By: Mohamed Dungersi & Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, Associate Student Editors – Each month, the editors at the Rho Chi Post have the opportunity to interview one or more of our faculty members. This month, we had the tremendous opportunity to interview the dean of St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, Dean…

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: Mohamed Dungersi, Associate Student Editor – Dr. William Maidhof is an Assistant Professor and Industry Professional in the Clinical Pharmacy Practice department of the St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions. He is an alumnus of St. John’s University who graduated in 1999 with a BS in Pharmacy and again in…

By: Lunbao Huang Pharm D. Candidate c/o 2013 – The seventh report of the Joint National Committee on high blood pressure (JNC-7) states that most classes of antihypertensive drugs such as angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin-II receptor blockers (ARBs), beta-blockers (BBs), diuretics, and aldosterone-receptor antagonists can be used for hypertensive heart failure patients except…

By: Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi – Many pharmacists were disappointed that New York was the 49th state to allow pharmacists to immunize in December 2008. Even then, the state legislature limited pharmacists to administering the influenza vaccine and the pneumococcal vaccine to those 18 years and older. There is now some exciting news from Albany. The…

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: 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: Mohamed Dungersi – On January 27, the FDA approved Bydureon® (exenatide extended-release) for use in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), as an adjunct to diet and exercise.  Bydureon®, a product of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, is a modified formulation of the twice-daily injection, Byetta® (exenatide).  It is the first once-a-week medication for T2DM in the market.…

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: Ebey P. Soman – With clearly established roles for pharmacists, compounding is recognized and upheld as a core foundation of the pharmacy profession.   It allows pharmacists to provide unique and tailored medication regimens for their patients.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) thought otherwise when the agency sued Franck’s Lab, Inc., a Florida-based…

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: Khilna Patel, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2012 – On October 25 of this year, Eli Lilly and Company announced a worldwide market withdrawal of Xigris (drotrecogin alfa), a drug previously indicated to treat severe sepsis in high-risk patients.  Drotrecogin alfa is a recombinant form of human activated protein C.  The efficacy of drotrecogin alfa was…

By: Neal Shah – There are two major classifications of drug-receptor activity: agonism and antagonism. Agonism occurs when a molecule binds to a receptor, causes an exertion of normal receptor operation, and eventually causes a response. Antagonism of a receptor occurs when a molecule binds to the receptor and does not allow activity to occur.1…

By: Neal Shah – Part I:              Preface. Part II:             Brief review of cardiac electrophysiology. Part III:           Ivabradine as a novel If blocker for the use of stable angina. Part IV:           On the horizon: trimetazidine. – PREFACE When viewed anatomically, the heart may seem like a simple organ.  However, the electrophysiological aspects of the heart are…

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: 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; 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: Neal Shah – As the year comes to a close, many pharmacy students are turning their sights onto the process of residency interviews. Residencies provide a competitive edge and an educational fulfillment to future pharmacists who wish to engage in clinical practice. On October 26th, Rho Chi held its first Mock Residency Interviews, open…

By: Ebey P. Soman – Meet Dr. Parnali Chatterjee, a new faculty member in our St. John’s University family. I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Chatterjee at the doctoral seminar hosted by Dr. Lin Mantell entitled, “Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics in Drug Discovery and Development.” I was introduced to Dr. Chatterjee through Dr. Frank…