College News

NAPLEX Scores Surpass National Average

Members of the UMN College of Pharmacy PharmD Class of 2021 scored a 89% passing rate on the NAPLEX (North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination) between April and October 2021. This surpasses the national average of 85%.

The ECHO Program - Focused on Pharmacogenomics-Informed Clinical Care

The University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy was proud to host the nation's first Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) program focused on pharmacogenomics-informed clinical care. Pharmacogenomics (PGx) ECHO launched in October 2021 and focuses on improving a health professional’s confidence in utilizing PGx in patient care by providing case-based education and consultation through telementoring. Read more about the ECHO Program.

Center for Orphan Drug Research and the Department of Theater Arts and Dance to Collaborate on New Production Focused on Rare Diseases

The University of Minnesota Center for Orphan Drug Research and the Department of Theater Arts and Dance are collaborating to develop a new production focused on bringing attention to those diagnosed with a rare disease. Read more about this project.

Minnesota Health Plan Summit on Medication Management

On November 19, the College of Pharmacy, with support and collaboration from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), hosted the first Minnesota Health Plan Summit on Medication Management. Representatives from regional and national plans participated in the Summit. Attendees included representatives from nine health plans, three pharmacist organizations, MDH, and the College of Pharmacy. This event was funded by the MDH, which has provided ongoing support to advancing pharmacist practice to improve the health of Minnesotans.

The primary goal for this event was to create connections across payers to increase awareness of the opportunities and challenges in driving optimal value and in providing payment to sustain the value of medication therapy management (MTM) services provided by qualified pharmacists. This goal was achieved as participants learned from each other, discussed how to overcome challenges, and left with renewed energy to advance the provision of MTM services in Minnesota. We look forward to ongoing conversations and collaborations to optimize health for all Minnesotans!

University of Minnesota Designated as Rare Disease Center of Excellence

The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) has announced that the University of Minnesota is among the initial cohort of institutions designated as Rare Disease Centers of Excellence.

The College of Pharmacy and the Center for Orphan Drug Research were prominently featured in the University’s application, which highlighted contributions in education at the undergraduate, professional, and graduate student levels; collegiate research; and community engagement activities such as Rare Disease Day. Read more about this designation.

Huge Milestone Reached with IV Baclofen

CODR’s commercial partner, Allaysis, has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the FDA for an intravenous baclofen product. If there are no hitches in the review process, the product will be available for marketing in late 2022. The development of this product, which is an orphan drug, has provided important financial support for CODR in the form of graduate student stipends and multiple published peer-reviewed papers.

ASHP announces Pharmacogenonics Accelerator Program with College

ASHP has announced the creation of the Pharmacogenomics Accelerator program in collaboration with the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy. The goal is to accelerate the implementation and growth of pharmacy-led pharmacogenomics services in hospitals and health systems.

PhD Alumni: Help current PhD students be better prepared for their chosen career paths

Alumni, we invite you to take 10 minutes to tell us what skills and experiences are essential for success in your current role. We will use this information to help guide workshops, career development trainings, and career support for current and future U of M Ph.D. students.Take the survey now.

Student News:

Maxwell Dillenburg, medicinal chemistry graduate student, was awarded a 2021 AFPE Pre-Doctoral Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Sciences to support his research in pain therapy at the University of Minnesota. His mentor is Dr. Carston Wagner.
Katelyn France, P1 student, was a finalist in this year’s Collegiate Inventors Competition^Ⓡ hosted by the National Inventors Hall of Fame^Ⓡ. She competed with her invention of a Medical Assistance via Quick Response (MAQR) bracelet designed for individuals with chronic diseases, allergies and disabilities who wear medical emergency bracelets.
Vrishali Salian, pharmaceutics graduate student, is the winner of the 2021 University of Minnesota Graduate School’s (Virtual) 3-Minute Thesis^Ⓡ (3MT) competition.
Chenwei Yan, undergraduate research assistant,has received UMN Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program funding for research in the "Development of a Potential Therapeutic for Better Management of Patients with Adrenoleukodystrophy."

Faculty and Staff News:

Joseph Shultz has accepted the position of acting chief of operations for the Twin Cities campus, effective November 8, 2021.
Dr. Grant Anderson, was part of a COVID-19 school forum for the Hibbing School District.
Dr. Jeffrey R. Bishop, was selected by the ACCP Board of Trustees to serve as the new Foundation chair. He was elected to the board in 2020 for a 3-year term and assumed the chair position on October 17, 2021.
Becky Borg, career services coordinator and student advisor, has left the College of Pharmacy to join the University’s Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication as the assistant director of external relations and career coach.
Dr. Carolyn Fairbanks and Dr. Ling Li represented the college in the University’s Institute for Engineering in Medicine Inspire Conference, an event intended to engage high school students interested in science, engineering and medicine.
Dr. Joel Farley will be recognized at the 2022 American Pharmacists Association meeting as the recipient of the APhA-APRS Clinical Research Paper Award. The award recognizes the best clinical research paper published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association and is in recognition of his paper titled "Patient outcomes from implementing an enhanced services pharmacy network"
Dr. Gunda Georg is featured in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry’s virtual edition, “Celebrating the Medicinal Chemistry of Gunda Georg and Shaomeng Wang.”
Dr. Keri Hager and Dr. Laura Palombi were interviewed as part of the AACP’s Academic Pharmacy Now story, “Care Interrupted: The pandemic's disruptive effect on healthcare delivery exposed a gap that pharmacists can fill in treating patients with substance use disorder."
Dr. Brian Isetts is part of a team approved for funding through the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards program, an initiative of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).
Dr. Kristin Janke was part of the Pharmacy Forward podcast discussing professional identity formation.
Dr. OIihe Okoro was named a McKnight Presidential Fellow in June 2021 and the award celebration was held earlier this fall.
Dr. Laura Palombi joined the University of Minnesota Mini-Med School panel to discuss how the pandemic has affected opioid/substance use disorder.
Dr. Ann Philbrick has been appointed to theMinnesota Medicaid Drug Utilization Board and was featured in several news outlets this fall to discuss the importance of flu vaccines, including in the Hastings Gazette and WXOW.
Dr. Ann Philbrick was named an inductee into the University of Minnesota Academy for Excellence in Clinical Practice! This academy serves as the highest recognition of excellence in the practice or provision of clinical care by a full time faculty member. Dr. Philbrick has also been appointed to the Minnesota Medicaid Drug Utilization Board and was featured in several news outlets this fall to discuss the importance of flu vaccines, including in the Hastings Gazette and WXOW.
Dr. Amy Pittenger was interviewed for a Star Tribune story, “New tool in our tool kit': Minnesota colleges say online classes here to stay.”
Dr. Paul Ranelli was the co-instructor of a dynamic, hybrid course at the University that merged the performing arts, pharmacy, and librarian courses. The semester-long project connected current issues in the healthcare industry with Greek tragedies. You can watch Pharmakon: Performance Science and learn more about the project.
Dr. Randall Seifert submitted a letter to the editor of the Walker Pilot-Independent, “Community Commitment?”
Dr. Jon Schommer, is quoted in the Kaiser Health News article, “Seeking Refills: Aging Pharmacists Leave Drugstores Vacant in Rural America.”
Dr. Todd Sorensen was interviewed for a story in Drug Store News, “New frontiers in pharmacy education: Preparing students for their role in an evolving pharmacy practice.”
Dr. Raj Suryanarayanan (Sury), professor and William and Mildred Peters Endowed Chair at the College of Pharmacy and Distinguished University Teaching Professor at the University of Minnesota, has been awarded the 2021 Michael J. Pikal NIPTE Distinguished Scholar Award in Pharmaceutical Processing.
Dr. Leigh Turner was interviewed for the LA Times column, “Lawsuits demanding ivermectin raise fears of judges ordering doctors to commit malpractice."