Spiffy new space

By Phil Schneider, associate dean for academic and professional affairs

Though the walls for our expanded offices finished ahead of schedule, getting our furnishings took longer than first expected. We are happy to finish out 2008 with new desks, tables, shelves and other furniture finally in place in our enlarged quarters. We added six offices and look forward to filling them with faculty during 2009. Here I am, feeling great in my new space.

One month and counting!

By Phil Schneider, UA College of Pharmacy, associate dean for academic and professional affairs



Expanding our offices in Phoenix is ahead of schedule!

We expect to be ready to occupy six new private and five modular offices in our expanded space in the TGen building, owned by the City of Phoenix, between Oct. 15 and 17. We hope to fill these new spaces over the next few months with faculty and staff as we expand our programs to the Phoenix Biomedical Campus. With the new space, our Phoenix base will include a reception area, a 600 sq. ft. conference room, 11 modular and six private offices.

We are also excited to be installing teleconference equipment: a 58-inch high definition plasma display screen and camera will better link the Tucson and Phoenix campuses.

Several College of Pharmacy folks are also working on committees making decisions about the two new buildings that will be on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus. The Health Sciences Education Building, about 300,000 sq. ft., will house faculty offices and classrooms for pharmacy, medical, nursing and other students in the health sciences, and will likely be done in the fall of 2012. The Arizona Biomedical Collaborative 2 Building, expected to open in the fall of 2013, will be approximately 400,000 sq. ft. dedicated for research faculty, postgraduate trainees, graduate students and research laboratories.


Photos: Phil Schneider (left) and Milfred Cody, supervisor of DPR Construction, Inc., the contractor for the office expansion; crew readying our new office space

Room in this town?

By Phil Schneider, UA College of Pharmacy, director of administrative and professional affairs

You have probably watched an old cowboy show where one cowboy says, “There no room for two of us in this town.” Is there a need for two colleges of pharmacy in Phoenix? It looks like there is, based on a cordial meeting I had recently with Denny McCallian, dean at the Midwestern University College of Pharmacy. We agreed that there is a shortage of pharmacists that both universities are trying to meet. It was also agreed that each university would benefit from having high quality pharmacy services to serve as good sites for the experiential rotations required in both of our curricula. It is in that spirit that the UA College of Pharmacy and Midwestern University co-sponsor a preceptors’ workshop annually at the Arizona Pharmacists Alliance meeting. Another topic that was discussed was making it easier for preceptors to evaluate students from both universities by standardizing evaluation forms. It looks like the UA College of Pharmacy is a welcome newcomer in this town.

Interprofessional Education comes to Phoenix

By Phil Schneider, UA College of Pharmacy, director of administrative and professional affairs

To complement the ongoing activities in Tucson, a committee has been formed to develop plans for interprofessional education for students in the health sciences at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus. Representing the UA College of Pharmacy on this committee are Jamie Joy, director of experiential education – Phoenix, and I. Representatives from UA, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University will met Aug. 11, with the intent to meet four times to explore ways to optimize teaching resources and the benefit of the different perspectives students from different disciplines bring to their learning. The results of this committee will not only affect curriculum plans for the health professions, but also assist in planning the Health Sciences Education Building on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.

Phoenix Biomedical Campus building update

By Phil Schneider, UA College of Pharmacy, director of administrative and professional affairs

The real estate market may be flat in Phoenix, but not in our zip code! There are two exciting developments in the growth of the Phoenix Biomedical Campus (PBC). The first is the expansion of the UA College of Pharmacy office space in the building TGen occupies. We are doubling the size of our office, expanding into space that will include six new private offices and five modular offices. This space will accommodate new faculty, staff, and postgraduate trainees that are currently being recruited. The scheduled move-in date is October 1, 2008.

The second building project includes the Health Sciences Education Building (HSEB) and Arizona Biomedical Collaborative 2 (ABC 2) buildings that can now be built with the recent State of Arizona appropriation. HSEB will house classrooms, offices, and student services for not only the pharmacy students, but also medical, nursing, physical therapy, and other students in the health sciences at the PBC. It is expected that the education building will be ready for students by the fall of 2012. ABC2 is a research building that will provide laboratories, offices, and research support space, such as instruments and a vivarium for the biomedical research that is the focus of the Phoenix campus. It is expected to be ready by fall 2013.

Pharmacists and cancer prevention

By Phil Schneider, UA College of Pharmacy, director of administrative and professional affairs

The new UA College of Pharmacy at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus is, after all in the “valley of the sun.” So, it would make sense that pharmacy students could help promote cancer awareness – particularly protection from the sun. Jamie Joy, director of experiential education – Phoenix, and I met with Janet Foote, PhD, assistant professor of public health, The University of Arizona, and Gayle McCartney, MPH, RD, at the Arizona Cancer Center to discuss ways that pharmacy students could help with their cancer awareness program. Pharmacists can play an important role in cancer prevention because they can advise patients about the use of sunscreen products that are widely available in pharmacies. Some medications cause photosensitivity and patients taking these medications should be warned to avoid prolonged exposure to sunshine and wear sunblock when they are exposed. We agreed to have Dr. Foote come to the UA College of Pharmacy – Phoenix and give a presentation to the fourth-year students who are here for clinical rotations during one of our seminars. We also agreed to participate in some of the cancer awareness screenings that are held up to three times a year in the Phoenix area. We also discussed possible projects for pharmacy students such as evaluating the extent of sun sensitive medication use and awareness of the hazards.

AzPA reception a success

COP hosted a reception for alumni and friends July 12 at the Arizona Biltmore Resort during the Arizona Pharmacy Alliance annual meeting in Phoenix.

There were 111 attendees at the reception and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Several COPers received awards over the weekend. Martie Fankhauser, professor, Pharmacy Practice and Science, received the Arizona Pharmacy Alliance's Exemplary Patient Care Award. Albert Picchioni, former dean, received the Pharmacy Appreciation Award. Alumnus Bill Jones and Pharmacy Practice and Science Professor Bill Fritz accepted the award on his behalf. Alumnus Mark Boesen received the Pharmacist of the Year award from Pfizer, Inc.






Top photo: Kathryn and Michael Kalsman
Middle Photo: Donna Smith and Chris Hogan
Bottom Photo: Kristina De Los Santos and Marie Chisholm-Burns

New and Improved Map

Here is the newest version of our map of the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.

Here's a tip: If you're coming to Phoenix to visit the office, and want free parking, call ahead to (602) 293-3222. The staff will arrange for you to park in one of the free lots next to our office, and you can save a few dollars--an especially good thing now as gas prices are soaring.

One more tip: 5th Street is one-way, northbound, in this area. So don't plan to turn south onto 5th from Fillmore to get into the parking lots from 5th. Turn north from Van Buren to find us.

Here's a link to a larger version (pdf file) of the map.

City Council hears about UA COP in Phoenix

On June 3, the Phoenix City Council invited me to give a presentation about the activities of The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy in Phoenix. This was part of a larger agenda to hear about the progress made with the Phoenix Biomedical Campus. There were also presentations from a consultant who has advised the City of Phoenix on this project, and Dr. Stuart Flynn, dean of the College of Medicine.

I highlighted the following in my presentation: the pharmacy day event at the Capitol on March 8; plans for outreach activities this summer at the Luke-Krohn Senior Center; recognition of the preceptor of the year, Denise Erickson, who is located in the Phoenix area; Health Disparities and Outreach initiatives with newly hired Elizabeth Hall-Lipsy; our current activities with 27 fourth-year students who have clerkship rotations in Phoenix (and 34 planned for next year); and our future plans to focus on pharmacogenomics to deliver individualized drug therapies to patients.

We had a follow-up meeting with one member of the council, Maria Barier, who is an advocate for the Phoenix Biomedical Campus and the pharmacy program here.

One interesting topic that came up at the council meeting was the issue of pharmaceutical waste and the quality of the city water supply. Representatives from the Department of Water assured the council members that the water quality in Phoenix was good, but several of us discussed the possibility of developing a program to improve the disposal of pharmaceuticals that are no longer needed so they are not simply flushed in the toilet.

As the new director of administrative and professional affairs in Phoenix, I am happy to be here and part of developing this exciting new program!

Bootman honored by Phoenix mayor

Dean J. Lyle Bootman was recognized at the Phoenix City Council meeting April 29 by Mayor Phil Gordon for his leadership in the creation of the Phoenix Biomedical Campus and for his recent receipt of the Remington Honor Medal.

A reception at the Lath House Pavilion in Heritage Square Park followed the council meeting. About 50 guests attended, including William Harris, president and CEO of Science Foundation Arizona; Fred Duval, Arizona Board of Regents; Claude Maddox, District 5 City Council; and Barry Broome, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.

Gordon spoke at both the council meeting and the reception about Bootman's leadership and his skill at bringing people together for the right reasons.

He recalled the first time he met the dean, and how impressed he was with Bootman’s interest in building the biomedical campus in Phoenix.

Duval thanked the dean for his positive attitude, mentioning how pleased the regents are with bringing the three universities together on the biomedical campus.

Bootman received a "Friend of Phoenix" plaque, which cited his many contributions to pharmacy, pharmacy education and the city.

The reception was sponsored by The Apothecary Shops, where alumnus John Musil, Class of 1994, is president and CEO, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, where Chris Hogan, Class of 1982, is vice president, pharmacy management.