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.

The College of Pharmacy recently participated in a health screening exercise with Special Olympics Tennessee.  Seventy-five Davidson County Olympians, who compete worldwide in various events, were screened for athletic readiness.  College of Pharmacy faculty and students were involved in screening medication profiles of the athletes, making sure proper cautions concerning allergies, exposure to the sun, drug adverse effects, and drug interactions were not an issue for these participants.

According to Joanne Drumright of Special Olympics, “the process went very smoothly, and we hope to scale up the screening, inviting athletes from a much broader area in an upcoming event”.  Participants from the College included Dr. Andy Webster, Dr. Phil Johnston, and three fourth-year PharmD students: Marian Roufael, Razia Shamsuddin and Darrilyn Prout.

Student and faculty from the College of Pharmacy recently participated in The Academies of Nashville’s Career Exploration Fair.  Approximately 5,000 high school freshmen attended the event to learn more about career opportunities in health/public services, hospitality/tourism, arts/media/communications, business and engineering. The College partnered with Walgreen’s and Nashville State to educate potential students on professional opportunities related to pharmacy.

Student pharmacists in the Class of 2015 recently spent a morning serving The Little Pantry That Could. This organization is a small food pantry with a big heart! Located in the basement of the West Nashville United Methodist Church on Charlotte Avenue, they provide staples and fresh produce to approximately 80 to 90 families a week – people without homes, retired people, single moms and children. Real People With Real Needs. Their goal is to do more than provide food – they strive to make a personal connection with every shopper and let them know that they are cared for.

Dr. Ashton Beggs, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy, recently made a presentation to the Geriatrics and Gerontology Interest Groups of Vanderbilt Medical Center Department of Nursing Education, Meharry Consortium Geriatric Education Center and the Center for Quality Aging.  The presentation was entitled “Review of Pharmacologic Alzheimer’s Therapies”.

Dr. Michael McGuire, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy, made a presentation last month to the Belmont University Psychology Club as part of the activities of Mental Health Week. Dr. McGuire presented a session on prescription drug abuse.

Thirty-five members of Belmont’s Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) and faculty walked in the Oct. 5 HIV/AIDS Walk for Nashville Cares and  raised more than $1,700 through individual donations and a bake sale to benefit the organization. Nashville Cares provides life-saving services to Middle Tennesseans living with HIV/AIDS  as well as offers education, prevention and awareness of HIV/AIDS.

SNPhA members attended an HIV 101 Seminar, during which a speaker from Nashville Cares spoke to members on the history of HIV/AIDS in the United States, the importance of education and prevention and the specific challenges that patients with HIV/AIDS face.

The students also hosted a unique Q&A session on Oct. 10 with Kevin Hartman, pharmacist and owner of Nashville Pharmacy Services. Hartman is AAHIVP-certified by the American Academy of HIV Medicine, meaning he is a pharmacy specialist in HIV care. Hartman is a great source of information regarding how pharmacists can better serve special populations of patients.

Dr. Edgar Diaz-Cruz, assistant professor of Pharmacy, recently presented at the Preventive and Occupational Medicine Grand Rounds at the Meharry Medical College. The audience composed primarily of physicians and medical researchers attended the presentation titled “The Role of the Health Care Provider in the Management of Dietary Supplement Use.” As part of his appointment in the department, Diaz-Cruz has responsibility of providing coursework in natural products and assists in the development and maintenance of the Belmont University medicinal garden.

Fourth year pharmacy students, Chenette Burks and Melissa Holloway, have spent the past month at United Neighborhood Health Services (UNHS) Downtown and Mission Clinics completing their Ambulatory Care Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) with faculty member Dr. Ashton Beggs. The population at these two UNHS clinics primarily consists of homeless patients and this has proven to be a positive learning experience for the students.

“My rotation at UNHS has been such a humbling experience and being able to serve the homeless population is very rewarding,” said Holloway.  “These patients are generally so appreciative of the free medical care they receive and there is a great opportunity to educate them on their disease states and medications.”  Burks added, “This month has opened my eyes to the true depths of homelessness in Nashville. Spending time at the UNHS Downtown and Missions Clinics has challenged me to think creatively about how to care for those who cannot care for themselves, and who have unique barriers that hinder their ability to get well.”

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Dr. Anthony Blash, medication management clinical informaticist at Healthcare Corporation of America’s (HCA) corporate headquarters and assistant professor of Pharmacy presented at the Health Information Management Systems Society’s (HIMSS) 2013 Summit of the Southeast, which includes HIMSS chapters from Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky.

This annual two-day conference draws more than 900 healthcare information technology professionals from across the Southeast to discuss top issues surrounding the evolution of care delivery, gain greater insight into the ever-evolving field of healthcare and learn from leading experts in healthcare IT. This year’s theme was “Driving Patient outcomes through Care Collaboration.”

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Dr. Genevieve Ness, assistant professor of Pharmacy, is the lead author of an article published in the current edition (Volume 77, Issue 7) of the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education.  The study entitled “Graduating Pharmacy Students’ Perspectives on E-Professionalism and Social Media.” provides insight into graduating student pharmacist views of professionalism while engaging in social media activities.  The study was completed while Dr. Ness was a fellow with Purdue University, Eli Lilly and Company, and the US Food and Drug Administration.   She joined the Belmont faculty this summer in the College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical, Social and Administrative Sciences.

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Dr. Eric Hobson, Professor of Pharmacy, presented an abstract at the 2013 Tennessee Public Health Association Annual Educational Conference last week.   His poster was titled  ”Teaching Patient Health Literacy Assessment and Accommodation Skills to Future Front-line Health Care Providers.” Hobson’s work is an overview of the coursework Belmont University College of Pharmacy student pharmacists complete in patient communication and assessing health literacy levels to effectively tailor patient health information.

Dr. Cathy Ficzere, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy, was elected to serve as chairwoman of the Drug Information Practice Related Network of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). In this role, Ficzere will coordinate national drug information education and resource development opportunities. The network provide a means for clinical pharmacists with common practice and research interests to gather for professional interaction, networking, and continuing education.