L-R: Breen, Bedi, Banks and Wery. Students holding their

actual degrees on graduation day is virtually unheard of these

days. Find out how the college made it happen on page 6.

E-NEWSLETTER OF THE

NATIONALLY RANKED

UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO

COLLEGE OF PHARMACY AND

PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES

Spring 2014 Commencement

The College of Pharmacy and

Pharmaceutical Sciences held its spring

commencement Sunday, May 4, at 2 p.m. in

Savage Arena.

The college awarded 102 doctor of

pharmacy degrees, two PhD in medicinal

chemistry degrees, 17 master‟s degrees and

141 baccalaureate degrees.

Among the 141 baccalaureate degree

recipients, a majority graduated with honors.

Twenty-one graduated summa cum laude,

31 graduated magna cum laude, and 43

graduated cum laude.

Two valedictorians spoke. Ellen Dzierzak, a

pharmacology/toxicology major is the

valedictorian for the bachelor of science in

pharmaceutical sciences class, and Kyle

Rako is valedictorian for the doctor of

pharmacy class.

The college recognized Fernand Bedi, the

first to earn the PharmD/PhD dual degree,

along with the first three cosmetic science

graduates, Kayla Banks, Sarah Breen and

Alison Wery. UT has the only

undergraduate cosmetic science program in

the country.

The Teacher of the Year, selected by the

graduating PharmD class, was Dr. Mariann

Churchwell, a clinical pharmacist who

inspires her students to be more attentive

and insightful. She models professionalism

and shows great commitment to student

success.

The Professor of the Year, selected by the

graduating B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences

class, was Dr. Caren Steinmiller. Dr.

Steinmiller, one of our college‟s newer

faculty members, earned her bachelor‟s and

master‟s degrees at UT before completing

her Ph.D. in cellular and clinical

neurobiology. She now researches substance

abuse and treatment.

“Each year, I am so proud to welcome a new

class of graduates into the legacy of

outstanding Toledo alumni,” Dean Johnnie

Early said. “They represent talent and

potential, and we all look forward to seeing

what they accomplish in the world.”

this issue

2014 Valedictorians P.2

Star Students P.3

High bar set during APPE rotation P.4

Upcoming Events P.4

Alumnus earns highest honor P. 5

M A Y / J U N E 2 0 1 4

05/06

Women in Science

The Northwestern Ohio

chapter of the Association of

Women in Science is

currently offering a

complementary

membership to students in

the College of Pharmacy and

Pharmaceutical Sciences.

AWIS, which is open to both

men and women, supports

advocacy, research and

leadership opportunities for

women in STEM (science,

technology, engineering and

math) and offers

mentorship, career

development seminars and

networking events. In

addition, the local chapter is

heavily involved with service

and community activities

promoting science education

in our area.

Dr. Amanda Bryant-

Friedrich, associate

professor of medicinal

chemistry and president of

the Northwest Ohio chapter

of AWIS, is excited about

mentoring women scientists

in all stages of their careers.

To learn more, visit

awis.org/utoledo.

Visit the college’s Women in

Science Pinterest board for

articles and information

about women in science.

Each year, the valedictorians of the B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Doctor of Pharmacy graduating classes

are invited to speak at commencement. Please enjoy excerpts of the speeches given by this year‟s valedictorians.

Ellen Dzierzak, BSPS „14

Valedictorian

Some of my

earliest memories

involve being in

the swimming

pool. I remember

the “swimmies”

my parents placed

around my arms so

I wouldn’t sink.

They always worked and made me

comfortable enough to be in the pool as

a child. So that’s where I grew up – in

the pool. My passion grew for the sport

of swimming watching Amanda Beard

and Michael Phelps swim in the 2004

Olympics.

Just like I got hooked on swimming, we

all became interested in pharmacy in

different ways. Mine began when a

representative from the College of

Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

came to explain the field to my high

school chemistry class.

At the beginning of our freshman year, I

came to the UT campus enthusiastic to

start a new chapter in my life that would

involve prescriptions and pools. I

learned very quickly that becoming a

part of the Toledo swim team was not

going to be a dip in the kiddie pool. I was

going to have to train harder than I had

ever trained before to be capable of

competing at the collegiate level.

After training 20 hours a week for five

months, there was no better feeling

than having all my hard work pay off by

winning a Mid-American Conference

swimming title.

The same way beginning to practice

with the college swim team tested my

passion for swimming, there have been

a lot of things that have challenged our

interest in the pharmaceutical field.

Whether it was the pre-pharmacy

course load, taking the organic

chemistry standardized final, studying

for Dr. Oyarce’s exams, or the duration

of P1 school days, we have all faced

many academic obstacles that require

us to frequently and repeatedly dive into

the text books.

With the support of our families, friends,

professors, and advisors we have been

able to successfully compete in this

college by taking challenging courses

and exams for the past four years. These

supporters have been the catalysts and

cheerleaders of our success, and we owe

them untold gratitude.

Receiving the Bachelor degree in

Pharmaceutical Science is like winning

our final championship at one of the

best pharmaceutical colleges in

America. Coach Murray, our strength

and conditioning coach has always said,

“It’s a great day to be a Rocket!”

But what lies ahead?

All of a sudden, we realize the

“swimmies” of our childhood are gone

and we sink or swim through our own

power.

This is where the prescription comes in.

Sanjay Gupta, neurosurgeon and CNN

correspondent and keynote speaker at

the University of Michigan’s 2012

graduation, offered this sage advice. He

said:

You know what makes your heart swift.

You know what makes your breath catch

your throat. You know what makes your

chest tight with anticipation. Go get that!

But what if you don’t know what makes

your heart swift, your breath catch, your

chest tight with anticipation? The

discipline of an excellent education at

The University of Toledo has helped us

identify them. Real life experience will

teach us. Educated people know how to

pursue that which we don’t know. Don’t

settle for anything less!

Today we have the distinction of joining

more than 100,000 UT alumni.

Wherever we go – to grad school, a job in

our field, a long-anticipated trip - we are

beneficiaries of the UT Motto: “Guide to

the Present, Moulder of the Future.” Let

us live up to that wisdom.

ValedictoriansValedictoriansValedictorians CLASS OF 2014

Star Students

Pharmacy grad receives

public health award

Abby Rabatin, PharmD ’14

was selected to

receive the

Pharmacy

Practice Award

from the

United States

Public Health Service. The

award recognizes pharmacy

students who have

demonstrated a commitment

to public health and public

health practice. Rabatin was

nominated for the award by

Dr. Megan Kaun, PharmD ‘05,

Director of Advanced

Pharmacy Practice

Experiences.

Recent grad to begin studies

at Kansas University

Jordan Hunt,

BSPS ’13, was

accepted into

the PhD

program in

medicinal

chemistry at Kansas University

and will complete a summer

research experience there

before beginning the program

in the fall. At UT, he

conducted research with Dr.

James Slama, medicinal

chemistry professor and

director of the B.S. in

Pharmaceutical Sciences

program. Hunt joins the

program as Alex Salyer, BSPS

‘12 is completing his studies

there. Salyer is researching

metabolite profiling and

pharmacokinetics for Toll-Like

receptor ligands, and

evaluation of immune cell (Continued on page 5)

Kyle Rako, PharmD ‟14

Valedictorian

When I started

pharmacy school, I had

no idea of the

opportunities that

would be made

available to me. For

example, I spent two

summers in Madrid,

Spain— the first summer studying abroad and

the second summer performing research as a

pharmacy exchange student. My studies also

took me on a medical mission to Guatemala

and to a clinical rotation at Mount Sinai

Hospital in New York City. Not only did I have

many exciting opportunities, but I also made

lifelong friends. I met both my best friend and

my girlfriend in pharmacy school.

After much thought trying to decide the topic

of my valedictorian speech, it finally occurred

to me that I was overlooking the obvious. The

answer was drugs, the favorite topic of

conversation at every pharmacy event, social

gathering, or night out. Whether pharmacists

will admit it or not, the conversation always

revolves around that one subject. So I have

chosen to compare each of the four years of

pharmacy school to a medication that is

symbolic of that year in the PharmD program

and illustrates our transformation from

students to professionals.

In the P1 year, we received our white coats

and were eager to begin our professional

education. Although we had no idea what

was in store for us or how much work would

be ahead, we were still excited to have been

accepted into the program and wore our

white coats like a badge of honor. At this time

in the program, everyone was extremely

focused on our studies and on our career

path. For this reason, the drug Ritalin, a

Each year, the valedictorians of the B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Doctor of Pharmacy graduating classes

are invited to speak at commencement. Please enjoy excerpts of the speeches given by this year‟s valedictorians.

medication that increases concentration and

focus, symbolizes our class P1 year.

In the P2 year, we started to realize just how

much work pharmacy school involved— so

many drugs to learn with so little time. At

times, some of us may have felt as if we were

going a little bit crazy trying to learn all of the

information we needed to become

pharmacists. For this reason, Haldol, an

antipsychotic medication, symbolizes our

class at this time in the program, as we were

trying to keep our sanity.

The P3 year was our most academically

challenging year. During the P3 year we

learned cardiology, psychiatry, and

toxicology. We were burned out from late

nights and weekends studying in the library,

and many of us appeared to be walking

zombies. For this reason Ambien, a sleeping

medication, symbolizes our class at this time,

as most of us were exhausted and could have

used a good night’s sleep.

In the P4 year, we were finished with our

didactic coursework and were completing our

clinical rotations at locations all across the

country. We were applying the tremendous

amount of knowledge that we had acquired

over the last 3 years to real life clinical

practice. Zosyn, an antibiotic that kills a

broad spectrum of bacteria, symbolizes our

class at this time. Much like Zosyn’s broad

antimicrobial spectrum, our class now has a

broad range of pharmaceutical knowledge.

I am confident that each and every one of my

classmates will make great pharmacists.

Congratulations to the Doctor of Pharmacy

class of 2014.

Preceptor Brad Johnson with Yana Doughty

“In all of my 23 years as a

pharmacist mentor and preceptor,

never have I been as impressed with

an intern,” Brad Johnson said of

Yana Doughty, PharmD ‟14, who

completed an APPE rotation at

Walgreens in Raleigh, North

Carolina.

Johnson, who serves as a preceptor

for several pharmacy schools, was so

gave her a project focusing on

MTMs as well as targeting New to

Therapy patients. I had her

counseling patients while with us.

She became our immunization

specialist since it was influenza

season as well,” Johnson said.

Johnson believes Yana will be a

valuable asset wherever she chooses

to practice pharmacy.

impressed with Yana that he said he

would take a UT student any time.

“I've seen how strong and prepared

they are,” he said.

What impressed Johnson most was

how proactive Yana was when

tackling problems and projects.

“She jumped in immediately asking

questions and providing answers. I

RECENT GRAD SETS BAR HIGH DURING APPE ROTATION

Upcoming Events

TOLEDO HEART WALK 8 a.m. on May 30, 2014 Join or support the college’s team PHARMACY GOLF OUTING Wednesday, June 11, 2014 Bedford Hills Golf Club Register online

CD3 SYMPOSIUM June 22, 2014 Symposium website MID-ATLANTIC GRADUATE STUDENT SYMPOSIUM June 22-24, 2014 Symposium website

CPPS staff members featured in UT News

Pharmacy staff members Richard and Charisse

Montgomery were recently featured in UT

News. Richard is the assistant director of the

B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Charisse

is the college’s communications director and

scientific editor. Both Montgomerys

graduated in spring 2014, Richard with a

doctorate in educational leadership and

Charisse with a master’s in educational

psychology. Their approach to raising their

son, Richie, who has significant medical needs, was the focus of the article. Read the article

Photo by Rick Guidotti/Positive Exposure: The Spirit of Difference

response to innate immune

activation.

Grad student recognized for

research

Soohi Patel, a graduate

student mentored by Dr. Sai

HS Boddu, secured third place

in the Biomedical Science

poster competition at the 2014

Graduate Research Forum.

The 38 student participants

endured three rounds of

screening to determine who

would earn the awards.

Soohi’s topic, “Evaluation of

an Innovative Eye Drop

Formulation for Posterior

Uveitis Therapy,” captivated

the audience and the judges.

She developed a clinically

acceptable, stable, aqueous

mixed nanomicellar

formulation of

dexamethasone for treating

retinal diseases following

topical administration.

First students inducted into

Sigma Phi Sigma

pharmaceutical science

honor society

Based on their outstanding

academic achievements and

leadership, 16 students in the

college’s bachelor’s and

graduate level pharmaceutical

sciences programs were

inducted into the Alpha

Chapter of the Sigma Phi

Sigma Honor Society.

Sigma Phi Sigma, the

pharmaceutical sciences honor

Star Students (Continued from page 3)

(Continued on page 6)

Philip Miller, ’71, ’88, is the

recipient of the Walter M.

Frazier Award from the Ohio

Society of Health-system

Pharmacists (OSHP). This

award, the highest honor

bestowed by OSHP,

recognizes sustained

exemplary service in health-

system and community

service. Among the

qualifications for the award

are high moral character,

good citizenship, and high

professional ideals. Miller,

who has made significant

contributions to health-

system pharmacy, receives a

plaque, a lifetime honorary

membership to OSHP and

OSHP Annual meeting

registration and lodging.

Alumnus Phil Miller earns highest honor

Dr. Martin Ohlinger (left) with Philip Miller ’71, recipient of the Walter M. Frazier Award and Mate Soric,

PharmD ’09 recipient of the Health-System Pharmacist of the Year Award.

society, is dedicated

to promoting

scholarly excellence

and scientific

innovation by encouraging

its members to pursue

advanced study in the

pharmaceutical

sciences. The organization

was founded at The

University of Toledo

Chapter in 2013. Dr.

Kenneth Alexander, who

was instrumental in

establishing Sigma Phi

Sigma, was pleased to

inducted the first members

into this organization. I look

forward to seeing Sigma

Phi Sigma expand to other

universities,” he said.

“Many of its members will

undoubtedly emerge as

leaders in areas of industry

and research.”

Star Students (Continued from page 5)

The B.S. in Pharmaceutical

Sciences program is looking

to attract more students to

its Pharmaceutics major.

The program, led by Dr. Ken

Alexander, prepares

students to design and

analyze drug dosage forms,

including creams, tablets,

suppositories and aerosols.

Dr. Alexander introduces

prospective students to the

Pharmaceutics major in a

new video. Click to watch.

COLLEGE RECOGNIZES GRADUATION OF

INAUGURAL LEARNERS

On May 4, the morning of the college's

spring commencement exercises, the college

hosted a special celebration recognizing the

inaugural graduates of two new academic

programs.

Three students—Kayla Banks, Sarah Breen

and Alison Wery—were the first to complete

the Cosmetic Science major in the B.S. in

Pharmaceutical Sciences program.

Fernand Mel Bedi was the first to complete

the PharmD/PhD dual-degree program,

finishing his doctorate in medicinal

chemistry after having earned the Doctor of

Pharmacy degree in 2012.

The graduates and their families were

congratulated by university administrators,

college faculty and staff, and many guests.

During the celebratory luncheon, the

students' degrees were signed by hand by the

deans of the College of Pharmacy and

Pharmaceutical Sciences or the College of

Graduate Studies, giving the students a

unique opportunity to see and even hold

their actual degrees before the documents

are processed by the office of the registrar

and mailed to them later this summer.

New Pharmaceutics Recruitment Video