This semester was chalked full of events. These were just a few of the many events put on by the students and organizations of CNU.

We wish to recognize your hard work, and are certain you will continue to impress us in the future.

Highlights of the Semester

The Official Newsletter of California Northstate University, College of Pharmacy

May 2016 Volume 1, No. 2

THE PRIDE

Congratulations to all our students for completing another (or your first) year of pharmacy school! It has been an eventful semester, and each and every one of you should be proud of all your accomplishments. Best of luck to the P3s going on to their APPEs, and to the P4s in their future endeavors.

Contents• Introduction .................................. 1• Highlights of the Semester .. 1-3• Student Achievements .......... 4-5• Conference Spotlight..................6• Faculty Achievements.................7• NABP Changes...............................8• Class of 2016...................................9

Congratulations!

“To advance the science and art of pharmacy.”

1The Pride of CNU

SSHP Mr/Ms. Pharmacy - SBC Alumni Panel - SNPhA Blood Drive - CNU Diabetes Walk - CNUCARES Cancer

Symposium - Greek Week - Spring Bash

Alumni return to speak at the Alumni Panel.Dr. Perri-Ann Allen

Students volunteering with diabetes screening at the CNU Diabetes Walk, with support from faculty.Nu Pham, Dean Hieu T. Tran, Fanny Tan, Rebecca Simpson, Emily Deng, Jacqueline Luu, Rita Belilovskaya, Nolan Lo, Henry Luu, Dr. Jennifer West

Students volunteer at the SNPhA Blood Drive.Shanshan Li, Linda Nguyen, Khang Nguyen, Eleanor Gutierrez, Sarah James, Elysia Chan, Omi Patel, Tammy Ngo, Nisha Varma, Tina Trinh, Anthony Vuong

Editorial Board Credits: Dean Hieu Tran, Jennifer Courtney, Irisa Tam, Nadia Huezo, Linh Doan and Courtney Wong

2 The Pride of CNU

Highlights of the Semester

Students, faculty, staff, friends, and family attended the CNU Diabetes Walk hosted by CNU, SSHP, Kappa Psi, and the American Diabetes Association. Students had the opportunity to provide screening and education about diabetes to our Elk Grove community. Participants walked

laps around the school to raise awareness.

Performers, guests, and judges at SSHP’s annual Mr./Ms. Pharmacy Talent Show.

From dancing, to singing, to playing instruments, CNU has a lot of students with special talents. They were able to participate in SSHP’s Mr./Ms. Pharmacy Talent Show to show off what they can do. We even had a

special performance by Dr. Cusick!

Congratulations to our 2016 Mr. Pharmacy, John Le (P1) for his reverse poem.

Students take a break from their usual studies to take part in Greek Week and the Spring Bash. Playing activties/sports gives students the opportunity to get to know each other outside of school and to get some exercise in. The fraternities

each graciously donated $100 to an organization of their choosing.

Dr. Jennifer Courtney

3The Pride of CNU

Highlights of the Semester

CNUCARES hosted their 4th annual cancer symposium. Guest speakers

included Dr. Vinall who talked about her prostate cancer research,

Dr. Iris Zhao who is an oncology pharmacist and Haseeb Rana who is a prostate cancer survivor. Students learned about what prostate cancer is, how it affects a patient and new

advances in research!

Here at CNU our Alumni are a huge part of our success. They continue

to show their support for the school and students. The alumni panel gives the opportunity for current students to learn about

the speakers field of expertise and their experience after graduating

from CNU and entering the world of pharmacy.

Dr. Pejman AhmadiDr. Jennifer Courtney

In April, CNU completed the IV compounding lab! Dr. Eid taught our students the proper way to compound an IV. Students

performed the proper dressing technique before entering the lab and were able to conduct their own IV compound. Proper IV compounding technique is very important when working

in a hospital and thanks to our new lab, CNU students are prepared for what lies ahead of them!

PRIDE is a partnership of students, faculty, and administration, which recognizesprofessionalism and excellence. The activities listed in the PRIDE application are selected byStudent Body Council (SBC) under the consultation of the PRIDE faculty advisor to provide

opportunities for students to grow as pharmacy professionals and participate as good citizensin the college and community.

We are proud to announce the board and members of Rho Chi.

4 The Pride of CNU

Student Achievements

APhA National Patient CompetitionWinner: Rebecca Lemus

SNPhA Patient Counseling CompetitionWinners: Michael Wong and Stefanie Stafford

P&T Local CompetitionWinners: Stephanie Lai, Nelson Chu, Shanshan Li, Eleanor Gutierrez

SNPhA Clinical Skills Competition Division 1Champions: Anna-Linh Tran, Henry LuuAlternates: Rachel Shay, Christophe La

SNPhA Clinical Skills Competition Division 2Champions: Stefanie Stafford, Sukhpreet KaurAlternates: Melissa Kimura, Joseph Prioriello

PDC Top 200 CompetitionWinners: Diem-Chi Tran, Vi Le, Laura Smith

SCCP Clinical Skills CompetitionWinners: John-Luc Le Coze, Nelson Chu, Tuan Nguyen

Summer Research Fellowship AwardsMichael Yadao, Pachai Moua

Class 0f 2017Sadaf BafaizVivian Chen

Eunice S ChoAndrew Chou GuiWei Deng

Doan Trang DuongAndrey Fedorov

Shirin GolzariSherri GongChunNavreet Goswami

Jia Hui GuanHoward HsiehZohra Ismail

Jaspreet JagpalVi Le

Tra NgoBao Nguyen

Justin NguyenHyung Roh

Harish SinghLaura Smith

Talik TahmasianDiem-Chi Tran

Class of 2018David Samir AbboudRita Maria Alajajian

Belinda AlexiMohannad M Abu Alrub

Amandeep BatraMyung Shin Choi

Nelson ChuHan T Dang

Vy Thuc DangJennifer Hong Dijaili

Xuan T DoJared T HondaJustin C H KoShanshan Li

Ming Yee LimPaia C Lor

Loan Thuy LuongLori June Luong

Hang Thi MacAngelina Nhan Nguyen

Lynn Nga NguyenRachel Mindy Shay

Alan TruongKieuLinh Thi Vu

Competition WinnersCongratulations to all the students that participated and placed in local competitions!

Rho Chi SocietyMembership in The Rho Chi Society is a privilege accorded to the very few who distinguish themselves by their academic and professional achievements and who aspire to the mission and vision of the Society. Members must be ranked

scholastically in the upper 20% of their class.

President: Laura Smith (P3)Vice President: Diem-Chi Tran (P3)

Secretary: Paia Lor (P2)

Student Achievements

P.R.I.D.E Award Recipients

Alumni: Pejman Ahmadi , Peri Ann Allen, Jennifer CourtneyClass of 2016: Saul LermaClass of 2017: Joseph Han, Howard Hsieh, Kim Qua Huynh, Sukhpreet Kaur, Tatev Kirakosyan, Erin Kloepfer, Rebecca Lemus, Jacqueline Luu, Lia Martirosyan, Hyung Rae Roh, Shyam Sharma, Irisa TamClass of 2018: Jeanette Chau, Linh Doan, Katherine Fontanilla, Edward Hui, Hassan Imani, Briana Kim, Melissa Kimura, Michael Luong, Tuan Nguyen, Joseph Prioriello, Nicole Quang, Anna-Linh Tran, Jamiee UbhoffClass of 2019: Kim Cao, Joshua Chu, Emily Deng, Darya Famininy, Que Huynh, Huocong Li, Warda Nawaz, Vu Nguyen, Matt Ongoco, Fanny Tan, Angie Ung, Kim Phung Vuong, Judy Wu

PRIDE is a partnership of students, faculty, and administration, which recognizesprofessionalism and excellence. The activities listed in the PRIDE application are selected byStudent Body Council (SBC) under the consultation of the PRIDE faculty advisor to provide

opportunities for students to grow as pharmacy professionals and participate as good citizensin the college and community.

The Pride of CNU 5The Pride of CNU

Residency Student Spotlight

Our P4 students have made us proud once again. We had several P4s match for residency this year which is a tough process. Harmeet Deol (P4) who has been matched, talks about his residency and what steps he took to get him where he is today.

What residency program did you match with? I will be a PGY1 General Pharmacy Prac-tice Resident at Corpus Christi Medical Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

How did you choose which residency program you wanted to attend?I went to visit many of the sites that I was interested in, and I also attended ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting in New Orleans. I met my residency director at midyear and immediately sparked up a conver-sation. It didn’t require much effort to converse with him and I felt like it would be a good match based on our conver-sation and based on the details of the program. After Midyear I spoke to a few faculty members at CNU who advised that I should choose a program where I fit the best, and that selecting a program that I was not comfortable with would not be beneficial for me in the long-run.

What are the steps needed to apply?I attended the Midyear meeting. I personally do not think I would have matched to my program if I did not have that initial contact with my residency director. Many of my classmates did not attend Midyear, but still made residen-cy matches. Midyear is not mandatory to match with a resiency, but I think it increased my chances. If you choose to attend midyear make sure you know which programs you want to visit during the residency showcase and make an active effort to interact with the residen-cy director and other members of the program.

Do not be discouraged by rejection, sometimes rejection is better than acceptance because it allows you to venture further and eventually end up in a position in which you are more con-tent. Also, make sure you personalize your letter of intent and really use it as an opportunity to set yourself apart. A strong letter of intent may be the differ-entiating factor that lands you an inter-view. I personally believe that my letter of intent and my personal interactions with the program director were the two factors that afforded me an interview.

Pharmacy Pearls•Generate a list of potential programs that you might be interested in and you would like to visit during residency showcase. The more you can decide, the easier it is to focus!

•Be flexible matching your criteria with programs (only limited number of programs match everything you are looking for).

•During residency showcase, speak with residents, RPD, and preceptors to get different perspectives.

•Create separate personal statements for each program you apply to.

•Treat each APPE presentation as a sam-ple residency presentation.

Research the program and ask questions if you have any. Make sure to apply on PhORCAS and submit all required mate-rial by the deadline. Check the residency website to gather information about the requirements, certain programs may have supplemental applications. Personalize your letter of intent to each program and use it to portray why that program would be the best fit for you. Request a letter of reference from sourc-es that you are comfortable with and feel that would be able to write an excellent letter based on your interactions. Write a separate letter to these individuals to explain your reasoning for wanting to pursue a residency. This may help them understand you better and therefore write a stronger letter of reference. This is also why it is very important to interact with your professors throughout your time at pharmacy school.

How did you know you wanted to do a residency?Before pharmacy school many of the pharmacists I worked with actually advised me to do a residency. They all conveyed the fact that they regret not taking the opportunity when they were able to. I realized that though a resi-dency is an extra year of commitment it is something I probably will never consider again. Since I also learn more with hands-on experience I knew that a residency would allow me to have the opportunity to focus on my weaknesses and emerge a more confident and com-petent pharmacist.

Any advice to those who want to apply to a residency?Start preparing for your residencies now, take any opportunity to expand and diversify your skills! When interacting with potential residency programs make sure to be yourself, and do not try to be anything else in hopes of landing a residency!

Student Achievements

Harmeet Deol

“Start preparing for your residencies now”

6 The Pride of CNU

From April 28th-May 1st 2016, CPhA held their West Coast Pharmacy Exchange conference in San Francisco, CA. We had 30 CNU students attend this premier event. Our students

were able to learn about the latest clinical breakthroughs and state of the art products in pharmacy today. Attendees participated in seminars, workshops, and continuing educa-tion courses. During the sponsored events, attendees were able to network with other

pharmacists and get a feel for different specialties in the pharmacy profession.

Congratulations to our students who placed in the competitions during the conference!

3rd Place “Know Pain, No Gain” Counseling Competition Aiko Flores and Hang Mack

3rd Place CPhA Quiz Bowl Katherine Deng, Justin Ko, Jimmy Lin, Laura Smith, Diem-Chi Tran

What did you learn from attending the conference?“Different CE Seminars provided me information about current healthcare issues. I enjoyed listening to pharmacists who are from different practicing background. Varying perspective allows me to think about possible future careers within pharmacy.”

Which event did you feel was the most helpful?“I really liked the counseling competition and attending the Quiz Bowl. It made me proud to be a CNU student since we placed in the top 3 for both events!”

Would you go again? “Definitely! I enjoyed meeting different pharmacists.”

Conference Spotlight

Katherine Fontanilla (P2)

7The Pride of CNU

Faculty Achievements

Dr. Xiaodeng FengDr. Feng edited and contributed to the chapter “Clinical Applications of Pharmacogenomics in Cancer Therapy” in the new text “Applying Phar-macogenomics in Therapeutics.”

Faculty Achievements

Dr. Tibebe WoldemariamDr. Woldemariam contributed to the chapter “Clinical Applications of Phar-

macogenomics in Drug Therapy of Cardiovascular Diseases” in the new text “Applying Pharmacogenomics in Therapeutics.” Dr. Woldemariam also received a grant for the proposal entitled “Natural Products as a Source of

Anti-Inflammatory Agents for Treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease.”

Dr. Ruth VinallDr. Vinall contributed to the chapter “Applying Pharmacogenomics in Drug Discovery and Development” in the new text “Applying Pharmacogenom-ics in Therapeutics.” Dr. Vinall also received a grant along with Dr. Eugene Kreys for their joint proposal entitled “Use of Mini-application Exercises to Enhance Student Performance in a TBL setting.”

Dr. Lingyun LuDr. Lu earned a grant award for her proposal entitled “Bleeding Risk of Novel

Oral Anticoagulants in Patients with Afib and Heart failure.”

Dr. Leo FitzpatrickDr. Fitzpatrick received a grant for the proposal entitled “Natural Products as a Source of Anti-Inflammatory Agents for Treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease.”

Dr. Eugene KreysDr. Kreys received a grant along with Dr. Ruth Vinall for their joint proposal

entitled “Use of Mini-application Exercises to Enhance Student Performance in a TBL setting.”

Dr. Martha PauliDr. Pauli recently presented a poster entitled:Psychotropic Drug Use Snap-shot in Assisted Living and Memory Care. The presentation was at the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, NV

8 The Pride of CNU

Look Out For Changes made by The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy!

NABP Changes

As of November 1, 2015 the revisions to the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) will come in to affect therefore affecting the class of 2016 and beyond. The original exam consisted of three parts to assess future pharmacists’ knowledge and ability to practice pharmacy. Now with the new changes, the NAPLEX will consist of two parts. The first part comprises of safe pharmacotherapy practice which totals 67% of the exam. The other 33% will be the second part which focuses on compounding, dispensing, and administering medications. Since the NAPLEX is cutting out the part where examinee’s test their skill to promote public health information, the exam has also increased in length from 185 questions to 250 questions.

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) will also be implementing a new assessment; the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA). This exam will be administered to all pharmacy stu-dents entering their P4 APPE rotations. The PCOA encompasses the four foundational sciences we have learned in the pharmacy curriculum under ACPE standards.

For the CPJE, students will be tested on a total of 75 items with 90 questions. Main cateogories include patient medications (20 items), patient outcomes (33 items), and pharmacy operations (22 items). Stu-dents should know how to dispense medications, determine a course of action, educate patients and health care professionals, promote public health, perform quality assurance, and manage formulary and medication use systems.

Enjoy!

ANSWER KEY

9The Pride of CNU

Congratulations to the Class of 2016!

Class of 2016 was lucky enough to have RADM Pamela Schweitzer speak at their grad-uation. RADM Schweitzer has been recognized for her leadership contributions includ-ing receiving the American Pharmacists Association Distinguished Federal Pharmacist Award (2014), the USPHS Mary Louise Anderson Leadership Award (2012), IHS Senior Pharmacist of the Year Award (2013), the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Pharmacy 2015 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. She shared her story about flying for the first time and now it is time for the class of 2016 to fly on their own and do great things in their profession! Thank you RADM Schweitzer for inspiring us to achieve greatness!

Rear Admiral (RADM) Pamela Schweitzer, Assistant Surgeon General and Chief

Pharmacist Officer of the United States Public Health Service (PHS).