October 2022

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.”

Two years ago, barely half a year after Covid-19 was officially declared a pandemic, we began considering what the post-pandemic world might look like. Last month, the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that “the end (of the pandemic) is in sight.” However, with more than one million worldwide deaths through the first eight months of this year, and the potential for an uptick in infections in the northern hemisphere during the winter months, any claim of victory over this virus may be premature. And so, we continue to wait to determine what the post-pandemic “new normal” will be.

One thing about the post-pandemic world is assured, the key role of pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences in responding to emerging infectious diseases, and more generally in maintaining the health of individuals and communities, is firmly established.

In just under twelve months after the SARS-CoV2 virus was first identified, a safe and effective vaccine was being distributed under an emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration. This astonishing feat — creating, formulating, testing, and distributing a vaccine in less than one-quarter of the previous record time (the mumps vaccine) — is a testament to the power of the global biomedical research community and the tools that pharmaceutical scientists have at their disposal; akin to running a 55.7-second mile, shattering the world record of 3:43.13 that has stood for nearly a quarter century.

Pharmacists, and especially those practicing in community, were and remain on the front lines of the Covid-19 battle. The pandemic spawned a range of innovations in the approach to patient care, and the contributions of pharmacists to testing and vaccination efforts across the country were nothing short of heroic. However, a less obvious but arguably equally important role for pharmacists was providing patients with clear information about vaccines, therapeutic options, and approaches to keeping themselves and their families safe and healthy, and correcting the misinformation that was and is so prevalent. The value of these contributions is incalculable.

October is American Pharmacists Month. Next time you visit a pharmacy or see a pharmacist in a hospital or other setting, take a moment to thank them and their staff for all that they do, each and every day, to keep us all healthy. 

Gary M. Pollack, PhD '84
Dean and Professor

UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences leading COVID-19 and flu vaccinations at on-campus clinics
COVID-19 and flu vaccinations will be available to all members of the UB community at three on-campus clinics from September 20 through November 10, 2022.

Opioids and tranquilizers still frequently prescribed to patients with alcohol use disorder in NY
Prescribing rates of opioids and tranquilizers to people undergoing treatment for alcohol abuse in New York remains high, despite public efforts to curb prescribing practices, according to a new University at Buffalo-led study.

Melissa Stein, PharmD'23, awarded 2022-2023 AFPE Gateway to Research Scholarship
Melissa Stein, PharmD'23 was awarded the 2022-2023 Gateway to Research Scholarship by the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education (AFPE). 

View upcoming events on the UB Events Calendar!

Thank you for reading our October 2022 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