Category: Featured
Ph.D. candidate helping address mental health crisis through research
March 18, 2024Phil Hughes, Ph.D. candidate in the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, is conducting research that is actively used in policy discussions. Hughes’ research was sparked by the growing mental health crisis in the U.S. and the need for additional mental health prescribers. In the early 90s, the Department of Defense began allowing psychologists with specialized training to prescribe medications. In the years since, six states passed laws to allow psychologists to become licensed prescribers in their states and more states considering the similar laws. Hughes noticed that there was little research done … Read more
Ross Thompson named Associate Dean for Health System Pharmacy Practice
March 14, 2024The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is welcoming Ross Thompson, M.S., R.Ph., as the Associate Dean for Health System Pharmacy Practice with an adjunct associate professor appointment within the Office of the Dean. This role will be in tandem with his current role at UNC Health as system vice president and chief pharmacy officer. “I look forward to having Ross join our leadership team. He has a deep understanding of pharmacy practice and will continue to strengthen our already close relationship with UNC Health through our Partnership in Patient Care,” said Angela Kashuba, Pharm.D., Dean of the UNC Eshelman … Read more
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy maintains No. 1 residency match rate in U.S. among schools with 75+ students registering to match
March 13, 2024Pharm.D. students from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy maintained the No. 1 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) PGY1 residency match rate among schools of pharmacy in the U.S. with 75 or more students registering to match. In addition, the School was No. 1 among North Carolina pharmacy programs. The match happens annually to help Pharm.D. students secure positions in residency programs of their choice, and to help the programs get the applicants of their choice. “From welcoming these students in their first year, to celebrating their achievements on match day, walking alongside them through their journey is a … Read more
Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society inducts 28 students
March 11, 2024Established in 1922, the Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society encourages and recognizes excellence in intellectual achievement and advocates critical inquiry in all aspects of pharmacy. The Rho Chi Xi Chapter in Chapel Hill held its annual induction ceremony at the Carolina Inn on March 9, welcoming 28 second year Pharm.D. students into the prestigious organization. The keynote speaker was Allison Pecha Lim, Pharm.D., vice president and global disease area lead at SpringWorks Therapeutics. The society works to encourage and recognize intellectual achievement, contribute to the development of intellectual leaders, promote the highest ethical standards and foster collaboration. “Being part of … Read more
World-traveling duo finds teamwork is the secret to success
March 6, 2024Yutian Ma, Ph.D. and current postdoctoral researcher, has studied around the world, but found his home in Assistant Professor Owen Fenton’s lab. Ma has studied biomedical engineering in China, Australia, England and Singapore. “Working with different people across different cultures helped me realize that science is like a unifying language. It also exposed me to a lot of new insights and ideas,” said Ma. Fenton and Ma first worked together at the National University of Singapore in 2021. At the time, Fenton was looking for an excellent postdoc and reached out to his network who recommended Ma. After their initial … Read more
White Coat Ceremony 2024
March 4, 2024Students in the class of 2025 received their white coats on March 2, marking their transition from the classroom to the pharmacy profession. The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is unique in that Pharm.D. students don’t receive their white coat until the end of their third year, whereas most pharmacy schools hand out white coats in the first year. The white coat ceremony is a significant milestone for pharmacy students, and a chance for everyone to celebrate how far they’ve come. Here are thoughts on what the white coat symbolizes from student leaders: “To me, receiving my white coat … Read more
Asheville Summit brings inspiration for innovations in pharmacy practice
February 28, 2024Nearly 80 people came out to explore innovations in pharmacy practice at the tenth annual Asheville Summit. Hosted at the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) on February 24, faculty, staff and students from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy along with practicing pharmacists, gathered to learn from those leading in innovation across the field. “Everyone that attended was very engaged and excited to learn from our incredible line up of speakers,” said Cassidy Cox, Pharm.D. candidate and chair of the Asheville Summit. “They were challenged to think of new ways to envision pharmacy practice by reflecting on the profession’s … Read more
Professor advancing first inhaled antibody treatment for RSV
February 26, 2024Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes lower respiratory tract infection in millions each year and is the leading cause of hospitalization in young children. It is also responsible for over a hundred thousand hospitalizations each year among the immunocompromised and the elderly. Sam Lai, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and his lab, have created an inhaled “muco-trapping” monoclonal antibody that effectively treats RSV infections, called Mota-MT. “Building off of our experience with COVID and the challenge that comes with vaccine hesitancy, our team was motivated to explore an … Read more
Using AI to build a smart sensing device
February 22, 2024Alexander Tropsha, Ph.D., is using machine learning and artificial intelligence to help his collaborators at Harvard build a portable chemical gas sensing device called iNOSES that will help identify volatiles in the air. Tropsha, K.H. Lee Distinguished Professor in the Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and collaborators at Harvard University, received a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant as part of the Convergence Accelerator program. The program is investing nearly $10 million across several projects to develop transformative bio-inspired solutions, like iNOSES. “The proposed bioinspired device employs a ‘sniffing’ sequence of … Read more
New leaders in pharmacy: Yevgeny Brudno
February 20, 2024Yevgeny (Yev) Brudno, Ph.D., joined the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy as an associate professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics (DPMP) in January after serving as adjunct faculty for six years. He also holds an appointment in the joint department of biomedical engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. “I’m excited to work with friends and colleagues at the school of pharmacy to bring potent and affordable therapies to patients both in the U.S. and around the world,” said Brudno. Brudno received dual degrees in chemistry and biophysics with … Read more