2018 News and Media

December 2018

International Mission Trip Gives Student Pharmacists Valuable Experience

December 20, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Social responsibility is one of the eight core values at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, emphasizing the importance of serving one’s local, state-wide, national and global communities.

Although global community service opportunities are harder to come by, this past summer, a group of 25 student pharmacists traveled to Peru to provide health services to local residents.

Pharmacology Professor Works to Reverse Impact of Opioids on HIV

December 20, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The opioid epidemic has reached new perils across the United States. Though opioid abuse can be dangerous for anyone, those diagnosed with HIV can see increased adverse effects on the brain and nervous system.

With a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy pharmacology assistant professor Jason Paris is working to combat opioids’ harmful effects on the HIV-infected brain.

BioMolecular Sciences Advocacy Council Enhances Graduate Student Experience

December 17, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The graduate students and faculty of the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Department of BioMolecular Sciences have worked together to reestablish an organization that will benefit the many graduate students within the department.

The BMS Graduate Student Advocacy Council formed during the fall of 2018 as the department renewed its official student registration of the former BMS Journal Club. The organization plans to include more opportunities for interaction outside of the labs with faculty and student networking events, journal club meetings and football tailgates.

Malones’ Major Gift to Help Pharmacy Students Attain Degree

December 12, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – A new scholarship endowment at the University of Mississippi is poised to support students from impoverished areas who dream of becoming pharmacists.

With a $100,000 gift to the UM School of Pharmacy, Arkansas State Sen. Percy Malone and his wife, Donna, of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, created the AllCare Pharmacy Scholarship Endowment. Recipients will be selected by the School of Pharmacy Scholarship Committee and may retain the scholarship for eight semesters while in the professional program, provided they remain in good academic standing.

Federally Funded Marijuana Turns 50

December 5, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Fifty years ago, the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy was awarded a competitive contract from the government to grow marijuana that could be standardized for research.

Interest in marijuana research had grown throughout the late ’60s, and the government wanted to study the effects of cannabis on the brain and the body. To do that, it needed a source of certifiable plant material that was responsibly grown and harvested.

November 2018

Ole Miss Professor Awarded NIDA Grant to Fight Opioid Addiction

November 27, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – David Colby, a University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy professor, received a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to develop new treatments for addressing the opioid crisis.

Colby hopes to develop a therapy for drug addiction by studying the medicinal chemistry of certain compounds that can lower the anxiety some patients experience when withdrawing from an addiction.

School of Pharmacy Establishes Anne Marie Liles Memorial Scholarship

November 13, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy has established a scholarship to honor the memory of Anne Marie Liles, the school’s former director of experiential affairs, who passed away Aug. 23.

The scholarship was founded with several gifts from School of Pharmacy faculty members who wanted to continue Liles’ legacy of community service. Once the scholarship is fully endowed, it will be awarded each spring to a rising fourth-year student pharmacist who has demonstrated a strong interest in community service during the first three years of the pharmacy professional program.

Clinical Trial for Marijuana-Derived Drug Under Way at UMMC

November 8, 2018

JACKSON, Miss. – A clinical trial of a new drug derived from marijuana may offer hope to children whose seizures are uncontrolled by other means.

Noted as a first among studies conducted by U.S. universities, the study’s focus is to determine the safety and tolerability of the medication for children with severe epilepsy whose seizures are not controlled by other medications, said principal investigator Dr. Brad Ingram, UMMC associate professor of pediatric neurology and director of the Pediatric Comprehensive Epilepsy Program.

Pharmacy Student Organization Educates Jackson Children on Health Safety

November 5, 2018

JACKSON, Miss. – Good health is no joke, but University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy students planned fun activities for children in the Jackson area last month to teach them about the importance of health safety.

Student pharmacist organization PediaRebs, which focuses on pediatric pharmacy education and service, sent volunteers to two community events in Jackson, BAPS Charities Children’s Health and Safety Day as well as Mississippi Science Fest hosted by the Mississippi Children’s Museum. At both events, student pharmacists taught children and their parents about medication and health safety.

October 2018

Pharmacy School Hosts Mississippi Walk for Diabetes

October 31, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, along with student pharmacist organization Prescription for Service, kicks off National Diabetes Awareness Month on Sunday (Nov. 4) with the Mississippi Walk for Diabetes, a fundraiser for the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi.

Registration will begin at 1 p.m. by the Lyceum, with team pictures taking place at 1:10 p.m. Family-friendly competitions and a short program will begin around 1:30 p.m. before the ribbon cutting and walk begin at 2 p.m. Two routes on the Ole Miss campus will be available, with 1- and 2-mile options.

UM External Research Funding Surpasses $134 Million in 2017-18

October 31, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. and JACKSON, Miss. – External funding for research at the University of Mississippi reached its highest level in four years in 2017-18, with more than $134 million in funding awarded.

A total of $134,735,332 in external funding was awarded to the Oxford campus and the University of Mississippi Medical Center, with research dollars being used to favorably impact lives in Mississippi and around the globe, fuel economic growth and prosperity, educate future leaders and innovators, and more.

Three Pharmaceutics Graduate Students Advance in Three Minute Thesis Competition

October 26, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Rishi Thakkar, Amit Pillai and Gauri Shadambikar, three graduate students in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, have advanced to the next round of the UM Graduate School’s Three Minute Thesis competition.

The Three Minute Thesis competition celebrates the exciting research conducted by graduate students. Developed by the University of Queensland, the exercise cultivates students’ academic, presentation and research communication skills.

Marijuana Project Head to Deliver Pharmacy School’s Waller Lecture

October 17, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Mahmoud ElSohly, co-director of the University of Mississippi’s Marijuana Project, will deliver the School of Pharmacy’s 15th Coy W. Waller Distinguished Lecture at 11 a.m. Friday (Oct. 19) at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts.

The lecture series was established in 2004 to recognize the founder of UM’s marijuana cultivation program and former director of the pharmacy school’s Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Coy W. Waller. ElSohly’s talk, “Building on the Legacy of Coy Waller at Ole Miss,” will celebrate Waller’s vision for the Marijuana Project and expand on research developments.

Symposium on Opioid Crisis Brings Law and Pharmacy Together

October 12, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – More than 115 people die each day in the United States from opioid overdoses, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

These statistics constitute a crisis, and the University of Mississippi schools of Law and Pharmacy are working together to combat that crisis in an interdisciplinary manner.

Student Pharmacists ‘Bowl for Breath’ in Cystic Fibrosis Fundraiser

October 11, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy student pharmacists bowled for a cause on Tuesday, Oct. 9, as a group of them formed a team for the Bowl for Breath fundraiser to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The team finished second overall in the fundraising competition for the most money raised, totaling $3,422.

Second-year professional student Gaston Box, who serves as the student body’s interprofessional practice and education liaison, said a local resident’s son who has cystic fibrosis inspired the student pharmacists to participate in the fundraiser.

Pharmacy Graduate Students Place in Mississippi IDeA Conference Graduate Poster Competition

October 9, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Corinne Sweeney and Kai-Wei Wu, graduate students in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, both placed in the top three of the graduate poster competition at the 2018 Mississippi IDeA conference held in July, in Jackson, MS.

Pharmacy School Administrators Celebrate 25 Years of Friendship

October 4, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy administrators Alicia Bouldin and John Bentley are proof that opposites can complement each other.

However, for all the pair’s differences, 25 years of working alongside each other created a bond of trust and appreciation that spurred them to celebrate their 25-year “friendiversary.”

September 2018

Pharmacy Ph.D. Graduate Wins Scholarship for Drug Discovery Research

September 21, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Mohamed A. Albadry, a recent Ph.D. graduate from the Department of BioMolecular Sciences in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, has won the 2018 Harvey W. Wiley Scholarship from AOAC International.

AOAC International develops global quality standards for microbiological and chemical materials, ranging from food to pharmaceuticals, in an effort to ensure public health.

Early Entry Pharmacy Class Earns Nearly $2 Million in Scholarships

September 18, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The Early Entry program at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy has brought the best and brightest students to Oxford for more than 20 years.

The makeup of the 2018 freshman pre-pharmacy class is no different. The well-rounded group of nearly 100 scholars and leaders earned nearly $2 million in scholarships to cover their next four years of undergraduate studies.

Ole Miss Pharmacy Becomes Tradition for Yielding Family

September 11, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – First-year student pharmacists and cousins Lauren Yielding Black and Audrey Yielding looked no further than their own dinner table when they were searching for their career paths.

The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy students found inspiration from 1992 Ole Miss pharmacy alum Frank Yielding, who is Lauren’s dad and Audrey’s uncle.

Alumni Insight: Wilma Wilbanks, ’81

September 7, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Wilma Wilbanks, UM School of Pharmacy BSPH class of 1981, is a pharmacist with Walgreens in Cleveland, Mississippi. She was recently installed as president of Delta Gamma Fraternity’s 2018-2020 Council. The School of Pharmacy spoke with her about her history with pharmacy and the University of Mississippi.

August 2018

UM Student Pharmacist Begins Journey to Dream Career

August 31, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – What started out as a high school class assignment turned into a career path for Jackson, Mississippi, native Tia Holloway. The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy student’s journey to pharmacy took a different route than she originally planned, but Holloway is excited to reach her destination.

As a freshman at McLaurin High School, Holloway took a career placement test that suggested she explore a career in pharmacy. She then began to research the field and developed a 10-year plan for entering the profession.

Pharmacy School Remembers Anne Marie Liles as ‘Shining Star’ Teacher

August 29, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy family is mourning the loss of Anne Marie Liles, director of experiential affairs and clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice, who died Thursday (Aug. 23).

Liles was beloved by students and colleagues. Student pharmacists, faculty and staff have expressed how much Liles meant to them as a mentor, friend and pharmacist, many of them noting her constant practice of going above and beyond in every aspect of her work.

UM Pharmacy Diabetes Research Moves Forward with Project Proposals

August 28, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – After completing in-depth discussions with diabetes patients and stakeholders throughout the state, University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy faculty and students are turning research questions from the “PaRTICIpate in Diabetes Self-Management Research Collaborative” into project proposals.

This research development project, which began in September of 2016, resulted in 20 patient-centered research questions aimed at helping to manage Type 2 diabetes. Now the focus is on turning three of these questions into three separate research project proposals in hopes of leveraging the research into something greater.

Pharmacy First-Years Receive White Coats

August 21, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Some 105 first-year student pharmacists received their white coats Friday (Aug. 17), at a ceremony conducted by the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy.

The white coat is a symbol of professionalism, and this ceremony marks the beginning of their professional journey toward becoming a pharmacist.

David D. Allen, UM pharmacy dean, charged the Doctor of Pharmacy class of 2022 with helping those around them improve and maintain health and quality of life.

Student Successes Allow UM Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery Program to Flourish

August 16, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery is making a strong commitment to students’ futures. Whether a student goes into the pharmaceutical job market or wants to further their education, students of the master’s program are prepared when graduation arrives.

The success of the program is evident in its numbers, as the department had its largest graduating class of 17 students hooded at the 2018 commencement ceremony.

Forensic Chemist Named Ole Miss 2018 Joseph Sam Distinguished Alumnus

August 13, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Randall Clark, a 1973 University of Mississippi graduate with a doctoral degree in medicinal chemistry, has been named the School of Pharmacy Department of BioMolecular Sciences’ 2018 Joseph Sam Distinguished Alumnus Award honoree.

Clark earned degrees in both biology and chemistry from Berry College in Mt. Berry, Georgia, before receiving his Ph.D. under the direction of late Ole Miss professor Ronald F. Borne. He has spent his 45-year academic career at Auburn University, where he is a professor of medicinal chemistry, mentoring over 50 Master’s and Ph.D. students.

Pharmaceutics Grad Student Honored for 3D Printing Research

August 10, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Jiaxiang Zhang, a graduate student in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, was awarded Best Oral Presentation at the Controlled Release Society Meeting in New York City last month.

Zhang’s presentation focused on combining 3D printing with hot-melt extrusion – a process that melts and mixes polymers and drugs into rod-like shapes. Once formed, the rods can be immediately delivered into the 3D printer to create personalized drug dosages in the forms of tablets, capsules and films.

Student Health Pharmacy Changes Name, Expands Operations

August 7, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi’s Student Health Pharmacy has changed its name to Student and Employee Health Services and expanded its offerings to provide pharmacy services to employees.

“The main goal of Pharmacy Health Services and the pharmacy school is to improve health care and make it more available,” said David D. Allen, dean of the School of Pharmacy. “Providing pharmacy services to the entire Ole Miss community was a natural next step in fulfilling the school’s mission of improving health, well-being and quality of life.”

July 2018

Two Pharmacy Faculty to Lead Mississippi Pharmacists Association

July 31, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The Mississippi Pharmacists Association welcomed two University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy faculty members into leadership positions for the organization.

Lauren Bloodworth, clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice, will serve as the organization’s president for the 2018-2019 term, while Phil Ayers, also a clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice, is now MPhA’s interim executive director.

UM Dean Becomes National Pharmacy Association President

July 23, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – David D. Allen, dean of the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, will be inducted as the president of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy on Wednesday (July 25) at the organization’s annual meeting.

“From the moment I joined the organization, I had opportunities to learn, develop, grow and make contacts, and then later, opportunities to serve and give back,” said Allen, who has been involved with AACP for more than 20 years.

Pharmacy Postdoctoral Fellow Honored for Outstanding Poster Presentation

July 20, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Pankaj Pandey, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, won the Ronald F. Borne Outstanding Postdoctoral Poster Presentation Award at the 45^th Annual MALTO Meeting in College Station, Texas.

The MALTO conference, for medicinal and natural product chemists from Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas and Oklahoma, gives the Borne Award to one postdoctoral fellow at the conference each year based on their interview and research poster.

University Joins Pharmaceutical Research Collective

July 16, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi is the newest member of an elite group of 18 universities that make up the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Technology & Education.

NIPTE is a nonprofit organization that works to improve the design, development and manufacturing processes of pharmaceutical products by connecting members of the pharmaceutical industry with top-ranked pharmaceutical educational programs.

UM Pharmacy Welcomes Tougaloo College to Preferred Admission Program

July 13, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – In an effort to expand access to pharmacy education within the state, the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy has completed its third admission agreement in a year with a Mississippi college.

Tougaloo College and the UM School of Pharmacy have partnered in a Preferred Admission Program that offers admission to the pharmacy school for Tougaloo freshmen who excel in pre-pharmacy classes and demonstrate a passion for service activities.

June 2018

UM Pharmacy and Alcorn State Partner in Admission Program

June 29, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy has signed an agreement with Alcorn State University to offer admission to qualified Alcorn State students who excel in freshman pre-pharmacy courses and participate in service activities.

This partnership, called the Preferred Admission Program, is part of both the School of Pharmacy’s and Alcorn State’s more-than-century-old traditions of dedication to the health of the state and its communities.

A Pharmacist in France

June 29, 2018

DIJON, France – This is the first in a series of entries from rising second-year student pharmacist Dominique Dairion. Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, Dairion is currently abroad in France with the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF) Student Exchange Program through the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists.

Alice Clark Retiring as UM Vice Chancellor for University Relations

June 28, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Alice Clark, a senior University of Mississippi administrator whose nearly four decades of visionary leadership have driven major advancements, is retiring at the end of June. Clark is an F.A.P. Barnard Distinguished Professor of Pharmacognosy and the university’s vice chancellor for university relations.

Clark earned both her master’s and doctoral degrees in pharmacognosy at UM and joined the university as a research associate and faculty member in 1979. She later served as the first director of the university’s National Center for Natural Products Research.

Pharmacology Graduate Student Awarded Cantú Fellowship

June 27, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Erik Hodges, a graduate student in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Department of BioMolecular Sciences, was selected as the recipient of the 2018 Virginia Dolores Cantú Fellowship.

“I was elated when I heard I was selected,” Hodges said. “It always feels good to be recognized for your efforts. The topic is one I am very passionate about, and it is nice to know that I was able to convey my thoughts effectively to the reviewers.”

UM Pharmacy Team Places Third in PQA Healthcare Challenge

June 25, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – A team from the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy placed third out of 22 teams in the Pharmacy Quality Alliance Healthcare Quality Innovation Challenge last month in Baltimore, Maryland.

The four-student group consisted of third-year student pharmacists Mariah Cole of Meridian, Mississippi, and Anna Crider of Brentwood, Tennessee, as well as Pharmacy Administration graduate students Sushmitha Inguva of Hyderabad, India, and Siddhi Korgaonkar of Mumbai, India.

Faculty, Researchers Honored at Pharmacy School Annual Retreat

June 18, 2018

JACKSON, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy presented four faculty and researchers awards for their excellence in and commitment to research, teaching and service at its annual faculty retreat on June 14.

“We are fortunate at our school to have talented faculty and scientists committed to our mission, so it’s a privilege to award them for their outstanding efforts,” said David D. Allen, dean of the School of Pharmacy.

Ole Miss Student Pharmacists Receive AFPE Research Scholarships

June 17, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Austin Fitts and Mary Paige Thrash, both rising second-year professional students at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, were named recipients of the Gateway to Research Scholarship by the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education.

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

UM ‘Corpse Flower’ Will Soon Bloom with Smell of Death

June 14, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Just keep watching – that’s the best advice for witnessing the soon-to-blossom, towering titan arum housed in the atrium of the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Faser Hall. The odd-looking plant, which has the largest unbranched flower cluster in the world, is expected to bloom any hour now.

When it does, the 5-foot-tall flowering plant (Amorphophallus titanum) will appear even more otherworldly, with its now-lime-green spathe unfolding to display a dark burgundy. The species also emits a decomposing flesh odor when it blooms, a smell intended to attract pollinators but a putrid smell nonetheless that has earned titan arum the nickname “corpse flower” or “corpse plant.”

UM Pharmacy Student Named Winner of IACP Writing Competition

June 12, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Alexandria Gochenauer, a student at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, was named one of the winners of the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists’ Spring Writing Competition.

The winning essay has also been accepted for publication in the July/August issue of the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding.

UM Scientists Work Toward Natural Remedy for Bed Bugs

June 8, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – It’s a fear for children that monsters reside under the bed. But those monsters could be living on the mattress or in the sheets. They’re called bed bugs.

However, scientists with the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy are searching for a natural remedy to stop the insect from not only biting, but growing in rapid numbers.

May 2018

Student Pharmacists Shine at the Jackson Free Clinic

May 29, 2018

JACKSON, Miss. – Imagine, if you will, a place where medical students and pharmacy students give up their Saturdays to work collegially, teach and learn from each other, and provide uninsured patients with vital medical care. That place is the Jackson Free Clinic (JFC) in Jackson, Miss.

The clinic is a nonprofit organization run by students at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Its mission is to provide high-quality health services — including exams, treatment, testing, prescription medications, education, and preventive care — to uninsured community members. The JFC also provides an innovative environment where pharmacy students can demonstrate the value pharmacists bring to an interdisciplinary care team.

As Technician, Pharmacy Graduate Learns Profession First

May 22, 2018

JACKSON, Miss. – When Elizabeth Hargrove decided to study pharmacy at the University of Mississippi, she entered the program more familiar with the profession than most.

Pharmacy Administration Grad Student Receives Pre-Doctoral Fellowship

May 21, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Ashley Crumby, a University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy graduate student, was named a recipient of the Pre-Doctoral Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Sciences given by the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education.

Crumby will use her fellowship to continue research for her dissertation entitled “Valuation of mentorship in pharmacy education and the impact of perceived involvement,” as she measures the value student pharmacists place on mentorship.

UM Pharmacy Professor Selected for Nelson Order

May 16, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Scott Malinowski, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, was inducted into the Norman C. Nelson Order of Teaching Excellence at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson on May 7.

Named for Norman C. Nelson, who served as UMMC’s vice chancellor for health affairs for 21 years, the award honors faculty members from each of UMMC’s six schools. Awardees are selected based on their dedication to students through innovative teaching, engagement, mentorship and setting expectations for professional behavior.

Pharmacy Early Entry Student Wins Allstate Sugar Bowl Scholarship

May 15, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Cameron Hammers, an incoming freshman in the Early Entry program at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, has won a $10,000 Allstate Sugar Bowl Scholarship from the Allstate Sugar Bowl Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.

Archie Manning, the foundation’s national chairman, honored 36 high school football players from the New Orleans area for their academic and athletic achievements. Hammers was among six of these students who were then chosen to receive a $10,000 scholarship based on essays they submitted.

Marc Slattery Receives Top UM Research Award

May 12, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Marc Slattery was a little conflicted about being honored for his research achievement at the University of Mississippi.

Slattery, a professor of biomolecular sciences in the School of Pharmacy and research professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, was named the 2018 recipient of the Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement Award during the university’s 165th Commencement ceremonies Saturday (May 12) in the Grove.

Khan Recognized as University Creates Distinguished Professor Honor

May 11, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Three University of Mississippi faculty members were appointed as Distinguished Professors during the spring faculty meeting Friday (May 11) in Fulton Chapel.

The honorees are John Daigle, director of the Center for Wireless Communications and professor of electrical engineering; Donald Dyer, associate dean for faculty and academic affairs in the College of Liberal Arts and professor of Russian and linguistics; and Ikhlas A. Khan, director of the National Center for Natural Products Research and professor of pharmacognosy.

Vazzana’s Generosity Helps Strengthen Health Care

May 10, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – A mortar and pestle; a balance; a graduated cylinder; species jars; faience or majolica drug jars; eye-wash cups; Bowls of Hygeia fashioned into ornate candelabra; pill bottles labeled opium, poison and heroin; and various show globes that once contained elixirs, tonics, powders and other medicines.

These pharmaceutical artifacts line the shelves at the entrance to the dean’s office in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. They were a gift from UM alumnus Anthony S. Vazzana of Leland, Mississippi, and are now on permanent display as treasures of an era past.

Sisters Earn Pharmacy Degree Three Decades after Mother

May 9, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – In May 1987, Dolly Mah graduated from the University of Mississippi with her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and began working as a staff pharmacist at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis.

Thirty-one years later, Mah, now Dolly Lock, will again attend the Ole Miss School of Pharmacy graduation ceremony, this time for her two daughters.

UM Pharmacy Grad Student Earns Student Exchange Award

May 7, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Ann Fairly Barnett, a University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy graduate student, received the Student Training Exchange Opportunity award from the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

The award will allow Barnett to conduct research in the Shoemaker Toxicology Laboratory at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs this summer under the guidance of Joe Griffitt, chair of USM’s Division of Coastal Sciences and associate director of its School of Ocean Science and Technology.

Ole Miss Pharmacy Places First in Formulations Competition

May 2, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – A team of three School of Pharmacy students placed first in the formulations portion of the eighth annual National Student Pharmacist Compounding Competition and sixth overall, in what was Ole Miss Pharmacy’s first ever appearance in the competition in Aventura, Florida in March.

The team consisted of third-year student pharmacists Alexandria Gochenauer, Mary O’Keefe and Emily Lewis.

UM Pharmacy Students Earn Pharmacists Mutual Scholarships

May 1, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Alex Gochenauer and Erin Hoevelmann, both University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy students, were each named recipients of the Pharmacists Mutual Community Pharmacy Scholarship.

Gochenauer and Hoevelmann were selected based on their interest in practicing pharmacy in an independent setting, a community setting or in an underserved community. The scholarship is given to just 20 recipients each year nationwide.

April 2018

UM Division of Pharmacy Professional Development Launches New Website

April 29, 2018

JACKSON, Miss. – The UM School of Pharmacy’s Division of Pharmacy Professional Development has created a new online portal for continuing professional development programs at pharmacycpd.org.

The DPPD spent the past year developing the site that will deliver online educational programs to pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. The online offerings will help combat the cost of conference travel and time away from work, contributing to practice advancement in Mississippi and beyond.

Pharmacy Early Entry Program Offers Living-Learning Community

April 24, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy pioneered the Early Entry program to offer high school seniors early acceptance into the professional pharmacy program more than 20 years ago, and it has become a model for numerous similar programs across the country.

One of the most popular aspects of the program is its Living-Learning Community, which allows freshman Early Entry students to live on the same floor of a residence hall. This option allows first-year Early Entry students, known as EE1s, to form a community with classmates they will study alongside for the next seven years.

UM Student Pharmacist Named Walmart Scholar

April 23, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Third-year student pharmacist Mallory Pullman, a native of Pearlington, Mississippi, was named a 2018 Walmart Scholar by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Walmart Scholars Program.

The honor and accompanying $1,000 scholarship are given to student pharmacists who are committed to a career in academic pharmacy.

Pharmacy Student Going ‘Over the Edge’ for Fundraiser

April 19, 2018

JACKSON, Miss. – Meghan Wagner isn’t taking the traditional route to raise money for Friends of Children’s Hospital. The University of Mississippi third-year student pharmacist is rappelling down a 14-story building instead.

Wagner, from Grenada, will rappel down the Trustmark corporate office building in downtown Jackson on April 21 as part of the Over the Edge event, for which she has raised over $1,000. Friends of Children’s Hospital is hosting the event to support Batson Children’s Hospital, and the organization is aiming to raise $200,000.

Nanomedicine Topic for Semester’s Final UM Science Cafe

April 19, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The use of nanotechnology in the diagnosis, imaging and treatment of human diseases is the topic of the University of Mississippi’s next monthly Science Cafe.

Chalet Tan, associate professor of pharmaceutics and drug delivery and research associate professor in UM’s Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, will discuss “NanoMedicine: Less is More” Tuesday (April 24) at the fourth and final Science Cafe of the semester. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. at Lusa Bakery Bistro and Bar, 1120 North Lamar Blvd. Admission is free.

Pharmacy Students Win UMMC Research Poster Competition

April 18, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi fourth-year student pharmacists Austin Morrison and Taylor Loper will have their research poster displayed at the Rowland Medical Library in April after winning the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Research Poster Competition for March.

Morrison’s and Loper’s winning poster is titled “Impact of Total Body Weight on Clinical Outcomes of Obese Patients Treated with Beta-Iactams.” The UM School of Pharmacy students focused their research on how two common hospital antibiotics, ceftriaxone and cefepime, affect the body in obese versus non-obese patients.

Botanical Experts Gather in Oxford for International Conference

April 13, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Scientists and visitors from around the globe gathered in Oxford this week (April 9-12) for the 18th annual International Conference on the Science of Botanicals.

Organized and hosted by the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, the conference welcomed 280 registrants from universities, government and business institutions who explored the topic of synergy between natural products and human health. Participants discussed current research topics related to natural products research, development, safety, quality and regulations.

Pharmacy Practice Chair Elected as Distinguished Practitioner and Fellow

April 13, 2018

JACKSON, Miss. – Seena Haines, chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, has been elected a Distinguished Practitioner and Fellow of National Academies of Practice in Pharmacy, a subgroup of NAP.

Fellowship in NAP is reserved for those who have spent 10 or more years of their career in the practice and delivery of health care services and who are judged by their peers to have made enduring contributions to their professions.

Pharmacy School Introduces Application Option for Rising Sophomores

April 12, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy is providing university freshmen a new way to secure their spot in its professional pharmacy program with the Sophomore Advanced Standing Program.

The program allows qualified UM freshmen to earn a guaranteed seat in the School of Pharmacy’s professional program, thereby avoiding the competitive selection process for regular entry admission that normally occurs during a pre-pharmacy major’s junior year. Upon completion of three years of pre-pharmacy courses and one year of professional courses, students also will receive a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Summer College Offers High Schoolers Pharmacy Experience

April 12, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – While many high school students’ summers consist of summer jobs and waiting for vacation, the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy is offering them a way to jumpstart their college and professional careers by participating in the UM Summer College Pre-Pharmacy Program.

During this four-week program running from June 27-July 27, prospective School of Pharmacy students experience university life and begin earning college credits at Ole Miss. Attendees will participate in exciting hands-on projects and pharmacy site visits, live in Ole Miss dorms and explore the Oxford community.

Student Pharmacists Present Research at National Conference

April 11, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Five University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy students each presented their own research at the recent American Pharmacists Association annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.

The students are Anna Crider, Erin Hoevelmann, Yiran Rong, Victoria Miller and Kelsey Raymer.

Former Arkansas Senator Percy Malone Named UM Pharmacy Alumnus of the Year

April 10, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – State senator, state representative, pharmacist and UM alum – of all Percy Malone’s (BSPH 65) titles, the one he is most proud of is advocate.

The former Arkansas state senator and 1965 pharmacy graduate is the School of Pharmacy’s 2018 Alumnus of the Year. He has spent his career fighting to represent the interests of those who may be otherwise overlooked – namely children, sick or incapacitated people and those living below the poverty line.

Ole Miss Pharmacy Student Appointed Speaker of National Pharmacy Society

April 9, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Regan Tyler, a third-year student at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, was elected as Phi Lambda Sigma’s Speaker of the House during the organization’s national meeting, held in conjunction with the American Pharmacists Association annual meeting Mar. 16-19 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Phi Lambda Sigma is a pharmacy leadership society that aims to develop leadership qualities among student pharmacists in order to strengthen the future of the pharmacy profession.

UM Pharmacy Student Wins National Leadership Scholarship

April 6, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Alex Gochenauer, third-year student at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, was awarded the American College of Apothecaries Presidential Scholarship for Academic and Leadership Excellence.

The $500 scholarship honors student pharmacists interested in independent pharmacy based on their leadership qualities, accomplishments and involvement in extracurricular activities. ACA also invited winners to the annual conference earlier last month to accept the scholarship.

March 2018

Alumnus Surprises Student Pharmacist by Covering Tuition

March 29, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Blake Thompson, the 2018 Hartman lecturer for the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, surprised a crowd of student pharmacists, faculty, friends and family at the March 9 lecture by offering to cover a semester’s worth of tuition for one student.

Thompson, a UM alumnus who is vice president for government affairs at Ohio State University, delivered a lecture focused on the importance of taking career risks. To demonstrate, he asked any student to come onstage and speak to the nearly-full Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts about his or her own career goals.

Pharmacy Early Entry Program Offers Unique Living-Learning Community

March 28, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Over 20 years ago, the Ole Miss School of Pharmacy pioneered the Early Entry program to offer high school seniors early acceptance into the professional pharmacy program. Since then, the Early Entry program has become a model for numerous similar programs across the country.

Through the program, high-performing high school seniors apply to secure their spot in the Ole Miss School of Pharmacy’s Pharm.D. program. If accepted, they will not have to go through the competitive application process that normally would occur during a pre-pharmacy major’s junior year.

Pharmacy School Offers New Industrial Pharmacy Master’s Program

March 22, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy is offering a new non-thesis track master’s program this fall that will focus on preparing students with a science or engineering background to work in the pharmaceutical industry.

The two-year program is geared toward graduates with bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering, biology and chemistry who want to go directly into the pharmaceutical industry. By focusing mainly on the applied knowledge and skills needed to enter the workforce, graduates will be better prepared to make an immediate impact on the job.

Ole Miss Pharmacy Faculty Elected as MCCP Officers

March 14, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy is well represented within the Mississippi College of Clinical Pharmacy organization, as four UM faculty members were elected as officers of the state chapter of American College of Clinical Pharmacy.

Seena Haines, Katie Barber, Jamie Wagner and Melissa Reilly, all with faculty appointments in the school’s Department of Pharmacy Practice, will serve as MCCP officers during 2018. Haines, chair of the pharmacy practice department, is the organization’s president. Barber, assistant professor, is president-elect, while Wagner and Reilly, both clinical assistant professors, serve as treasurer and secretary, respectively.

NCNPR Scientist Honored for Cannabis Research

March 14, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Suman Chandra, senior research scientist in the National Center for Natural Products Research, was honored with an Outstanding Scientist Award at the International Conference on Recent Advances in Agriculture and Horticulture Sciences in New Delhi, India.

The Society of Tropical Agriculture gives this annual award to a scientist who has contributed to the study of agriculture and horticulture. Chandra works with NCNPR’s Marijuana Project, housed within the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, studying the propagation of cannabis intended for research purposes.

Pharmacy Administration Professor Named APhA Fellow

March 12, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Erin Holmes, associate professor of pharmacy administration at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, will be inducted as a Fellow of the American Pharmacists Association at the organization’s annual meeting Mar. 16-19 in Nashville, Tennessee.

“When I think of those who are current APhA Fellows and those who are being inducted in my cohort, I am absolutely humbled,” Holmes said. “This is an incredible honor, and I am grateful to those who nominated and supported me.”

Ohio State Executive to Deliver Pharmacy’s Hartman Lecture

March 7, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Blake Thompson, vice president for government affairs at Ohio State University and a University of Mississippi alumnus, will deliver the School of Pharmacy’s 2018 Charles W. Hartman Memorial Lecture.

Thompson, who is also secretary to Ohio State’s board of trustees, will speak on “Risk and a Prospective Payment System,” drawing from his background in health care policy and university leadership and governance.

NCNPR Receives Award to Research Common Military Dietary Supplements

March 1, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The National Center for Natural Products Research received an award of over $225,000 from the Henry M. Jackson Foundation to study the ingredients found in popular dietary supplements used by military personnel.

“We are very excited about this research collaboration between the National Center for Natural Products Research and the Consortium for Health and Military Performance at the Uniformed Services University, designated as the Collaborative Analytics for Safer Supplements,” said Soumyajit Majumdar, associate dean for research and graduate programs for the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy.

February 2018

Sandy and John Bentley Hit Love Out of the Park

February 28, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – When Sandy and John Bentley began dating, they knocked love right out of the park. Almost 30 years later, the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy faculty members continue to show their relationship is a grand slam.

Sandy and John met as undergraduate student workers in Drake University’s dining services. The pair didn’t really know each other until John, now UM School of Pharmacy’s chair and professor of pharmacy administration, spilled a five-gallon bag of chocolate milk as he tried to refill the container. It was a good thing he didn’t cry over spilled milk.

Two Pharmacy Faculty Win New Investigator Awards

February 27, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Two assistant professors in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, both from the Department of BioMolecular Sciences, have won prestigious 2018 New Investigator Awards from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

Hoang Le, assistant professor of medicinal chemistry, and Cole Stevens, assistant professor of pharmacognosy, each won one of only 16 new investigator awards bestowed by AACP this year.

Kristen and Adam Pate Cook Up A Successful Relationship

February 26, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – There may not be a specific recipe for love, but Kristen and Adam Pate might have come pretty close to one, and it comes in the form of banana caramel pie. The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy faculty members have been cooking up a successful partnership for the past 11 years.

Both natives of Natchez, the clinical associate professors of pharmacy practice didn’t know each other until meeting in between classes in Faser Hall as student pharmacists at the School of Pharmacy.

Pharmaceutics Grad Student Wins Scholarship for Alzheimer’s Research

February 23, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Purnendu Sharma, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, received an Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation Young Investigator Scholarship for his research on the natural product, Resiniferatoxin, or RTX.

Sharma’s project, titled “Effect of Resiniferatoxin, a TrpV1 Receptor Agonist on Neuronal Cells and evaluating it In vitro Neurotrophic Activity for Neurodegenerative Disorders,” showed the potential of RTX to help in the treatment of diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Former Pharmacy Chair Remembered for Integrity, Leadership

February 22, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Frank Gilmore, former chair and professor emeritus in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Department of BioMolecular Sciences, died Feb. 14 after a lengthy battle with lymphoma.

A visitation for Gilmore is scheduled for 9:30-11 a.m. Saturday (Feb. 24) at Coleman Funeral Home of Oxford, where a celebration of his life will immediately follow.

Love Takes Flight for Seena and Stuart Haines

February 20, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Seena and Stuart Haines didn’t have any trouble building up their frequent flyer miles during their courtship. Long before each joined the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy faculty in Jackson, the two were traveling between Maryland and Florida to see each other.

Although Seena and Stuart don’t have to go too far to see each other anymore, their love continues to take flight 13 years later.

Pharmacy Practice Shapes Flemings’ Love Story

February 14, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – It was easy for Laurie and Josh Fleming to connect – they spoke the same language. They both specialized in ambulatory care and diabetes management as University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy faculty members on the Jackson campus, and the two easily formed a bond over work talk.

Then their love story began to take shape.

Natural Products Center Director Wins Lifetime Achievement Award

February 12, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Ikhlas Khan, director of the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, is the winner of AOAC International’s 2018 Harvey W. Wiley Award, which recognizes lifetime scientific achievement.

AOAC International develops global quality standards for microbiological and chemical materials, ranging from food to pharmaceuticals in an effort to ensure public health. Khan, who has been with the university since 1992 and directed the natural products center since 2017, has spent much of his career developing standards for dietary supplements.

Community Health the Focus of 2018 Waller Lecture

February 6, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – C. Daniel Mullins, professor and chair of the Pharmaceutical Health Services Research Department at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, will deliver the 2018 Coy W. Waller Distinguished Lecture at the University of Mississippi.

The lecture, “Patient-Centered Discovery,” at 11 a.m. Friday (Feb. 9) at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts, will focus on ways in which scientific and medical knowledge are translated into workable health solutions for patients. The School of Pharmacy and its Department of Pharmacy Administration are hosting the event, which is free and open to the public.

Pharmacy School Hosts Browse Fair for Aspiring Pharmacists

February 2, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy will host pharmacy showcases across the state this spring to educate aspiring pharmacists about the over 600 career paths available in the field of pharmacy.

The pharmacy showcase events, sponsored in part by Walgreens Diversity Initiative, are designed to be meet and greets with the School of Pharmacy’s dean, faculty, staff and current students, as well as pharmacy practitioners from different areas of practice.

January 2018

University Wins NSF Award for Electron Microscope

January 29, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – A collaborative effort by researchers from multiple schools and departments earned the University of Mississippi a $346,641 Major Research Instrumentation award from the National Science Foundation for the acquisition of a new field-emission scanning electron microscope.

The state-of-the-art microscope will enhance research capabilities for the School of Pharmacy, the School of Engineering and the College of Liberal Arts. Expected to arrive in October, the instrument will be housed in the School of Pharmacy, a convenient location for many of the departments involved.

Pharmacy Faculty Create Podcast to Inspire Pharmacists

January 26, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – In the first few weeks of 2018, a small group of faculty from the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy launched PharmacyForward, a new podcast that features interviews with pharmacy experts and leaders about pharmacy practice, patient care and health care delivery in every setting.

The podcast, which has a tagline of “Transforming Knowledge into Action,” is dedicated to engaging and motivating pharmacists. The school’s Division of Pharmacy Professional Development produces the episodes, which are geared toward veterans and newcomers in the field.

University Hosts SEC Pharmacy Deans’ Meeting

January 23, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Deans from pharmacy schools across the Southeastern Conference will gather Jan. 30-31 at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy to discuss issues and opportunities in pharmacy education.

Among the topics slated for discussion are educational metrics, sharing educational resources, course consortiums and funding for pharmacy education. Ten of the conference’s 14 universities have pharmacy schools.

Alumnus Makes Forbes “30 Under 30” List of Leaders

January 22, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – As technological advances continue to rapidly turn yesterday’s fiction into today’s facts, a University of Mississippi alumnus finds himself at the forefront of the burgeoning virtual and augmented reality revolution.

Sylvester “Sly” Lee, co-founder of Emerge Inc., an independent technology company in Los Angeles, recently made Forbes magazine’s annual “30 Under 30” list of rising entrepreneurs in manufacturing and industry.