Featuring: Colleen Bond, PharmD, BCPSBy: Justin Budz, PharmD Candidate c/o 2023 At a young age, Dr. Colleen Bond was involved in the care of a close relative, gaining early exposure to the healthcare team dynamic. The one question that no one was able to clearly answer was how medications were able to work in the…

By: Justin Budz, PharmD Candidate c/o 2023                  In the United States (US), heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women of most racial and ethnic groups, followed by cancer and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).1 About 659,000 people in the US die from heart disease each year, which encompasses about 1 in…

Featuring: Nicole Maisch, BS, PharmDBy: Justin Budz, PharmD Candidate c/o 2023 Growing up with close relatives in healthcare, Dr. Nicole Maisch was inspired to pursue a career in pharmacy practice. Dr. Maisch graduated from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences with her PharmD and then completed a PGY1 residency at the University of Massachusetts…

By: Kirby An, PharmD Candidate c/o 2023               Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) is a virus that took the world by storm with its initial discovery in Wuhan, China in December of 2019. On January 20, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed the first case of Covid-19 in the United States (US) after a 35…

By: Aamir S. Dave, PharmD Candidate c/o 2023 Judith L. Beizer, PharmD, BCGP, FASCP, AGSF Alzheimer’s and Dementia              Dementia is characterized by the loss of memory and other cognitive abilities that interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurological disease and is the most common type of dementia, accounting for greater than 60-80%…

By: Justin Budz, PharmD Candidate c/o 2023              On January 19th, 2020, a 35-year-old man in an urgent care clinic in Snohomish County, Washington was the first to be confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be infected with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2…

By: Fatima Amjad, PharmD candidate c/o 2022              Pharmacists have truly taken on the role of superhero during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As of April 6, 2022 more than 239.1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered by community pharmacies across the United States.1 Community pharmacists have gone above and beyond immunizing eligible…

By: Natalia Jucha, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022 and Helen Li, PharmD Candidate c/o 2023              Celiac disease is classified as an autoimmune disorder and occurs in individuals who cannot tolerate gluten. Dietary gluten induces an immune response and causes damage to the small intestine, particularly the duodenum and proximal jejunum. A small peptide called gliadin,…

By: Ashely Dao, PharmD Candidate c/o 2024               In early 2021, about 6 in 10 American adults had a chronic disease. Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in the United States with 1 in 3 deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases (CVD).¹ The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has emphasized the impact…

By: Daniel Levin, PharmD candidate c/o 2022               Depression is a terrible beast of an illness to battle with, and there are nearly 14 million individuals at any given moment fighting it. Only around 50% of patients struggling with depression will get some form of treatment. Sixty to seventy percent of patients who do get…

By: Jun Suh Hong, PharmD candidate c/o 2022               Aspirin belongs to a class of medications called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). Known by many for its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as its association with gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, aspirin plays an essential role in stroke prevention. As such, it has a crucial role in…

By: Pallak Sharma, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022 and Mia Cord-Cruz, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022               Ketamine (Ketalar®) is currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as a general anesthetic, with additional indications listed within its package insert.1 Ketamine is a highly abused “street drug”, especially in China. To demonstrate, in Hong…

By: Sharon Joseph PharmD Candidate c/o 2022 and Salma Hewady, PharmD               Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a single-stranded retrovirus that attacks the immune system, predisposing the host to opportunistic infections and malignancies. If not properly treated, HIV can progress to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Goals of therapy include restoration of immune function, suppression of…

By: Jason Ifeanyi, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022               The liver is one of the most commonly transplanted solid organs in the United States (US) today. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is a mission-driven non-profit that leads the network of transplant hospitals, organ procurement organizations, and thousands of volunteers who are dedicated to saving…

By: Mandy Zheng, PharmD Candidate c/o 2024               “Where can I find Zantac?”. From April 2020 to May 2021, the answer was, you cannot. On April 1, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered for all ranitidine (Zantac®)- containing products to be removed from the U.S. market.¹ Ranitidine was a popular over-the-counter (OTC) and…

By: Anjali Rana, PharmD Candidate c/o 2025 and Katharine Russo, PharmD               The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to pose challenges, both nationally and worldwide. Many countries that were facing public health crises prior to COVID-19 have subsequently seen a worsening of these crises, as much of the funding and attention previously available has…

By: Lyana Sayilar, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022               Multiple myeloma is characterized by an accumulation of abnormal plasma cells in the bone marrow and the formation of tumors in bones. An insufficient quantity of healthy blood cells are produced in the bone marrow leading to a weakened immune system.1 The exact cause of multiple myeloma…

By: Richa Tamakuwala, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022               There has been a dramatic rise in the number of patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), such as permanent pacemakers and implantable cardioverter‐defibrillators (ICDs), due to an increasing aging population and clinical trials showing benefits in mortality and morbidity.  Multiple studies investigating the use of ICDs…

By: Jason Ifeanyi, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022               Epilepsy is a highly prevalent neurological disorder caused by unusual nerve cell activity, and is among one of the most common disease states encountered today in clinical practice. Each year around 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with epilepsy.1 Epilepsy is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as…

By: Rubab Hassan, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022              Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder that causes muscle degeneration and weakness along with various other symptoms. It is predominantly caused by deletions of one or more exons, which lead to mutations of the dystrophin gene. Dystrophin stops muscle fibers from being degraded by proteases.…

By: Nishanth Viswanath, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022              Multiple myeloma (MM)  is a hematological malignancy characterized by an accumulation and proliferation of monoclonal plasma cells in the bone marrow. 1 Throughout the course of the disease, malignant plasma cells induce an overproduction of non-functional immunoglobulin (paraproteins), which is evident during urine and blood screenings. 2…

By: Oluwafemi Popoola, PharmD Candidate c/o 2021, SUNY Binghamton School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences              A patient with past medical history of von Willebrand’s disease (VWD) and myasthenia gravis on chronic prednisone therapy, presented for follow-up for VWD at the hematology/oncology clinic. The provider considered having the patient undergo a “desmopressin challenge” with desmopressin…

By: Jordan Plair, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022 and Marina Beshara, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022              While the focus over the last year has been fixated on the deadly coronavirus, the importance of a long-standing health pandemic exacerbated by salt intake cannot be overlooked. Hypertension, more commonly referred to as high blood pressure, is a medical…

By: Arya Firoozan, PharmD Candidate c/o 2023              Overactive bladder (OAB) is a condition that causes a sudden and frequent urge to urinate. It is also associated with incontinence and nocturia. Nocturia refers to waking up at night due to the urge to urinate. OAB is diagnosed if there is no other current infection or…

By: Jennifer Galvet, PharmD Candidate c/o 2024              Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a systemic inflammatory condition that primarily affects a person’s back.¹ It is a form of arthritis that affects the spine and causes inflammation of the spinal joints, leading to severe, chronic pain and discomfort.² Ankylosing spondylitis can also impact other areas of the…

By: Daniela Farzadfar, PharmD,PGY-1 Resident at Long Island Jewish Medical Center              In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus disease- 2019 (COVID-19) a global pandemic. 1 To date, over 30 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the United States and drug companies have been scrambling to develop therapies for the…

By: Lyana Sayilar, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022              On August 31, 2020, the FDA approved the first automated diabetes management device for patients aged 2 to 6-years old. The MiniMed 770G System automatically adjusts basal insulin doses based on glucose levels, facilitating the lives of the patient and caregiver. Prior to its approval, patients and/or…

By: Pooja Dasgupta and Sonya Wadhawan, PharmD Candidates c/o 2025              The coronavirus, also known as SARS CoV-2 or COVID-19, has widely affected various people globally. The study of SARS CoV-2 has shifted from studying individuals and their unique symptoms during their disease duration to studying different populations and their backgrounds that increase the risk…

By: Jeng Lee, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022               Throughout the past decade, there has been an increase in the prevalence of medical and recreational consumption of cannabis, also referred to as marijuana. 1 These numbers are expected to rise over the upcoming years in the United States as marijuana use is currently legalized in 33…

By: Cindy Van, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022, Shireen Farzadeh, PharmD, BCPS              Insomnia is a condition characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or both, despite an adequate opportunity to sleep. Consequently, insomnia can lead to daytime fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and irritability. This condition can be categorized into short-term and chronic insomnia. While short-term insomnia…

By: Tanay Maddula PharmD Candidate c/o 2022               Rybelsus (oral semaglutide) was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2019 to help control blood sugar in adult patients with Type 2 Diabetes alongside diet and exercise. It is the first oral GLP-1 (glucagon like peptide-1) agonist as typical drugs of this…

By: Bisma Sekhery, PharmD Candidate c/o 2021              Fostemsavir (Rukobia) is a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved antiretroviral agent for the treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). It was approved in July 2020 for multidrug-resistant HIV-1. It is a pro-drug, metabolized to its active moiety, temsavir, which binds to the gp120 subunit within…

By: Zarnab Jillani PharmD Candidate c/o 2022              The link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a new and ongoing debate given the etiology of AD is still not fully understood. Diabetes continues to be a major public health crisis as diagnoses around the world continue to rise. Diabetes is a chronic disease that…

By: Pallak Sharma, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022 and Rebecca Samuel, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022              Statins, some of the most well-known cholesterol lowering medications, have been demonstrating increasing evidence of safety and benefits to the elderly patient population. 5 Statins are a class of medication that can help lower the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)…

By: Jennifer Galvet, PharmD Candidate c/o 2024 Introduction The British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has agreed to sell its rights to two cardiovascular drugs to Germany’s Cheplapharm Arzneimittel GmbH for $400 million. This decision allows AstraZeneca to reinvest in the company’s main areas of focus: cardiovascular, renal and metabolism, cancer, respiratory, inflammation and…

By: Alisha Kuriakose, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022 “The Pharmacist” is a Netflix documentary that showcases pharmacist Dr. Daniel Schneider’s crusade against OxyContin® abuse. It highlights his discovery of a corrupt doctor who exploited her medical license and destroyed communities in Louisiana. It also illustrates his fight to expose Purdue Pharma of falsely reporting the addictive…

By: Aiśa Mrkulic PharmD Candidate c/o 2022              Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common reasons children require referrals for mental health services.¹ In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the screening of every child with ADHD for neuropsychiatric comorbidities. With, “one in every 20 children affected,” it exists…

By: Edwin Gruda, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022; Aiśa Mrkulic, PharmD. Candidate c/o 2022              Over-the-Counter (OTC) medications are typically used for mild pain relief. Many patients rely on their OTC medications to treat headaches, fevers, muscle pain, tooth aches and mild arthritis. In March of 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new…

By: Lyana Sayilar PharmD. Candidate c/o 2022              Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a rare disorder affecting 4,000 to 8,000 Americans. Adults with this disorder are often found to have anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4)antibodies that primarily attack healthy cells and proteins in the optic nerves and spinal cord. The majority of patients have relapses within three…

By: Anjali Rana PharmD. Candidate c/o 2025              While too much of any food or substance is not good, sodium-rich diets are especially harmful to the body causing increases in blood pressure and fluid retention. Sodium is found in majority of the foods consumed. People should be cautious of processed goods and restaurant meals which…

By: Bisma T. Sekhery PharmD. Candidate c/o 2025              COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the health, economic, and social aspects of life for every person. Currently, there is only one Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment for COVID-19–remdesivir (Veklury®). The lack of approved therapies makes COVID-19 difficult to treat and increases overall mortality…

By: Rebecca Samuel, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022 and Pallak Sharma, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022              It is flu shot season! That’s a phrase that causes almost every pharmacy staff member to take a deep breath. Amid the pandemic, flu shot season is busier than ever and it is directly affecting pharmacies across the country. In…

By: Sami Barakat, PharmD. and Natalia Jucha, PharmD. Candidate c/o 2022              Since the publication of the Institute of Medicine report To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System, there has been a growing movement to improve patient safety. The report revealed that more than 7000 deaths occur annually due to medication errors.1 It…

By: Darien Lee, Pharm D Candidate c/o 2021              Vancomycin, a glycopeptide antibiotic, is one of the most commonly used medications in hospitals. Its widespread use is attributed to its efficacy for the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections caused by gram-positive bacteria. One of its most notable features is its coverage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus…

By: Natalia Jucha PharmD Candidate c/o 2022              Due to the overuse and misuse of these medications, antibiotics are no longer as effective against their intended pathogens.1 In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its AWaRE Classification Database which stands for “Access, Watch and Reserve”.2 Clinicians use this database as a guide to appropriately…

By: Preethi Samuel, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o of 2021              In the United States, at least one person has a heart attack every 40 seconds and 1 of every 5 is silent.1 Heart attacks are commonly a result of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Preceding plaque buildup in arterial walls can potentially lead to a heart attack…

By: Jeremy Mesias, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022              It starts with a simple cough or a wheeze. Suddenly, it escalates to tightness in the chest. Breathing gets quicker but shallower, making you feel short of breath. These are the most common and recognizable symptoms of an asthma attack.  Around the world, nearly 300 million people…

By: Erica Tonti, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022 Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C, is a recent syndrome recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The emergent outbreak of COVID-19 brought concern as to who would be affected by MIS-C and how severe the impact of the syndrome would be. Children, thought to…

By: Adrian Wong, PharmD Candidate c/o 2021 On May 5, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its approval for Farxiga® (dapagliflozin) oral tablets to have a new indication: to lower the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization for adults with New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II-IV heart failure (HF) with reduced…

By: Katharine Russo, PharmD Candidate c/o 2021              As of July 1, 2000, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) mandated for the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree to be the sole degree required to enter pharmacy practice in the United States. ¹ With this advanced degree came the complex education, training, and clinical practice…