Category: Featured
Oral Chemotherapy Still Too Expensive Even after Doughnut Hole Closes, UNC Study Finds
December 7, 2015Simply closing the Medicare Part D doughnut hole will not be enough to increase cancer patients’ access to oral chemotherapy drugs, according to a new analysis from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. The drugs are just too expensive at an average of more than $10,000 a month. “Closing the doughnut hole will save patients up to $2,550 for a typical course of therapy, but that doesn’t make much of a dent when they will still be paying on average more than $5,600 out of pocket annually for these oral chemotherapy drugs,” Stacie Dusetzina, Ph.D., said. “That’s more than the … Read more
Katelyn Arnold Receives USP Global Fellowship
December 4, 2015Katelyn Arnold, a Ph.D. student in the Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, has been awarded a $30,000 predoctoral U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention Global Fellowship. The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention Global Fellowship program awards aims to advance new research contributing to innovative or updated quality standards for chemical and biological medicines, excipients, dietary supplements, herbal medicines, health-care quality and food ingredients. Arnold graduated in May 2015 with a B.S. in Medicinal Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Dayton. She works in the lab of her adviser, McNeill Distinguished Professor Jian Liu, Ph.D., where she … Read more
Tojan Rahhal Receives 2015 Brewington Award as Most Outstanding Graduate Student
December 1, 2015Tojan Rahhal, a graduate student in the Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, has been awarded the School’s Kathryne A. Brewington Graduate Student Research Award. The Kathryne A. Brewington Graduate Student Research Award was created to honor the memory of Kathryne Brewington, who died in 1997 while pursuing her doctoral degree at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. In honor of Brewington’s commitment to public service and higher education, the award is given annually to the most outstanding doctoral student in the pharmaceutical sciences. The purpose of the award is to facilitate the research of … Read more
UNC Pharmacy Receives $2.4 Million from ACCP to Study Comprehensive Medication Management
November 25, 2015The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been awarded a $2.4 million grant from the American College of Clinical Pharmacy to study the implementation of comprehensive medication management in primary-care medical practices to improve results for patients. Comprehensive medication management focuses on patients and all the medications they are taking. Each medication is regularly assessed for appropriateness, effectiveness, safety and convenience. CMM includes an individualized care plan developed by the health-care team and the patient to achieve the goals of the therapy. The award comes from the ACCP and the ACCP … Read more
Blouin Receives NCAP Blanton Award for Pharmacy Contributions
November 25, 2015Bob Blouin, Pharm.D., the Vaughn and Nancy Bryson Distinguished Professor and dean of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina and the director of the Eshelman Institute for Innovation, has been awarded the 2015 Don Blanton Award by the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists. The Blanton award recognizes the pharmacist who has contributed most to the advancement of pharmacy in North Carolina during the past year. Since becoming the dean in July of 2003, the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy has undertaken a number of innovative initiatives and seen significant growth. Stephen Eckel, Pharm.D., the … Read more
Stephen Eckel Receives 2015 NCAP Leadership Awards
November 24, 2015Stephen Eckel, Pharm.D., M.H.A., has been awarded the 2015 NCAP Leadership Award and 2015 McKesson Leadership Award by the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists. Eckel is a clinical associate professor and the vice chair of graduate and postgraduate education in the Division of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and is the associate director of pharmacy at UNC Hospitals. This past year, he served as the president-elect for NCAP and will be making the transition to president January 1. The annual awards are given to the president-elect for their service and leadership in NCAP … Read more
Woodall Named NCAP’s 2015 Distinguished Young Pharmacist
November 23, 2015Tasha Woodall, Pharm.D., an assistant professor of clinical education and clinical instructor of family medicine at the School’s Asheville campus, was awarded the 2015 Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award by the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists. “I am so humbled by this award and so appreciative of NCAP for its continuing commitment to the support of new practitioners,” she said. Woodall earned her Pharm.D. from Purdue University and completed her residency in ambulatory care with Mission Hospital and MAHEC in Asheville. She is a member of the Division of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education. Mollie Scott, Pharm.D., is the UNC Eshelman … Read more
UNC Hospitals Pharmacy Team Wins Fifth Straight ASHP Best Practices Award
November 20, 2015For the fifth year in a row, a Department of Pharmacy team at UNC Hospitals that includes UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy faculty has been recognized by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists with a National Best Practices Award. The award recognizes outstanding practitioners who have implemented innovative systems and demonstrated best practices in health-system pharmacy. The UNC team was selected as one of six recipients in the country. The award-winning project is titled, “Impact of an Integrated, Closed-Loop, Pharmacy-Led Oral Chemotherapy Program on Clinical and Financial Outcomes.” Because the medication management of patients with cancer is shifting away from … Read more
UNC Pharmacy Launches New Pharmacy Ownership Residency
November 16, 2015The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, in partnership with the National Community Pharmacists Association and Mutual Drug Company, has created a pharmacy residency program for new graduates interested in becoming independent community pharmacy owners. Beginning in the 2016–2017 academic year, the 12-month Independent Pharmacy Ownership Residency will place recent doctor of pharmacy graduates at one of two independently owned community pharmacies in North Carolina: Drugco Discount Pharmacy in Roanoke Rapids and Central Pharmacy in Durham. “The independent pharmacy ownership residency program will teach residents innovative and entrepreneurial techniques to be pharmacy owners in an evolving health-care market,” said Stefanie Ferreri, Pharm.D., … Read more
Blalock Receives $2 Million to Improve Medication Use by Arthritis Patients
November 12, 2015Rheumatoid arthritis is autoimmune disease that affects the entire body. People with RA are almost twice as likely as the average person to die from a heart attack and are nine times more likely to develop a serious lung disease. Treating RA aggressively is important, but patients are often reluctant to do so if they feel their symptoms are under control. Researchers at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill want to see if providing RA patients with clearer information about their medications and teaching them how to evaluate that information will … Read more