Category: Featured News
PharmD student finds room to improve communication between adolescent patients, physicians when discussing smoking, vaping
July 16, 2021Fourth-year UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy student Bethany Beznos has spent the past two years studying communication between physicians and their adolescent patients on the topics of smoking and vaping. She was curious what conversations were taking place during pediatric visits as adolescent smoking and vaping is an important public health problem. Beznos, along with a team which included faculty members from the School’s Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, conducted a secondary analysis of 359 transcripts of medical visits of adolescents with asthma to examine communication about caregiver and adolescent smoking and vaping. Forty providers and 359 patients participated … Read more
Three Ph.D. students receive American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education fellowship
July 14, 2021UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Ph.D. students, Daisy Zhu, Pharm.D., and Aaron Devanathan, Pharm.D., as well as incoming Ph.D. student Patricia Maglalang, Pharm.D., are this year’s recipients of an American Foundation of Pharmaceutical Education (AFPE) fellowship. The pre-doctoral fellowship is designed to positively affect patient and public health by supporting high performing Ph.D. students who possess the skill and aptitude to become outstanding scientists and leaders in the pharmaceutical industry, academia, and government/nonprofit sectors, according to the AFPE. The fellowship stipend allows students to make progress in their pursuit of a Ph.D. degree. Each of the School’s recognized students work … Read more
E(I) Lab Names Entrepreneurship and Innovation Winners for Cohort 6
July 9, 2021The E(I) Lab Program, an entrepreneurship and innovation lab that encourages interdisciplinary collaboration of UNC Chapel Hill graduate students, professional students, and postdocs, wrapped up its sixth cohort for solving challenges in healthcare. The winning team, the Mental Health Matchmarkers, included: Ashley Gleaton, Eshelman School of Pharmacy Kayla McKisky, Gillings School of Global Public Health Noah Hammes, Gillings School of Global Public Health Christina Shaban, Kenan-Flagler Business School Thomas Kaplan, Kenan-Flagler Business School They worked on a project to test the match-making feasibility of mental health services with students who were coping with substance use disorders. “The five … Read more
Innovation, Entrepreneurship: A convergent code
July 2, 2021Many cancers and rare diseases have origins in our DNA. A team of UNC faculty from many scientific backgrounds are converging around the field of epigenetics to rewrite faulty instructions by delivering chemical compounds to our genome – to treat genetic diseases without changing the DNA itself. Story by Shellie Edge, Innovate Carolina Photography by Sarah Daniels, Innovate Carolina When you hear the word “DNA,” what normally comes to mind? If you’re like most, your brain fires up the image of the twisted, two-fold ladder we all remember from science class. What might not be as familiar as the double … Read more
Beard Hall gets fresh look
June 30, 2021The partial renovation of Beard Hall is complete after years of planning and construction to improve inside elements of the building for students, faculty, staff and friends of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. “For more than 60 years, Beard Hall has been home to future pharmacists and pharmacy leaders, and it has changed very little during that time,” said Scott Savage, Chief Operating Officer at the School of Pharmacy. “It was time to honor those who have walked through our halls and help spark new inspiration for those to come. A fresh space has the power to do that.” … Read more
Zhang secures $2.2 million to develop new approaches to treat leukemias, lymphomas
June 25, 2021UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Associate Professor Qisheng Zhang, Ph.D., recently was awarded a $2,247,857 grant from the National Cancer Institute to study mutations in lymphomas and leukemias with the goal of identifying new therapeutics. The four-year grant will support his work, “A high-throughput platform to identify selective allosteric inhibitors of the PLC-g isozymes.” Co-PIs on the study include John Sondek, Ph.D., and Kenneth Pearce, Jr., Ph.D. Together, the team will study two phospholipase C gamma (PLC-g1 and PLC-g2) proteins that are frequently mutated in lymphomas and leukemias. Remarkably, PLC-g1 is the most frequently mutated protein – occurring about 37% of the … Read more
School sponsors, attends Diversity Symposium
June 23, 2021The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy joined five other organizations this spring to sponsor the HU Diversity Symposium – a virtual professional development event for student pharmacists of color. This event was co-hosted by the Hampton and Howard Industry Pharmacists Organization (IPhO) chapters and included speakers, workshops, representation from various companies, networking events and an awards ceremony. The event aimed to increase equal representation in the pharmaceutical industry. The workshops and guidance provided by the various speakers in attendance were designed to help student pharmacists be successful in transitioning into industry roles post-graduation. Discussion topics ranged from virtual interviewing tips, … Read more
Regional associate dean honored with APhA Bowl of Hygeia Award for community service
June 18, 2021The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) has named Mollie Ashe Scott, Pharm.D., as a recipient of this year’s Bowl of Hygeia Award. Established in 1958, the Bowl of Hygeia Award recognizes pharmacists who possess outstanding records of civic leadership and encourage their fellow pharmacists to be active in their local communities. In addition to service through their local, state, and national pharmacy associations, award recipients devote their time, talent, and resources to a wide variety of causes and community service. “I am humbled to receive the prestigious Bowl of Hygeia award. Service to my community and my profession is one of my core … Read more
PharmAlliance momentum continues with new role
June 16, 2021The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is thrilled to announce Caroline Sasser, Pharm.D., BCPS, has been hired as its first PharmAlliance Program Coordinator, effective Aug. 16. PharmAlliance is a unique international partnership between three top-10 global leaders in pharmacy education – the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Monash University, and University College London. “Throughout my fellowship, I’ve come to understand just how special this partnership is. The work PharmAlliance does is at the scale and scope I had only hoped to be involved with much later in my career. I’m overjoyed, grateful, and very proud to stay on … Read more
Ph.D. candidate Daisy Zhu receives $20,000 P.E.O. Scholar Award
June 11, 2021Ph.D. candidate Daisy Zhu, Pharm.D., recently received a $20,000 P.E.O. Scholar Award for the 2021-2022 academic year. The P.E.O. Scholar Awards program was established in 1991 to provide substantial merit-based awards for women of the United States and Canada who are pursuing a doctoral level degree at an accredited college or university. Zhu was one of the 100 women out of 847 nominees selected to receive this year’s prestigious award. “I am incredibly humbled to receive the P.E.O Scholar Award,” Zhu said. “But most importantly, I am excited to join this wonderful community that advocates for women in science. The … Read more