F. Lamar Pritchard, Ph.D., R.Ph., was confirmed as Dean of the University of Houston College of Pharmacy on Aug. 18 by the UH System Board of Regents. Pritchard, who joined the college Aug. 1 from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, is the sixth dean of the college since it opened in 1947. He also has been appointed Professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences & Administration with research interests in disease state management, health outcomes and quality management. A fourth-generation pharmacist, Pritchard earned a B.S. in pharmacy and a Ph.D. in pharmacy administration from the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy in Athens, Ga.

Three UH College of Pharmacy alumni were recognized by the Texas Pharmacy Association for their service to the profession and pharmacy education at the 2009 TPA Meeting in San Antonio.

R. Louis Rumsey, R.Ph. (BS '79), owner-operator of Elam Road Pharmacy in Dallas and chair of TPA's PharmPAC political action committee, was named Pharmacist of the Year. Bruce Biundo, R.Ph. (BS '61), consultant at Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA), earned the Education Excellence Award. Renee Prescott, R.Ph., Pharm.D. ('02), director of online education at PCCA and outgoing President of the UH Pharmacy Alumni Association, was honored as the Young Pharmacist of the Year.

In addition, Biundo was elected to a full three-year term on the TPA Board of Directors, representing the Academy of Compounding Pharmacists (Biundo was appointed to fill an unexpired term in the same seat last year).

Assistant Professor Bradley McConnell, Ph.D., has secured a two-year, $260,876 supplement from the National Institutes of Health to enhance his investigation, "Targeted Disruption of Beta-adrenergic Signaling to Increase Cardiac Contractility." McConnell's research is focused on the interaction of A-Kinase Anchoring Proteins (AKAPs) and Protein Kinase A (PKA), which functions as a key signaling pathway for beta-adrenergic receptor (beta-AR) stimulation, as a potential therapeutic target for patients with heart failure. The additional R01 support from NIH's National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute is being provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Vaccination expert John D. Grabenstein, Ph.D., R.Ph., Senior Medical Director for Adult Vaccines for Merck Vaccines & Infectious Diseases, will present “Prevent All the Disease You Can, Then Treat the Rest,"at the Rho Chi Society Robert L. Boblitt Lecture at 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, in Krost Hall at UH Law Center. As a Colonel in the U.S. Army, Grabenstein directed the Military Vaccine Agency, where he oversaw Defense Department immunization programs for more than 9 million troops, retirees and family members. A pharmacist with 29 years experience, he has published more than 300 articles and eight books, primarily on immunization, public health and leadership. For event and venue information, please contact Betty Hassell at ehassell@uh.edu or 713-743-1651.

UHCOP Associate Professor Vincent H. Tam, Pharm.D., BCPS, has been elected to a three-year term on the board of directors of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. Tam is the first pharmacist to be elected to the NFID board, which was founded in 1973 to encourage and sponsor public and professional education, support research and training, and aid in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.