Category: General
MEDIA team members’ work honored during 40th annual Telly Awards
June 10, 2019Kevin Robinson and Joel Floyd, Jr., of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Modeling, Educational Design, and Interactive Arts (MEDIA) office received high honors during this year’s international Telly Awards. The Telly Awards, now in its 40th year, annually showcases the best work created across video and television, and highlights works from publishers around the world. The Awards receive more than 12,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents, according the organization. Robinson took home four awards this year for work done on a Ph.D. program video, as well as a Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics (DPET) video. … Read more
Eshelman Institute for Innovation awards $3.5 million across 24 research projects
May 29, 2019On June 1, the Eshelman Institute for Innovation (EII) awarded $3.5 million across 24 projects to support research and education at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. The EII, created in 2014 with a $100 million gift from alumnus and pharmaceutical executive, Fred Eshelman, serves as an engine for innovation within the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Continuing on the previous theme, in this cycle the Institute is funding innovative solutions to address society’s pressing problems in healthcare, such as developing therapeutics for cancer, utilizing 3D approaches to treat osteoporosis, developing artificial intelligence to predict adverse drug events, and implementing … Read more
Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure grants researchers $170,000
May 24, 2019Goal to develop tumor-homing stem cell beacons for immune-based cancer therapy Shawn Hingtgen, Ph.D., Gianpietro Dotti, Ph.D., and Samir Mitragotri, Ph.D., had an idea – collaborate to create a cell therapy unlike any other to target hard-to-treat cancers. The three researchers from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Harvard University, are utilizing each of their strengths to develop a new approach to cell therapy for brain cancer. Hingtgen said their team is developing a hybrid cell therapy that begins by loading neural stem cells with nanoparticle “backpacks”. When released into the brain, the cells … Read more
Research in Education and Practice Symposium attracts more than 200 individuals to share research, network
May 24, 2019More than 200 individuals, including pharmacy residents, fellows, graduate students, preceptors, residency program directors and faculty members, attended the 2019 Research in Education and Practice Symposium (REPS). The sixth annual event held May 20-21, at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Kerr Hall, gave trainees the chance to receive high-level feedback on their work and to also network with other practitioners across the region. “This is a rare opportunity for residents and other learners to convene and get open, honest feedback about their research,” said Stephen Eckel, Pharm.D., M.H.A., who leads the REPS planning committee. “It’s a time to network, … Read more
Class of 2019 closes one chapter, begins a new
May 23, 2019Over Mother’s Day weekend, nearly 160 degrees were conferred for master of science, doctor of philosophy and doctor of pharmacy graduates at Memorial Hall. Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Bob Blouin told graduates they played an integral part in the installment of the re-envisioned Pharm.D. curriculum and they were ready to face the complexities of healthcare in the future. Graduate student representative John P. Prybylski brought comments on behalf of the doctor of philosophy and master of science students and said, “It has amazed me how unpretentious people are here, despite the prestige of the institution; there is much less … Read more
Second-year Pharm.D. candidate receives national scholarship
May 23, 2019Christopher Wang, a second-year Pharm.D. candidate in the Research and Scholarship in Pharmacy (RASP) pathway at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, received the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education (AFPE) Gateway to Research Scholarship. Wang was presented the $5,000 award for his project, “Optimization of Naphthyl-Pyridine-based Inhibitors for the Right Open Reading Frame (Rio) Kinase 2.” The primary goal of the Gateway to Research Scholarship program is to help students gain an understanding of the importance of research by enabling them to apply that knowledge to improve their clinical skills. This scholarship provides an opportunity for Pharm.D. and baccalaureate degree … Read more
Students Select 2019 Best Instructors; Phil Rodgers Wins Top Award
May 2, 2019Pharm.D. students at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy selected the Instructor of the Year award winners for 2018-19, honoring the winners at the annual awards ceremony on April 13. The Instructor of the Year award recognizes one course instructor from each year of the Pharm.D. curriculum who demonstrates the highest qualities of instructional ability and an interest in both the students and the educational programs of the school. Overall Instructor of the Year Award: Philip Rodgers, Pharm.D. PY3 Instructor of the Year Award: Kathryn Morbitzer, Pharm.D., M.S. PY2 Instructor of the Year Award: Suzanne Harris, Pharm.D. PY1 Instructor of … Read more
Ava Vargason Receives National Science Foundation Research Fellowship
April 29, 2019Ava Vargason, a Ph.D. candidate at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, was awarded the Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. Vargason is a second-year Ph.D. candidate in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, advised by Aaron Anselmo, Ph.D. Her research project focuses on modifying the surface of therapeutic bacteria to enhance their ability to adhere to mucosal and cell surfaces. “By enabling therapeutic bacteria to adhere with high affinity and specificity to locations in the GI tract, we can target areas of injury, such as inflammation or cancer,” Vargason said. “This project holds promise to enhance … Read more
Christine Ko, UNC Team Take Second In CLARION Case Competition
April 26, 2019An interprofessional group of UNC-Chapel Hill health professional students secured second place at the annual CLARION National Case Competition in Minneapolis. Third-year Pharm.D. student Christine Ko of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy was part of the UNC team, along with Natalie Browne of the Gillings School of Global Public Health, Uzma Khan of the Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling program at the School of Medicine, and Monica Kim of the School of Dentistry. The competition was held at the University of Minnesota on April 13. It was organized by CLARION, a University of Minnesota student organization dedicated to … Read more
Moldovan Ambassador to U.S. Visits UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
April 10, 2019UNC-Chapel Hill hosted Moldovan Ambassador to the U.S. Cristina Balan on March 29 as part of a partnership between the Eastern European country and the state of North Carolina. At UNC, Balan visited the Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Adams School of Dentistry, and Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies. The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy has partnered with the Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Chișinău, Moldova since 2016. Last year, the School hosted a pharmacy delegation from Moldova through the Open World program in order to further the … Read more