Archive for November, 2016

civil society

Civilly Discussing the Election

Civilly Discussing the Consequences of the Presidential Election with SSW Professors John Belcher and Michael Reisch. Monday, Dec. 12, from 12:15 to 1:45 p.m. in the School of Social Work (SSW) auditorium. Moderated by the SSW’s Wendy Shaia, EdD.

This discussion between Professors Michael Reisch and John Belcher brings together two of our School’s most esteemed faculty to discuss the importance of engaging people with different views. Michael Reisch will present the progressive side and John Belcher will present the moderate conservative side. They also will discuss how to maintain civil discourse in times when opposing views are often intense and prone to be personal.

The discussion is intended to help find successful ways forward in responding to the major change in national leadership that marks the era ahead.

ALL are welcome to attend.

Matt Conn Bulletin Board, Community Service, Education, For B'more, Global & Community Engagement, People, UMB News, University LifeNovember 30, 20160 comments
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Entrepreneurship workshop

Intellectual Property Workshop

Intellectual property (IP) is a work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a manuscript or a design, to which one has rights and for which one may apply for a patent, copyright, trademark.

The Entrepreneurship & Innovation Network (EIN)’s upcoming workshop will dive into the differences between patent, copyright, and trademark. We also will cover what qualifies as IP, how IP is attained, and how IP is used to protect companies and provide leverage in business decisions.

Students will leave the workshop understanding why IP is important and how to do a preliminary patent search in case they have an idea of their own.

Speakers will include a corporate lawyer who specializes in intellectual property and startups and a representative from the UMB tech transfer office.

Food will be served.
RSVP at ein.eventbrite.com.

Fahim Faruque Bulletin Board, Collaboration, Community Service, Education, Technology, UMB News, University LifeNovember 30, 20160 comments
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School of Medicine

Kate Wasserman Wins ZERO TO THREE Fellowship

Baltimore resident Kate Wasserman, MSW, has been selected for a prestigious 18-month ZERO TO THREE Fellowship.

Founded in 1981, the ZERO TO THREE Fellowship Program brings together multidisciplinary, cross-sector leaders who work across the country and around the world to positively impact the lives of infants and young children through research, practice, advocacy, and policy.

“Kate has an impressive background in mental health treatment for young children and brings a unique perspective to the team,” said Matthew Melmed, ZERO TO THREE executive director. “She will help us transform and advance programs, systems and policies that help give all children a strong start in life.”

Wasserman is lead clinician at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine’s Center for Infant Study and HealthySteps Site Director. She provides outpatient mental health treatment for young children, infancy through age 6, and their families with emotional and behavioral concerns due to maternal-infant attachment issues, intimate partner violence and other family traumas, and postpartum depression. With HealthySteps, she provides infant mental health services within the Family Medicine program.

Wasserman is also lead trainer for the Race to the Top and Project LAUNCH workforce developmental programs, training primary care providers, mental health consultants, and home visitors on a range of infant mental health competencies, including trauma, early childhood development, attachment, parent-child interaction, and other topics within the field of early childhood mental health. She is also a National Trainer of the Fussy Baby Network.

Wasserman has a master’s degree from the University of Maryland School of Social Work, where she focused on maternal and child mental health, and is a licensed mental health provider within the state of Maryland. She previously served as the family support counselor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Harriet Lane Clinic. During her time at Hopkins, Wasserman founded the clinic’s Working Group on Intimate Partner Violence, an interdisciplinary team of staff, residents, and medical students working to promote and improve training around intimate partner violence within the clinic. Additionally, she is a member of the Governor’s Family Violence Council as well as the Mayor’s Domestic Violence Coordinating Committee.

Wasserman is joined by 14 other fellows. This extraordinary group represents 12 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Australia, and Turkey. The fellows reflect the broad diversity of the infant-family field and demonstrate a diversity of fields including infant and early childhood development, infant mental health, early care, education and human services, child maltreatment, psychology, and more.

About ZERO TO THREE

ZERO TO THREE works to ensure all babies and toddlers benefit from the family and community connections critical to their well-being and development. Since 1977, the organization has advanced the proven power of nurturing relationships by transforming the science of early childhood into helpful resources, practical tools and responsive policies for millions of parents, professionals and policymakers. For more information, and to learn how to become a ZERO TO THREE member, please visit zerotothree.org, facebook.com/ZEROTOTHREE or follow @ZEROTOTHREE on Twitter.

Kate Wasserman Global & Community Engagement, On the Move, People, UMB NewsNovember 30, 20160 comments
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Green Space

Campus Trees, Shrubs Preserved

Sometimes thinking outside the box or, in this case, outside the garden can save plants from the landfill and help a beautification project on campus at the same time.

Recently, two construction projects in the area of Pascault Row — the installation of an electrical duct bank and the pending demolition of the Walter P. Carter Center to the south — presented the opportunity to save and reuse trees, shrubs, and ornamental grasses planted in those areas.

Thanks to the operations and maintenance department, a handful of magnolia trees, crepe myrtle, shrubbery, and ornamental grasses were transplanted from Pascault Row into two new garden areas on campus: the open space behind the Lexington Building and the area adjacent to the Pearl Street Garage.

‘Leave a Space Better Than We Found It’

Transplanting vegetation is not always an option because the items may have root systems that are not transplantable, plants may be too old, or they may not do well with different soil and lighting conditions. Steve Shipp, UMB assistant director of buildings and grounds, shepherded this project and noted that they were able to carry out the small enhancement projects by adding garden areas because the conditions were all conducive to transplanting.

He explained: “Sometimes some [plants] are just beyond our ability to transplant or would not do well if we moved them. In this case, we had an opportunity to do that by using plant material that we already had here on campus. The risk was worth taking because these plants would have otherwise been lost. The whole idea is to leave a space better than we found it.”

Shipp consulted with UMB architect Anthony Consoli, who sketched what the final gardens would look like and suggested removing a fence from a dumpster area to allow the foliage to create a natural screen adjacent to Pearl Street.

Responsibility to Our Environment

Vassie Hollamon, associate director of operations and maintenance, said, “As a [UMB] department, we have chosen to embrace our responsibility to the environment by expanding and improving what little green space we have. When presented with the opportunity to reuse plants, we found that it fit well with our understanding of the University’s responsibility to the environment. We do this by removing unnecessary impermeable surfaces and making the green spaces we have more attractive to both people and the urban ecosystem by adding plants whenever and wherever the budget will allow.”

The plan required the addition of only one new plant — a spruce tree — and saved greenery that would have gone into a dumpster. In keeping with the UMB Go Green initiative, this venture not only saved money, it also beautified the campus.

Hollamon added: “Reusing these existing plants was the right thing to do.”

Dana Rampolla Community Service, Education, Technology, UMB News, University LifeNovember 29, 20161 comment
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Exploring Careers With the U.S. Public Health Service

Best characterized by the Churchillian phrase “… a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma,” the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) is unfamiliar to many students when they enter the School of Pharmacy.

Recently retired from the USPHS Commissioned Corps, Capt. James Bresette, PharmD ’97, began fielding numerous inquiries from students across Maryland’s three schools of pharmacy who were interested in pursuing careers with the organization, but were not sure where to start. He believed that the most effective way to address their questions was to connect the students with each other, as well as with current USPHS officers, and in 2014, he launched a teleconference series with two student pharmacists from the School to shed light on the many opportunities available to pharmacists with the USPHS.

Getting an Inside Look

Francis Nguyen, PharmD ’16, and Huan Tran, a fourth-year student pharmacist and Senior Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program (SRCOSTEP) recipient, partnered with Capt. Bresette to create a network between the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP); the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore (UMES) School of Pharmacy; and Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) School of Pharmacy and launch the teleconference series.

Through the teleconference series, junior officers with the USPHS share their experiences in the Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program (COSTEP), as Indian Health Service (HIS) residents, and as new Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) graduates to help current students better understand what career opportunities might be available to them in the future. These calls have aided students applying for the Junior Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program (JRCOSTEP), SRCOSTEP, USPHS rotations, and IHS residencies, as well as illuminated the diversity of careers available within the USPHS.

Following My Passions

It was truly divine intervention that brought Capt. Bresette and I together at the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Annual Meeting in 2016. I was speaking with a friend about my interests in global public health, international development, cultural competence, and underserved populations, but noted that I was not sure which path might be best to take to help fulfill my goals.

The beauty of being at APhA’s Annual Meeting was that I was in the perfect place to make connections with an organization like the USPHS, as several of its agencies were in attendance. I met Huan Tran and Kenneth Doan, a third-year student pharmacist at the School, who introduced me to a group of graduates from the School of Pharmacy who have gone on to serve in the USPHS Commissioned Corps. Through my interactions with that group, I had an opportunity to meet Lt. Eric Wong, PharmD ’13, Lt.  Kinbo Lee, PharmD ’15, and Capt. Bresette, with whom I spoke about my interests in global public health and community development on an international and national scale.

Capt. Bresette told me that the USPHS has agencies across the country that practice pharmacy in a manner that I found very interesting. He spoke with me about the IHS, and explained how I could work in states like Arizona and Alaska serving Native American tribes. He also mentioned deployment opportunities for disaster and emergency relief efforts across the country, and told me about some agencies that offer international locations. Hearing the officers’ experiences and learning how much they truly loved what they do further solidified my interest in the USPHS. They have a balanced work life and gain a sense of purpose from knowing that their work is making a positive impact in the lives of others. That was all I needed to hear to sell me on this career opportunity.

Making My Mark

After speaking with Capt. Bresette about my interests, he asked me to lead the teleconference series. I was honored to be offered this role, and graciously accepted. The conference call series became my baby, and I started to think about ways that we could expand and improve upon it from previous years. I wanted to increase student interest and awareness about the multitude of opportunities available with the USPHS, diversify the series by including officers from new agencies, and expand it to other schools of pharmacy.

And, I am happy to report that I have been able to accomplish some of these goals by identifying more officers to speak on our series and leveraging established relationships to expand the series to those officers’ colleagues. We have now heard from an officer with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), one who transitioned from civilian status to the commissioned corps, and senior officers from the USPHS University Point of Contact Program. Overseeing the series has also put me in contact with officers from numerous agencies, exposing me to areas of pharmacy that I did not even know existed. More than ever, I believe it is crucial that pharmacy students realize just how many different career opportunities are available to them after graduation.

Spreading the Word

I currently have two colleagues from UMES and NDMU who co-lead this series with me. Our group also launched a Facebook page titled USPHS Student Opportunities Conference Call Series (Maryland) where students can request access to join and view upcoming conference call times, call minutes, and other informational materials. The conference calls are held on a monthly basis throughout the fall semester to aid students applying for opportunities such as COSTEPs, IHS residencies, and Food and Drug Administration rotations, as well as to expose students to the multiple routes available for them to become a commissioned officer.

Even if students are not interested in the public health service, I highly encourage them to attend at least one conference call, as they truly are excellent networking and development opportunities. Our final call of the season will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 29, from 6 to 7 p.m., but we are always open to holding more calls in the spring if students are interested.

In addition, I am looking for more students who are passionate about the USPHS to serve as future co-leads and to continue expansion of the series. I encourage student pharmacists to realize the importance of the USPHS’s mission – “to protect, promote, and advance the health and safety of our Nation” – and learn how they can mold their education to align with this mission. For any questions about how to get involved with this series, please feel free to contact our team:

Advisor

Leadership Team

Social Media Liaison

Chelsea McFadden Education, University Life, USGANovember 29, 20160 comments
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Lexington Garage Parkers OneCard Linkage

There will be new entrance and exit procedures in Lexington Garage starting Jan. 3, 2017. Link your card before the rush!

Staff

Staff parkers should automatically be linked. If you are unsure if your OneCard has been linked, visit the cashiers at the SMC Campus Center.

Students

Student parkers will need to visit the cashier’s office at the SMC Campus Center, lower level, prior to Jan. 3 in order to link their OneCard for garage access.

Additionally, Parking and Transportation Services will be at the Lexington Garage to help students link their OneCards on the following dates:

  • Dec. 5: 7 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m.
  • Dec. 6-9: 7 to 9 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m.
  • Dec. 12: 7 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m.
  • Dec. 13-16: 7 to 9 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m.
Reetta Gach UMB News, University AdministrationNovember 29, 20160 comments
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Spread Icing, Not Ignorance

Support our World AIDS Day baking competition. Stop by World AIDS Day to buy a baked good and help disprove myths associated with HIV and AIDS. All proceeds will go to STAR TRACK, an interdisciplinary program aimed at addressing the complicated needs of adolescents who are infected with HIV.

The Bake Sale is only part of the World AIDS Day activities. Stop by the SMC Campus Center on Thursday, Dec. 1 from noon to 1 p.m. to participate in the Facing AIDS Photo Campaign; chat with vendors; and view the panel from the AIDS quilt currently on display.

Courtney Jones CarneyEducation, People, University LifeNovember 23, 20160 comments
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SOP Students Finish in Top Three at NCPA National Business Plan Competition

Student pharmacists from across the country compete to deliver the best business plan for a new independent community pharmacy. 

A team of four fourth-year student pharmacists and one recent graduate from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy have been awarded third place in the National Community Pharmacists Association’s (NCPA) Good Neighbor Pharmacy NCPA Pruitt-Schutte Student Business Plan Competition. Held each year at NCPA’s Annual Convention, the competition is designed to promote student interest in independent community pharmacy ownership.

“Placing in the top three at a national competition is an outstanding accomplishment and one of which our student pharmacists should be tremendously proud,” says Cherokee Layson-Wolf, PharmD, BCACP, FAPhA, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science (PPS) and associate dean for student affairs at the School of Pharmacy. “The students truly capitalized on their entrepreneurial spirit, dedicating countless hours to develop a business plan that was not only well thought out, but also a viable fit for the current marketplace. We congratulate them on their success.”

Developing a Plan

To compete in the NCPA Student Business Plan Competition, teams must develop a blueprint that outlines their plan to purchase an existing independent community pharmacy or establish a new pharmacy. The proposal presented by student pharmacists Brandon Biggs, Caleb Goodrich, Elaine Pranski, and David Tran and graduate Emily Chen detailed the creation of Broadneck Health – an umbrella company to include Broadneck Pharmacy to serve residents of the local community and Broadneck “Apawthecary” to serve their pets. The students planned to purchase the existing Broadneck Pharmacy in Arnold, MD, renovate the facility to improve workflow, and purchase a unit in a nearby medical complex to serve as a compounding center for both sterile and non-sterile pharmaceutical products.

“We wanted to establish a business that would provide quality pharmaceutical care to members of the community,” explains Pranski, who served as the team’s captain. “In addition to renovating an existing pharmacy, we devised a number of initiatives that, once implemented, would help improve patients’ health and foster personal relationships. And, since the members of our team love animals, incorporating a veterinary pharmacy component seemed like a natural extension that would help us better serve our patients and their furry friends.”

Trial and Error

The team first presented its plan to establish Broadneck Health at the School’s local NCPA Business Plan Competition in 2015. Although the team did not win the competition, its members regrouped and sought assistance from faculty and staff members Joey Mattingly, PharmD, MBA, assistant professor in PPS; Tim Rocafort, PharmD, BCACP, assistant professor in PPS; and Ashlee Mattingly, PharmD, abilities lab pharmacist and technician training coordinator, to refine their plan the following semester. In Spring 2016, the team earned first place in the local competition and a chance to compete in the national competition, for which they were selected from 46 colleges and schools of pharmacy across the United States.

“Potential entrepreneurs can learn a lot from this team’s journey,” says Joey Mattingly. “After losing the local competition in 2015, the team realized that entering the competition again would not only risk its members’ reputations, but also the heartache that might come if their plan failed again. I was incredibly impressed with their ability to handle adversity and feel fortunate to have had an opportunity to work with such a dedicated team of student pharmacists.”

Gaining Recognition

In October, the team competed in the national competition against finalists from two other schools of pharmacy – the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy and the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy. Team members presented their plan in front of a panel of distinguished judges that included a past president for NCPA, a representative from Pharmacists Mutual Company, and a representative from Live Oak Bank.

The team’s third place finish in the competition earned them $1,000 to support the School’s NCPA student chapter, as well as an additional $1,000 contribution to the School to help promote independent pharmacy.

“Although participating in this competition required a lot of time and hard work, I have truly learned a lot about the business behind pharmacy, how to lead a team, and the type of pharmacist that I want to become,” says Pranski. “Our idea and our team have evolved so much from our initial meetings two years ago, and we are incredibly thankful for the support that we have received from the School, our NCPA student chapter, and our faculty advisors.”

Malissa Carroll Clinical Care, UMB News, University Life, USGANovember 23, 20160 comments
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Campus Seeks Input on Its First Major Public Art Sculpture

UMB and the Maryland State Arts Council will be hosting a presentation by three semi-finalist artists/artist teams of their public art proposals for the Health Sciences Facility III plaza. The presentations will be on Monday, Dec. 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the SMC Campus Center Elm Room.

The semi-final artists include:

  • Richard Deutsch/Larry Kirkland
  • Eric Peltzer
  • Po Shu Wang

The semi-finalists were selected through a Request for Qualifications – Open Call to Artists issued in August.

The Artist Selection Committee will be seeking your input to assist with the selection of the final artist or artist team who will fabricate and install the public artwork in Sept. 2017.

The artwork is funded through the Maryland Public Art Initiative.

Angela Fowler-Young Bulletin Board, Collaboration, Contests, For B'more, People, UMB News, University Life, USGANovember 23, 20161 comment
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Student Pharmacists Participate in National Vote & Vax Initiative

On Nov. 8, students from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy’s student chapters of the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP), Student Section of the Maryland Public Health Association (SMdPHA), and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) offered free seasonal flu vaccines to all individuals visiting the polling site at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, MD. Organized as part of a national community outreach project known as Vote & Vax, which aims to increase influenza vaccination rates among Americans on Election Day, the clinic immunized 115 people against this serious viral infection.

“Through their participation in the Vote & Vax initiative, our student pharmacists played a vital and important role not only in helping to meet the public health needs of Maryland’s citizens, but also in demonstrating the expanding role of pharmacists as members of the health care team,” says Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, FCP, FAAPS, dean and professor of the School of Pharmacy. “Their outreach in Montgomery County is commendable and consistent with their focus on community engagement – a commitment they will surely continue as practicing pharmacists.”

Preventing A Serious Illness

The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. Symptoms associated with the flu can be mild to severe, and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, and fatigue. More than 200,000 people are hospitalized for flu-related complications each year.

The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year.

“I have participated in multiple flu clinics during my time at the School of Pharmacy, and was thrilled to be part of this year’s Vote & Vax event,” says Erika Saunders, third-year student pharmacist and chair of APhA-ASP’s Operation Immunization at Shady Grove. “The value that this initiative provided to the local community was immeasurable, as it offered easy access to free flu shots for any individual living in Montgomery County, including small children and older adults, who are particularly at risk for developing the flu. It also showcased the important role that pharmacists can play in providing vaccinations to help keep people healthy, which is so important to us as student pharmacists.”

“As a member of the planning committee for Vote & Vax, it was incredibly fulfilling to watch this event unfold,” adds Alina Kukin, third-year student pharmacist and chair of the ASHP student chapter’s Vote & Vax committee. “We were able to immunize more than 100 people, many of whom might not have otherwise received their flu vaccine. It was a remarkable accomplishment for us as soon-to-be health care professionals, as well as an even more significant success for public health in Maryland.”

Interprofessional Collaboration

This event marked the third time that student pharmacists participated in the Vote & Vax initiative, with faculty and students from the School of Pharmacy collaborating with faculty and students from the University of Maryland School of Nursing to organize the clinic. The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services provided the flu vaccines at no cost, and Marla Dalton, PE, CAE, executive director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, was on-site to provide individuals receiving the vaccine with patient education materials.

Many other students from the School also volunteered at vaccination clinics coordinated by Walgreens at polling sites across Baltimore City.

“What truly makes Vote & Vax special is both the time and place at which it occurs,” says Melanie Slaby, a second-year student pharmacist and chair of the SMdPHA student chapter’s Vote & Vax committee. “By providing flu vaccines on Election Day, we were able to reinforce the idea that, like voting, vaccination is a civic responsibility. Choosing to vaccinate ourselves against infectious diseases is an action that we all can take to help protect the more vulnerable individuals in our communities against the spread of disease. It was great to have an opportunity to spread this message and help get people excited about preventative health services.”

Malissa Carroll Clinical Care, Collaboration, Community Service, UMB News, University Life, USGANovember 23, 20160 comments
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An Evening of Storytelling: HIV Providers and Professionals United

Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day. Please join us for a night of thought provoking discussion with HIV providers and professionals who have dedicated their life’s work to addressing the HIV Epidemic

School of Nursing
655 W. Lombard St.
Room 140
5 to 7 p.m.

A collaboration between: The Student Section of the Maryland Public Health Association (SMdPHA), The JACQUES Initiative of the Institute of Human Virology, School of Medicine (SOM), Nurses for Global Health, Global Health Interest Group, and Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity.

Alan Lin Collaboration, USGANovember 23, 20160 comments
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3D Print Gifts at the HS/HSL

Take a look at some of our picks for a variety of gift and ornament ideas. There are also many websites where you can find other 3D models.

1. Pick a 3D model to print for a holiday ornament or gift.
2. 3D print the ornament at the HS/HSL Innovation Space!*
(You can make a reservation online.)
3. Remember to enter the drawing for a prize, a $50 gift card for Shapeways.**
4. Learn about 3D printing and have fun at the same time!

* Please note that standard charges for 3D printing do apply. The colors available for printing are red, green, white, blue, orange, and black.

** Any UMB student, faculty, and staff who uses the Innovation Space between now and the end of this year is eligible to enter a drawing for a $50 Shapeways gift certificate. The winner of the drawing will be announced in January 2017.

Everly Brown Contests, Education, Technology, University LifeNovember 22, 20160 comments
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