Dr. Sal Giorgianni, director of Experiential Education & Development for the School of Pharmacy, was recently elected Vice-Chair and Chair elect of the American Public Health Association’s newly formed Caucus On Men’s Health. In addition, Giorgianni will be teaching an elective on men’s health for the Fall 2010 semester, one of only a few such classes currently offered in the U.S.
Category Archives: College of Pharmacy
Re-entry is Bittersweet
2010 Pine Ridge Trip
Our Pharmacy group from Pine Ridge arrived back in Nashville last night at about 10:30PM. We were happy to be home, but we came to the realization that we left so much behind. The Lakota people were so welcoming and shared much of their beliefs and health concerns with us when, in reality, we were complete strangers. Despite all the pain of the past the people we encountered taught us the “Lakota way” and trusted that we will help them as much as they helped us during our 10 days in Pine Ridge. “Mitakuye oyas’in”. (translated “All my relations”).
So much more
2010 Pine Ridge Trip
When I signed up for this trip, I thought it was a “cultural immersion” trip. I thought we would be seeing some new things, participating in some cool things and eventually working on our community health project…But never did I imagine I would have such an amazing spiritual experience! To get to know and understand the Lakota culture is to delve into spirituality completely. You cannot know their culture without opening your mind to a beautiful way of thinking.
Between the talks with a story-telling revered elder, Leonard Littlefinger, and talks and sacred ceremonies with the highly spiritual interpreter/medicine man, Basil Braveheart; these men, along with others in the community, have shown us nothing but open arms and kindness in their quest to educate us. But what they are doing is so much more than education…
Our family
2010 Pine Ridge Trip
This place is indescribable. The feelings that run through you are unlike any other. In this “circle” world, there is no need for a mask to guard you, no fear of judgment, but rather an acceptance, an understanding, and a warm “blanket” of family.
Part of our family left us today, back to the “square” world, but there are no goodbyes. It’s doksha – see you later. Within a matter of seven days, we formed this close bond and became family. It was as if we were all meant to be here together, a unique blend that really made this trip unlike any other. We all come away from this experience with the memory of each other, what we have learned, and the hope to spread that knowledge in the “square” world.
Mystical
2010 Pine Ridge Trip
Mystical is the one word I would choose to decribe Pine Ridge, SD. This reservation town as well as he surrounding community has shared the spiritual essence of the lakota people with us.
Yesterday we were at the Crazy Horse Memorial. When complete this monument carved intot the Black Hills will be the largest monument on the globe. We’re so blessed to have Leonard Little Finger with us on our journey, because he shares his stories with us at each significant place in Native American History. We discuss the irony of blasting out a giant edifice of a great warrior,Crazy Horse in what has been held as sacred ground for hundreds of years.I’m so proud of our students; challenging what they see and hear as well as their own preformed values and beliefs. For the past two nights we’ve watched films on Wounded Knee 1 and 2 (look it up) and afterwards engaged in discussion on the relationships between the indifenous people and the European descendants who landed here centuries ago. I can’t wait for what lies ahead for the rest of the week.
Our pharmacy teamwill be starting a community relations project this Friday so stay tuned for more!
Dr. Allison serves on Alumni Board
Dr. Linda Allison, associate professor at Belmont University School of Pharmacy, is continuing a second term as an officer for the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine’s Alumni Society Board of Governors. Allison is a member of the School’s Class of 1981. The 20-member board represents the interests of the 2,268 graduates of the School and serves as the official vehicle for alumni to maintain personal and professional relationships to the School. The board provides governance of the Alumni Society including oversight of the Distinguished Alumni Award program, Student Resource Fund and the School of Medicine Foundation’s annual alumni fund campaigns as well as advises on continuing medical education programming.
The Three Areas of Focus
2010 Pine Ridge Trip
There are three areas of focus that Leonard Little Finger has described to us. They are the physical, the spiritual, and the metaphysical.
We, as individuals, have our bodies, our minds, our souls, and then we have the souls from the spirit world. If we are able to appreciate the quiet, to truly immerse ourselves into it, we can find the influence that each of these have on our ability to engage in our existence. The Lakota beliefs and customs concentrate on this. To deny yourself exposure to this way of thinking, to this way of life, is to deprive yourself of the true journey.
Feels Like Home
2010 Pine Ridge Trip
What a wonderful experience it’s been. The second I arrived, all I wanted to do was be outside. It feels like home in more than one sense.
It’s now Tuesday, May 18 and it’s a beautiful day in Oglala. Yesterday was a memorable experience. The group built a Lakota teepee together and had time to reflect out in the hills. The teepee is a symbol of the link between heaven and earth (the triangles and inverted triangles meeting where they cross). What is in heaven is on earth, and vice versa. Once the teepee was finished, Stanley Good Voice, with his young counterparts, presented us with unique Native American music from various ceremonies that are held within the culture. We even got to do the Circle Dance! But we’ve met so many people here and they’re all a piece of “wonderful”.
Yesterday, Leonard Little Finger, one of the elders, honored me with making me his niece; he is my “lekshi” – my uncle. This was very special to me because he said he felt like I was family and I felt the same. It’s difficult to explain, but you just know . It’s a feeling you have inside you. I truly love these people here and feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be. Having my sister here to share it with is also an experience that I wouldn’t trade – family is so important out here and I’m so fortunate & lucky to have mine physically here with me.
Until next time…
Let Us Commence the Journey!
2010 Pine Ridge Trip
It is Saturday morning, May 15th, and I’m on Belmont campus amidst the many preparations for Commencement. The music from the carillon is calling all of us to gather, remember, and to celebrate. Our Belmont phrase is From Here to Anywhere and as the 630 names are being read we will all be having our own images of Anywhere.
I will be thinking about Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and the spirit of the Lakota people. What will we discover and learn about ourselves as 18 of us from the Belmont community commence our journey together tomorrow morning? Will we have a wider definition of community? Will we find friends and new directions?
This quote by Maria Montessori speaks to me and may resonate with those who hear the bells of Belmont:
We abandon all and travel the world, as did those in former times who would sow seeds and go their way. This is our destiny: to sow! To sow everywhere, without ceasing never to harvest.
Pharmacy Students Embark on Pine Ridge Trip
2010 Trip to Pine Ridge Lakota Indian Reservation
Six students from the Belmont University School of Pharmacy and myself, Dr. Mark Chirico will leave for Pine Ridge, SD on May 16, 2010 to engage in cultural learning experiences on the Lakota Indian reservation. This will be the first time that the pharmacy program will have such a large representation on this annual trip.
A total of 18 participants will begin the mission of “Okiciyapi” which is Lakota for “Helping One Another”. We look forward to partnering with several tribal elders, including Leonard Little Finger and Basil Brave Heart to learn of the health needs of the Lakota people. We will have the unique opportunity at the end of this trip to interact with community members to discuss their medication issues. Follow us on this blog to keep up with our adventure!
Pharmacy Students Serve Ronald McDonald House
Belmont University School of Pharmacy Class of 2013 recently made two visits to the Ronald McDonald House in Nashville. Approximately 20 student volunteers went on two occasions to prepare lunch for the Ronald McDonald House. RMH provides living arrangements and adequate food to families that have children receiving medical treatments far from home and strives to provide a home-away-from-home comfort for these families. The student pharmacists at BUSOP were delighted to learn more about RMH and the residing families through conversations over spaghetti and meatballs or by playing with the children in the playroom, all while helping to serve the families and make their stay in Nashville more enjoyable. BUSOP Class of 2013 hopes to make these volunteer lunches for RMH a monthly project that continues to grow as a way of service and outreach to the Nashville community.
Pine Ridge 2010 Cultural Experiences
The 2010 spring cultural activities trip is a key part of the Belmont-Pine Ridge Community Partnership. It is an important phase in the building of ongoing relationships and sustainable activities between Belmont University and the communities of the Lakota (Sioux) people of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
During the week of May 16-23, participants will immerse in an educational experience led by Leonard Little Finger and Basil Brave Heart, traditional Lakota elders and experienced educators of the Pine Ridge community. Selected participants include a variety of members of the Belmont community of students, faculty, staff, and friends. During the 6 days on site, participants will immerse in educational experiences where they will learn the beauty and strengths of traditional Lakota ways and reflect on whether the lessons learned have relevance for them personally and for modern times.
Readings, lectures, and discussions both at Belmont and at Pine Ridge will cover the significance of history and policies, spirituality and religion, relationship to nature, ceremonies, language, dance and music, cultural ways that are specific to the Lakota people, and the role of the Belmont and Pine Ridge as partners. Activities include a number of visits to sacred and historical sites (Wounded Knee, Black Hills, Badlands, etc.) and participation in a sweat lodge prayer ceremony. A special emphasis will be placed on studying the cultures of the Lakota as a way of developing individual cultural competence. Healthy cultural competence includes an understanding of our own prejudices and worldviews as well as those of others and the ability to communicate effectively with peoples of other cultures.
Giorgianni’s white paper part of national campaign
School of Pharmacy professor, Dr. Salvatore Giorgianni, in his role as Scientific Advisor to Men’s Health Network, has written a white paper on unapproved drugs as part of a new public education initiative to raise awareness about the risks associated with prescribing and taking unapproved drugs that have not been subjected to the rigorous Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) review process. Dr. Giorgianni’s comments about the “Know the Facts” campaign are included in a news story that is being picked up by media outlets nationwide. See the full story by clicking here.
A Dialogue to Build a Healthier Community
The public is invited to join A Dialogue to Build a Healthier Community, part of the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing Diagnosing Our Future speaker series. Admission is free.
Featuring Dr. David Williams, Professor of Public Health at Harvard University School of Public Health and Staff Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Commission to Build a Healthier America.
ALSO PARTICIPATING
– Tom Cigarron – Co-founder and Chairman of Healthways, Inc. and Chairman of Alignment Nashville, a public education support organization
– Dr. Stephanie Bailey – CDC Chief, Office of Public Health Practice
– Juan Canedo – Director of Progreso Community Center
– Helen Moore – Director of Non-discrimination Compliance and Health Care Disparities for the Bureau of TennCare, and an Edgehill community member
– Jacky Akbari – Chairperson of the Middle Tennessee Diversity Forum
– Dr. Eleanor Bright Fleming – Edgehill Dental Collaborations and Policy
– Dr. Alisa Haushalter – Director of the Bureau of Population Health Programs for Metro Public Health Department
– Yvonne Joosten – Executive Director of the Office of Community Engagement at Vanderbilt Institute for Medicine and Public Health
– Winona Yellowhammer – Spokesperson for the Native American Indian Association of Tennessee
– Ann Hatcher – Vice President of Workforce Development Programs at Hospital Corporation of America (HCA)
– Belmont University faculty, staff and students
SCHEDULE
8:30am – Registration
8:45am – Welcome
9:00am – Framework for a Healthier Community – David Williams
9:30am – Dialogue I
11:00am – Dialogue II
12:15pm – Lunch break
1:30pm – Dialogue III with guest panelists
3:15pm – Closing Remarks – David Williams
TOPICS INCLUDE
How Our Neighborhood Affects Our Health
Partnering Together for a Healthier Community
A Community Perspective on Disparities Research
Beyond Health Care: Building a Healthier Community
Click here to get more information and RSVP.
Co-sponsored by:
Belmont University’s Center for Community Health & Health Equity
Presentation Partners Include:
Nashville Health Disparity Coalition
Meharry Medical College
Metro Public Health Department
First Year Pharmacy Students Receive White Coats
The Belmont University School of Pharmacy recently held their White Coat Ceremony for the Class of 2013. The 74 first year students received their white coats, the symbol of clinical service and care, as an important rite of passage from first-year pharmacy students to patient care providers. Faculty, family and friends gathered to show their support and hear an address by Dr. Jannet M. Carmichael, past president of the American Society of Health-system Pharmacists (ASHP) and Pharmacy Executive for the VA Sierra Pacific Network. The White Coat Ceremony is sponsored by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. To view more photographs of the event, click here.
Program Hudgens Helped Develop Wins Award
Dr. Julie Hudgens, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, received information that the heart failure clinic program where she played a primary development role at Grady Hospital in Atlanta, Ga. received the Second Place Practice Innovation Award from the Society of General Internal Medicine recently.
College of Health Sciences to host civil rights pioneer, Fred Gray
Noted Civil Rights attorney and minister Fred Gray will appear on Belmont’s campus on Wed., Jan. 20 for a special forum and lecture. Gray—the former attorney for Rosa Parks, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study victims—will discuss “Lessons Learned from a Civil Rights Pioneer about Health, Social Justice and Christian Service.” This morning-long event is free and open to the public, courtesy of financial assistance provided by the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trusts, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee. Both the forum and the lecture will take place in Belmont’s Massey Performing Arts Center.
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “It’s a distinct honor to welcome Fred Gray to Belmont’s campus, especially during the week when our nation celebrates the accomplishments of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights movement. At Belmont we encourage our students to use their gifts and talents to impact the world. There are few better examples of individuals who have accomplished that mission than Fred Gray.”
The event will begin with an 8:30 a.m. panel discussion featuring Gray along with the following special guests:
• Dr. Henry Foster, Jr., professor emeritus and former dean of the Meharry College School of Medicine and nominee for U.S. Surgeon General under President Bill Clinton
• Dwight Lewis, columnist and member of the editorial board for The Tennessean
• John Seigenthaler, founding editorial director of USA Today, founder of the First Amendment Center and award-winning journalist who briefly left his career in the 1960s to work in the civil rights field.
Following a 20-minute intermission at the conclusion of the panel forum, Gray will return for a keynote lecture at 10 a.m. His presentation will conclude with a question-and-answer session.
Tommy Thompson Diagnoses the Healthcare Debate
Article from Nashville Medical News
Politics in Play
Tommy Thompson, four-term Governor of Wisconsin and former Secretary of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, recently painted a scenario of political intrigue filled with back room bargaining and deal-making worthy of the latest political best seller. However, he wasn’t speaking of a fictional thriller but of the real life maneuvers that will be necessary to get a healthcare reform bill out of Congress.
Speaking at Belmont University a week before Thanksgiving, he predicted that Congress would pass a new, comprehensive healthcare bill, but not without some Congressional arm twisting, “and a lot of shootouts and deal cutting” before reaching a “cantankerous” compromise.
“The president wants the healthcare bill out. Nancy Pelosi wants it out. Harry Reid wants it out,” he explained, of the push to move quickly. Thompson added that, for Democrats, the specter of “what happened in 1994 with the Clintons’ attempt at healthcare reform hangs over their heads.”
The briefing, part of Belmont University’s continuing speaker series, Diagnosing Our Future, was held at the university’s Gordon E. Inman Center.
In Tommy Thompson’s scenario, health reform passes this year
From Erin Lawley of the Nashville Post. . . .
In a lively presentation at Belmont University Monday afternoon, Former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson discussed the potential future of health reform legislation currently before Congress.
Thompson said he expects a bill will be on President Obama’s desk before Christmas. That bill will include a public option, health insurance exchanges, taxes for people who make more than $200,000 per year, taxes on so-called “Cadillac” health plans, and employer credits for wellness and prevention programs.
Click here to read the full article.
Chirico presents to local caregiver group
Dr. Mark Chirico, faculty member in the School of Pharmacy, recently presented to the Older Adult Caregivers’ Support Group at the First Presbyterian Church in Nashville. The title of his presentation was “Medication Safety in Older Adults: An Issue of Poison Control”. The audience consisted of church members and caregivers who were seeking advice on how to safely manage medications for older adults.
4 of The 14 Best Jobs in America
Money magazine recently published a list of The 50 Best Jobs in America which bodes well for graduates of the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing. Four of the top 14 jobs were careers for which our students are preparing. The 4th best job in America was a Nurse Practitioner. At #7 was a Physical Therapist. At #13 was a Pharmacist. And at #14 was an Occupational Therapist. With doctoral programs in Physical Therapy, Pharmacy and Occupational Therapy, and master’s programs in Family Nurse Practitioner and Occupational Therapy, Belmont is well positioned to prepare students for some of the best jobs in the 21st century.
In the companion lists to The 50 Best Jobs in America, Physical Therapist was ranked as the 8th best position for job growth with a 27% increase in opportunities expected during the next 10 years for 181,000 total jobs. Physical Therapist was ranked 2nd for low stress with 59.5% of those surveyed saying their job is low stress. Occupational Therapist was ranked 9th for low stress with 50% saying their job is low stress. 97.3% of those nurse practitioners surveyed said their job was secure ranking Nurse Practioner as the 4th best for job security. Physical Therapist also made the job security list at #8 with 96% saying their job is secure. Nurse Practitioner was #7 on the list for future job growth and #6 on the list for job satisfaction. Occupational Therapist came in at #10 for job satisfaction. And finally, Nurse Practioner was ranked as 9th best for those who think their job makes the world a better place.
See more at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2009/.
School of Pharmacy Students Featured in News Story
Students enrolled in the Pharmacy Communications and Counseling Course were featured on WTVF News Channel 5 as part a report on Tennessee’s prescription drug usage. Second-year pharmacy students Diane Akin and Tyler Ammarell were highlighted in the story during a role-play exercise for the class, and Dr. Sal Giorgianni was interviewed on how Belmont’s pharmacy students are trained to avoid duplication and error and rationalize costs of prescription and non-prescription medications. To see the story, click here.
Tommy Thompson to Speak at Belmont
Former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson, will be on campus Monday, November 16, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. for a Healthcare Reform Briefing: How Will Reform Impact Providers, Payors and Individuals? An RSVP is required, but admission is free compliments of Medical Reimbursements of America, who is co-sponsoring this event with Clayton Associates, the Nashville Health Care Council, and the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing. The lecture is part of the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing Diagnosing Our Future Speaker Series.
Look on the Speaker Series webpage for upcoming presentations in the speaker series with Fred Gray on January 20, 2010 and Dr. David Williams on March 25, 2010.
Belmont Tops Out New Health Science Building, Home for Schools of Pharmacy and Physical Therapy Ceremony celebrates completion of $30 million building’s frame
Nearly one year after breaking ground, Belmont University celebrated the “topping out” its new $30 million health sciences building last week, which will serve as the future home for the School of Pharmacy, a Belmont program which welcomed its second class this fall. The building, which has an anticipated completion date of June 2010, will also house the School of Physical Therapy and will include expansion space for the Schools of Nursing and Occupational Therapy as well as the Social Work and Psychology programs. (Click here to view a photo of gallery of the event.)
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “In addition to providing a time to celebrate and thank all the workers behind this immense project, a topping out is also a time to look forward to when this structure is complete. This building will be a model, 21st century academic facility, providing a venue where our students and faculty resources can intersect in service to help meet the medical needs of our community and our world.”
Pharmacy Faculty Present at Annual Meeting
Pharmacy faculty members Drs. Mark Chirico and Eric Hobson recently were invited to join the Nonprescription Medication Academy via attendance at its annual meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Hobson provided the meeting’s Keynote session, “Pharmacy students’ learning styles: course and curricular implications,” and Closing session, “Developing and using rubrics to enhance student learning … and faculty satisfaction.” Dr. Chirico presented his poster presentation, “Group learning method for teaching Rx to OTC switch to first-year students.”