Update: COP Expansion in Phoenix

Spiffy new space

2008-12-22T15:11:00.004-07:00

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!

2008-09-16T10:25:00.008-07:00

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?

2008-08-08T15:59:00.003-07:00

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

2008-08-08T15:58:00.002-07:00

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

2008-08-08T15:57:00.001-07:00

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

2008-08-08T15:56:00.002-07:00

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

2008-07-21T11:21:00.025-07:00

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

2008-06-27T12:45:00.002-07:00

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

2008-06-20T11:12:00.004-07:00

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

2008-05-12T11:52:00.008-07:00

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.

Phoenix mayor to recognize Bootman

2008-04-25T13:38:00.003-07:00

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon will host a reception April 29 to recognize Dean J. Lyle Bootman for his leadership of the Phoenix Biomedical Campus and his selection as the 2008 Remington Honor Medalist. The invitation-only event will be held at the Lath House Pavilion in Heritage Square Park, Phoenix.

Schneider wins health system pharmacy award

2008-04-18T10:03:00.004-07:00

Philip J. Schneider, COP's new director of administrative and professional affairs, has been named the 2008 recipient of the Harvey A. K. Whitney Lecture Award by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. The award was established in 1950 by the Michigan Society of Hospital Pharmacists and recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to health-system pharmacy. It's considered the highest honor in the field.

In May, Schneider will begin working from the Phoenix Biomedical Campus on developing Phoenix-based programs. He is currently clinical professor and director of the Latiolais Leadership Program at The Ohio State University.

Schneider won the award in part because his current teaching and research are focused on improving the medication use process and improving medication use safety. He also developed a nationally recognized program for the reporting and analysis of adverse drug events that led to improvements in the medication use process at The Ohio State University Medical Center. The severity scale developed as part of this program is widely used in the healthcare industry.

Schneider will receive the award on June 10 during ASHP’s summer meeting in Seattle.

From the Phoenix Pulse

2008-03-14T17:22:00.003-07:00

Here's a brief update on development of the Phoenix Biomedical Campus from the March 14 e-newsletter produced by The University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, in partnership with Arizona State University. These buildings will include students, staff and faculty of the College of Pharmacy.

Plans continue to move forward for the next two buildings on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus – an education building and a second research building – as well as a mixed-use parking structure to be built by a private developer after a competitive bidding process. The two academic buildings call for approximately 750,000 square feet to house programs of all three state universities. The Health Sciences Education Building will include classrooms, a state-of-the art simulation center, preclinical training suites, anatomy laboratories, a library and learning resource center and food services. Arizona Biomedical Collaborative 2 (ABC2) will accommodate approximately 75 principal investigators and will include core resources to support the researchers in the ABC research buildings (including those that may be built in the future) and possibly collaborating scientists from other research organizations.

Phoenix Units Meeting

2008-02-29T14:12:00.006-07:00

The College of Pharmacy office in Phoenix hosted the monthly Phoenix Units Meeting Feb. 21. The meeting was attended by all the divisions of The University of Arizona that are located in Maricopa Count y.

Twenty-three participants attended and had lunch while Judy Bernas, associate vice president of external relations in Phoenix, talked about College of Medicine events. Charlene Ledet from state relations shared budget and legislature information and Michael Rishell, vice president of regional development, talked about development and upcoming fundraising events.

Becky Cole, COP development officer, reported on the COP's plans for the future and Jamie Joy, director of experiential education for Phoenix, discussed student participation in Phoenix.

Update on state budget issues

2008-01-23T12:37:00.001-07:00

Those of us who work for The University of Arizona are watching and listening to see how the Arizona Legislature and Gov. Janet Napolitano resolve the challenges brought on by the state budget shortfall. Their decisions will no doubt affect how we do our jobs this year and next. For a review of the current budget proposals under consideration, you might want to check out State Government Update #1 prepared by the UA Government Relations office. You'll notice that the governor is proposing funding to develop the College of Pharmacy on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus in her FY 2009 plan.

Phones ready to ring

2008-01-18T08:53:00.001-07:00

Phone lines for the UA College of Pharmacy offices at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus have been installed and are working. The numbers are as follows:

Main line: (602) 293-3222
Dean's office: (602) 293-3543
Becky Cole, development director: (602) 293-3122
Jamie Joy, experiential education director-Phoenix: (602) 293-3188
Sue Johnston, administrative services coordinator: (602) 293-3255
Luann Musser, administrative services coordinator: (602) 293-3332
Fax: (602) 293-3632

The Phoenix staff awaits your calls!

Students gather in new office

2007-11-29T12:04:00.001-07:00

The new COP offices in the TGen Building hosted their first event on Nov. 13 when Jamie Joy, experiential education director in Phoenix, held a Residency Planning seminar.

The two-hour seminar and dinner attracted 15 fourth-year PharmD students who were interested in information and tools to help them plan for residencies. The seminar provided information about the importance of a residency program, CV and resume tips, timelines and important deadlines regarding applying for residency programs, preparing for the ASHP midyear meeting and interviewing tips.

There were five guest speakers: Mitch Buckley, St Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center; Hilary Davis, Carl T. Hayden Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Jon Glover, Pfizer; Jennifer Retterer, Carl T. Hayden Veterans Affairs Medical Center; and Karen Wright, Scottsdale Healthcare Shea Medical Center.

If you want to learn about future activities like this, contact Sue Johnston.

Pharmacy spots in Phoenix open

2007-11-15T10:51:00.001-07:00

COP is looking for a few good people to develop and further programs in Phoenix. We are accepting applications for a director of administrative and professional affairs, a director of clinical and translational pharmacy research, and faculty in personalized medicine research.

The director of administrative and professional affairs will, among many duties, develop and administer education initiatives and participate in budgetary planning and management. Learn more by checking out Job 39627 on the UA Career Track web page.

The research director will develop and manage postgraduate education in clinical and translational research with partners in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area; for details see Job 39625.

Faculty are also needed to develop and manage postgraduate residency and fellowship programs in clinical and translational research specialties such as cardiovascular/diabetes, neurology, oncology and bioinformatics. Look for this posting on the UA job site in a few days.

Office in the making

2007-10-10T17:30:00.001-07:00

Luann Musser and Sue Johnston give you a tour of the Phoenix office for the College of Pharmacy. The photos show a work station in assembly, the completed front desk and the tables and chairs in the meeting room.

It's an office! (Well, almost)

2007-10-09T14:32:00.001-07:00

A bonafide work area in the College of Pharmacy office suite at 445 N. Fifth Street is just days away. Furnishings for the "semi-private" work stations and a meeting room were installed last week. New administrative support staff Luann Musser and Sue Johnston and Jamie Joy, Phoenix experiential education director, hope to move into their new environs in two to three weeks--they await completion of communications hook-ups and then will be ready to rock 'n' roll.

Pictured above: David Burks, project coordinator, at the door of one of the new office cubicles, and Luann at the partially assembled front reception desk. We'll post more photos tomorrow.

Courier carries packages to, from Phoenix

2007-09-28T13:27:00.001-07:00

We're just a few days away from having staff on site in the new College of Pharmacy office suite in Phoenix. Can needing to exchange mail be far behind?

A courier service through the UA College of Medicine has agreed to transport mail packages to and from the Tucson and Phoenix campuses for the College of Pharmacy, too. Each sender is responsible for getting their mail packages to the drop-off locations and confirming delivery with recipients.

Here's the skinny on using the service:

Courier schedule
Monday, Wednesday and Thursday of UA payday weeks
Monday, Wednesday and Friday of non-payday weeks

Delivery times
The courier gets to Phoenix about 10:45 a.m. on delivery days and returns to Tucson at approximately 2:30 p.m. the same day. Get your package to the Tucson drop-off location by 5 p.m. of the day before you wish it to be delivered to Phoenix.

Drop-off locations
Tucson: College of Medicine Finance Office, AHSC 1120, on the first floor near Medical Book Store
Phoenix: Third floor of Building 1 of COM-Phoenix

Addressing the mail
Label packages to Phoenix with the name of the recipient, department name, College of Pharmacy and recipient's phone number if you have it.

Label packages for Tucson with the name of the recipient, department name, College of Pharmacy, PO Box number and the line:
Please call the College of Pharmacy Dean's Office at 626-1567 for pick-up.

And there's also U.S. Mail
If you need to send mail to the COP office by the U.S. Postal Service or arrange a delivery there, the street address of our Phoenix site is:
455 North 5th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85004-2241

October Student Outreach Event

2007-09-21T11:09:00.001-07:00

Fourth-year PharmD students are hosting a mini health fair on Oct. 2 at Westminster Village in Scottsdale.

The students, who are working on clinical rotations in the greater Phoenix area, will conduct blood pressure screenings, diabetes screenings and medication reviews. The fair begins at 7:30 am and runs until noon.

This is the third outreach event the Phoenix fourth-years have hosted.

State board helps out

2007-09-19T18:02:00.001-07:00

J. Lyle Bootman, dean, and others from the College of Pharmacy accepted $600,000 from the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy during a board meeting in Phoenix Sept. 11. The money will enable the college to embark on a number of critical initiatives that will yield benefits not only to the profession of pharmacy but to the citizens of Arizona, Bootman says.

The college will use the funds:

to open and staff the new facility in downtown Phoenix at TGen
to purchase state-of-the-art telecommunications equipment to develop a distance learning capability that will link the Tucson and Phoenix campuses
to attract matching funds from foundations and other sources that will leverage the state’s investment in the UA College of Pharmacy.

“We are pleased that the Arizona state legislature agreed with the board that this was a good use of these funds,” says Hal Wand, executive director of the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy.

The college will receive the funds in quarterly installments.

Photo shows Tom Vanhassel, president of the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy, presenting Dean Bootman (right) with a symbolic check.

2 newbies to join COP in Phoenix

2007-09-18T15:57:00.001-07:00

When the offices of the College of Pharmacy in Phoenix open next month, two new employees will be there to put things in order.

Accepting the positions of coordinator of administrative services for COP are Luann Musser and Sue Johnston. The pair will provide administrative support to Tucson-based college administrators and faculty involved in developing Phoenix programs, to Jamie Joy (experiential education director in Phoenix) and to future Phoenix-based administrators and faculty. They will report directly to Dean J. Lyle Bootman.

Johnston began her duties Sept. 17, working from a temporary desk until COP digs on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus are ready in mid October. Musser will join COP Oct. 1.

Johnston worked for UA in Tucson from 1978 through 1989, holding positions with the University Teacher Center, Department of Chemistry, Department of Psychology and Department of Political Science. She has since held several positions in Phoenix.

Musser comes to the college following nearly a decade of service with Arizona State University and 15 years with the University of Michigan. Most recently she held positions with ASU’s Campus Health Service, Facilities Management and the Department of Theatre.

"I'm excited to be part of the development of downtown Phoenix and a new enterprise for the College of Pharmacy," Johnston says. She visited the Tucson campus Sept. 18 and 19, meeting several of members of the COP staff.

ABC1 opens

2007-08-28T14:45:00.001-07:00

In an unprecedented partnership, UA and ASU researchers are sharing the newest of buildings to open on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus. The four-story ABC1 building opened in July and will be dedicated Oct.15. (See earlier post, A New Vocabulary, if you don't know what ABC1 stands for)

It houses ASU bioinformatics faculty on the first two floors and UA medical researchers on the wet-lab space on the top two floors. Some COM-Phoenix faculty who had been situated in Building 3 on the campus moved offices into the ABC1 building as well.

On a brief tour of the shiny new building last month, visitors from the College of Pharmacy had a variety of responses to the colors and sleek furnishings they saw: the ‘70s retro look is either “cool,” “bold” or “ugly,” depending on whom you ask!

The Big One

2007-08-21T10:06:00.001-07:00

The College of Pharmacy (in Tucson) welcomed 90 students into its PharmD program this year, making this the largest incoming class since the degree program was initiated in 1985. That's a lot of growth from the seven students who graduated from the program in 1985. Last year's incoming class numbered 89.

"As the only public college of pharmacy in the state, we take our role as provider of new pharmacists very seriously," says Dean J. Lyle Bootman. "We have been expanding our enrollment as much as possible to help meet the demand for new pharmacists in Arizona."

Over the past few years, Arizona repeatedly ranked among those states with the highest need for pharmacists, according to the Pharmacy Manpower Project, Inc. In August 2007, the Western U.S. had the highest demand in the country for pharmacists.

Here are a few interesting statistics about the students enrolled at COP as of August 17:

333 PharmD students (among all four years)
85 master's and doctoral students in five fields
61 percent of student pharmacists in the new class are women
38 percent of student pharmacists in the new class hail from underrepresented ethnic groups

The class of 2011 takes the Oath of Professionalism

Where is it, anyway?

2007-08-20T17:02:00.001-07:00

If you ever need to travel to the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, here's a handy map (the link will take you to a nicer pdf version).

Travel directions are:

Take Interstate 10 from Tucson to central Phoenix. Exit at 7th Street, at the fork, go left (south) about a mile to the campus.

The parking lot shown in dark pink on the map recently became a permit lot that includes some paid visitor spaces (or will soon--UA Parking and Transportation customer service rep isn't sure all the equipment has been installed for collecting visitor fees yet). Go to the UA Parking and Transportation web site to see the different options for a permit for that lot.

Fees for visitors at the lot are $1 per hour to a $7 maximum. A UA service permit will also get you a parking space in the lot, Parking and Transportation says.

There are a few visitor parking spaces next to the TGen building where COP offices will be.

Students plan outreach events

2007-08-16T08:35:00.001-07:00

The 30 fourth-year PharmD students completing clinical rotations in the Phoenix area have put together a schedule of free health screenings and educational programs for the year ahead. On Aug. 14, students talked with elementary-school children and parents at Burton Barr Central Library about nutrition.

Here's what's coming up next:

Aug. 30-Blood Pressure Screening, 10 a.m.-noon, Senior Services East Senior Center, Phoenix
Oct. 2-Mini Health Fair (blood pressure and diabetes screenings and medication reviews), 7:30 a.m.-noon, Westminster Village, Scottsdale
Nov. 6-Mini Health Fair, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Edwards Medical Plaza, Phoenix

For more information on any of these, contact Jamie Joy, experiential education director for Phoenix, joy@pharmacy.arizona.edu.

Room with a view

2007-08-13T15:30:00.001-07:00

Those moving in to the new Pharmacy space this fall will have a nice view to the outside world from their first-floor offices. Across the way is the Arizona Center.

Thanks from the COP communications team to UA's Al Bravo, associate director of public affairs who is located on the biomedical campus, for the pictures of the College of Pharmacy space and its environs shown in this and the previous two posts.

Lovely on the outside

2007-08-13T15:25:00.001-07:00

Here's the way the building where we will soon be doing business looks on the outside.

College of Pharmacy ‘digs’ in Phoenix close to ready

2007-08-09T15:35:00.001-07:00

About 2,500 square feet of office space in downtown Phoenix is close to being ready for employees of the College of Pharmacy.

Located on the first floor of the same building at 5th Street near Fillmore that also is home to TGen, the space needs furniture (on order!), and then will be ready for files and people. Expectations are that “semi-private, office-like” work stations will be installed in September, with first staff arriving in October, says David Burks, project coordinator for laying the groundwork for COP operations on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus. (Burks began the project while he was senior director of development for the college; he retired from that position in July, but continues as a consultant on the college expansion to Phoenix.)

The office suite will boast state-of-art wireless technology, with occupants using laptop computers and cell phones to connect to the larger world. Tim Wunz, COP director of information technology, will manage the IT functions and internet connections with Tucson.

First to claim space

Among the first on the scene in the new offices will be Jamie Foster Joy, the COP director of experiential education programs for Phoenix. Joy has been working for the college since January from a home office; by early October she will be able to base her operations from the biomedical campus, in a spot just a two or three-minute walk from the three restored buildings that make up the UA College of Medicine-Phoenix.

The 30 fourth-year PharmD students who are currently completing their clinical rotations in the Phoenix area will probably be the first users of the medium-sized meeting room built into the office suite. Joy expects to convene the students at the site occasionally to review their rotation experiences and discuss community service projects.

More to come

COP is currently seeking a coordinator of administrative services to manage key administrative and academic support areas of the Phoenix operation. You can find out more by finding the posting for Job 38592 at the UA employment site.

Dean J. Lyle Bootman will have a work space at COP Phoenix, as will others based in Tucson who spend substantial time on site developing Phoenix programs, Burks says.

The COP office suite faces 5th Street and boasts large windows that showcase a pleasant view of landscaping and buildings of the Arizona Center. It will have a small refrigerator, sink and microwave for employee use and several cabinets for storage.

We promise more postings about the COP Phoenix offices as furniture arrives.

A New Vocabulary

2007-08-08T15:28:00.001-07:00

You'll see a lot of new names and abbreviations when we talk about the Phoenix campus. Here are a few to get us started.

PBC: Phoenix Biomedical Campus
TGen: Translational Genomics Institute
COM-Phoenix: The University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix in partnership with Arizona State University
Building 1, Building 2, Building 3: The historic Phoenix Union High School buildings facing Van Buren that were remodeled to house Phoenix-based medical education
ABC1: Arizona Biomedical Collaborative Building 1, the new building on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus housing research laboratories for UA and ASU
ABC2: Arizona Biomedical Collaborative Building 2, a research building to be built on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus that is still in the planning stages
Health Sciences Education Building or Medical Education Building: Two terms for one building still in the planning stages that will provide educational facilities for medical, pharmacy and allied health students

No doubt many more terms will be added to the list as we go along.

Welcome!

2007-08-07T14:37:00.001-07:00

Welcome to The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy's Phoenix expansion update center!

Your devoted communications team will use this medium to post new developments and updates about the Phoenix expansion. You can subscribe to an RSS feed to get automatic and immediate updates when we post something here, or you can just refer to the link on the COP Web site.

Please feel free to ask questions or leave comments. We will try hard to keep you well-informed. And show patience, please--some of us are new to this format and learning as we go.

Thanks and have a great day!