By: Charles George, Pharm.D. – Charles George, Pharm.D. is a recent graduate from the University of Florida in 2011.  He currently works as a community pharmacist for Walgreens Pharmacy in the Central Florida area.  Since graduation, his daily interaction with patients revealed the need for pharmacists to adapt to the evolving role of community pharmacy. …

By: Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi – As previously reported, the recent rise in violence against pharmacies (by people in search of narcotic medications) has riled the New York State legislature into action.  The attorney general has also joined the fray in the fight against prescription drug abuse.  Last June, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, proposed setting…

By: Mohamed Dungersi – Starting July 1, 2012, Albertans will be able to have their prescriptions renewed at their local pharmacies and pharmacists will receive reimbursements for the service.  Patients will be able to renew medications for blood pressure, birth control, and asthma (particularly, inhalers) without waiting weeks to get into their family doctor’s office.…

By: Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi – Express Scripts Inc., one of the nation’s top pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), has announced a $29 billion deal to take over one of its top competitors, Medco Health Solutions Inc.  Medco shareholders re-approved the merger on December 21.  For finalization, it needs the approval of Express Scripts’ shareholders and the…

By: Ebey P. Soman – Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are medications commonly prescribed to treat heartburn, acid reflux disease, and ulcers.  Almost a vast majority of patients in the United States seem to be taking a PPI, either as a prescription or from over-the-counter (OTC).  Researchers recently discovered associations between the long-term use of PPIs…

By: Ronik Saha, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – Clopidogrel (Plavix®) is a thienopyridine antiplatelet agent, which exerts its antiplatelet effects via in vivo conversion to an active thiol metabolite that irreversibly blocks the P2Y-12 component of platelet ADP receptors.  This prevents activation of the GP2B/3A complex, thereby preventing platelet aggregation.  Along with aspirin, clopidogrel reduces…

By: Neal Shah – Osteoporosis is a disease of the bone characterized by decreased bone mineral density (BMD), which reduces the ability of bone to provide adequate structural support.  The main cause of this decreased BMD is inadequate calcium intake or absorption.  The decreased BMD can cause diffuse lesions throughout the skeletal system and can…

By: Marie Huang – Each month, 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 or…

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: Ebey P. Soman – New York State’s Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage Program (EPIC) is a secondary prescription insurance program for over 280,000 income-eligible seniors aged 65 and older.  The program supplements members’ out-of-pocket Medicare Part D drug plan costs.  To be eligible, the senior must be a state resident with an annual income of…

By: Sandra Leal Pharm.D., CDE –  Sandra Leal, PharmD, CDE is the Director of Clinical Pharmacy at El Rio Health Center in Tucson, Arizona. Dr. Leal is the first pharmacist in Arizona to receive prescriptive authority under collaborative practice. She is currently the Co-Chair of HRSA’s Patient Safety and Clinical Pharmacy Services Collaborative, a national…

By: Aleena Chacko, Long Island University Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – Established in 1996, Novartis International AG is a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Switzerland.  On January 8, 2012, Novartis issued a recall on some popular over the counter (OTC) medications in the United States (U.S.) over concerns about broken or incorrect tablets ending up…

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: Alisha Kumar, PharmD Candidate c/o 2012 – Express Scripts proposed a $29 billion acquisition of Medco Health back in July 2011, and Medco’s shareholders almost unanimously accepted the offer.  According to Medco’s press release, the plan was approved by a margin of 99% to 1%, with approximately 72% of its shareholders voting. The two…

By: Yining Shao – Greetings fellow Rho Chi members and fellow pharmacy candidates! In thinking about my presidency, the following comes to mind: “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” This quote, first stated by John F. Kennedy, remains true today. To be a good leader is not to simply dictate, but rather to…

By Dr. Sharon See, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS – Sharon See, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Clinical Pharmacy Practice Department 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 member in the Beth…

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: Marie Huang – Back in December, the FDA was overruled by the presidential administration to make Plan B (levonorgestrel 1.5 mg) an over-the-counter (OTC) medication.1  We became interested in the matter, and asked our fellow students if Plan B should be available to people of all ages directly off of drugstore / supermarket shelves…

By: Ebey P. Soman – Since its discovery in Tanganyika (modern day Mozambique and Tanzania in Africa) in 1952, Chikungunya virus outbreaks have been documented in Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.  Due to recent globalization and increased travel, infection has also spread outside of tropical regions and even into western nations (such as the…

By: Nandini Puranprashad, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – On January 17, the Rho Chi Beta Delta Chapter at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions held its annual Induction Ceremony at Verdi’s of Whitestone.  Membership is a privilege accorded to the very few who distinguish themselves by their academic and professional achievement.…

By Lunbao (Jerry) Huang, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – Over the last two decades, there has been an increasing focus on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, most commonly known as liver cancer).  In the United States, as of 2011, there have been an estimated 26,190 new cases and 19,590 deaths from both hepatic and intrahepatic bile duct cancer.  Defined by the…

By: Gokul Kalla, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – Hypertension is a chronic disease that affects one out of every three Americans.  Leaving the condition untreated could increase the risk of serious health consequences such as a stroke or a heart attack.  On December 21, the FDA approved Takeda Pharmaceuticals’ Edarbyclor® (azilsartan medoxomil and chlorthalidone) for…

By: Bethsy Jacob, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2014 – On November 16, 2011, Dr. Joia Mukherjee, Medical Director of Partners in Healthcare (PIH), presented for GlobeMed at Columbia University.  Manzi Anatole, a hired nurse in Rwanda, accompanied Dr. Mukherjee.  Along with a handful of her students, Dr. Joanne Carroll arranged a trip to the open event. …

By Jena Marion, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – On December 12, 2011, the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) ruled to place carisoprodol (Soma®) into Schedule IV of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).  Carisoprodol has been in use since it was approved for marketing in the U.S. in 1959 with the indication of “relief…

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: Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi – We have all heard the mortifying tales of recent attacks on pharmacies by addicts looking to steal prescription pain-killers. Most notable perhaps, was the case of David Laffers. Mr. Laffers walked into Haven Drugs in Medford, NY and killed the pharmacist, a store clerk, and two customers, who happened to…

By: Ruby Lin, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – Rotation selection begins around mid-October for fifth year pharmacy students.  You may begin to panic about what sites you should choose from the huge selection that St. John’s University offers.  Your upperclassmen may try to help you by sharing their rotation experiences.  Alas, what do you do…

By Ebey P. Soman – Many living organisms occupy our intestines to aid us with metabolism, recycling of hormones, and, most importantly, protection against foreign pathogens.  When this normal flora of bacteria is altered or eliminated via antibiotic use, there is an opportunity for Clostridium difficile to infect us.  Stool transplant, or fecal bacteriotherapy, is…

By: Dr. Manouchkathe Cassagnol – Dr. Manouchkathe Cassagnol is an Assistant Clinical Professor at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions and a Clinical Coordinator of Internal Medicine and Cardiology Pharmacotherapy at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. About 81 million people in this country suffer from cardiovascular disease. Therefore, as pharmacy practitioners,…

By: Marie Huang – Each month, Rho Chi Post editors have the wonderful opportunity to sit down with an inspiring leader among the student pharmacists here at St. John’s University – someone who is not afraid to stand apart from the crowd and can be the change he or she wants to see in the…

By: Nandini Puranprashad – As primary advocators of patient care, student pharmacists and pharmacists are well on their way in changing the public’s impression of us staying behind the counter at the corner drugstore doing nothing but “counting, licking, and sticking.” It is time to step out of the classroom and from behind the counters…

By: Jimmy Johnson, PharmD Candidate c/o 2012 – Drug shortages have become more and more of an issue in the health care industry. There are over 200 drugs on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) drug shortage list – a number that has tripled in the last five years.1 The largest impact has been on anesthesia…

By: Alisha Kumar, PharmD Candidate c/o 2012 – HIV transmission via organ transplantation is rare in the United States. However, after a public health investigation in 2010, a case of HIV transmission via kidney transplantation was confirmed. The kidney recipient had no history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), injection drug use, sex with injection drug…

By: Maria Sorbera, AMSCOP at LIU, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013 – Maria Sorbera is the President of the Rho Chi Beta Theta Chapter at the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy at Long Island University (LIU). She is a strong advocate of networking with fellow pharmacists, as well as the need for more unity…

By: Neal Shah – Dr. Ashby is a well-known Pharmacology professor for student pharmacists studying in their professional years. He graduated from the University of Louisville with a BA in Biology and Psychology in 1983. After obtaining his PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Louisville in 1987, he continued his education by obtaining 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: Neal Shah – The focus of pharmacy is rapidly shifting from simple filling and dispensing of prescriptions to preventative medicine and efficient clinical practice. The field of genetics has been incorporated in many defining therapies and will continue to shape how we treat our patients. Examples discussed here are the roles of human leukocyte…

By: Shivani Kapadia & Nancy Simon, PharmD Candidate c/o 2016 – For us, “Live from NY” was a very memorable event. It was collaboratively-hosted by the American Pharmacists Association chapters across the east coast on the morning of October 5th to celebrate the start of American Pharmacists Month. During this event, students arrived in New…

By; Nikunj Vyas, PharmD Candidate c/o 2012 – Seasonal flu vaccines protect us against the three influenza viruses that researchers predict will be the most common viral strains during the flu season. The viruses in the vaccine change each year based on international surveillance and scientists‘ estimations about the types and strains of viruses that…

By: Dr. Olga Hilas – Foreword: Dr. Olga Hilas is an Associate Clinical Professor at Saint John’s University and a Clinical Pharmacy Manager in internal medicine and geriatrics at Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Hilas agreed to provide feedback to in response to Ebey’s article entitled, “Big Pharma vs. Developing Countries: Debating Generic Drugs and…

By: Dr. Bernard Sorofman – Foreword: Dr. Bernard Sorofman is a pharmacy professor and Chair of Pharmacy Practice and Science, as well as the Executive Associate Dean at the College of Pharmacy for the University of Iowa. One of our student editors, Ebey P. Soman, had the privilege to attend and meet Dr. Sorofman at…

By: Ebey P. Soman – Dr. Abu Serajuddin is a true inspiration for student pharmacists who wish to enter the pharmaceutical industry setting. He attained his Bachelors of Pharmacy with honors at Dhaka University in Bangladesh and majored in Pharmaceutics to get his Master of Sciences degree at Columbia University in New York. He obtained…

By: Ebey P. Soman – During a seminar held by the Career Center on September 30th, 2011, I had the opportunity to hear Mrs. Laura Cranston. She is a pharmacy graduate of St. John‟s University (class of 1984) and a former Executive Resident of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP). Dr. Robert Mangione, Dean…

By: Ebey P. Soman – The World Trade Organization (WTO) and its member nations met in Uruguay in 1994 to establish international norms for trade, economy, and development. They developed the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which provided patent protection for pharmaceutical companies to make brand name medications and market those…

By: Marie Huang – Every month, Rho Chi Post has the wonderful opportunity to sit down and talk to an inspiring leader among the student pharmacists here at St. John‟s – someone who is not afraid to stand apart from the crowd and can be the change he or she wants to see in the…