Welcome to the School of Pharmacy’s News & Media Center

Dean’s Message

Updates from Dean David D. Allen during COVID-19

Message from Dean David D. Allen about national events

February 2021

Allen Named President at University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis

February 23, 2021

OXFORD, Miss. — University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy Dean David D. Allen has been named the next President of the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, effective July 1. Additional information is forthcoming as transition plans are determined.

“My time at the University of Mississippi has been nothing short of amazing,” Allen said. “The stellar students, faculty, staff, scientists, alumni and school stakeholders make up a truly remarkable community. With their support, along with both campuses’ leadership, I’m proud of all that we accomplished in advancing pharmacy education and research, as well as the profession.”

UM Professor Helps Underserved Communities Through Pharmacy

February 17, 2021

For Meagan Brown, a clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Mississippi, serving the underserved has been the driving force in her career.

Since joining the UM School of Pharmacy faculty in 2011, Brown has been involved in the Mississippi Delta Health Collaborative. The project, funded through a grant from the Mississippi Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, focused on providing clinical pharmacy services in the Mississippi Delta.

January 2021

Pharmacy Professor Receives UM Faculty Achievement Award

January 31, 2021

OXFORD, Miss. – Becoming a professor was David Colby’s goal as a pharmacy student at the University of Iowa.

Serving as an associate professor of medicinal chemistry and director of academic affairs in biomolecular sciences at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, Colby’s excellence in teaching, scholarship and service was recognized, as he was named the 2020 recipient of the university’s Faculty Achievement Award.

University Partners with MSU to Advance Pharmacy Education

January 26, 2021

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy is strengthening its Preferred Admissions Program, as Mississippi State University becomes the fifth in-state college to collaborate with the pharmacy school.

The partnership offers admission for first-year MSU students who excel in pre-pharmacy classes and demonstrate a passion for service activities. Students who are part of the program will complete pre-pharmacy coursework at one of the five partner institutions before coming to Ole Miss to continue working toward a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

Task Force Preparing for Campuswide COVID-19 Vaccinations

January 21, 2021

OXFORD, Miss. – Although the exact date when doses will arrive is pending, the University of Mississippi Vaccine Distribution and Administration Task Force is preparing to launch a campuswide vaccination program as soon as shipments are available.

The task force is working with the Mississippi State Department of Health to obtain doses of a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible. Ole Miss officials are hopeful that once it arrives, the process to offer immunizations to the entire campus community can begin quickly.

December 2020

Pharmacy School Forms Diversity and Inclusion Committee

December 21, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. – Committed to strengthening opportunities and a supportive atmosphere, the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy has formed a permanent Diversity and Inclusion Standing Committee.

The committee will promote an inclusive learning and work environment, evaluate school climate and develop proposed interventions, assess and support efforts in recruiting a diverse student population and employee workforce, and work with the Curriculum Committee to prepare students in caring for a diverse population.

Pediatric CBD Drug Trial at UMMC Gets Two-Year Extension

December 14, 2020

JACKSON, Miss. – The clinical trial of a new cannabis-derived drug to treat seizures in children has moved into a study of its long-term safety and effectiveness during a two-year extension.

Approved by Food and Drug Administration, the extension will allow further study of the clinically tested investigational drug product in new trial participants as well as in children already participating.

UM Professor Helps Pharmacists Aid Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

December 9, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. – Intimate partner violence is a prevalent, yet often overlooked, health issue for many people in the United States. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it affects one in four women and one in 10 men during their lifetime.

Intimate partner violence can greatly affect the health of victims, sometimes in ways that can go unseen, said Marie Barnard, an assistant professor of pharmacy administration in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy.

UM Student Awarded Independent Pharmacies Grant

December 1, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. — Hayden Wooldridge, a third-year student with the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, was selected as a recipient of a $1,000 grant from the 2020 EPIC Pharmacies student grant program.

EPIC Pharmacies is a network of 1,500 independently owned pharmacies, and annually awards grants to 12 pharmacy students who plan to practice independent pharmacy after graduation. She joins student pharmacist Mary Morgan Mohamed as the school’s second recipient for this year’s award.

November 2020

UM Professor Named to Board of National Pharmacy Foundation

November 23, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. — John Bentley, a professor of pharmacy administration and director of the Center for Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, has been named to the Board of Directors of the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education.

AFPE is the oldest pharmacy foundation in the country. It was founded in 1942 to support pharmaceutical education in the United States. The organization funds numerous scholarships and grants that benefit researchers and academics within the pharmacy profession.

Understanding COVID-19 Topic for Virtual Oxford Science Cafe

November 11, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. – The infection processes of the COVID-19 virus are the topic for a virtual Oxford Science Cafe scheduled for Nov. 17 by University of Mississippi faculty researchers.

The program will be hosted on Zoom beginning at 7 p.m. Joshua Sharp, associate professor of pharmacology and director of the UM Glycoscience Center of Research Excellence, will discuss “COVID-19 and Heparan Sulfate: The Carbohydrate Handle that SARS-CoV-2 Uses to Grab Your Cells.”

‘Zoom Gives Everyone a Front-Row Seat’: 5 Distance Learning Lessons from the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy

November 2, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. – Students at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy (SOP) spend their first two years on campus in Oxford, Mississippi, and their final years at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson — a 2.5-hour drive. The school started using Zoom in 2018 to connect the two campuses and provide an alternative to in-person instruction.

“Geography no longer matters with Zoom. We can Zoom from anywhere and everywhere,” said Sarah Campbell, instructional design and training specialist at SOP.

October 2020

Pharmacy Student Receives Gateway to Research Fellowship

October 22, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. – Karli Anders, a third-year professional student at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, has been named a recipient of the Gateway to Research Fellowship by the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education.

The award provides students an opportunity to work on faculty-mentored research projects while improving their knowledge of clinical skills.

NSF Provides Funds for Major New Research Instrument at University

October 21, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi will be home to an instrument essential to innovative materials development research, thanks to a Major Research Instrumentation award from the National Science Foundation.

The award is being used to purchase a Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation, a highly sensitive balance that can detect changes in mass at the molecular level using a quartz crystal, which registers minuscule deviations in frequencies and loss of energy.

UM Student Awarded Independent Pharmacies Grant

October 16, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. – Mary Morgan Mohamed, a third-year student in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, has been selected for a $1,000 grant from 2020 EPIC Pharmacies student grant program.

A network of 1,500 independently owned pharmacies, EPIC Pharmacies annually awards grants to 12 pharmacy students who plan to practice independent pharmacy after graduation.

Ole Miss Pharmacy Earns Reaccreditation

October 1, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. – The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education recently reaccredited the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy Doctor of Pharmacy professional program for the maximum eight years.

ACPE is the national accreditation agency of professional pharmacy degree programs and providers of continuing pharmacy education.

September 2020

Honors College Freshman Awarded Six Academic Scholarships

September 25, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. – With an array of scholarship offers under his belt, freshman Nicholas Dean is eager to get involved on campus as he begins his journey at the University of Mississippi.

The Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College student from Brandon was awarded the Sis and Buddy Manning Ole Miss First, 1848, Academic Merit, Residential, Plough Recruitment Pharmacy and Mississippi STAR Student scholarships. Dean also has been accepted into the university Early Entry pharmacy program.

Donors Help Fulfill Student Pharmacists’ Dream

September 25, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. — University of Mississippi student pharmacist Zoe Thaw decided to study pharmacy after seeing the vital work performed by pharmacists in her hometown of Brandon.

The first-year professional student fell in love with the profession as she interacted with the practitioners and witnessed the difference they made in patients’ lives.

Faculty Feature: Jing Li

September 24, 2020

Jing Li joined the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy as an assistant professor of medicinal chemistry in July. He comes to the school from the University of Chicago, where he spent five years as a postdoctoral research associate.

Li brings an extensive background based in biomolecular science and academia to the school, which he hopes to pass on to his students. In addition to his work with the University of Chicago, Li also received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2014.

Read More: “Faculty Feature: Jing Li”

UM Researchers Working on Nasal Spray COVID-19 Treatment

September 16, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. — A team of researchers, including faculty from the University of Mississippi schools of Pharmacy and Medicine, are developing a treatment that could be effective at preventing COVID-19. The good news is that it’s something that you can easily carry in your bag.

The treatment would take the form of a nasal spray that could be prescribed by a doctor and self-administered. A daily dose of this spray could make those taking it more resistant to COVID-19.

Driven to Help Others

September 9, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. — Armed with a University of Mississippi education, School of Pharmacy alumna and cancer survivor Jane MacEachern devoted her professional career to the fight against cancer through research and drug trials.

Now to pay tribute to their late wife and mother, Doug MacEachern and son Taylor MacEachern have created the Jane B. MacEachern Memorial Pharmacy Scholarship Endowment to ensure future pharmacy students also gain strong educational foundations.

Isom Center Welcomes New Fellows

September 7, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. –The Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies at the University of Mississippi has chosen a new group of faculty members for its two-year fellowship program.

Created in 2018 with eight inaugural faculty fellows, the program is designed to support research projects conducted by faculty in the areas of gender and sexuality. The support includes grant-writing support, research assistance and the organizing of conferences or symposia.

UM Administrators Address Performance-Enhancing Drugs in New Book

September 4, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. — After noting the absence of an all-inclusive resource on performance-enhancing drugs, current and former University of Mississippi administrators worked together to publish “Sports Pharmacy: Performance Enhancing Drugs and the Athlete.”

The project was organized and guided by Marvin Wilson, associate dean emeritus for academic and student affairs at the School of Pharmacy. The resulting book provides comprehensive information on banned substances, such as performance-enhancing and illegal drugs, as well as comparative lists of prohibited agents and associated penalties for United States professional, collegiate and amateur athletes in various sports.

Faculty Feature: Alex Mills

September 3, 2020

Alex Mills joined the University of Mississippi Pharmacy School as an assistant professor of pharmacy practice in July. He comes to the school from Manchester University in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he served as an assistant professor of pharmacy.

Mills is no stranger to Ole Miss, having completed a residency in ambulatory care pharmacy in 2019. He also received his Pharm.D. from Purdue University in 2017.

August 2020

Faculty Feature: Emily Tschumper

August 13, 2020

Emily Tschumper joined the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy faculty in July. She comes to the school from North Mississippi Medical Center, where she served as residency program director and emergency medicine pharmacist.

Joining the School of Pharmacy faculty will be a homecoming for Tschumper, who received her Pharm.D. from the university, as well as a M.S in Chemistry and B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Natural Products Center Gets NIH Award to Advance Botanical Research

August 10, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. – The National Center for Natural Products Research, in partnership with the University of Mississippi Medical Center, has been awarded a nearly-$6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the use of a popular oral supplement in promoting resilience against viral infections.

Through the award, the NCNPR, which is part of the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, established the Botanical Dietary Supplements Research Center and became a component of the NIH Consortium for Advancing Research on Botanicals and Other Natural Products, or CARBON, Program. Ikhlas Khan, NCNPR director, serves as the botanical center’s director and Nirmal Pugh is associate director.

‘Friend of the Student’ Helps Launch Pharmacy Careers