Category: General
McLaughlin Receives AHEC Innovation Grant for Rural Education Research
August 22, 2018The North Carolina Area Health Education Centers awarded an Innovation Grant to Jacqui McLaughlin, Ph.D., for a project investigating challenges associated with student rotations in rural clinical sites. “The primary goal of the project is to define the educational challenges encountered at clinical sites in rural regions and generate potential solutions to address these problems in an effort to increase the number of students rotating to those areas,” said McLaughlin, an assistant professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and the director of the School’s Center for Innovation in Pharmacy Education and Research. Over the last 40 years in … Read more
UNC Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences Fifth in World: Shanghai Rankings
August 16, 2018The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranks fifth in the world in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, up one spot from last year, according to the 2018 Academic Ranking of World Universities released by the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, in conjunction with the Center for World Class Universities at Shanghai Jiao Tong University on August 15. The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is the top-ranked pharmacy school in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. The University ranked 6th in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences in 2017. Overall, UNC-Chapel Hill ranks 30th in the world and 22nd in the U.S. among global universities. This … Read more
Only One State Requires Suicide Prevention Training for Pharmacists, Study Finds
August 15, 2018Despite a wealth of suicide prevention training available to health care professionals, only the state of Washington requires pharmacists to complete suicide prevention training, according to a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sixteen suicide prevention training resources, and five developed specifically for pharmacists, were identified in the study, which was led by Delesha Carpenter, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. The study was published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. Suicide rates have increased 24 percent from 1999 to 2014, making suicide the 10th leading cause of death in the … Read more
Many N.C. Pharmacists Have Not Offered or Dispensed Naloxone, UNC Study Finds
August 13, 2018Nearly one-third of North Carolina community pharmacists have never offered patients the opioid reversal agent naloxone, and approximately 20 percent have never dispensed it according to a survey conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. More than 80 percent of pharmacists who responded to the survey worked in pharmacies that stocked naloxone. However, many pharmacists never offered or dispensed naloxone despite the drug’s wide availability and the existence of a statewide standing order that allows pharmacists to dispense naloxone to patients and caregivers who may benefit from it, according to the study led by Delesha … Read more
Pharmacy Faculty and Students Present at AACP Annual Meeting
August 9, 2018The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy was represented by 13 speakers and over 30 poster presenters at the 2018 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy annual meeting in Boston. Additionally, four student-faculty pairs were also honored with the AACP Walmart Scholars award — the most winners from the School in the award’s 14-year history, and more than any other school in 2018. Faculty speakers included: Admissions Workshop: Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI): Point/Counterpoint — Wendy Cox, Pharm.D. Joseph T. DiPiro Excellence in Publishing Workshop — Adam Persky, Ph.D. Mini Session: Combining Your Teaching & Research Efforts: Integrating Student Learning Experiences Into Your … Read more
White Promoted to Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion
August 7, 2018Carla White has been promoted to associate dean of organizational diversity and inclusion at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. White is a clinical assistant professor in the Division of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education and has served as assistant dean for innovative leadership and diversity since 2015. White established the School’s primary diversity initiative in 2007 as the head of the Office of Leadership and Diversity. Her flagship projects launched during this time include the Recruitment Ambassadors Program; the Leadership, Excellence and Development Program; M-FLIP; the Leadership Academy; Undergraduate Students for Diversity in Pharmacy; and the Cross-Cultural Leadership Development … Read more
Self-Taught UNC AI System Designs Drugs from Scratch
July 31, 2018An artificial-intelligence approach created at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill can teach itself to design new drug molecules from scratch. ReLeaSE is an algorithm and computer program developed at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. It comprises two neural networks: a teacher and a student. The teacher knows the syntax and linguistic rules behind the vocabulary of chemical structures for about 1.7 million known biologically active molecules, said K. H. Lee Distinguished Professor Alexander Tropsha, Ph.D., one of the creators of the new AI system. “After learning the molecular alphabet and the rules of the language, the … Read more
Resiliency Team to Support Mental Health, Well-Being at School
July 16, 2018The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Resiliency and Well-Being Task Force held its inaugural meeting at a June 26 retreat at the N.C. Botanical Gardens. The team, chaired by Mollie Scott, Pharm.D., and Brad Wingo, M.Ed., is charged with creating innovative ways to foster the mental and physical well-being of School students, faculty and staff. Scott is the regional associate dean for the School’s Asheville satellite campus. Wingo is the director of curricular and student affairs. “The need to improve resilience and well-being of health-care professionals is receiving national attention due to high rates of burnout and mental illness,” Scott … Read more
Seven 2018 Residents Begin PGY1 Independent Pharmacy Ownership Residency
June 28, 2018The PGY1 Independent Pharmacy Ownership Residency at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy welcomed its third class of residents for 2018–19. The program trains Doctor of Pharmacy graduates to be owners of independent community pharmacies. The residents receive a practical business education to complement their pharmacy education. Seven pharmacy residents will participate in the program, up from four a year ago. The residents will work for a year in an independently owned pharmacy with multiple preceptors. 2018-19 Independent Pharmacy Ownership Residents Joel Arceo, Pharm.D., is a graduate of the Chapman University School of Pharmacy in Irvine, California. As … Read more
Four Student-Faculty Pairs Named 2018 AACP Walmart Scholars
June 12, 2018Four student-faculty teams were named 2018 Walmart Scholars by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. This is the most winners the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy has had in the award’s 14-year history. This year’s recipients of the award are: Sarah M. Anderson, Pharm.D., and her faculty mentor, Denise Rhoney, Pharm.D.,the Ron and Nancy McFarlane Distinguished Professor at the School. Scott A. Brewster, Pharm.D., and his faculty mentor, Macary Marciniak, Pharm.D, a clinical associate professor. Kelsea Gallegos and her faculty mentor, Gretchen Ray, Pharm.D., a clinician educator associate professor at the University of New Mexico. Shannon Palmer and her … Read more