate.”
Belmont Races Into Top 5 in U.S. News Rankings of America’s Best Colleges
University hits highest ranking ever; honored for teaching, innovation
At the release of last year’s U.S. News & World Report rankings of America’s Best Colleges, Belmont University President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “Seven is the perfect number—until we reach six!” Today Belmont leapt right over position No. 6 to land at No. 5 in the Best Regional Universities—South category, the University’s highest placement in its history. Since 2003, Belmont has risen 16 spots on the nation’s prestigious rankings chart, from 21st to 5th.
Fisher said, “There are times when even I am speechless. Rising to the Top 5 in U.S. News represents a key element of Belmont’s Vision 2015 plan. To reach this level of prominence already demonstrates the immense dedication and talents of Belmont’s faculty, staff and students in accomplishing what has clearly been an ambitious University goal. One thing’s certain: complacency is not an option. We will continue our efforts to seek positive change and growth at every opportunity.”
Belmont was also honored for the third year in a row by fellow college administrators as a top “Up-and-Comer” for making “the most promising and innovating changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus or facilities.” Recognizing Belmont’s vision to be a “leader among teaching universities,” Belmont was ranked second in the South category for strong commitment to undergraduate teaching and for learning communities.
School of Pharmacy Selected to Join Study with Vanderbilt for Interprofessional Medical Training
The School of Pharmacy at Belmont University has been invited to join Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in a three-year study to bring students in different disciplines together to learn to serve patients as a team.
The study is being funded by a $600,000 grant from The Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, who for nearly 50 years has focused resources on improving the education of health professionals.
Through this grant, first-year medical students and first-year advanced nurse practitioner students from Vanderbilt will join with first-year doctoral-level pharmacy students from Belmont University and Lipscomb University and first-year master’s-level social work students from Tennessee State University to learn how to work together more efficiently and effectively.
‘Green Roof’ Completed on New Health Sciences Building
With the official opening of the new health science building next week, the installation of a green roof on 90,000-square-foot facility has recently been completed. The only large extensive green roof on an educational facility in Nashville, the green roof serves several purposes including a reduction in the “heat island effect,” which refers to the trend of generally higher temperatures in urban areas as opposed to more suburban areas. The green roof lowers air temperatures which helps reduce that effect. Green roofs also provide natural habitats for wildlife (birds, insects, etc.) and reduce pollution by holding pollutants rather than washing into groundwater, sewer or drainage systems. In addition, the green roof can retain some rainwater for irrigation and can reduce the heating/cooling costs by providing lower temperatures around air intake systems.
Pharmacy Care Center and Health Services Open Today in New Facility
Starting today, the new Belmont University Health Services and Pharmacy Care Center open their doors in the nearly-completed health sciences building, adjacent to the Inman Center. The collaborative initiative between Belmont’s expanded Health Services Center and the new Pharmacy Care Center will create a unique interdisciplinary approach to servicing the needs of Belmont University while also providing a working classroom for Belmont’s student pharmacists.
In addition to traditional prescription filling and or compounding services, the pharmacy will offer many healthcare items found in retail pharmacies (over-the-counter products, vitamins, first-aid items, etc.). The Pharmacy Care Center will also provide various pharmacist consultation, education and wellness programs such as smoking cessation, diabetic counseling and Medication Therapy Management (MTM).
Healthcare Job Opportunities Continue to Grow
A story in today’s Tennessean about future job prospects included several paragraphs about the growth of jobs in the healthcare industry.
From the article. . . .
“Health care also continues to add jobs as the first wave of baby boomers, born from 1946 to 1964, hits the official retirement age at the end of this year.
Health-care employment, much like IT jobs, requires a degree of specialization. There were 13,760,000 health-care jobs in June, up from 13,134,000 in December 2007.
Employment in medical and diagnostic labs held steady throughout the recession, growing to more than 217,000 jobs through May 2010 from about 213,000 in December 2007.
Employment in hospitals rose in the same period to 4,705,000 jobs from 4,564,000. It’s grown every month but one since the recession began. Hiring in home health-care services grew to 1,066,000 positions in June from 934,000 in December 2007.”
The full article is linked here.
Dr. Andrew Webster presents findings of study to AACP
Dr. Andrew Webster, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, recently presented the findings of a study, co-authored by Cathy Turner, on the “Design, Development, and Implementation of a Professional Pharmacy Curriculum in Iraqi Kurdistan” at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting in Seattle WA. The AACP represents pharmacy education for the US and is comprised of all accredited colleges and schools with pharmacy degree programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, including Belmont University. Dr. Webster also chaired a discussion at the meeting on “Fostering a Positive Work Climate in the Department” and was installed as the Chair-Elect of the AACP Section of Teachers of Chemistry.
Dr. Marilyn Odom published in European Biochemical Journal
Dr. Marilyn Thompson Odom, Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Belmont University’s School of Pharmacy, has recently published a mini-review series on the breast cancer susceptibility gene 1, BRCA1. The series, entitled “BRCA1: 16 years later” was published in the August, 2010 issue of FEBS Journal, which is published monthly on behalf of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Dr. Odom was invited to co-ordinate and submit the series by the journal editor. As co-ordinator, she invited Dr. Fen Xia, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at Vanderbilt University, and Dr. Patricia Kruk, Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology and Oncologic Science at the University of South Florida to submit articles to be included in the series. Dr. Odom wrote the overview and one additional article for the mini-review series. The Journal’s articles, including Dr. Odom’s review, can be accessed by clicking the icon above.
Kiningham to Study Current Issues in Substance Abuse Education
School of Pharmacy Associate Professor Kelley Kiningham will be attending the University of Utah School of Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies this summer. The School, which is recognized internationally, provides specialized information and techniques for working effectively with substance abuse problems in various disciplines. Kelley’s plan is to focus on current issues and trends in the field of substance abuse education, prevention and treatment.
Marvanova selected for national Parkinson’s disease training
Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences Marketa Marvanova was recently selected for a Parkinson’s Disease Pharmacotherapy Traineeship through the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists Foundation. Marketa was chosen in this very competitive program as one of only 10 pharmacists selected nationally. The traineeship will be conducted at the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.