UH College of Pharmacy and five Texas Medical Center healthcare institutions have partnered on a unique opportunity for five pharmacy graduates to concurrently earn an M.S. in Pharmacy Administration and PGY-1/PGY-2 residency certificates over a two-year period. Aimed at developing future leaders in pharmacy administration and management, the initiative draws on the strengths of UHCOP and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Harris County Hospital District, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, The Methodist Hospital and St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital. The residency programs have received "Pre-Candidate" status from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. For more information on the program, Click Here.

UHCOP Assistant Professor Hua Chen, Ph.D., M.D., and recent pharmacy administration alumna Lavanya R. Sudharshan, M.S. ('08), received a Best Contributed Podium Presentation Award in the New Investigator category at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) 11th Annual European Congress held in Athens, Greece, in November. Chen's podium presentation, "The Sustained Diagnosis of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) from Childhood to Adulthood: A Medicaid Study," was one of three awarded in the New Investigator category out of 76 entries. Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that ADHD persists in about one-quarter of the patient diagnosed as children as well as a higher incidence of co-morbidities (such as mood, anxiety and substance abuse disorders) and psychotropic medication use. 

Click here to visit the ISPOR Web site for additional award and presentation details.

UHCOP Associate Professor Michael L. Johnson, Ph.D., has received a $100,000 research grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality for his investigation into"Outcomes of Angiotensin Receptor Blocker (ARBs) Use for Heart Failure in the Elderly." The project will examine Department of Veterans Affairs data to determine the outcomes and effectiveness of ARBs – drugs that lower blood pressure – for treatment of heart failure, a highly prevalent condition with substantial morbidity and mortality in elderly patients. Johnson proposed the study due to the lack of existing research on ARB outcomes compared to other heart failure medications, such as Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors. AHRQ is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Mauree and Nicholas Martino, R.Ph. ('64), have joined The 1927 Society with their bequest of 10 percent of their estate to the University of Houston College of Pharmacy. Most recently, Martino served as Regional Business Manager for CVS/pharmacy. Prior to joining CVS, Martino held District Management and Regional Pharmacy Management positions at Eckerd for more than 30 years. Martino has served on the Dean's Advisory Council at the college and on the Pharmacy Alumni Association's board of directors for several years. One of the original donors to the Dean's Pharmacy Funds Scholarship Endowment, Martino also is a lifetime member of Houston Alumni Organization (to be renamed The University of Houston Alumni Association in January).

UHCOP Associate Professor Diana S-L. Chow, Ph.D., director of the Institute for Drug Education and Research, recently established a scholarship endowment in memory of her late father and in honor of her mother. Chow said her parents emphasized on virtues, excellence in education and full development of individual potential to contribute back to society and mankind in each of their seven children. The Kai-King Chow and Cheng-Yok Chow Endowed Scholarship will support students in the pharmaceutics graduate program and/or the combined professional pharmacy/pharmaceutics graduate program.

UHCOP Professor Vishnu D. Gupta, Ph.D., and Associate Professor Diana S-L. Chow, Ph.D., are investigating the stability of Imipenim/Ciliststatin – active ingredients in the antibiotic formulation Primaxin® – in three elastomeric (intravenous) devices. Gupta and Chow's research will help determine which of the three devices maintains drug stability throughout the infusion period at room temperature as well as during refrigerated storage period. The project is being funded by a $30,836 research grant from Healix Infusion Therapy Inc. of Sugar Land, Texas.