Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced the release of $10,537,000 in planning funds to create preliminary designs for a $105 million Health Science Building (HSB) on the SIUE campus. The HSB will include approximately 221,000 square feet and facilitate more simulation training, research and growth in programs within pharmacy, nursing and related health science areas.

“This new health sciences building means so much more than new equipment and fancier white boards," said fourth-year pharmacy student Deja Finley, of O’Fallon, Ill. "It means collaboration as a healthcare team. It means a wealth of new experiences. It means growing communication among disciplines and most of all, it means focusing on patient-centered care.”

Learn more about planning for the new HSB.

Ken Witt, PhD, professor of pharmaceutical sciences, and a team of researchers are seeking to renew a grant from the National Institute of Aging, a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as they focus on oral drug delivery for long-term use in combating Alzheimer’s Disease. 

With a $2.65 million RO1 grant awarded in 2015, Witt has been the principal investigator leading a team of researchers composed of medicinal chemists, pharmacologists and pharmaceutics experts to develop a drug for the treatment of Alzheimer’s. Initial investigations by the research team began more than 10 years ago.

According to Dean Mark Luer, the research could be the focus of a whole new drug discovery program.

Learn more about Witt's research.

Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience students recently returned from their international rotation in Mysore (Mysuru) and Ooty, India.

Fourth-year (P4) students James Reimer, Caleb Braasch, Lauren Skarupa and Catherine Gilmore participated in a unique professional and cultural experience. The group spent four weeks in India as part of a five-week clinical rotation.

Students had the opportunity to participate in hospital treatment team rounds with healthcare teams. Clinical experiences include infectious disease care, pediatrics, general medicine and oncology. Students present clinical cases as part of a team, alongside their student peers from Jagadguru Sri Shivaratheeshwara (JSS) Academy of Higher Education and Research.

Learn more about the students' experiences.

Recognizing the School of Pharmacy’s ability and desire to serve the public, the Boy Scouts of America  requested a partnership initiative to address the growing epidemic of opioid abuse among adolescents.

As a result, Jessica Kerr, PharmD, SOP associate dean, and Chris Herndon, PharmD, professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, along with fourth-year students Jazmine Rosales and Paris Smith, developed curriculum. The program launched in October and uses active learning to educate scouts on the dangers of misuse and abuse of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications.

Learn more about the collaboration.

For a more in depth look at how the School of Pharmacy is living its mission and continuing to innovate on many fronts, check out the 2019 Dean's Report. 

The School of Pharmacy is heading to National Harbor, Md., for APhA's Annual Meeting and Exposition. Please join us for a reception!

Saturday, March 21
9-11 p.m.
Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center
Annapolis 1 Room