EDUCATING LEADERS IN PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES SINCE 1886
August 2024
Welcome to the next edition of the Buffalo Pharmacy Bulletin (BPB) where we will continue to explore and discuss issues in health care and how we as academicians, practitioners and scientists can lead and support these issues. The BPB will also keep you updated on the latest school news, highlighting the outstanding work of our UB SPPS community.
“The best way to ensure we can support and mentor our future pharmacists and research scientists is to make sure we are reviewing and discussing what is currently happening in the dynamic and ever-changing world we live in.”
A Thriving Start to the 2024-25 Academic Year
The start of a new academic year is upon us and a vibrant energy can be felt across campus. SPPS students are returning with a fresh outlook and innovative ideas – our faculty and staff are eager to guide them as they progress through the next steps of their academic journey.
We have had a busy summer, building on a very successful 2023-24 academic year. As reported, we are incredibly proud of our most recent class of graduating Doctor of Pharmacy students who experienced a 100% success rate (not a typo) in attaining residency placements. This was the first time in our school’s history that every one of our graduates seeking a residency were successful, and we were the only program among the top 20 schools and colleges of pharmacy in the U.S. to have this level of success.
Student Support:
Our efforts to enhance the success of our students are continuing. Faculty and staff have been busy implementing new programs and enhancing academic support areas throughout the school. These enhancements will provide all our students with the best possible academic and support environments to foster your personal and professional growth.
- Success Center: The Office for Student Success and Engagement (OSSE) has implemented and formalized a dedicated center for student success. The Student Success Center, located in Room 270, is a dynamic, interactive space available to all students and is designed to empower student success through comprehensive support services – enhancing learning, engagement and well-being. Please feel free to stop by the center or reach out to OSSE at: pharm-advise@buffalo.edu.
- Lecture Hall Refurbishment: Our two largest lecture halls underwent some major technical and aesthetic improvements over the summer. These upgrades will also help support recent curricular enhancements and learning outcomes measures.
Research Growth:
Along with last year’s faculty hiring initiative and growth of our Drug Discovery, Development and Evaluation (DDDE) Hub, we have also had significant growth in associated American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy research metrics. In 2023, our school saw an upward trajectory in several key areas, with a consequent improvement in national rankings:
• #6 Growth rate for schools with $10M+ funding
• #9 Funding per Investigator ($980M)
• #12 Funding per full-time faculty ($318K)
• #21 Overall research funding
Enrollment on the Rise:
This year we welcome one of our largest PharmD classes on record: 143 new first year pharmacy students have joined the school along with a record-breaking cohort for our graduate programs – our overall enrollment for our MS and PhD programs has increased by 30% over a year ago. Graduate students fuel our research engine and pharmacy students help fuel our clinical outreach engine – it is important to recognize and acknowledge how growth of our programs and the efforts of our students, are supporting the growth of our research and healthcare mission.
This year promises to be an exciting one, filled with many opportunities to prepare our students to become the next generation of health care leaders. Over the coming months, I look forward to sharing the many new accomplishments that await our faculty, staff and students. Based on their past collective efforts, the best is yet to come…
Zhao awarded $4M NIH grant to fight resistant bacteria
Yanan (Nancy) Zhao, MD, PhD, professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, has been awarded a five-year $3.9 million research project grant (R01) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop antibiotics to fight resistant bacteria.
Zhao is an internationally recognized infectious disease and antimicrobial researcher who joined the SPPS faculty in March. The grant will support Zhao's work in creating a novel antibiotic within the class called biamyxins (BMX) to help overcome the growing number of health care infections that have become increasingly resistant to antibiotic treatment.
This grant is one of the largest NIH grants awarded to the pharmacy school, notes Brian Tsuji, PharmD, professor and associate dean for clinical and translational sciences and division head of the Division of Clinical and Translational Therapeutics in the Department of Pharmacy Practice.
The project’s co-investigator is Liang Chen, MD, PhD, who was also recruited to UB as a professor of clinical and translational therapeutics in the Department of Pharmacy Practice this spring.
Hoefer establishes new online programs accommodating working professionals
When Carrie Hoefer, BS '10, PhD '15, became director of online programs at SPPS in January 2023, her main goal was to get an online version of the pharmacometrics and personalized pharmacotherapy (PPP) graduate program up and running by fall 2024. With 13 students currently enrolled for the 2024-25 academic year, almost three times the number for the on-campus program, she appears to have achieved her goal.
Hoefer, who also serves as associate dean for undergraduate programs and as a clinical assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences, also created a two-year online graduate program in pharmaceutical sciences that will launch in fall 2025. This master’s program, which immerses students in diverse aspects of drug action — from drug discovery to drug evaluation — also aims to attract more professionals who need the flexibility of an asynchronous online program.
Hoefer also directs a micro-credential program in pharmacometrics modeling at SPPS, which provides a snippet of the graduate program over three semesters. A dozen students began this micro-credential in spring 2024 and are currently on their way to becoming the first cohort to earn this new micro-credential. Several students are also considering continuing on with the master’s in PPP following their completion of the micro-credential.
Smith lands $3.6M grant to develop phages cocktail to fight bacteria
Nicholas Smith, PharmD, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, has been awarded a five-year, $3.6 million research grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is part of the National Institutes of Health, for his project, “Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Mechanistically Aware Phage Cocktails.” Over the next five years, Smith and his team, which also includes several pharmacy students, will investigate how phages distribute throughout the body to the site of infection and how effective phages are in resolving infections once there.
SPPS welcomes incoming students at orientation
SPPS faculty and staff welcomed our incoming PharmD Class of 2028 and our newest Pharmaceutical Sciences students during orientation, held at the Pharmacy Building from August 22-23.
During orientation sessions, new students began establishing their professional identities, met with our supportive Office of Student Success and Engagement, toured the Pharmacy Building, reviewed important academic and advising resources, heard valuable success tips from current students and had the opportunity to connect with their faculty advisors.
Jonathan Perri, PhD student, receives AFPE Pre-Doctoral Research Fellowship
Jonathan Perri, PhD student, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, has received a American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education (AFPE) pre-doctoral research fellowship in pharmaceutical sciences.
This fellowship program aims to positively impact patient and public health by supporting high performing students who possess the skill and aptitude to become outstanding scientists and leaders in the pharmaceutical industry, academia, and government and nonprofit sectors. Awardees submit research proposals that are evaluated on research plan and experience, academic performance and leadership and character.
Perri submitted a research project proposal titled, "Nanoparticle-Based Approaches to Generate Integrated Immune Responses in Immune Deficient Solid Tumors." The proposal focused on drug delivery that involved how to create more effective immunotherapies for solid cancers by developing targeted lipid nanoparticle drug carriers that engage both immune cell and tumor cell surface markers to encourage their association.
Perri's proposal was selected based on his research plan feasibility and approach as well as his academic leadership and performance qualities. He was awarded a $10,000 stipend to support the pursuit of his PhD degree.
Macy Meng, PharmD/MBA '25, selected for AMCP Student Pharmacy Program
Macy Meng, PharmD/MBA '25, has been selected for a prestigious Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Student Pharmacy Program sponsored by Gilead Sciences, Inc.
In September, Meng will spend two days with Gilead gaining a deeper understanding of the many functional areas of a pharmaceutical company including: drug development, regulatory affairs, medical information, pharmacy internships, health economics and outcomes research, career paths, channel distribution and patient support, contracting, payer marketing, market access, fellowships and U.S. Government Affairs.
Meng says, "I am deeply interested in exploring the intersection of managed care and the pharmaceutical industry as the healthcare landscape evolves and attending this program will equip me with the strategic acumen, industry insights, and professional networks necessary to excel as a managed care pharmacist in today's dynamic healthcare environment."
George Lasezkay, BS ’74, PharmD ’78, receives a 2024 UB Distinguished Alumni Award
George Lasezkay, BS ’74, PharmD ’78, is the recipient of a 2024 University at Buffalo Distinguished Alumni Award.
This award is given to UB alumni who have made a significant impact on the university at-large and also to the programs and students at SPPS.
President and chief executive officer of Clearside Biomedical Inc., Lasezkay provided strategic direction to key UB Pharmacy School initiatives, including eight years of service on the Dean's Advisory Council. He was also instrumental in providing advisement for the development of curricular offerings to support UB Pharmacy’s innovative PharmD/JD degree.
Lasezkay will be honored with this award at the UB Alumni Association Achievement Awards Ceremony on October 17 and at our UB Pharmacy Reunion on October 19.
UB Pharmacy announces 2024 alumni award winners
We're proud to announce the following recipients of our 2024 SPPS alumni awards:
• 2024 Willis G. Gregory Memorial Award: Karl Fiebelkorn, BS '78, MBA ’88
This is the most prestigious award given by our school, honoring an outstanding alumnus who personifies the ideals of service, integrity and the profession of pharmacy in the eyes of their colleagues.
• 2024 Orville C. Baxter Memorial Professional Practice Award: Kayla Andrews, PharmD ’14, MS ’15, PhD ’18
This award acknowledges leadership within the profession of pharmacy, career innovation and dedication to our school and students.
Our awardees will be honored during our UB Pharmacy Reunion on October 19.
We continue to expand our teaching and research enterprise through a transformational faculty hiring initiative.
We are especially interested in qualified candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of our academic community.
Find out more about our Division Head and DDDE Hub Hires and join our journey of growth and discovery.
Save the date: UB Pharmacy Alumni Reunion, October 17-19
We are excited to welcome SPPS reunion classes ending with 4 or 9 back to campus October 17-19 to celebrate reunions and our SPPS alumni award winners. Special recognition will be given to those from the Classes of 1959, 1974, 1999 and 2014 celebrating a 65th, 50th, 25th or 10th reunion.
SPPS Continuing Pharmacy Education Events
Featuring our new UB Compounding Pharmacy Continuing Education Activity, which meets the new three hour NYS pharmacy CE requirement.
SPPS Event Calendar
View our upcoming SPPS events!
UB Event Calendar
View upcoming events on the UB Events Calendar!
UB Alumni Webinars
Join UB alumni experts from across the globe as they share professional insights and advice during Webinar Wednesdays. Engage in upcoming webinars along with past sessions.
Share Your UB Pride
Show your #UBTrueBlue spirit by sharing UB Pride photos, videos and stories!
Thank you for reading our August 2024 edition of the Buffalo Pharmacy Bulletin. Please stay in touch! Send us updates on your own personal and professional accomplishments by filling out our alumni update form.
Regards,
Gary Pollack, PhD '84
Dean and Professor