Research done by Belmont students, Dr. Chris Barton and Dr. Edgar Diaz-Cruz was recently published in the journal “Molecules.” Barton, assistant professor of biology, and Diaz-Cruz, associate professor of pharmaceutical studies, worked with current Honors biology student Holly Pyles and alumna Anna Margaret McDonnell (’17) on the study.

Their study reported the ability of two drugs to stop the growth of a number of cervical cancer cell lines. The paper, titled “Enoxacin and Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) Act Synergistically to Inhibit the Growth of Cervical Cancer Cells in Culture,” can be found here.

The Belmont University College of Pharmacy student A.I. team’s Artificial Intelligence Software for Amazon Alexa was the subject of an article in the February 2019 issue of Academic Pharmacy Now, the news magazine of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

Founded in 1900, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) is the national organization representing pharmacy education in the United States. The mission of AACP is to lead and partner with members in advancing pharmacy education, research, scholarship, practice and service to improve societal health. The association is comprised of all accredited colleges and schools with pharmacy degree programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.

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Angelina Babakitis, a Doctor of Pharmacy student in the pharmacy informatics focus track at the Belmont University College of Pharmacy, recently presented a poster at the Health Information Management System Society (HIMSS) 2019 Global Conference in Orlando, Florida.

The poster, entitled “Enhancing pharmacist intervention effectiveness by implementing custom clinical decision support,” was authored by Babakitis, PharmD Candidate 2020, Wesley Geminn, PharmD, BCPP and Erica Schlesinger, PharmD. It describes the development of clinical decision support (CDS) tools to aid pharmacists when verifying medication orders for pregnant patients at four state-funded regional mental health institutes.

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Dr. Anthony Blash, assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy, recently led the facilitation of the last major Certified Associate in Health Information and Management Systems (CAHIMS) Review Course before major changes in the Certification occur. This course was sponsored by the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS), North America Division and held at their 2019 Global Conference at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

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The College of Psychiatric & Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) chapter within the Belmont College of Pharmacy has been nominated by Renewal House to receive the Strobel Award. This award recognizes Middle Tennessee volunteers who dedicate their time and service to improve the community.

Renewal House is a long-term comprehensive addiction treatment and recovery program for women and their children. Since 2010, faculty and students in the College of Pharmacy have supported Renewal House through backpack and diaper drives, painting projects and furniture assembly efforts. Each year, CPNP puts on an Easter egg hunt and Trunk-or-Treat event for the children living at Renewal House.

CPNP President Teresa Zhen said, “ It has been an ongoing privilege serving our community here in Nashville and I look forward to all our future events with Renewal House.”

Belmont University’s College of Pharmacy hosted the Third Annual Middle Tennessee Antimicrobial Stewardship Symposium this morning in the Janet Ayers Conference Room on Belmont’s campus. The event was planned and hosted by Dr. Montgomery Green, associate professor of pharmacy practice, Dr. Erin Behnen, associate dean for assessment and academic affairs, Laura Hyde, continuing education coordinator and Dr. Shaefer Spires, assistant professor with Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

The symposium was attended by more than 125 healthcare professionals from multiple disciplines including pharmacists, physicians, nurses and those involved with infection prevention and patient safety and quality from 7 states and more than 50 healthcare facilities. Several alumni, preceptors and Belmont faculty were in attendance, as well.

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Belmont University College of Pharmacy third-year students Austin Simmons, Inmar Osi, Angie Babakitis, Mary Lankford, Deamitea’ Johnson and Lanoi Chindavanh chose the informatics program at Belmont University College of Pharmacy because it’s the only pharmacy school in the nation offering HIMSS approved courses and project experiences that prepare Pharm.D. students for advanced knowledge in health IT and healthcare.

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Belmont University College of Pharmacy raised $2,171 for the Nashville AIDS Walk and participated for the seventh consecutive year, sponsored by Nashville Cares on Oct. 6. Team Captain, Associate Professor Dr. Edgar S. Diaz-Cruz, led faculty and students who joined hundreds of community participants to benefit families impacted by HIV/AIDS in Middle Tennessee. Dr. Diaz-Cruz celebrated the outstanding efforts of his team noting, “This type of event provides a great opportunity for our students to be advocates in the community. I was proud to see dozens of students walking, and many of them volunteering in different capacities at the event including HIV testing.”

A highlight of this year’s event was witnessing the remarkable 1st place female runner medal win by one of our team members, Assistant Professor Dr. Kendall Shultes. The AIDS walk serves as a launch for multiple HIV prevention events including the HIV Testing and Counseling Certificate Program from the Tennessee Department of Health sponsored by Belmont College of Pharmacy and Nashville CARES.

Three Belmont University College of Pharmacy students recently competed at the The American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Clinical Pharmacy Challenge. The challenge is a team-based competition where teams of three students compete against teams from other schools and Colleges of Pharmacy. The competition features teams answering questions in a quiz bowl format.

A total of 112 teams from across the country and a variety of institutions competed in this event’s event. The Belmont University College of Pharmacy team consisted of Nate Berger, Olivia Pardue and Kevin Nofi, all of whom are in their fourth year of pharmacy school. The team made it to the third round of the competition.

Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Dr. Anthony Blash and 8 other experts in Clinical Informatics met this summer to form the 2018 Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Jobs Analysis Workgroup. Using data gathered from hundreds of participants, the group met over two days in June at the HIMSS Global Center for Health Innovation in Cleveland to begin the process of updating the scope and content of the HIMSS Certification Examinations.

In order to keep pace with changes in the industry, the content representing the standard for HIMSS certificate holders must be updated every few years. The Certified Associate in Healthcare and Information Management Systems (CAHIMS) and Certified Professional in Healthcare and Information Management Systems (CPHIMS) are designed to bridge the IT and clinical roles that come together to leverage technology solutions for improved clinical outcomes and business operations. To learn more about the HIMSS Certification programs, visit the HIMSS website.

Collectively, students served more than 3,300 patients during 18 days of clinics

Belmont University’s College of Pharmacy sent students abroad this summer on medical-related missions trips to both Honduras and Cambodia led by faculty members Dr. Tracy Frame and Adam Pace and College of Pharmacy Dean Dr. David Gregory. Though each trip visited a different place, they sought out a similar goal — to impact the lives of the patients they served. Continue reading →

Professor in the College of Pharmacy Dr. Condit Steil was recently honored with the Doc E Award, a recognition given for long-term service and a strong interest in the welfare of campers that come through Camp Seale Harris, a diabetes camp for children held in Alabama each summer. Steil has been volunteering with the camp for the last 20 years.

As a staff member at camp each summer, Steil is responsible for assisting in the growth and development of young people with diabetes as they acquire the skills and understanding to achieve stronger control of their lives. Continue reading →

Belmont University College of Pharmacy third-year students Dominic Paolella, David Luong, Abdul Mohammed, Jonathan Ashton and Aziz Afzali recently undertook the challenge of developing a new and exciting telepharmacy access point for patients on the mend, understanding the importance of patients recovering in their own homes. In recent years, a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that patient recovery is more successful when they transition from dedicated healthcare facilities like hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities into their own homes. But many patients require help to facilitate the change.

Amazon Alexa is a new artificially intelligent platform for accessing information and interacting with objects in the home including lights, music and medical devices. As part of the Introduction to Healthcare Informatics III and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiential (APPE) classes in the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum at Belmont University, each student developed Continue reading →