On October 14, James M. O’Donnell, PhD, announced his intention to step down as Dean of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the end of this academic year. This announcement caps seven years of leadership with major accomplishments in increased federal funding, strategic faculty hires and significant improvement in U.S. News and World Report rankings, up from 22 to 14.

“It is a privilege to serve as dean and to work with exceptional faculty, staff, students and community partners,” O’Donnell said. “I am confident that we are among the elite schools of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, and will continue to excel in research and the education and training of outstanding pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists.” 

The university will begin the search process soon and plans to have new leadership determined by the end of the spring semester.

• The University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SPPS) Department of Pharmacy Practice has appointed Calvin Meaney as Vice-Chair for Research, and Nicholas Fusco as Vice-Chair for Education, Practice and Service.
• Nicole Paolini Albanese, clinical associate professor, pharmacy practice, has been appointed Assistant Director of Experiential Education at the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
• The University at Buffalo Center for Protein Therapeutics has awarded $1.2 million to researchers to advance the application of pharmaceutical science in the development of protein drugs.
• William Prescott, clinical professor and chair, pharmacy practice, was elected treasurer of the New York State Council of Health System Pharmacists (NYSCHP). He will be installed at the 2021 Annual Assembly.
• Calvin Meaney, clinical associate professor, pharmacy practice, was elected to the position of president-elect of the New York Chapter of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.
• Team Alice, an initiative of the Center for Successful Aging, has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Deprescribing Network to improve medication use among older adults. Read more about the grant.
• The UB School of Nursing and School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences transitioned their interprofessional escape room in fall 2018 into a virtual experience for UB health sciences students. Read more about the virtual escape room.

• The Department of Pharmacy Practice welcomed Andrew Fogelsonger as Assistant to the Chair in September.

We welcomed 155 new students for the 2020-2021 academic year. Multiple virtual orientation programs were offered for doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students and pharmaceutical sciences undergraduate and graduate students. These programs officially welcomed new students to campus and provided an open forum for questions and discussion

• The UB Omega chapter of Rho Chi Honor Society created a helpful "survival guide" for our first-year students. View the guide.
• Romina Cejas, a PhD student in the lab of Javier Blanco, presented a poster entitled “Defining the Role of the Neonatal Fc Receptor (FcRn) during the Traffic and Recycling of IgG in Down Syndrome (trisomy 21)” that was selected for a live panel discussion during the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) annual meeting in October.
• Xin Pan, PharmD/MPH '23, and Anant Shah, PharmD '22, under the mentorship of Christopher Daly, PharmD/MBA, clinical assistant professor, pharmacy practice, presented a poster entitled "Clinically Integrated Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Approach to Delivering Asthma Self-Management and Education: An Approach to Patients with Asthma." The presentation was part of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Innovation Center’s Innovation in Community Practice Posters.

Save the date!

It is our intention to hold a combined 2020 and 2021 Alumni Reunion program, June 3-6, 2021 to recognize the following classes: 1956, 1960, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2016.

In-person and virtual opportunities are being evaluated as we await further direction from the university. A formal announcement of plans is expected early 2021. Please contact the Office of Alumni Affairs for further information: phm-alumni@buffalo.edu.

• Sylvia (Torre) Giordano, BS '50
• George Welch, BS '52
• Vincent Christ, BS '53
• Eugene Odin, BS '59 & PhD '69

Thank you for reading our Fall 2020 edition of Buffalo Pharmacy eNotes. Please stay in touch! Send us updates on your own personal and professional accomplishments by filling out our alumni update form.

Look for our next edition of eNotes early next year.

Regards,
James M. O’Donnell, PhD
Dean and Professor