Greetings from the Dean

I am thrilled and honored to share with you some of the SIUE School of Pharmacy’s most recent accomplishments.

Most notably, our graduates rank number one for first-attempt board pass rate in Illinois and Missouri. This success is a testament to the caliber of our students, the rigor of our curriculum and the dedication of our faculty.

In addition to our student’s successes, I invite you to learn more about our faculty members who are at the forefront of addressing a major public health concern.

Thank you for your continued support.

Best regards,
Dr. Gireesh Gupchup
Dean

Graduates Attain Near Perfect Residency Match

While 66 percent is the national average for being successfully matched as a resident in the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists match program, 90 percent of the School of Pharmacy's graduates pursuing residencies obtained a match. Residencies provide postgraduate training, allowing the resident to practice direct patient care and practice management under the supervision of an experienced preceptor.

Photo: (L-R) SIUE School of Pharmacy’s Dr. Jingyang Fan, Dr. Lisa Lubsch and student Sara Mohiuddin.

Faculty Develop Training to Help Prevent Overdose

Due to a sharp increased rate of opioid overdose, the State of Illinois developed a public act in the fall of 2015 allowing pharmacists to administer opioid reversal agent naloxone to any person who is having an opioid overdose. Faculty members Drs. Kelly Gable, Chris Herndon and Jessica Kerr have worked with the Illinois Pharmacists Association to develop and administer online training for pharmacists to help prevent opioid overdose.

Learn more about the training developed to address this major public health concern.

Professor and Student Among Founding Officers of Society of Palliative Care Pharmacists

Dr. Chris Herndon, associate professor, and third-year student Scott Sexton are among the founding officers of the Society of Palliative Care Pharmacists (SPCP). Herndon will serve as treasurer, and Sexton as student trustee for the newly formed national pharmacy organization.

The mission of the SPCP is to “promote exceptional patient care by advancing palliative pharmacists through education, advocacy and research in collaboration with the transdisciplinary team."

Photo: Scott Sexton, third-year student in the SIUE School of Pharmacy

School of Pharmacy Serves Community with Diabetes Education Program

Continuing its commitment to community service, the School of Pharmacy held a Diabetes Education Program on campus. The event drew more than 100 interested individuals seeking more insight into diabetes. The program included speaker sessions, a vendor fair, diabetes screenings and one-on-one counseling with healthcare professionals.

Learn more about the event.

Students Teach Poison Prevention to Area Children

School of Pharmacy first-year students taught more than 5,000 Pre-K through third-grade students how to stay safe from potentially harmful items. Forty teams of students were involved in the School’s annual service learning experience, presenting age-appropriate lessons on poison prevention.

The topic of poison prevention is important, as accidental exposure to toxic substances often found in common household items is common among young children. The presentations focused on teaching children how to spot possible dangers in the home, and to always ask an adult before touching or tasting something that has the potential to be hazardous.