About Snpha
The Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) was founded in 1972 on the campus of Florida A & M University, when Sharon Roquemore (now Sharon Lovick Edwards) and John J. Scrivens organized that first meeting. In addition to the students from Florida A & M University, students from Howard University, Texas Southern University, Xavier University and other schools were in attendance. The meeting participants numbered about one hundred.
Our many years of success are in part due to the outstanding leadership the association has had over the years. Mr. Clinton C. Cunningham was the first Executive Secretary; serving from 1972-1974. Mr. Ralph Arline (deceased) succeeded him from 1974-1979. It was in 1979 that SNPhA gained its first female leader, Heidi Anderson (now Dr. Heidi Anderson-Harper). For ten years, she provided strong leadership bringing SNPhA into a new era. Dr. Marisa Lewis took the helm in 1989 and continued for the next 16 years in the capacity, the longest tenure of any Executive Director. Dr. Carmita Coleman served as the executive director from 2008 until 2016. The current SNPhA administration includes Dr. Kimberly Lewis as the executive director. Over the years, SNPhA has been blessed with several assistant executive directors, who included Dr. Terri Smith-Moore, Dr. Monica Lahoz, Dr. Patricia Lieveld, Dr. Julie Smith, and Dr. George Okpamen.
Mission
SNPhA is an educational service association of pharmacy students who are concerned about the profession of pharmacy, healthcare issues, and the poor minority representation in these areas. The purpose of SNPhA is to plan, organize, coordinate, and execute programs geared toward the improvement of the health, educational, and social environment of minority communities
Objectives
To offer student members the opportunity to develop leadership and professional skills.
To educate students about, and promote active participation in national healthcare issues.
To develop the role of the minority health professional as a vital member of the healthcare team.
To develop within communities a positive image of minority health professionals.
To educate communities on better health practices and to increase their awareness and understanding of diseases.
About the Signatura
The Signatura is a newsletter by the Student National Pharmaceutical Association dedicated to highlight the activity and events of our 5 regions across the country. This quarterly publication serves to document the life of the organization, its members, sponsors, and partners.
A message from our national President
Joseph Washington
Greetings! Welcome to the fall edition of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association newsletter, The Signatura! As an organization that caters to over 5000 members and over 100 chapters nationwide, SNPhA's mission to serve the underserved and build up the next generation of pharmacy leaders is paramount. As we press forward amidst uncertainty within our respective communities, we seek to find new and innovative ways to connect, share, and grow as a SNPhAM. It is our hope that despite a pandemic and unrest in our respective communities, that we broaden our platform as a student-led organization, heed the call to action as future healthcare professionals, and maintain our stronghold as a resource for those in need.
Together, our journey continues!
- Joseph Washington, SNPhA National President
Keck Graduate Institute
On the weekend of 12/18-12/22, KGI SNPhA members assisted with helping administer COVID vaccines to the hospital workers of Queen of the Presbyterian Hospital in Covina, CA. Several KGI SNPhA members volunteered their time throughout the days to help with registration and administration of the COVID-19 vaccines. We worked alongside pharmacy school students from the surrounding areas but collectively we gave out about 4000 vaccinations the hospital staff of Queen of the Presbyterian Hospital.
This event was particularly interesting because we were coordinating this event with the hospital director in the midst of finals week! Even though this was definitely a stressful time, we understood the importance of student pharmacist involvement in ending this pandemic and we were ecstatic to get an early shot at administering the vaccines to our fellow healthcare workers!
It was a great experience and we really felt empowered to do our part as health care professionals with ending this pandemic. We hope that this encourages fellow SNPhA chapters to do their part in ending the COVID-19 pandemic by participating in vaccine clinics and promoting the overall importance of receiving vaccines!
THE Pfizer Vaccine!
KGI SNPhA P4 Member, Hollie Maguire representing what SNPhA does best! We're so proud!
KGI SNPhA President Elect, Vedanshi Bhojak, aiding the community on our path to better health together. Great Job!
KGI SNPhA President, Kristian Tan leading the charge in this community effort to fight the spread. Way to go!
Washington State University
As the Fall semester started, SNPhA members were eager to serve the greater community, especially in midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Washington State University SNPhA Chapter partnered with the Range Health Mobile Clinic in September to provide COVID testing at the WSU Pullman campus. In a course of 3 days, SNPhA members tested over 200 undergraduate and graduate students in Pullman. As the COVID rates were increasing at a very fast rate in Pullman, it was important to provide testing and educate students about social distancing. The energy, motivation, and passion from the WSU SNPhA members to serve the greater community gave way towards creating more testing and immunization events later in the semester.
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
COVID-19 posed a significant challenge in coordinating events that all of our members could participate in. Fortunately, our chapter welcomed the challenge in successfully coordinating an in-person community event for Drug Take Back Day this past fall! We collected 72 pounds of medications to be safely disposed of! This event served as testament to the impact we make has health professionals when we strategize and coordinate events with our communities in mind!
University of Texas
During the fall and winter UT SNPhAM aided in building up the next generation of pharmacy leaders by helping prepare future pharmacy school students for their interviews! Since interviews for any program will likely be virtual for the foreseeable future, we wanted to ease some nerves from a new interview format. Along with the mock MMIs we shared tips for virtual professionalism and interviewing. We even helped them get our university hand signals!
University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy
The University of South Carolina SNPhA chapter had the amazing opportunity to serve the community in-person in November of 2020 with FoodShare SC.
FoodShare SC is a non-profit organization with a goal to “enhance the quality of life by creating access to fresh affordable food, quality cooking and skills education.” Their vision of ensuring access to fresh produce for all in our communities aligns with SNPhA’s of serving the underserved.
Our students worked with the team of other community volunteers to pack over 900 boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables on Monday November 16th. We also included educational materials in these boxes courtesy of the American Heart Association. These flyers provided information in English and Spanish on how to be active and how to eat healthy. On Tuesday, November 17th, we distributed these packed boxes to FoodShare clients in a drive-through.
Keck Graduate Institute
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a huge obstacle in front of our SNPhA's chapter's mission to serve the underserved and minority communities around us. We had to cancel health fairs, which was our bread and butter for community involvement, and the lack of physical contact has affected our overall membership engagement has put a different energy into the term "SNPhAM." Our chapter has never been the biggest or the one that racks in accolades or receives tons of CIC points. However, despite all of the troubles and tribulations our chapter has grown even bigger than previous years in terms of our involvement with SNPhA's mission.
Our school has gone completely virtual for the 2020-2021 school year and essentially all events that involve patient interaction has been impossible to host. Rather than dwindling in despair, we doubled down and embraced virtual events and virtual class learning. We participated in a majority of Surge Challenges including the ones that involved posting an educational video or a social media post promoting awareness for a certain disease state. We saw an advatange in the increase in Zoom usage and invited nonlocal guest speakers to speak to us via the virtual platform. Likewise, we have been utiziling Zoom to engage with our surrounding community that included promoting the pharmacy profession and the SNPhA initiatives to local undergraduate colleges and high schools. Our social media platforms have been utilized expotentially more compared to previous years and we have been engaging with our members via polls. We're hoping that this year sets the precedent to continue on our social media and virtual platforms to engage with our surrounding community in a unique way!
Despite everything going almost virtual, we have been able to sneak in a few in person events also! Our most impactful event that we hosted for the fall semester was a hygiene kit assembly event. We teamed up with KGI IPhO, Homies Care, and T'ena Foundation to assemble hygiene kits that included toothbrushes, hand sanitizer, face masks, etc., and that would be distributed to the homeless population around Los Angeles, CA! It was a great event that allowed some SNPhAM members to meet each other for the first time while contributing to an amazing cause.
Overall, this school year has not discouraged KGI SNPhA, but rather bolstered our foundation and highlighted our resilience. This school year has shown us that despite the odds, you can still continue to serve underserved and minority communities, even it is through a computer screen. We hope that KGI SNPhA inspires other SNPhA chapters to continue to be resilient, creative, and optomistic and to never stop serving those who need it most!
University of Texas
Throughout this past year we had to make a drastic change to the way we reach our community, educate our members on important healthcare topics, shape the future of minority pharmacists, as well as keep connected with our chapter members. We held virtual guest speakers, health presentations about the different SNPhA initiatives, and reaching/mentoring pre-pharmacy students.
University of South Carolina College of pharmacy
The University of South Carolina SNPhA Chapter has faced many challenges since its inception, but none have been greater than those posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The College of Pharmacy transitioned to in-person classes, fracturing the steady institution of organization fairs and 100-person live meetings. In addition, many methods to connect with underserved patients closed to prevent the spread of the virus. Health fairs, walks, schools, nursing homes, homeless shelters, and more shut their doors to the public or entirely in the wake of the pandemic.
Despite the odds, the chapter has thrived during the pandemic. Executive board leaders President Michael Deaney, communications director and Historian Hannah Brown, Treasurer and fundraising chair Sarah Arnold, president-elect Shannon Leighton, and Secretary Tenia Slade painstakingly reorganized the structure of the club to operate remotely. The goal was for the chapter to continue its efforts to serve the underserved safely and engage its members. By setting up virtual meetings and a new focus on social media connectivity, we were able to promote a great number of quality of events in both community service and student education.
Photo: One of our socially distanced general meetings, with some members joining virtually via Blackboard Collaborate
Our chapter was able to distance its efforts to serve the underserved, to reach them without compromising recommended social distancing standards. The member that set the precedent for the year was our Project Keepsake Initiative Chair Ebone Trapp, who organized a care package drive where over 50 boxes containing fuzzy socks, coloring books, word searches, and other comfort items were assembled by pharmacy students and delivered to a local dialysis care clinic. Taylor Wilkerson, our Empowering the Elderly Initiative Chair, coordinated two separate pen pal programs with local long-term care facilities to combat elder loneliness. Later she would conduct virtual medication reconciliations and diabetes screenings with members of a local senior care center, while donating a new bingo set for the facility.
Power to End Stroke Initiative Chair Mide Olorunfemi and Greenville Liaison Ashton Mason worked tirelessly to provide two separate volunteering opportunities with local foodbanks. This allowed SNPhA members to cumulatively assemble approximately 1400 packages of healthy foods to those in need. Finally, Operation Immunization Initiative Chair Vanessa Poirier coordinated with outside entities to organize a socially distanced flu clinic on the University of South Carolina campus, operating over an entire week and immunizing nearly 500 students and faculty. She has continued this effort into 2021, facilitating opportunities for the members to participate in local coronavirus vaccination clinics.
Photo: Ashton Mason with SNPhA member at Harvest Hope Food Bank
In the transition to virtual classes, our SNPhA chapter also took the opportunity to enhcance pharmacy student education regarding underserved populations. Our Fighting Diabetes initiative chair Olivia Schad invited an ambulatory care pharmacist to give a virtual lecture called "Gizmos and Gadgets: An Introduction to Diabetic Devices", filling a gap in our school's curriculum regarding an important part of diabetes management. Mental Health Initiative Chair Kinsey McClure gave a presentation with Olivia on diabulimia while also featuring a methadone clinic pharmacist. The pharmacist educated our members on the use of Naloxone and the power of stigma in the addiction recovery process. Our Remember the Ribbon chair Sidney Strauss has developed presentations on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, new HIV medications, and contextualization of the AIDS crisis in relation to LGBTQ+ mental health. She is currently planning an HIV/AIDS testing event on UofSC campus in conjunction with the UofSC School of Medicine. LMBI Initiative Chair Leigh Joyner detailed the voter registration process for the student body during the 2020 election and has advocated for insurance literacy in underserved populations, submitting the latter as our chapter's resolution to the national SNPhA bylaws. Kennedy Freeman, our Bridging the Gap Initiative Chair, engaged Pre-Pharmacy students with a virtual PharmD student panel and is currently planning an event called “Ahead of the Curve” to prepare pre-pharmacy students for concepts like blood pressure screenings and basic drug compounding. She also represented our Chapter at the Fall 2020 Shot @ Life Champion Summit and will do so again in Spring 2021. Finally, Emily Brackett led our Carolina Cares for Kids Project in an online transition, connecting with children at local housing authorities to help them with their homework and teach various health literacy topics. For 2021, she has moved the program to a socially distanced in-person setting to form even stronger connections with the kids.
Our SNPhA chapter also came into 2020 with a new focus on diversity and inclusion events. We held multiple sessions on Transgender Healthcare, a workshop focusing on those with Hearing Loss in association with the Hearing Loss Association of America, and a presentation on The Trevor Project and LGBT Suicide Awareness. Virtual events scheduled for February include LGBTQ+ Healthcare Considerations, Implicit Bias in the Media and its Implications on Healthcare, and a session on Racial Disparities in Healthcare.
Photo: Sidney Strauss and Kinsey McClure giving a presentation regarding LGBTQ+ youth mental health and suicide prevention
In addition, the executive board has encouraged members to participate in opportunities held by SNPhA Nationals, in addition to virtually promoting efforts like the SNPhA Leadership Academy and Shot@Life Champion Summit in Fall 2020 and Spring 2021, several of our members were able to attend the online 2020 SNPhA National Convention. The members had an amazing experience on the virtual platform, giving positive feedback about their participation in keynote speakers, educational sessions, and the Rite Aid Leadership academy. Michael Deaney and Kinsey McClure placed 2nd in the SNPhA/Kroger National Clinical Skills Competition while Sidney Strauss was awarded 2nd Place in the Walgreens HIV/AIDS Outcomes competition and received a grant for her advocacy work. Kinsey McClure was also awarded a scholarship and an award for her research project on breast cancer adherence among African-American women.
Despite the challenges of conducting a service organization, UofSC SNPhA has proven that much can be accomplished for both themselves and for others with a combination of hard-working initiative chairs, enthusiastic members, and tireless desire to serve the underserved.
Xavier University of Louisiana
Hope Idakwoji | P2
The Xavier University of Louisiana, College of Pharmacy SNPhA chapter would like to recognize student pharmacist Hope Idakwoji for her involvement with SNPhA. Hope is a second-year pharmacy student that has been heavily involved in SNPhA since she started pharmacy school. Over the past semester, Hope has attended many chapter meetings, served in many community service projects, and been an active participant for several XULA SNPhA events, all while maintaining academic #excellence. Every semester XULA SNPhA recognizes and celebrates our most involved members by awarding them as #SNPhAdvocates. Congratulations Hope Idakwoji on being one of this year’s #SNPhAdvocates! XULA SNPhA appreciates your dedication.
Shavitress Briggs | P1
The Xavier University of Louisiana, College of Pharmacy SNPhA chapter would like to recognize student pharmacist Shavitress Briggs for her outstanding involvement!. Shavitress is a first-year pharmacy student that immediately got involved with SNPhA once school started in the fall of 2020. Over the past semester, Shavitress has been very active in attending chapter meetings and events, and in getting other first-year pharmacy students involved in the organization, all while maintaining academic excellence. Every semester XULA SNPhA recognizes and celebrates our most involved members by awarding them as #SNPhAdvocates. Congratulations Shavitress Briggs on being one of this year’s #SNPhAdvocates! XULA SNPhA appreciates your dedication!
University of Texas
Stephanie Nwokedi & Grace Akinyemi
Stephanie Nwokedi (left) and Grace Akinyemi (right) have been the most active and passionate members of our SNPhA chapter at UT Austin since they joined. Most recently, I wanted to recognize them for placing #3 at the clinical skill competition at the SNPhA national convention in 2020. Their dedication and representation of our chapter is commendable!
Keck Graduate Institute
KGI SNPhA is blessed to have so many amazing pharmacy students be a part of our SNPhAM and contribute to our mission of serving underserved and minority populations. The members that make up KGI SNPhA are the reason why our chapter is able to make such an impact in our surrounding communities. Whether it be organizing health fairs, education workshops, or socials for our members to enjoy, our KGI SNPhA members are next to none and are nothing short of amazing. Honestly, all of our KGI SNPhA members deserve a spotlight but if we had to highlight two members in particular that quintessentially represent our chapter, it would have to be our 2020-2021 Fighting Diabetes Chair Roxanne Marquez Arellano and Mobile Care Chair Jemal Hussein.
Roxanne Marquez | P3
Roxanne is a current P3 and this is her first year being active in SNPhA and our only regret is that she didn't join sooner. Her humble upbringing has allowed her to understand the lack of quality healthcare that underserved patients receive and she brings a tenacity and willingness to educate and promote diabetes awareness to our surrounding community. This year she has helped coordinate diabetes education workshops, college preparation seminars, and Medical Spanish courses, to local high school and middle school students in the Pomona Valley area. She understands that education and prevention is the most vital step towards treating diabetes and she has been an exceptional Fighting Diabetes Chair.
Jemal Hussein | p2
Jemal Hussein is a current P2 and this is his 2nd year serving as a SNPhA Board Member. He serves as the KGI SNPhA Mobile Care Chair, a position that developed when our former President, Samantha Garcia, and her Prescription for Service Team took their healthcare clinic idea to the SNPhA National Conference. Jemal has been tasked with coordinating health fairs in our local community while building relationships with other like minded organizations. Last year, Jemal was the primary organizer for a health fair in Skid Row, Los Angeles, CA, where we collaborated with other healthcare programs such as Charles Drew University's PA Program and University of California, Los Angeles' Dentistry Program, to provide a comprehensive health screening for the homeless population in that area. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down our opportunities to provide health fairs, Jemal has been working tirelessly to build the foundation so that we hit the ground running with health fairs once the circumstances allow us to do so.
Both of these KGI SNPhA students symbolize what our chapter stands for; going above and beyond and continuing to serve those who need it the most. They both didn't allow the COVID-19 pandemic to waver their drive and ambition to serve SNPhA's mission and I hope these two serve as an inspiration to other SNPhA members to do the same. KGI SNPhA has so many members with the same drive and hustle and we are so proud to have students like this as part of the KGI SNPhAM!
University of South Carolina College of pharmacy
The University of South Carolina SNPhA Chapter is proud to spotlight two of its most dedicated members that consistently go above and beyond in their invovlement with SNPhA and their commitment to serving the underserved.
Kinsey McClure | P3
Kinsey is a third-year pharmacy student and has been a member of SNPhA since her first year of pharmacy school. Having an affinity for community service, Kinsey displayed a passion for SNPhA from her very first semester in the organization when she was awarded the chapter's Member of the Semester for having the most event participation out of nearly 100 others.
She then applied for the Mental Health Initiative Chair position due to her desire to become a mental health specialty clinical pharmacist. In her capacity as Mental Health Chair in her second and third years she has developed our program immensely. First, she started an ongoing "Chalk About It" event to decorate the campus with awareness phrases and hotlines for different mental health conditions. She also organized an event at the Hannah House women's shelter, educating its members about important mental health resources and the importance of nutrition. Lastly she involved our chapter in Columbia, South Carolina's annual "Out of the Darkness" Walk for Suicide Prevention, which she promoted at a local farmer's market by passing out flyers, raising money, and educating the public on suicide prevention resources.
Kinsey also strives to educate our members on the different dimensions of mental health. She helped develop our annual "Trevor Project: LGBT Suicide Awareness and Lifeguard Training Workshop" presentation with University Housing, which she has presented to college freshmen two years in a row to much success. Next, she worked to certify our members in various mental helath-related topics, such as Compassion Fatigue and Suicide Prevention Training through Mental Health America's QPR Training Program. Guest-speaker Dr. Pamela Whitmire was brought in by Kinsey to discuss her role at a methadone clinic and the day-to-day stigma that her patients in their journey to addiction recovery.
In SNPhA she has always strove to make the most from her CIC challenges and oppurtunites that come from the organization. She is a SNPhA Leadership Academy Graduate, won 2nd Place in the Kroger/SNPhA National Clinical Skills Compeition, a SNPhA scholarship recipient, and was awarded by SNPhA for her independent reserach presentation on breast cancer adherence in African-American women.
Kinsey is a model SNPhA member but above all else, she is a model pharmacy student in that she works tirelessly to help others and provide oppurtunities.
Taylor Wilkerson | P3
Taylor is a third-year pharmacy student at the University of South Carolina and a prominent member of our SNPhA Chapter. Notably, she has displayed a high degree of ingenuity during the COVID-19 pandemic in her role as our Empowering the Elderly Initiative Chair. A position dedicated to advocating for the geriatric population, Taylor faced an unprecedented challenge when public health concerns necessitated the isolation of much of the elderly population from the rest of the world. She recognized that while their quarantine was protected from the virus, other aspects of their health were not.
Out of concern for mental health and amplified loneliness that comes with isolation, Taylor startd a pen pal program between residents of a local long-term care facility and our SNPhA chapter members in Fall 2020. With over 50 participants in the program, Taylor was inspired to reignite the project at a different facility in February of 2021, hoping to capture the spirit of Valentine's Day in another group of older individuals.
While working with Palmetto Senior Care Taylor noticed that the one of the facilities primary methods of entertainment, its bingo sets, were well-worn from their years of use. She successfully used her position in SNPhA to fundraise for new bingo sets, delivering them to Palmetto Senior Care within weeks of her commitment. Later in her relationship with PSC, she organized virtual medication reconciliations to involve SNPhA members in one of the most important responsibilities of geriatric pharmacy.
Taylor's work has not slowed down into 2021, as she is now hosting virtual diabetes screenings throughout the month of February between pharmacy students and resident of Palmetto Senior Care, with hopes to expand further into other disease states in the future.
Taylor is a perfect example of an outstanding SNPhA member and student pharmacist, both by her thoughtful empathy for underserved populations and her motivation to overcome obstacles to reach the patients for which she advocates.
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
We are proud to highlight our members Brittany Faulkner and Sophia Jacome-Singletary!
Brittany Faulkner
Brittany has been a SNPhA member since 2019 and currently serves as Mental Health Co-Chair. She always goes above and beyond to support our local chapter, whether it’s attending service events, planning Mental Health events, or assisting the e-board with various tasks. She is always willing to lend a helping hand and we are so appreciative of her efforts!
Sophia Jacome-Singletary
Sophia has also been a SNPhA member since 2019 and currently serves as Operation Immunizations Co-Chair. She has shown her commitment to SNPhA and to serving the underserved by attending ALL of our monthly service events at a local homeless shelter this past semester. We all know how time consuming pharmacy school can be, so we think Sophia’s effort to serve our community is worth highlighting!
Washington State University
Our Washington State University Chapter would like to highlight two SNPhA members that are dedicated to serving the underserved: Lisa Lai and Catherine Chung!
Lisa Lai | P3
Lisa Lai is our Operation Immunization’s PY3 co-chair and has dedicated her efforts to providing immunization opportunities for our SNPhA members. Finding immunizations opportunities during a pandemic had several difficulties, but Lisa was successfully able to overcome these challenges. She is always on the lookout for opportunities that our SNPhAM could help with. Lisa has worked with several different organizations to provide numerous immunization events, such as drive-through clinics, hospital immunizations, etc., to our community.
Catherine Chung | P1
Catherine Chung is a PY-1 that is one of our most involved members! Catherine has participated in numerous in-person and virtual events. Catherine has been a great help at our community engagement events, such as Second Harvet, Project Beauty Share, immunization clinics, and more. Our chapter is grateful to have amazing SNPhAM, like Lisa and Catherine, that are committed to helping our community!
KECK GRADUATE INSTITUTE
KGI SNPhA has made large leaps and bounds this year! Our current SNPhA Board has huge ambitions to make a huge impact in our surrounding underserved and minority communities but our SNPhA Faculty Advisors helped guide our ambitions and energy to make the most of our efforts! Dean Gail Orum, PharmD, Dr. Mylene Manalo, PharmD, BCPS, and Dr. Jeniffer Hernandez, PhD, have been adamantly serving as KGI SNPhA's Faculty Advisors and we could not be more lucky to have them as our mentors!
Each of our Faculty Advisors share the same mission and passion for serving underserved and minority communities. Dean Orum currently serves as KGI's Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and sits as President of the California Pharmacists Association - Greater Los Angeles Area Chapter. Dr. Manalo works as an Ambulatory Care Pharmacist at Desert Oasis Healthcare in Palm Springs, CA, where she serves primarily lower income patient populations in the Palm Desert area. Dr. Hernandez has a research lab that focuses on the role of the immune system on the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases, such as Type 2 Diabetes, but she also coordinates outreach events such as PharmCAMP - an annual event that has KGI pharmacy students hosting science workshops and experiments for middle school children in the underserved community of Montclair, CA.
Our Faculty Advisors have guided our energy to allow us to complete our goals for the school year! They provide valuable feedback to our ideas by providing positives and negatives, and assisting us with any logistical barriers we may have for any event planning. Their support is next to none, and we are extremely grateful to have them working in the background and empowering KGI SNPhA members to become the best that we can be! Thank you so much Dean Orum, Dr. Manalo, and Dr. Hernandez!
University of Texas
Both of our wonderful advisors listed above have been there to offer advice, help with our stipends to give more members access to the national/regional conferences and to help recruit wonderful guest speakers at our GMs!
University of South Carolina College of pharmacy
The University of South Carolina SNPhA Chapter is fortunate to have Dr. Amy Grant as it's faculty advisor. Dr. Grant is a 2004 graduate of Medical University of South Carolina's (MUSC) College of Pharmacy's PharmD program as well as a 2013 graduate of the University of South Carolina's Master of Businss Administration Program. At the College of Pharmacy she serves as the Dean of Student Affairs and Diversity, as well as an Assistant Professor.
She advocates for our chapter both within the College of Pharmacy and in broader University of south Carolina programs. Dr Grant has extended her support to our chapter by helping plan events, obtaining useful contacts, and being a constant source of counsel in our efforts to serve the underserved.
University of South Carolina College of pharmacy
Taylor Turner, Pharmd
Dr. Taylor Turner graduated from the UofSC College of Pharmacy in 2020. While at the College of Pharmacy she acted as the chapter Mental Health Inititative Chair from 2018-2019. She is now a PGY1 Resident at Lexington Medical Center in Lexington, South Carolina, with an interest in oncology.
In her role she engaged students in events and activies discussing mental health, stigma, and its effects on underserved populations. In one session she brought a speaker from Operation Gratitude to speak about the charity and the effect of PTSD on soldiers returning from combat before engaging students in creating parachute cord bracelts for them. She also began our annual Trevor Project: LGBT Suicide Prevention Lifeguard Training Workshop in association with UofSC Housing, a session targetting freshmen students at the university on signs of depression and suicide and resources to support others.
Dr. Turner has maintained her love for serving the underserved in her residency. At Lexington Medical Center she works in both an inpatient oncology clinic as well as an outpatinet one. This year she developed a program so that outpatient oncology patients could received vaccinations through the clinic in an effort to provide them greater access to care. She was only a member of SNPhA from 2018-2019, but she said the experience was incredibly impactful and shaped the direction of her career and her ability to care for underserved patients.
University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy
New Intramuscular HIV Medication Cabenuva (cabotegravir and rilpivirine) and its Potential Implications on HIV Adherence
By Sidney Strauss and Michael Deaney
On January 21st, 2021 the HIV treatment landscape received a notable development when the FDA approved Cabenuva (cabotegravir and rilpivirine), a long-acting (LA) injectable antiretroviral medication. Cabenuva is indicated as a complete regimen for HIV-1 infection and is dosed for gluteal intramuscular administration once monthly.(1) As the first LA antiretroviral drug approved for market, Cabenuva presents researchers, patients, and providers an interesting look forward into the future of HIV treatment as well as prospects regarding adherence and patient outcomes.
The two drugs that comprise Cabenuva as a part of its combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) have distinctive formulations that make them suitable for LA use. What separates cabotegravir (Vocabria) from other HIV integrase inhibitors is its ability to achieve a sustained plasma level over an extended period of time. While initial long-acting nanoformulations of cabotegravir were limited by rapid absorption at the site of injection and frequent injections, a microsylated prodrug formulation proved to sustain its activity.(2) The prodrug formulation of cabotegravir has increased hydrophobicity, preventing fast release and decreasing the doses necessary to achieve stable plasma concentrations.(2) Rilpivirine (Edurant) is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) that has a notable internal conformational flexibility when binding to the NNRTI site on HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.(3) It is theorized that this property of rilpivirine explains the drug's activity against resistant strains of HIV-1 in vitro.(3) With both rilpivirine and cabotegravir, the Cabenuva regimen’s unique technology effectively carves a new niche in the cART marketplace and potentially and important future option for patients seeking HIV therapy.
The development of Cabenuva for the treatment of HIV may carry important implications in the discussion surrounding adherence to antiretroviral therapies. Adherence is essential to maintaining viral suppression, with suboptimal adherence to cART contributing to virologic failure, drug resistance, and poor patient outcomes like disease progression, hospitalizations, and mortality.(5) Still, adherence must be near perfect (>95%) to achieve optimal adherence, which has proven to be major barrier deterring patients from cART therapy. Over 35% of the 2019 global HIV-infected population did not access cART despite its years on the market and its high efficacy in HIV suppression.(2) Adherence is especially troublesome to the 4.2 million adults over the age of 50 accessing cART, who are more prone to virologic failure from struggling with complex regimens.(2) A meta-analysis conducted to determine the relationship between optimal adherence to ART and virologic outcomes determined the mean proportion of patients demonstrating optimal adherence of ≥90% was 63.4% and those with suboptimal adherence were nearly 3 times more likely to experience virologic failure.(4) The implications of suboptimal adherence on treatment outcomes has driven drug developers to solutions through LA antiretroviral medications, such as Cabenuva, that can offer adequate viral suppression with extended dosing intervals.
One way to examine the potential for increased adherence for Cabenuva is to evaluate patient satisfaction during therapy. A phase 3 clinical trial funded by Viiv Healthcare and Janssen Pharmaceuticals found that 91% of its 283 participants were shown to prefer LA Cabenuva therapy after being transitioned from an oral regimen, displaying increased satisfaction compared with the 283 participants who did not transition from oral therapy.(7) This is despite 86% of Cabenuva patients reporting mild-moderate injection site reactions lasting a median of three days.(7) An increase in patient satisfaction may have positive effects on patient’s adherence to Cabenuva compared with oral regimens, and thus enhance their ability to remain virologically suppressed and improve patient outcomes.
With the emerging availability of Cabenuva, healthcare provider education is essential to successful implementation of therapy. Induction of therapy requires an initial month long trial with oral cabotegravir and rilpivirine to assess patient tolerability prior to starting the monthly injection schedule (Table 1).(6) This monthly regimen must be done under the supervision of a healthcare provider and is administered via two gluteal injections at least 2cm apart or on opposite sides.(6) Cabenuva offers a 7 day window to receive the injection prior to or following a missed injection before requiring oral coverage to maintain adequate viral suppression.(6) Considering the short 7 day window to receive each monthly injection, healthcare providers are encouraged to implement flagging systems to ensure patients are promptly contacted following a missed appointment.
Additional monitoring with Cabenuva should include an immediate assessment for post-injection reactions including dyspnea, agitation, abdominal cramping, flushing, sweating, oral numbness, and changes in blood pressure which typically occurred within minutes of receiving the injection for <1% of recipients(8). Extended evaluations should be scheduled for routine monitoring to assess viral suppression, hepatic function, and signs of the development of depressive disorders while using Cabenuva.(8) Other considerations to be aware of include contraindications with concomitant use of uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glucuronosyl transferase (UGT)1A1 and potent CYP3A4 inducers (i.e. rifampin, phenobarbital, etc.).(8)
The significance of Cabenuva’s approval is not only the effect the drug will have, but how its novel technology will change the HIV therapy marketplace. The prodrug formulation of cabotegravir is being explored for other drugs like darunavir, lamivudine, abacavir, and dolutegravir in an effort to further advance LA HIV therapy.(2) With LA formulations now a viable choice for treatment, patients will have more options and the potential for improved outcomes as antiretrovirals continue to evolve.
REferences
- Cabenuva (cabotegravir and rilpivirine) for the Treatment of HIV-1 Infection [Internet]. New York City: Clinical Trials Arena; c2021 [cited 2021 Jan 29]. Available from: https://www.clinicaltrialsarena.com/projects/cabenuva-cabotegravir-and-rilpivirine-for-the-treatment-of-hiv-1-infection/
- Surve DH, Jindal AB. Recent advances in long-acting nanoformulations for delivery of antiretroviral drugs. J Control Release. 2020 Aug 10;324:379-404. doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.05.022. Epub 2020 May 24. PMID: 32461114.
- Goebel F, Yakovlev A, Pozniak AL, Vinogradova E, Boogaerts G, Hoetelmans R, de Béthune MP, Peeters M, Woodfall B. Short-term antiviral activity of TMC278--a novel NNRTI--in treatment-naive HIV-1-infected subjects. AIDS. 2006 Aug 22;20(13):1721-6. doi: 10.1097/01.aids.0000242818.65215.bd. PMID: 16931936.
- Bezabhe, Woldesellassie M. BPharm, MSc; Chalmers, Leanne PhD; Bereznicki, Luke R. PhD; Peterson, Gregory M. PhD Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy and Virologic Failure, Medicine: April 2016 - Volume 95 - Issue 15 - p e3361. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000003361
- Nachega JB, Marconi VC, van Zyl GU, Gardner EM, Preiser W, Hong SY, Mills EJ, Gross R. HIV treatment adherence, drug resistance, virologic failure: evolving concepts. Infect Disord Drug Targets. 2011 Apr;11(2):167-74. doi: 10.2174/187152611795589663. PMID: 21406048; PMCID: PMC5072419.
- FDA Approves Cabenuva and Vocabria for the Treatment of HIV-1 Infection [Internet]. Silver Spring: Food and Drug Administration; c2021 [cited 2021 Jan 29]. Available from: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv/fda-approves-cabenuva-and-vocabria-treatment-hiv-1-infection
- Orkin C, Arasteh K, Górgolas Hernández-Mora M, Pokrovsky V, Overton ET, Girard PM, Oka S, Walmsley S, Bettacchi C, Brinson C, Philibert P, Lombaard J, St Clair M, Crauwels H, Ford SL, Patel P, Chounta V, D'Amico R, Vanveggel S, Dorey D, Cutrell A, Griffith S, Margolis DA, Williams PE, Parys W, Smith KY, Spreen WR. Long-Acting Cabotegravir and Rilpivirine after Oral Induction for HIV-1 Infection. N Engl J Med. 2020 Mar 19;382(12):1124-1135. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1909512. Epub 2020 Mar 4. PMID: 32130806.
- Viiv Healthcare. Label. 2021 [revision 2021 Jan; cited 2021 Jan]. In: DailyMed [Internet]. [2021] - , [61]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US). Available from URL: https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=1698baf3-f895-4c42-a1b1-e9ee3f20da36
University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy
Title: ADJUVANT HORMONAL THERAPY ADHERENCE BEHAVIORS AMONG DISADVANTAGED BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS
Authors: K.M. McClure, PharmD student; B. Christensen, CCRP(1); T.M. Felder, PhD, MSW(2,3); (1)Gibbs Cancer Center & Research Institute; (2)College of Nursing, University of South Carolina; (3)Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina.
Purpose:Among breast cancer diagnoses in the U.S., the majority are classified hormone receptor positive (HR+). Oncologists often prescribe adjuvant hormonal therapy (AHT) for five to ten years after HR+ breast cancer diagnosis to prevent recurrence. Non-adherent women have an increased risk of mortality. Disparities are seen among African-American women and Medicaid-insured women, whose adherence rates are lower than other breast cancer survivors (BCS). Learning about modifiable factors that influence adherence rates can help us develop interventions to increase AHT adherence in these populations. This research explores modifiable behavioral factors that have an impact on patient adherence to AHT.
Methods:Breast cancer survivors were recruited from two oncology sites in South Carolina. Those who were age ≥21 years old, diagnosed with invasive HR+ breast cancer, prescribed AHT, enrolled in SC Medicaid and able to read/speak English were eligible for the study. Participants were interviewed about their experiences taking AHT. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a Assarroudi et. al’s (2018) directed qualitative content analysis approach. The World Health Organization’s Multidimensional Adherence Framework (2003) and Taplin et al.’s (2012) Multilevel Context of Cancer Care Model guided the analysis.
Preliminary Results: Nineteen BCS completed interviews. More than half of the BCS were black/African-American (n=12) and were prescribed anastrozole (n=13). The most frequently discussed factors identified in the interviews that influenced BCS adherence behaviors were patient education about AHT (n=19, 123 mentions), social support (n=19, 87 mentions), side effects (n=19, 85 mentions), and patient-clinician communication (n=17, 73 mentions).
Conclusions and Next Steps: Preliminary results indicate that interventions involving AHT adherence should focus on improving patient education about AHT and related side effects, social support, and patient-clinician communication. These findings will be used to inform the design of a multi-level intervention to improve adherence rates among financially-disadvantaged women diagnosed with breast cancer.
Mention of Grant Support: This project was supported by the Magellan Scholar Award at the University of South Carolina and a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Mentored Research Scientist Development Award for Diversity (K01CA193667;PI: Felder).
Title: Learner Driven Call Center to increase Convalescent Plasma Donation in COVID-19
Nancy Fleming Joyner, PharmD Candidate 20221; Michael Deaney, PharmD Candidate 20221, Caroline Derrick, PharmD2, Jeannette Bouchard, PharmD1, Hannah Brown, PharmD Candidate 20221, Kennedy Freeman, PharmD Candidate 20221, Malashia Drummond, PharmD Candidate 20211, Madeline Harper, PharmD Candidate 20231, Alexandria Waddell, PharmD Candidate 20211, Helmut Albrecht, MD2, Sharon Weissman, MD2; (1) University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy, Columbia, SC, USA; (2) Prisma Health-University of South Carolina, Department of Infectious Disease, Columbia, SC, USA
Background: Convalescent plasma (CP) may be obtained from patients who have recovered from the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19, caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. Although not FDA approved, preliminary data suggests patients who receive convalescent plasma from recovered donors may have shortened recovery time and symptom reduction. The purpose of the study is to detail learner recruitment of convalescent plasma donation (CPD) for treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Methods: Prisma Health Midlands formed a multidisciplinary CP donation team, consisting of seven COVID-19-certified pharmacy learner volunteers, two pharmacists, and two providers. Primary eligibility criteria were SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positivity at least 28 days prior to donation and asymptomatic for a minimum of 14 days. Donors were excluded based on FDA guidelines for CPD, limiting ineligible contact. Team learners were trained on call techniques and subsequently contacted, educated, and requested candidates donate through this program. Willing donors were then linked to The Blood Connection to circulate CP back into the Prisma Health System, creating a self-sustaining and closed loop donation cycle.
Results: In total, 253 recovered adult patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test results were evaluated. 195 patients met baseline inclusion criteria for contact. This pre-screen reduced call and travel time for ineligible candidates. 108 patients were successfully reached. Of the 108, n=79 (73.14%) accepted referral to The Blood Connection, and n=29 (26.85%) were no longer candidates primarily due to patient communicated new exclusionary factors, such as active COVID-19 symptoms. The program allowed for rapid, internal access to CP for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at Prisma Health Midlands.
Conclusion: Interest and awareness in COVID-19 CPD was successfully increased upon direct communication from the team and was felt to represent a personnel intense but successful model for recruiting potential CP donors. This program educated and utilized learners during this pandemic to enhance Prisma Health’s ability to obtain CP for hospitalized patients using a closed system.
Title: The Impact of Pharmacist Centered Medication Reconciliations on Statin Therapy Optimization in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Nancy Joyner, PharmD Candidate(1), Tyler D. Wagner, PharmD(2), Alexis Caronis, PharmD Candidate(1), Heather Daugherty, PharmD Candidate(1) and Cynthia Phillips, PharmD, CDCES(3); (1) College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC; (2) Center for Pharmacy Practice Innovation, Department of Pharmacotherapy & Outcomes Science, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, Richmond, VA; (3) Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Outcomes Sciences, University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy, Columbia, SC
Introduction: Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) have an increased risk of developing clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), which can be reduced by the initiation of optimized statin therapy. Implementation of pharmacist centered medication reconciliation (PCMR) services at Prisma Health Richland Hospital (PHR) were developed to identify and resolve medication discrepancies. The 2013 AHA/ACC ASCVD guidelines were used to establish the criteria upon which statin therapy optimization was defined.
Research Question or Hypothesis: What is the impact of PCMRs on statin therapy optimization at hospital discharge in patients aged 40-75 with T2DM?
Study Design: Single-health system, retrospective, observational cohort study of electronic health records.
Methods: Data was obtained from 433 randomized T2DM patients admitted to PHR in 2016. Patients were stratified into two groups according to PCMR status. In the treatment group, a medication reconciliation was obtained and verified by a pharmacist within 24 hours of hospital admission. A multiple logistic regression model was used to identify demographic (age, gender, race, insurance) and patient-specific characteristics (Charlson comorbidity index, PCMR status) associated with statin therapy optimization upon discharge.
Results: Patients’ mean age was 61.6 years, with 52% being female, 37.9% White, and 57.5% Black. The majority of patients had multiple insurances (41.6%), with 63.9% of all patients as Medicare beneficiaries and 34.7% with commercial insurance. Overall, 24% of patients were receiving appropriate statin upon admission compared to 34% at discharge (p<.001). Receipt of a PCMR was positively associated with statin optimization at discharge (OR=1.59, 95%CI 1.05-2.41). Females (versus males) were less likely to receive statin optimization (OR=0.57, 95%CI 0.37-0.87).
Conclusion: Patients who received a PCMR were 59% more likely to be discharged on appropriate statin therapy per 2013 ASCVD guidelines compared to traditional care. Future work will examine expansion of PCMR services.
Torey Wiley | Xavier University of Louisiana
Presenting at the 2020 ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exhibition was an enjoyable experience because I was prepared to discuss my research, and I understood how my work equipped me for my future career. To my surprise, I connected with a pharmacist who found interest in my project, who wanted to know what my career goals were, and who also introduced me to a relevant post-graduate opportunity during my poster presentation Q/A session. From that entire experience, I can say that it is never too early for first- and second-year pharmacy students to start thinking about what their pharmacy career interests are. Get involved early. Prepare. I am a testimony that thinking ahead, preparing, and simply getting involved has its way of bringing good surprises to you!
Major thank you to the SNPhA national board for supporting me during my poster presentation! Thank you #SNPhAM!
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About Our Editor
Jordan Simpson
National Public Relations Liaison
Jordan Simpson is a fourth-year pharmacy student at Texas Southern University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences currently serving as National Public Relations Liaison of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association and research intern for the Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Southern University’s Maternal and Child Health Program. Jordan takes great passion in project management and development of community-based initiatives focused on prevention, awareness, and education designed to improve patient health outcomes and creating a more tangible impact as a future healthcare professional. Jordan's professional interest include pharmacy administration, managed care, public health, and health economics outcomes research.