EDUCATING LEADERS IN PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES SINCE 1886
March 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.”
New Hires in Clinical and Translational Therapeutics:
The laboratory bridge to discoveries in the treatment of human disease
As my February comments mentioned, future editions of the Buffalo Pharmacy Bulletin would center on the intentional and expansive growth of our research enterprise – with strategic efforts focused on positioning UB SPPS as a national leader in drug discovery, drug development, and associated translational sciences through creation of a comprehensive Drug Discovery, Development, and Evaluation (DDDE) Hub.
As we begin this new chapter, I am thrilled to announce the strategic hires of Yanan (Nancy) Zhao, MD, PhD and Liang Chen, MD, PhD. Drs. Zhao and Chen are internationally-recognized leaders in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, investigating dangerous drug-resistant bacteria, viruses and fungi and applying novel gene therapies to combat these super-bugs. They are the newest members of the newly created Division of Clinical and Translational Therapeutics which is led by Dr. Brian Tsuji (Interim Division Head). The recruitment of Dr. Chen and Dr. Zhao will serve as a major catalyst to create a ‘dream team’ of world leading, NIH-funded investigators in translational therapeutics to combat the world’s most pressing problems in infectious disease and save countless lives.
Dr. Chen’s current research efforts include unraveling the molecular evolution of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) or “nightmare bacteria”, which has been classified as an “Urgent Threat” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His work in this area is crucially important in decreasing the impact of antibiotic resistant pathogens and addressing a critical public health challenge. Dr. Chen also is pursuing an innovative line of investigation to exploit novel bacterial engineering techniques and create cutting-edge therapeutics to help solve the superbug crisis.
Dr. Zhao’s research program includes two important threads: developing molecular diagnostic tools for viral, bacterial, and fungal infections, including drug-resistance; and preclinical studies to support therapeutic development for combating antimicrobial resistance. Dr. Zhao also has developed novel and elegant approaches for evaluating the distribution of antifungal agents to various tissue compartments, a line of research that aligns extremely well with the historical strength of our school in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.
Additional information on Drs. Zhao’s and Chen’s innovative research will be released in future bulletin editions – stay tuned for these and further DDDE Hub hire updates.
We're pleased to welcome the following new faculty members to UB SPPS!
Liang Chen, MD, PhD,
professor, Pharmacy Practice
Yanan (Nancy) Zhao, MD, PhD,
professor, Pharmacy Practice
NCPA president visits SPPS to discuss the future of community pharmacy
On February 27, SPPS welcomed Lea Wolsoncroft, RPh, president, National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) to discuss the future of community pharmacy. During Wolsoncroft’s visit, she was joined by past NCPA presidents Stephen Giroux, BS '81 and Bradley Arthur. The visit included a tour of the Pharmacy building guided by our SPPS student leaders, a meeting with Dean Gary Pollack and a lunch meeting with faculty from the Department of Pharmacy Practice. The highlight of Wolsoncroft’s visit was her presentation on The Future of Community Pharmacy addressing the challenges community pharmacists are currently facing along with a Q&A panel discussion with our PharmD students and alumni.
Hoefer named SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador
Carrie Hoefer, BS '10, PhD '15, associate dean of undergraduate and online pharmacy programs, has been named a SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador for 2024, one of only two ambassadors recognized at UB. Designation as a SUNY Online Teaching Ambassador recognizes SUNY faculty members who are “exemplary online educators who are enthusiastic and effective in online teaching, and who can be positive and strong advocates for online teaching in our SUNY community.” Hoefer is an alum of SPPS and joined our faculty in 2023 to develop our online programs. She leads the implementation, marketing and evaluation of our online BS and MS degree programs with strategic online course development and course content. With Hoefer's help, SPPS is set to launch our first online program this coming fall!
Rare Disease Day symposium explores rare diseases
On February 29, the rarest day of the year, the UB Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and SPPS joined forces to host the Rare Disease Day symposium, "Care for Rare: From Bench to Bedside" at the Jacobs School. UB clinicians and researchers with rare disease expertise raised awareness about the rare diseases that affect some 300 million people across the globe. The event featured a symposium with guest speakers and a poster session.
Pharmacy students make a difference during medical trips abroad
Several of our PharmD students spent their winter break on short term global health experiences abroad in Ghana and Belize supporting the needs of underserved populations. Our Global Health Initiatives program, now in its tenth year, gives students hands-on experience beyond the classroom. These experiences are an annual collaboration among the UB health sciences schools where our PharmD students work side-by-side with medical, nursing, dental and public health students to learn the importance of working as a team to provide high quality health care to patients.
SPPS celebrates Black History Month
Last month our SPPS community celebrated Black History Month with a trivia event. This event honored the many historical and present-day contributions of African Americans who have made an impact and continue to pave the way for future leaders. Along with testing their trivia knowledge, attendees also enjoyed Jamaican style beef patties!
Learning and Engagement Community Houses enjoy ice skating
Our Learning and Engagement Community (LEC) houses recently gathered for an ice skating event! Students, faculty and staff enjoyed a night out at the North Buffalo Ice Rink filled with skating, music, friends and pizza. Students from various LEC houses and years had the chance to meet up and get to know each other better!
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.
Want to take your career to the next level?
See our new online/part-time degrees and micro-credential programs beginning Fall 2024.
Please enjoy the 2024 edition of our Buffalo Pharmacy Magazine.
Over the past year, we have launched numerous major strategic initiatives to better position our students, programs and organizational structure for continued success. These initiatives include reimagining how we educate and support our students, enhancing and expanding our research enterprise, revamping our organizational structure, and the launch of a multimillion-dollar faculty and staff hiring initiative.
Together we have built a solid foundation to support our goal of being the best school of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences in the country.
We invite you to read more about our year of transformational change and as always, we thank you for your continued support and interest.
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 1974, 1999 and 2014 celebrating a 50th, 25th or 10th reunion.
Call for nominations: SPPS Alumni Awards, due April 1
Each year we proudly recognize our SPPS alumni, commending those who, over the past year, have contributed significantly to our school's mission, the profession of pharmacy and scholarly achievements. Nominations are now open for our 2024 Willis G. Gregory Memorial Award and our Orville C. Baxter Memorial Professional Practice Award.
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 March 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