By: Nancy Simon, PharmD c/o 2016 – Last November, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) submitted a proposal for a Generic Drug Labeling Plan.  This new plan will allow generic drug companies to use the same process as the one used by brand drug companies to update their medication labels to reflect new safety information.1…

By: Valentina DiGangi,PharmD Candidate c/o 2017, Brandon Hu, PharmD Candidate c/o 2018, Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor, Samantha Lau, PharmD Candidate c/o 2018, and Seowoo Yoon, PharmD Candidate c/o 2018 – What does a clinician do when there is limited access to a particular drug, such as morphine? Should they treat a patient who is…

By: Aleena Cherian, Co-Copy Editor [Graphics-focused] – From December 8th to 12th 2013, over 20,000 student pharmacists, residents, fellows, pharmacy technicians, new practitioners, and seasoned professionals all gathered in Orlando, Florida for the 48th Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition, hosted by the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP). The schedules were packed with a number…

By: Jenny Park, Pharm. D. Candidate c/o 2015 – As the Affordable Care Act brings health care to many people who are currently uninsured, healthcare providers should expect an increase in the number of patients who don’t understand their plan, disease states, and medications. Health literacy is defined as “the degree to which individuals have…

      The Student Society of Health-system Pharmacy (SSHP) seeks to educate pharmacy students on the future of clinical pharmacy practice and the role that health-system pharmacists play as vital healthcare experts. The Society fosters professional and personal development, provides a strong network of pharmacy leadership, and promotes membership in both the American Society…

By: Hamid Razaki, PharmD – Drug shortages seen across pharmacies in the United States continue to be an issue in patient care. A drug product shortage is defined as a supply issue that affects how the pharmacy prepares or dispenses a drug product, or that influences patient care when prescribers must use an alternative agent.1…

By: Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor – Pharmacy, like much of medicine, is constantly changing, and the new changes in pharmacy practice are even happening to technicians. While there were originally no national standards for pharmacy-technician education and training, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) have…

By: Hayeon Na, Co-Copy Editor and Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor – In Volume 1 Issue1 of the Rho Chi Post, we were honored to have an interview with Sandra Leal, PharmD, MPH, FAPhA, CDE, and Director of Clinical Pharmacy at El Rio Health Center in Tucson, Arizona. She had started a petition to support…

By: David Ong, PharmD Candidate c/o 2014 – Manipulating the renin-angiotensin system is one of the many ways drugs are used to treat hypertension. By blocking key steps in the renin-angiotensin cascade, blood pressure decrease may be achieved. Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) represent one of the drug classes that utilize the aforementioned mechanism. ARBs…

By Davidta Brown, Staff Editor – For post-operative pain treatment, few drugs are as trustworthy, as tried-and-true, as codeine. Prescriptive confidence in the analgesic has promoted its use in children recovering from uncomplicated surgeries, but the spate of injuries and deaths of young children who had been given codeine after undergoing adenotonsillectomies has provoked a…

By: Mohamed Dungersi, Associate Student Editor – A recent We the People petition on the White House official website has reached the 25,000 signature threshold needed to trigger an official response.  The petition tilted “Recognize pharmacists as health care providers”, was initiated by the current editor in chief of the Rho Chi Post, Steve Soman.1 …

By: James W. Schurr, PharmD Candidate c/o 2014 – Nutrition Support Pharmacy is a specialized practice pertaining to the needs of patients receiving Parenteral (PN) or Enteral Nutrition (EN).  Nutrition Support Pharmacists (NSPs) are integral members of the nutritional support team and bring valuable skills and knowledge to the clinical practice setting.  The Board of…

By: Steve P. Soman – Mirabegron (Mybetriq®), known also by the brand name Betanis®in Japan, is a new once daily oral drug.   First in its class, it is a selective β(3)-adrenoceptor agonist that improves symptoms associated with over active bladder (OAB) such as urinary incontinence, urgency, and urinary frequency by enhancing storage function and relaxing…

By: Alissa Karr, Purdue University College of Pharmacy Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2012 –      Alissa Karr is a PharmD Graduate from Purdue University College of Pharmacy, Class of 2012.  She is the current secretary of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) StuNet Advisory Committee.  Her post-graduation plans are to obtain a pharmacy practice…

By: Marie Huang – Each month, the Rho Chi Post has the wonderful opportunity to sit down with an inspiring leader among the student pharmacists here at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions – someone who is not afraid to stand apart from the crowd and can be the change he…

By: Nandini Puranprashad – This year we had an awesome turnout of 17 attendees representing the American Pharmacist Association Academy of Student Pharmacist (APhA-ASP) chapter of St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions at the APhA 2012 Annual Meeting & Exposition held in New Orleans from March 9th – 12th, 2012. New…

By: Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi – As previously reported, there is currently great concern in the medical community because of the growing number of drug shortages.  Many of these are drugs that are critical to patient care, such as chemotherapy agents and antibiotics.  Last October, President Obama issued an executive order in an attempt to curb…

By: Shannon Tellier – Dr. Tran is an assistant clinical professor at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, and a clinical pharmacy manager in Internal Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian: Columbia University Medical Center.  She received her BS in Public Health and Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel…

By Dr. Tina Kanmaz – Dr. Kanmaz is the Assistant Dean for Experiential Pharmacy Education and Associate Clinical Professor at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions. Pharmacy practice residency training is a one-year program that serves as a bridge for the recent Doctor of Pharmacy graduate (with little to no independent…

By: Sum Lam, PharmD, CGP, BCPS, FASCP – Sum Lam, Pharm.D., CGP, BCPS, FASCP is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy Practice at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions.  In conjunction with her full time appointment at St. John’s University, she is a clinical faculty at Geriatric…

By: Dr. Regina Ginzburg – Regina Ginzburg is an Associate Clinical Professor of St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions. Her clinical site is at the Institute for Family Health (IFH) where she is an appointed faculty member for the Beth Israel Residency in Urban Family Health. She and Dr. See oversee…

By: Dr. Gregory J. Hughes – Gregory J. Hughes, PharmD, BCPS, CGP is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Clinical Pharmacy Practice department at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions.  He completed his pharmacy practice residency at the St. Louis VA Medical Center and the St. Louis College of Pharmacy with…

By: Anon, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2012 – This year’s ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting took place in New Orleans, Louisiana from December 4 – 8, 2011.  It was a keystone moment for many pharmacy students, and especially for those in their final year and in pursuit of a residency, fellowship, or hospital staffing position around the…

By: Christine Liaw, PharmD Candidate c/o 2012 – The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition is the largest congregation for the pharmacy industry with an attendance of more than 20,000 professionals.  This year’s meeting included the New Practitioner’s Conference, CareerPharm’s Personnel Placement Service (PPS), the Residency Showcase, and an exhibit…

By: Mark Shen, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2012 – Adding to Ms. Liaw’s article, my preparation for the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting included creating and printing my curriculum vitae, printing my transcript, searching for sites that I was interested in, and thinking of questions to ask the residents and residency directors.  I also had to contact…

By: Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi – Dr. Elizabeth Palillo graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2006. She then worked as a manager at CVS for a year and a half, and eventually moved to New York, where she worked at two other CVS stores. Dr. Palillo then left CVS and joined Bronx-Lebanon Hospital as a…

By: Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, with special thanks to Dr. Tomasz Jodlowski – Drug shortages have plagued health care institutions in recent years; they present a serious problem to health care delivery on a national scale. In 2004, there were 58 drug shortages; now, in 2011, this number has increased to 198. Due to limited access…

By: Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi – On October 21st, St. John‘s University hosted the annual pharmacy residency and fellowship showcase, where representatives from various institutions provided information about their post-graduate programs. A total of 36 programs from the New York / metropolitan area, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Connecticut were in attendance. Many of these were represented…

By Marie Huang – On September 22nd, members of Rho Chi gathered in Sullivan Hall Room 306 for the first General Body Meeting of the semester. As President Mohamed Dungersi stepped to the front of the room and reintroduced the executive board, students quietly helped themselves to scrumptious, hot slices of Domino‟s Pizza, and retreated…