March 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.”

Poverty is a persistent problem in the United States. Despite the fact that we often view ourselves as the world’s wealthiest nation, and indeed we have the world’s largest economy in terms of gross domestic product, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ranks median household income in the U.S. as 9th among 37 member countries. Coupled with extreme disparities in income and personal wealth, and a low (compared to GDP) investment in social support, many families experience extreme economic distress.

We know full well that economic status has a substantial influence on health. Proper nutrition, adequate housing, quality education, and more are determined by financial security, and in turn affect the health of individuals, families, and communities. We, as a country, clearly have the knowledge and capacity to address the most pernicious effects of financial disparities. As an example, the COVID-era expansion of the Child Tax Credit cut the rate of childhood poverty by about half, with especially noticeable effects in states with low baseline incomes and high rates of baseline poverty  --  that is, the policy worked exactly as designed and exactly where the need was greatest. If the expanded tax credit was made permanent, the extra investment in U.S. children, estimated at $160 billion a year, could be more than covered simply by ensuring that the top one percent of earners pay the taxes they already owe.

The pharmacy sector can contribute to ensuring that health care is in reach of those in most desperate need. It is encouraging, for example, that the three largest suppliers of insulin have capped monthly costs to keep this life-saving drug affordable to most patients in need, and Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi deserve congratulations for taking that step. While of obvious importance to patients with diabetes, this essentially unilateral action on the part of large pharmaceutical companies is simply nibbling at the edges of a large problem. We need substantially more action.

What is the role of academic pharmacy in all of this? At UB SPPS, our faculty are leading a myriad of efforts to better understand how community pharmacies can be ideal locations for social needs screening as well as be health care catalysts in developing community partnerships. I am proud of the efforts we are beginning to explore but there is still much that needs to be done; both legislatively and in other public policy arenas to expand the social safety net and increase direct support to children and their families.

We will continue to ensure all our students understand how poverty and other public policy issues impact the type of care they will be able to provide their patients as well as the type of care and assistance their patients will most benefit from. We also can add our voices to those who continue to stress the importance of investing in the health and well-being of our fellow citizens, especially children.  It’s simply part of our mission to advance health and well-being in our host community and beyond.

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.  

UB's Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences joins the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition
The University at Buffalo Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences (CIGBS) has become a member of the Abbott Pandemic Defense Coalition, the first industry-led global scientific and public health partnership dedicated to the early detection of, and rapid response to, future pandemic threats.

Clark receives AACP New Investigator Award
Collin Clark, PharmD, clinical assistant professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, has received a 2023 New Investigator Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).

'Usual suspect' lesions appear not to cause most severe disability in MS patients
Brain lesions — areas of brain tissue that show damage from injury or disease — are the biomarker most widely used to determine multiple sclerosis disease progression. But an innovative new study led by the University at Buffalo strongly suggests that the volume of white matter lesions is neither proportional to, nor indicative of, the degree of severe disability in patients.

5th year classes from 1972 – 2013 with special recognition to the Classes of 1972/73 (50 years), 1997/98 (25 years) and 2012/2013 (10 years).

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.

'Networking and Conversations': March 23, WNY and April 22, NYC

View upcoming events on the UB Events Calendar!

'Making Illusions of Reality': April 26, Rochester, NY

Thank you for reading our March 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