FYI for COP: May 15, 2012

More support for SWEHSC
The Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center (SWEHSC) has received a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for $1,050,000 per year for five years.

SWEHSC is a collaborative interdisciplinary research center that is actively investigating the health effects of environmental agents and serving as a resource for the community. The grant will be used to further the center’s major goals of research infrastructure support, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community outreach and education related to research in the effects of environmental agents on human health. Visit the SWEHSC website for more information.

Attend a lecture on polypharmacy in older adults
Jeannie Lee, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, will deliver a lecture on “Polypharmacy in Older Adults: How Much Is Too Much?” May 17 from noon to 1 p.m. in Kiewit Auditorium at the Arizona Cancer Center. Her presentation is part of the Advances in Aging Lecture Series sponsored by the UA College of Medicine at the Arizona Health Sciences Center. A light lunch will be served.

Bulletin boards for posting fliers installed in Drachman
Two new glass-enclosed, lockable bulletin boards have been installed in Drachman Hall for fliers that need to be posted. One board is located in the dean’s office on the third floor, Room B307, and the other is located on the second floor by the entrance to the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science.

To post a flier, drop it into the basket marked “To Post” in the mail room of the dean’s office, Cubicle B307NN. Do not post fliers on walls, doors or windows in Drachman Hall.

Strategic planning for COP in Phoenix under way
A committee is being formed to develop a strategic plan for the UA College of Pharmacy in Phoenix. Philip Schneider, associate dean, is coordinating formation of the committee. Ernie Schloss, UA assistant professor of public health and interim administrator of inter-professional education and practice, will serve as the group’s facilitator.

On June 4, the nine-person committee will hold an introductory session during which members will brainstorm the type of information needed in the strategic plan. Then they will participate in a full-day retreat to draft the plan. The draft plan will be presented to faculty, staff and selected students for feedback.

“We foresee that the outcome of this process will be recommendations for projects we can sustain in Phoenix,” says John Murphy, associate dean. “Once we finish the plan, we will be able to select those opportunities that fit with the strategic vision for our presence in Phoenix.”

"We expect the Phoenix operation to grow and take on more personnel,” says A. Jay Gandolfi, associate dean. “And there will be a larger role for Tucson faculty. However, there are no immediate plans to have a new class of PharmD students in Phoenix. In the near term, we will continue to have primarily fourth-year students on rotations in the Phoenix area and focus on developing some new residencies.”

According to Gandolfi, funds for Phoenix activities will be funds that may be used only for Phoenix; the project will not take money away from the college in Tucson.

Though we gotta say good-bye for the summer…
This is the final regular issue of the Bulletin for the 2011-2012 academic year. Though we won’t be publishing regularly, we will post news on the COP website and may issue a special edition or two of the newsletter if needed. The Bulletin will resume publication every two to three weeks in the fall.