February 2023

Welcome to the next edition of the Buffalo Pharmacy Bulletin (BPB) where we will continue to explore and discuss social 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.”

We spend a lot of time thinking about and discussing issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and rightfully so. Much of this consideration is directed at issues related to race and ethnicity. We believe that increased diversity among staff and faculty will attract and support a more diverse student population which, when they graduate as professionals, will better serve the communities in which they practice and live. Evidence suggests that the sense of understanding associated with racial or ethnic correspondence between a patient and a health care provider leads to better outcomes, which also is kind of the common-sense result.

There are, of course, other types of diversity that are important to consider in the delivery of care. A relevant example, and one of importance in the national conversation, is gender identity. Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals, who compose a small minority (0.6%) of the U.S. population, face significant societal discrimination across a range of societal activities, including the provision of health care. Shamefully, one in three TGD people surveyed indicated negative experiences with a health care provider related to their identification as transgender, and nearly 25% indicated that they delayed or avoided seeking medical care because of past negative experiences. Roughly half expressed the opinion that pharmacists were not competent in providing gender-affirming care.

Fortunately, issues of inclusion related to the TGD community are receiving serious consideration within the pharmacy community. The topic is increasingly discussed in communications directed towards pharmacy professionals, and the ability of pharmacists to make a positive impact on TGD patients is a point of pride for the profession. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation partnered with the American Pharmacists Association to develop a guide focused on inclusive care for the TGD community. Not surprisingly, key recommendations included understanding and utilizing terms that these patients use to describe themselves, providing a welcoming environment with a visible display of support for this community, and utilizing patient-centered care approaches consistently.

It is crucial for academic pharmacy to play a role in preparing a health care workforce capable of and enthusiastic about providing inclusive care for all individuals. It is an aspect of education to which the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is wholeheartedly committed.

Recruiting tenure track faculty to seed the development of our new Drug Discovery, Development and Evaluation (DDDE) Hub. Core areas include:

• Drug Discovery and Design
• Drug Delivery
• Quantitative Systems Pharmacology
• Translational Therapeutics  

Recruiting tenure and non-tenure track faculty to implement and evaluate innovations in health care through cutting edge scientific discovery and education in the Departments of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Anticipated start dates for these positions will be throughout 2023. We are especially interested in qualified candidates who can contribute the diversity and excellence of our academic community.  

Sprowl receives ASPET Division for Translational and Clinical Pharmacology Early Career Award
Jason Sprowl, PhD, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences, has received a 2023 Division for Translational and Clinical Pharmacology Early Career Award from The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).

Daly and Jacobs awarded national grant to lead review of community pharmacy practice transformation to advance patient care programs
Christopher Daly, PharmD, MBA, clinical assistant professor, and David Jacobs, PharmD, PhD, assistant professor, both of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, have received funding from the Community Pharmacy Foundation (CPF). CPF is dedicated to advancing pharmacy practice and patient care delivery through grant funding and resource sharing. Daly and Jacobs will use this project to study national best practices for partnerships between payors and clinically integrated networks of community pharmacies to advance patient care program implementation and evaluation.

All UB alumni are invited to participate in the ‘Building Identity-Based Alumni Programs Survey’. Responses will be used by the UB Office of Alumni Engagement to develop future alumni programs.

View upcoming events on the UB Events Calendar!

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.

'Making Illusions of Reality': March 14, NYC, March 16, Washington, D.C., and April 26, Rochester, NY

Thank you for reading our February 2023 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