February 24, 2017

By Anna Herd

OXFORD, Miss. – As part of its roster of scientific research, the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy will join technology group STEERLife in a four-year collaborative project to revamp pharmaceutical drug development and manufacturing.

Murthy

STEERLife designs, creates and implements technology and processes for improving the quality of pharmaceutical products. The company approached Narasimha Murthy, professor of pharmaceutics and drug delivery, and Michael Repka, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, about combining its industrial capabilities with the professors’ academic expertise and in-depth research to develop high quality pharmaceutical products.

Repka is the director of the Pii Center for Pharmaceutical Technology within the School of Pharmacy. The Pii Center primarily interfaces with internal and external parters to create new pharmaceutical products using its hot-melt extrusion technology.

“[This collaboration] creates an opportunity for the development of solutions that could transform manufacturing and improve quality and compliance,” said Dipak Chattaraj, chairman of STEER America, STEERLife’s U.S.-based operation. “Further, it allows for the creation of innovative drug delivery platforms that are far more convenient to patients.”

Throughout the partnership, STEERLife will provide exclusive technology, equipment and training to the school, as well as sponsor doctoral research programs and mentor students pursuing graduate degrees in research.

“Our mission at the university has always been to improve health, well-being and quality of life by educating, conducting research and engaging in service,” Murthy said. “The partnership with STEERLife gives our students direct access to cutting-edge technology that opens up a world of new opportunities in innovative pharmaceutical applications that could positively impact consumers.”

February 20, 2017

By Anna Herd

Laurie Fleming

JACKSON, Miss. – Laurie Fleming, clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, has been recognized by the American Pharmacists Association. She will receive APhA’s 2017 Community Pharmacy Residency Excellence in Precepting Award.

The role of a preceptor is to mentor postgraduate student pharmacists in workplace situations. As part of the School of Pharmacy’s residency programs, Fleming, who is also a pharmacy practitioner, works alongside students and acts as a role model to teach skills needed to work in an ambulatory care setting.

In addition to this honor, Fleming was named the School of Pharmacy’s 2016 Preceptor of the Year by the pharmacy students. She has been a recipient of the school’s Teacher of the Year award four times. Previously, she served as president and association manager of the Mississippi Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Dylan Lindsay, a previous resident of the university’s Community Pharmacy Residency Program, nominated Fleming for the award. In his nomination letter, Lindsay highlighted Fleming’s commitment to her patients, residents and the profession, saying that she embodied “professional commitment and leadership.”

“This award is an amazing honor and is a direct result of the outstanding residents that I have precepted over the past 10 years,” Fleming said. “Their successes have been the most rewarding part of my career. I am indebted to my students, my colleagues and my family.”

Fleming went on to say that winning this award challenged her to be a better preceptor for her students and residents.

“Our profession allows us the opportunity to improve the lives of patients, no matter the practice setting,” she said. “Making even a small difference is so very meaningful.”

“Laurie has demonstrated excellence in precepting, mentoring, leadership and administration of the residency program,” said Seena Haines, chair and professor of pharmacy practice. “She has endless energy and passion that is infectious to our students and residents. I truly appreciate her time and dedication to developing outstanding representatives of community practice.”

Fleming will receive the award at the APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Francisco, March 24-27.

February 15, 2017

By Sydney DuPriest

OXFORD, Miss. – Pharmacy administration professor John Bentley became the chair of the Department of Pharmacy Administration in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy at the beginning of the spring semester.

Bentley received his Ph.D. in pharmacy administration from the UM School of Pharmacy in 1998 and began working as an assistant professor in the department upon graduating. He completed a BSPh at Drake University in 1993, and in 2011, he received his Ph.D. in biostatistics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Donna West-Strum, the previous chair, became one of the university’s two associate provosts for academic affairs on Jan. 1.

John Bentley

“John’s leadership and vision for our department combined with his drive and attention to detail has made him the ideal person to continue and grow the strong reputation of our group,” said Erin Holmes, professor in the pharmacy administration department.

The Department of Pharmacy Administration studies the cost, access and quality of pharmaceutical products and services. Key issues include pharmaceutical marketing, patient and provider interactions, health outcomes, and the evolving role of pharmacists in delivering quality health care.

Bentley has received numerous awards for his research and teaching, including the 2016 UM Faculty Achievement Award, the Excellence in Graduate Teaching and Mentoring Award from the university’s graduate school, and the School of Pharmacy Student Body’s Friend of the Student Award. He will reduce some of his teaching hours and will continue to conduct research.

“There is no doubt that John was the absolute right pick for this position,” said David D. Allen, dean of the School of Pharmacy. “Pharmacy administration has a history of exceptional leadership, and John upholds that with his experience, his work ethic and his ability to listen to his colleagues.”

As a longtime member of the pharmacy administration department, Bentley holds a set of core values he learned when he was a student, such as treating everyone with respect, valuing the perspectives of others and the importance of civil discourse.

“We work very collaboratively and try to foster a great deal of respect and mutual support amongst our faculty and graduate students,” Bentley said. “We try to create a culture where it’s OK for people to challenge each other. Our department gets along very well, but that doesn’t mean that we always agree with each other. It was fostered in me as a young faculty member that disagreements are about the matter at hand and never about the person.”

Bentley said the department has been so well managed that his primary goal is to build upon its success. The pharmacy administration department won the 2016 Excellence in Promoting Inclusiveness in Graduate Education Award and has a rich history of faculty teaching, service and research awards.

“This is such a great group of highly motivated people that I don’t want to be in their way,” Bentley said. “They’re going to do good work, and I want to facilitate that success.” 

The confidence goes both ways; all department faculty voiced support for Bentley’s transition to chair.

“John has been a pillar of the Department of Pharmacy Administration for many years,” said Lori Ward, assistant professor of pharmacy administration. “We know that he will continue to be a great example and lead our department to greater heights.”

January 24, 2017

By Sydney DuPriest

OXFORD, Miss. – Ikhlas Khan became director of the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy on Jan. 1.

Ikhlas Khan, director of the NCNPR

After receiving his doctorate in pharmacy from the Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology in Munich Germany, Khan joined the School of Pharmacy in 1988 as a postdoctoral research fellow and became NCNPR’s associate director in 2015. Founded in 1995, the NCNPR is the nation’s only university-affiliated research center devoted to improving human health and agricultural productivity through the discovery, development, and commercialization of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals derived from natural products. The center’s former director of 15 years, Larry Walker, retired Dec. 31, 2016.

Khan’s plans as director of NCNPR include steady improvement and a continuation of past successes.

“The vision is very simple and broad: We want to continue doing what has worked, but keep evolving,” Khan said. “Change is the only one thing should be constant. We have done a wonderful job over the last 20 years. The timing is right, and the expertise is in the house to take on any natural products challenge.”

Khan has been internationally recognized as a leader and innovator in the study of natural products. He has received honorary degrees and professorships from several international universities, including the University of Chinese Medicine in both Shaanxi and Hunan. In the field of natural products research, he has won the UM Distinguished Research Award, the Indian Association for the Study of Traditional Asian Medicine Zandu International Oration Award for Excellence in Research Contribution to Ayurvedic and/or Natural Products and the American Society of Pharmacognosy’s Varro E. Tyler Prize.

Khan’s research focuses on drug discovery and developing scientific tools for assessing the safety and chemical makeup of dietary supplements that are commercially available. Scientists at the NCNPR use these methods in conjunction with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a partnership established in 2001. The NCNPR was recognized by the FDA as a Center of Excellence for its research of botanical dietary supplements in 2006, and received the FDA Commissioner’s Special Citation in 2009.

Khan also established and directs the Sino-U.S. Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Center and the Center for Research of Indian Systems of Medicine, both at the university.

“He has a very strong collaborative vision,” Walker said. “He’s very open to new ideas and good at evaluating them. He knows how to take an opportunity and grow it to make it into an even bigger and more beneficial opportunity.”

One such opportunity was the creation of the annual Oxford International Conference on the Science of Botanicals. Khan was instrumental in the creation of the Oxford ICSB, designed to gather an international community of stakeholders to discuss issues related to quality and safety of botanicals. The conference has grown to over 250 participants from around the world. Khan also co-directs the NCNPR’s marijuana project, which grows marijuana and distributes it to researchers under a contract with the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

“Ikhlas will be fantastic in this role,” said David D. Allen, dean of the School of Pharmacy. “He has a clear vision for the quality and safety of natural products, and has a knack for leadership and for drawing people together to make things happen.”

“This is really an honor, and I am very grateful for this opportunity,” Khan said. “We have a state-of-the-art facility and wonderful colleagues with diverse expertise here.”

January 12, 2017

By Sydney Slotkin DuPriest

OXFORD, Miss. – Kristine Willett, professor of pharmacology and environmental toxicology, has been chosen as chair of the Department of BioMolecular Sciences in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy.

Willett

The Department of BioMolecular Sciences encompasses the divisions of environmental toxicology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacognosy and pharmacology. Several members of the department nominated Willett, a native of Wooster, Ohio, as a candidate for the position and encouraged her to pursue the opportunity.

As chair, recruiting new faculty and graduate students to enhance the school’s research and teaching expertise is one of her highest priorities, Willett said.

“We are in an exciting time in our department,” she said. “We must remain committed to strengthening our graduate program and recruiting and nurturing the best graduate students from local, regional and international pools.”

John Rimoldi, professor of medicinal chemistry, chaired the search committee for Willett’s position. They have worked together since Willett joined the school in 2000.

“Kristie brings commitment, service and optimism to this position,” Rimoldi said. “The faculty will benefit from her collective experiences in toxicology research and education at the university and national levels. I am confident she will provide inspired leadership to the department.”

Willett’s research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of toxicity and human diseases. Her lab uses zebrafish to screen for potential ways to control seizures and study the effects of environmental contaminants on early development. Her research is supported by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The School of Pharmacy has recognized Willett as a Distinguished Teaching Scholar, and she has taught courses in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College since 2009. Nationally, she is chair of the Society of Toxicology’s undergraduate education committee and mentors the graduate student council as part of the board of directors of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

“Kristie is deeply and diversely involved on campus and in the School of Pharmacy,” said David D. Allen, dean of the School of Pharmacy. “She has a strong vision for the future of the department and an incredibly positive and can-do attitude, which are absolutely essential to lead in this capacity.”

Willett said she hopes to help ensure the success of the department’s faculty, staff and students by “reflecting a positive attitude and commitment to place.”

“I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to develop my career here at the University of Mississippi, and I look forward to facilitating the continued success of our department and school,” she said.

December 2, 2016

By Anna Herd

JACKSON, Miss. – Kandis Backus, a fourth-year student in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, found a volunteer experience to be inspiring. She not only discovered a career path but also will have a paper published in Sexually Transmitted Diseases, the journal of the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association in February 2017.

Kandis Backus

A Chicago native, Backus’ paper, “Trichomonas vaginalis treated with boric acid in a metronidazole allergic female,” focuses on research she conducted on HIV and sexually transmitted infections while volunteering at the Open Arms Healthcare Center in Jackson, which specializes in care for the LGBTI community. After standard treatment was unsuccessful for a patient diagnosed with the sexually transmitted infection trichomoniasis, Backus consulted literature on treating the illness, eventually finding a cure in boric acid.

While volunteering, Backus shadowed Billy Brown, an HIV pharmacist at the VA Medical Center.

“Managing HIV disease can be very complicated and intimidating at times,” Brown said. “Over the years I have witnessed both pharmacy students and pharmacy residents who are initially reluctant to interview an HIV-infected patient. Kandis never gave it a second thought. Our patients enjoyed her because she did not only showcase her passion for managing HIV disease, but more importantly, she allowed her compassion for patients to reign supreme.”

Backus hopes her volunteer experience will lead to eventually working with HIV patients in a clinical setting.

“I encourage other students to volunteer, to help them find their passion,” Backus said. “Without this experience, I doubt I would have developed a passion for HIV.”

During her time at Open Arms, she worked alongside Laura Beauchamps, then the clinic’s medical director, researching literature, treating patients and contacting their primary care physicians.

“Kandis was very motivated to learn about [sexually transmitted infections] and HIV care and prevention at our clinic,” Beauchamps said. “I think she will have a brilliant future as a pharmacist.” 

Backus will receive her Pharm.D. in May 2017, and hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences.

“For years I have wondered what pharmacist would be willing to step into the role of managing HIV in Mississippi,” Brown said. “I believe I found that person in Kandis.”

By Anna Herd

November 29, 2016

Two students from the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy will participate in the annual American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Clinical Skills Competition, where student pharmacists demonstrate their ability to analyze and respond to clinical pharmacy scenarios.

Colleen Riley

PY4s Colleen Riley from Kansas City, Missouri, and Cody Taylor from Booneville, Mississippi, were chosen based on their performance in a local, similar competition hosted by the university’s student chapter of ASHP.

Both the local and national competitions require students to analyze a patient’s case and provide a comprehensive treatment plan using their knowledge of pharmacy. To prepare for the national competition, Riley and Taylor have studied the previous year’s competition topics and spoken with former competitors about what to expect.

Cody Taylor

“First, you have to be able to prioritize the correct problem,” Taylor said. “You have to pick out what the patient’s most serious issue is. We have to quickly recall treatment options and guideline recommendations. Knowing drug classes and how to monitor these drugs, both therapeutically and toxicity, is also very important.

Competitors are called on to demonstrate not only technical and scientific principles they learn in the classroom but also interpersonal and leadership skills that are required of pharmacists.

“The competition requires teamwork, efficiency, communication skills, problem solving, time management and decisiveness,” Riley said. “We must work together to make decisions about ranking problems and treating them.”

The students “have done an excellent job at preparing for the competition,” said Joshua Fleming, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice and a co-adviser for the ASHP student chapter.

Riley and Taylor both hope to complete a Postgraduate Year One (PGY1) residency upon graduating. Taylor would like to continue into a PGY2 residency in critical care or infectious diseases, and Riley hopes to become a clinical pharmacist in a hospital.

“This competition will not only help me become a more competitive residency candidate but also improve upon the skills I will need to be a good resident and pharmacist,” Riley said.

Riley and Taylor will compete at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting in Las Vegas on Dec. 3.

November 17, 2016

By Anna Herd

Jasmine Turner

OXFORD, Miss. – Jasmine Turner, a fourth-year pharmacy student in the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, received a $1,000 grant from the 2016 EPIC Pharmacies student grant program in November.

EPIC Pharmacies is a national group of independent pharmacies that annually provides grants to pharmacy students who plan to practice in independent pharmacy after graduation. This is the second year in a row Turner, a native of Tippo, Mississippi, has received this grant.

“I feel proud to be in the midst of such an amazing, supportive and selfless group of individuals who have aimed to build stronger patient relationships and deeper communities within independent pharmacies,” Turner said. “This scholarship recognizes the hard work that I have put into pharmacy as well as myself. It also provides me with lifelong networking opportunities with other independent pharmacists.”

Turner was chosen for the grant based on her application that detailed her pharmacy-related employment, professional service activities and honors, as well as faculty recommendations and an essay about her career goals, which include practicing in an independent, rural community pharmacy.

“Jasmine exhibits many qualities that would allow her to excel in a community pharmacy setting, including excellent leadership and teamwork skills and extensive experience working with independent pharmacies in rural areas of Mississippi,” said David Gregory, associate dean for academic affairs, who recommended Turner for the grant. “She is truly keen about her career choice, and she looks forward to serving the profession of pharmacy in a positive manner.”

Turner said her desire to work in rural community pharmacy stems from her connection to and care for the people of her small town of Tippo.

“Growing up in such a small place, I want to serve those who have played a role in making me who I am today,” Turner said. “My ultimate goal is to help my patients get healthy and stay healthy not only by being their pharmacist but also by being a friend, a mentor and a leader.”

November 10, 2016

By Sydney Slotkin

OXFORD, Miss. – Every year, School of Pharmacy scientists present their research findings at the school’s poster session to explore one another’s work and create partnerships. Now in its 20th year, the poster session is a well-attended forum for scientific conversation, thanks to the efforts of Julie Mikell, School of Pharmacy principal research and development chemist.

Julie Mikell at the 2016 poster session.

“It’s a great way to see what everyone else is doing,” Mikell said. “Seeing other people’s work could spark a collaboration. You might need someone to help you with a particular part of your research, and by attending this session, you can find and talk to other researchers who may have that particular expertise.”

The idea for the poster session started by way of an interviewee who worked at a university that regularly held a poster session. Inspired by the potential for collaboration, the school invited scientists to share posters of their findings for the first time in 1996. After the success of the first year, Alice Clark, vice chancellor for research and sponsored programs, approached Mikell about taking charge of the event.

Since then, the poster session has grown to over 100 posters annually. Several years ago, a poster session website was created, giving Mikell more time to focus on the synergy the session was designed to foster. A session for posters from each department in the school was added in 2012.

“This was all new to me,” Mikell said. “It’s not my background. I am a scientist. But I do like to organize things. When given an idea, I am able to sit down and work out the minor details to make it work. That’s just part of me.”

In addition to putting on the biggest display of the School of Pharmacy’s research each year, Mikell has had a long and productive career. Her work as a chemist includes identifying and isolating organic compounds found in or created by plants. She developed the process by which the school extracts plant matter for research purposes. Before the school purchased an instrument that would do it all for her, she personally ground plant samples, extracted them, inventoried them and then submitted them for testing and experimentation.

Her success in managing the poster session can be attributed to her organization and dedication, as well as a small team she works with.

“I do not require a lot,” Mikell said, of the guidelines to submit a research poster. “To streamline the process I don’t insist on an abstract be submitted, I only require basic information such as title, author, who’s presenting and what department they’re from. The title will allow attendees to see if it is something they are interested in.”

October 24, 2016

By Sydney DuPriest

OXFORD, Miss. – John E. Murphy, professor and associate dean for academic affairs at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, delivered the 2016 Coy W. Waller Distinguished Lecture at the University of Mississippi.

Dr. John E. Murphy of the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy.

The Nov. 4 lecture, “Pharmacy World Domination,” was presented at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. The School of Pharmacy and its Department of Pharmacy Practice sponsored this free event.

Murphy is a former interim dean of the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy. He is also a professor of family and community medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson and an honorary professor at the University of Otago School of Pharmacy in New Zealand.

He earned his B.S. and Pharm.D. degrees from the University of Florida in Gainesville, and has published more than 200 papers, 100 abstracts, five editions of Clinical Pharmacokinetics and is co-editor of the Pharmacotherapy Self-Assessment Program.

Murphy has also served as president of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and Georgia Society of Hospital Pharmacists. Among his numerous professional and teaching recognitions are the Award for Sustained Contributions to the Literature of Pharmacy Practice from the ASHP Research and Education Foundation, the ASHP Whitney award, the ACCP Education Award and the Robert K. Chalmers Distinguished Teaching Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

The Coy W. Waller Distinguished Lecture series was established in 2004 to recognize the former director of the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences’ contributions to the field of pharmaceutics and the pharmacy school. Each year, a department within the school hosts the lecture, and lecturers are selected for their contributions to the host department’s discipline.

“The Department of Pharmacy Practice was very honored to have Dr. John Murphy as this year’s Coy W. Waller lecturer,” said Seena Haines, pharmacy practice chair. “He has made significant contributions to our profession through numerous accomplishments related to his academic career, clinical practice advancement and service to the profession.”