SIUE School of Pharmacy

School of Pharmacy (SOP) researchers have been awarded a $398,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to assess the effects of various dietary fats on the brain vasculature in association with inflammation. The receipt of the R21 grant marks the second concurrent grant presented by the NIH to Ken Witt, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the SOP. Witt is also currently working with a $2.65 million RO1 grant for Alzheimer’s research.

Read more about this most recent NIH grant.

Dr. McKenzie Ferguson, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, co-authored an update to a technical review on the topic of patient-controlled analgesia versus other methods of pain control after surgery. The systematic review is part of the Cochrane Collaboration to guide evidence-based decisions among clinicians.

Read more about Ferguson’s Cochrane Collaboration review.

SIUE recently renewed its contract with the National Institute of Health Centers of Excellence in Pain Education (NIH CoEPE) to receive continued financial support in the area of pain research for up to five years. SIUE acts as a hub for the development, evaluation and distribution of pain management curriculum resources for medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy schools, in an effort to enhance how health care professionals are taught about pain and its treatment.

Read more about SIUE’s role as a CoEPE.

School of Pharmacy students took part in a dental mission trip to Jamaica in July. Under the supervision of pharmacists, students provided services to patients before, and sometimes after, their dental work. They completed patient histories and blood pressure and blood glucose screenings.

Learn more about the dental mission trip to provide much-needed care to an underserved population.

A full cohort of first-year professional students were presented their white coats at the 10th School of Pharmacy White Coat Ceremony in September. The white coat marks the transition from student to student pharmacist.

Learn more about the significance of this annual ceremony.

Alumni and community members are invited to leave a legacy by participating in the Best and Brightest Paver Drive and Endowed Scholarship Campaign. Through the sale of pavers that will build a path around the School’s Medicinal Garden, monies raised will provide outstanding pharmacy education and financial aid opportunities for students across the region.

Learn more and watch what alumni have to say about the paver drive.