Pharmakon Newsletter summer 2001

Drake UniversityC O L L E G E O F P H A R M A C Y

& H E A LT H S C I E N C E S

A L U M N I N E W S L E T T E R

Summer 2001 • Volume 11 • Number 1

C O N N E C T I N G W I T H O U R A L U M N I A N D F R I E N D S A R O U N D T H E W O R L D

Learning Gets ActiveStudents Excel Through Experiential

Education Program page 6

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Going the Extra Mile… page 3

Regional Scoop… page 8

Alumni Profile… page 10

Learning Gets ActiveStudents Excel Through Experiential

Education Program page 6

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PHARMAKON SUMMER 2001 • DRAKE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PHARMACY AND HEALTH SCIENCES

Greetings to all alumni and friends on behalf of thefaculty, staff and students of the College. I am pleased to be

writing this letter for the first Pharmakon issue with a new, updated format. Please send me

your comments on both content and format.

I think you may find it interesting to learn of some important happenings. On May 11 we

saw the last students who entered under the five-year BSPh degree graduate. All of these

graduates will receive the Doctor of Pharmacy program, however, since they all tracked into

the PharmD after their fourth year. Still, this graduation marks the end of a 35-year era in the

history of the College. This means, of course, that all graduates in 2002 and beyond will be

those that entered the “two plus four” program for the entry-level PharmD degree.

Also, this year our first student to complete the new Bachelor of Science Program in

Pharmaceutical Sciences, Angela Arlen from New Vienna, Iowa, graduated. You may recall

the announcement just a few years ago that we were implementing this program to serve

the interests of students who wanted to pursue a more science-based program, rather than

one leading to professional licensure. We expect the BSPh to grow in enrollment and that

career opportunities will be excellent for these graduates, too.

There have been recent reports noting that the size of the pharmacy admission

application pool is down, compared to the size three and four years ago. That may be true

in terms of the overall pool nationally, but at Drake the pool of applicants has actually been

increasing in size. We have had an increase for three years in a row. At the pre-pharmacy

level, we admitted the largest entering

class in our history in August 2000,

and applications for first-year

admission in the fall of 2001 are

approximately 40 percent ahead of

where they were for that record class.

We are pleased, of course, since a

larger application pool inevitably leads

to increasing quality of the students

we have.

Faculty numbers for the pharmacy

program are also at an all-time high.

Currently we have 31 full-time faculty and will have 33 when planned additions are

completed in the summer of 2002. We also employ 10 to 11 FTE as part-time faculty each

year in various capacities. This total of approximately 43 FTEs faculty represents a 60 percent

growth in faculty over the last 10 years, nearly all of the growth focused on the change

from the BSPh to PharmD.

If you have questions about other aspects of the program, please let me know. As always,

I welcome input from all alumni and friends. I can be reached by phone at 515-271-1814

and by e-mail at [email protected].

A Note from Dean Stephen Hoag

Pharmakon, the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences newsletter, is published for alumni and friends of the College

Drake University Marketing and Communications

316 Old Main Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa 50311-4505

Stephen Hoag dean

[email protected]

Claudia Cackleralumni and development director

[email protected]

Casey L. Gradischnigeditor

[email protected]

Adrienne Hooker designer

[email protected]

“We admitted thelargest entering class in our historyin August 2000…”

HOT TOPIC

by Coralynn Becker

“Two roads…and I tookthe one less traveled…”

Robert Frost

Ihave always been anindividual who takes theroad less traveled. Last

summer I had the opportunityto participate in an internshipprogram with the United StatesPublic Health System. I wasplaced at a medium to highsecurity federal prison housing1,000 men in Memphis,Tennessee. Yes, a prison. Shortlyafter I began, I received a choiceof projects from headquarters:either interview three HIVpatients or interview diabetespatients. Since I had alreadycompleted a diabetes project, I chose the HIV project so Icould learn something new.

There were only 10 HIVpatients in the facility, so insteadof doing just what was required,I decided to design an observa-tional study which involved all10 men. This was not the easiestor safest approach. It wouldhave been easy for me to coastalong the traveled road and fillprescriptions of ibuprofen and

foot cream (the inmate’s “big”medical problems) all summer in the clinic. I needed somethingmore; I needed to be challenged.By the end of the summer I hadfinished the assignment and apaper entitled “HIV in aCorrectional Facility: BuildingTrust Through a TeamApproach.” I didn’t have towrite that paper, but who reallywants to take the worn pathwhen you are in a prison?

When I took the road lesstraveled to Memphis, I had noidea what I would find. Evenwhen I left, I wasn’t sure iftaking that road had been theright decision. It wasn’t longbefore I realized that what I haddone wasn’t ordinary and, as theRobert Frost quote ends, “thathas made all the difference.”

Shortly after returning toDrake I received a call requestingthat I speak about my paper atthe National Conference onCorrectional Health Care in St.Louis. Brown University hadreceived an abstract of the paperthat I wrote. I attended as theonly student among 12 presen-ters — most of whom wereeither Ph.D.sor M.D.s.

has a choice in the career pathwe choose. If you want it to be,pharmacy is a career limitless inits possibilities. If you have thepassion, you can make a differ-ence no matter what your job is.Have faith, believe in yourself,and take just a few steps and soon youwill realize that you are headingdown the “road less traveled.”What lies at the end is up toyou; you are the one who deter-mines your destiny. I promiseyour decision will make “all the difference.”CoraLynn Becker, DP3, has been awarded a Merck

Research Scholar Grant — one of only 12 prestigiousgrants awarded nationally this year. Her project isentitled “An Assessment of Pharmaceutical CarePlans of Iowa Pharmacists Participating in the Pharmaceutical CaseManagement Project.” Dr. Darrel Bjornson is her faculty mentor andadviser for the project.

This was a great opportu-nity for me personally, andit was an honor torepresent Drake.

After working withprofessors at Drake toprepare my presentation, I was given another chanceto work on a researchproject for a professor and the Iowa PharmacyFoundation. I must keepyou in suspense and tellyou that the story is “to be continued” because thiswork is in progress and Idon’t know what willhappen with the projectnext. I do know that as aresult of taking the roadless traveled in various ventures,I am planning to obtain myPh.D. in Health Outcomes andDrug Policy after graduatingfrom Drake.

Why am I telling you all ofthis? It is not to let you knowwhat a student is doing at Drake.My success story is nothingcompared to many of my peersand classmates. I wanted to usemy story to illustrate thepotential that we each have asindividuals and professionals inpharmacy. Our profession is inneed of leaders and innovators. I don’t care if you are a student,if you have beenpracticing pharmacyfor 35 years, or ifyou are somewhere inbetween; each of us

Creating your own opportunities

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YOUR OPINION WANTED: If you have a profes-sional opinion you’d like to write and submit forconsideration as a future Hot Topic, or if you wantto respond to this editorial, send an e-mail toPharmakon editor [email protected].

DRAKE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF PHARMACY AND HEALTH SCIENCES • PHARMAKON SUMMER 2001

WILLIAMS RECEIVES WEAVER MEDAL OF HONORDarwyn Williams was named the 2001Weaver Medal of Honor recipient at aprogram and dinner held on Feb. 22.

Williams has led a long and distinguishedcareer in pharmacy since his graduationfrom Drake University College of Pharmacyin 1949. Williams, a Navy veteran, is theretired president of Williams Drug, Inc., a store founded by hisfather in 1940, withstores in WebsterCity and Boone, IA.Williams has servedat the top of manyprofessional groupsin Iowa and nation-ally including stintsas president of boththe NationalAssociation of Retail Druggists and the IowaPharmacy Association. Williams received the Bowl of Hygeia Award from the IowaPharmacy Association in 1979. He has4


IN BRIEF

served on the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy Advisory Council, the DrakeUniversity College of Pharmacy and HealthSciences National Advisory Board, and theUpjohn Pharmacy Consultant Panel.

An active community leader, Williams is a past president of the Webster City RotaryClub, was a member of the Board of Directorsof the Webster City Chamber of Commerceand has served numerous civic organizations.

The Weaver Medal of Honor is namedafter Lawrence C. and Delores M. Weaver.Dr. Weaver, PH’49, Hon. D.Sc.’92, is aleader in pharmacy and science educationand dedicated Drake alumnus. He is deanemeritus of the University of MinnesotaCollege of Pharmacy and a past vicepresident for professional relations with thePharmaceutical Manufacturers Association.

FUTURE PHARMACISTS VISIT DRAKEThe College of Pharmacy hosted its fifthTalented and Gifted Day on campus May 10.Approximately 50 fifth grade Talented andGifted (TAG) students from the Des MoinesPublic Schools visited the Drake to partici-pate in the outreach program by attendingseveral classes geared specifically to introducethe students to the world of pharmacy.

DRAKE HOSTS ANNUAL PHARMACY DAYDrake’s 14th annual Pharmacy Day washeld on Feb. 15. The event featured keynotespeaker Grace Powers Monaco, vice presidentof Medical Care Management Corp. Herspeech addressed “Networking for a NewAdvocacy Structure in Managed Care:Patient, Provider and Pharmacist.”

Darwyn Williams

Student ProfileAnthony Kwesi Nfodjo

Major: Pharmacy, DP6

Hometown: Accra, Ghana West Africa.Anthony has been in the U.S. for nearly 10 years.

Internship/Work Experience:Dahl’s Pharmacy.

Notable Achievement: PharmacistsMutual Scholarship recipient.

Campus Activity: APhA-ASP member.

Off-campus Interests: Soccer, musicand reading.

Career Aspirations: Retail pharmacyadministration and management.

Anthony says, that thanks to solid friend-ships and support, he has overcome thechallenges of adapting to a new environ-ment, people and culture.

“Overcoming such obstacles to me is an ongoing process entailing patience,resilience, determination and hard work.

“The Drake faculty and my peers are enablingme to acquire the skills needed to engagein goal-oriented pharmaceutical care.”

Assistant Professor of PharmacyPractice Angela Tice works with twoinquisitive elementary school studentsduring the College of Pharmacy’sTalented and Gifted Day.

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The event, which enabled students tointeract with local pharmacists, pharmacyorganizations and pharmaceutical companies,also included a State of the College addressfrom Stephen Hoag, dean of the College ofPharmacy and Health Sciences. Hoag recog-nized two special guests: Walgreen Co. CEOand Chairman Dan Jorndt, PH’63, and hiswife, Patricia McDonnell Jorndt, LA’64. TheJorndts recently made a $1 million personaldonation to establish the WalgreenScholarships for Drake pharmacy students.

NEW RESIDENCY PROGRAM ESTABLISHEDThe Drake/Albertsons-Osco CommunityResidency Program has been establishedwith partial support through a grant fromthe Institute for the Advancement ofCommunity Pharmacy. The residency seeksto provide advanced training in communitypharmacy practice by teaching the residentto implement and evaluate programs overmultiple practice sites.

The program will run on a yearly basisfrom July 1 to June 30 of the following year.During that time the resident will gainexperience with everyday practice skills and gain clinical skills by working at one of the Osco stores within the CommunityCare Laboratory. Additionally, the residentwill have the opportunity to oversee projectsat other stores to gain experience acrossmultiple sites. The resident will chooseamong electives in operations, marketing,education, and recruiting at Osco’scorporate level. This year’s resident isOrlando Matas-Sosa, a PharmD/MBAstudent from the University of Florida.

NEW PHARMAKONHOT OFF THE PRESSThe spring 2001 printing marks the firstedition of the newly redesigned Pharmakon. The newsletter has been reworked by Drake’s

Office of Marketing and Communications togive the publication a more reader-friendly,contemporary feel. In addition to the visualenhancements, the content of Pharmakonhas been updated to include more DrakeCollege of Pharmacy students, faculty andgraduates in new and unique ways. If youhave a comment on the newsletter or wouldlike to contribute to Pharmakon, e-mailEditor Casey Gradischnig at [email protected] or call 515-271-3779.

CACKLER JOINS DRAKE DEVELOPMENT OFFICEClaudia Cackler is the new alumni anddevelopment director for the College ofPharmacy and Health Sciences. Cackler is a Des Moines native who brings 20 years of development, management and marketingexperience to the position. She has workedwith a number of non-profit organizations

DrakeHistoricalMomentTHE COLLEGE OF PHARMACY ANDHEALTH SCIENCES TRACES ITS ROOTSBACK TO 1903 when the Iowa Collegeof Physicians and Surgeons (DrakeMedical College) relinquished itsequipment and income to DrakeUniversity. This affiliation meant facultyappointments were taken over by theUniversity and the College of Pharmacyestablished closer ties to Drake. In1939 the Des Moines College ofPharmacy became part of the University.Byrl Benton, pictured here with astudent, became dean of the Collegein 1949 and oversaw much of theCollege’s mid-century growth.

including the Des Moines National PoetryFestival, Salisbury House, The NatureConservancy and the American Institute of Architects.

“The thing I lovemost about my job isgetting to talk to ourgrads and finding outwhat amazing thingsthey’ve done with theirlives after attendingDrake. It is truly aninspiration,” she says.Cackler can be reached at 515-271-4049 or via e-mail at [email protected].

Claudia Cackler

First-year pharmacy major GretaAnderson started her semesterin uncharted territory by

working one-on-one to providecare to an elderly client. TimKarley, a third-year studentpursuing his doctorate inpharmacy, recently completed a stint of community outreach at La Cliniqua De Esperanza, a free clinic with a predominately

Hispanic population. Fifth-yearpharmacy student Amanda Sass

helped coordinate a group of Drakestudents who visited Des Moinesarea grade and middle schoolseducating kids about methamphet-amine. Lisa Izzo, DP3, was one ofmore than 100 Drake pharmacystudents and faculty whoadministered diabetes screeningtests in the Des Moines area.

Projects like these are just a few the many meaningful ways Drakestudents are contributing to the community while gaining valuablehands-on experience — all part of the College of Pharmacy’scommitment to exploratory learning.

THE IMPACT OF ACTIVE LEARNING“I feel that experiences like this are invaluable,” says Anderson ofher first-year immersion. “My experience with the geriatrics IPPEcourse [Integrative Pharmacy Practice Experience — an introductorycomponent of the College’s Experiential Education Program] thissemester helped me to see what the elderly actually deal with athome and the complications that may arise with aging. I was able to interact with those that are mentally retarded and to see whattheir level of communication can be. Itmade me aware that not every patient ofmine will be independent or even aware oftheir health conditions or medicationsthey are on. I also saw how precious eachindividual really is inside, though theymay not be able to communicate well.”

The College’s Experiential EducationProgram consists of a series of introduc-

tory pharmacypractice experi-ences in whichstudents partici-pate throughout their first three years of the professional curriculum. The goal is to introduce students to various pharmacypractice settings and active learning strategiesthat help them develop communication,problem solving and decision making skills.

Learning GetPharmacy’s Experiential Educat


Tim Karley

6

“Participating in this type of hands-on experience is a wonderful opportunity to apply what I’m learningin the classroom to actualpatients.” – Lisa Izzo

BRIDGING THE EXPERIENCES“It was fulfilling to provide medical supportto those who would not otherwise be able toobtain it,” says Karley, who volunteered atLa Cliniqua De Esperanza. Karley’s fluencyin Spanish allowed him to establish himselfas a bridge between the English- andSpanish-speaking communities at the clinic.

Experiences like this are also importantbridges between the classroom and theprofessional world, says Raylene Rospond, associate dean ofpharmacy and director of the free clinic project. Rospond believesearly exposure to service work helps the students understand thebarriers to health care that people face every day.“These experiences are causing the students to grow.It’s not always comfortable and easy. It’s my tenetthat you never know when these experiences aregoing to be important. And these experiences impactstudents throughout their cycle of learning here.”

HANDS-ON LEARNINGOne recent IPPE program allowed more than 100Drake students to participate in a community initia-tive that improved the recognition of diabetes in alocal high-risk population. The students performeddiabetes screenings in both traditional locations suchas senior centers and pharmacies, and nontraditional locationsincluding public schools, work sites, fire stations, and a local casino.More than 5,000 participants were screened during the project.

“Participating in this type of hands-on experience is a wonderfulopportunity to apply what I’m learning in the classroom to actualpatients,” says Lisa Izzo, DP2. “The diabetes screening experiencehas helped me feel more confident in my patient care skills.”

IPPE components such as volunteering in free clinics, workingone-on-one with the elderly, or conducting diabetes screenings arenot only active learning exercises; they can be powerful character-

building opportunities for thestudents as well.

Amanda Sass, a Drake studentwho participated in metham-

phetamine presenta-tions for grade schooland junior high schoolstudents, says theexperience gave her adeep sense of purpose.“As a pharmacy student,it made me feel like whatI was doing had a signifi-cant impact on these kids’lives,” says Sass, describingone of the many of thepersonal interactions

she had with participants. “I hadone little girl who was 7 yearsold come to me after a talk andshe was shaking. She proceeded to tellme that her high school sister does meth. She told me she alwayswanted to try it too, but her sister said she had to grow up a bit.Then the girl looked at me and said that because of what I told herduring the presentation, she didn’t want to try it anymore. And shewanted to know how to make her sister stop. If I changed her mind,and possibly helped her sister, I feel like I accomplished a lot.”

“It made me aware that notevery patient of mine willbe autonomous or is evenaware of their health condi-tions or medications they areon. I also saw how preciouseach individual really is inside.”– Greta Anderson

ts Activeation Program


Amanda Sass

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REGIONAL SCOOP: DALLAS

BUSINESSDallas is headquarters to more oil firmsthan any other U.S. city, and headquartersto more insurance companies than anyother city in the south. The city ranksseventh in the nation on the Fortune 500list with eight of the nation’s largest publicfirms headquartered in the city of Dallas.

Dubbed the “Silicon Prairie,” Dallas is among the largest high technologyemployment centers in the U.S. Dallas isthe distribution center of the Southwest,with wholesale and retail trade being thesecond largest employment sector in theDallas economy.

CULTUREThe Dallas arts district is the largest urbanarts district in the country and is anchoredby the Dallas Museum of Art and the MortonH. Meyerson Symphony Center. There areapproximately 36 professional and communitytheaters, 12 symphony and chamber orches-tras, three ballet groups, a world class operaassociation and over 160 museums, galleriesand artistic attractions.

Dallas is one of a few cities in the nationwith seven major league sports teams includingCowboys football, Mavericks basketball,Rangers baseball, Stars hockey, Burn soccer,Sidekicks indoor soccer and Dragoons polo.

ALUMNI CHAPTERThinking of visiting or moving to Dallas?Connect with other Bulldogs in the areathrough Drake’s Dallas Alumni Chapter by contacting Drake grad Jesse Cox at 214-368-9018, [email protected].

Or you can connect in cyberspace by visiting Drake’s online alumni community at www.drakealumni.net.

DALLAS BY THE NUMBERS (1999 data)

Greater Dallas population 3,366,618Unemployment rate 4.1%Median household income $50,473Median house sale price $121,498Avg. monthly apartment $811

“Opportunities for pharmacistsin the Dallas-Ft. Worth area are excellent. Salaries are high,housing is inexpensive and onaverage it might snow two daysper year.” Michelle Kromelis,

PH’84, associate director of

pharmacy, Children’s Medical Center

of Dallas.

“Dallas has been a good movefor us. It is a growing, positive-thinking community withconsiderably better winters thanIowa… sometimes summer is a bit less desirable. There is ashortage of pharmacists in theDallas metroplex like manyother communities.”John L. Sanders, PH’53,

former pharmacy owner, currently

semi-retired.

“Great place to live, great people,and all of the amenities thatmake for a good life. Dallas is a city on the move. As a result,there are many opportunities forpharmacy work of all varieties. I still get six to eight contacts aweek for pharmacy positions.”Dwight W. Heaberlin, D.O, PH’50,

former pharmacy owner, currently

semi-retired.

From a small settlement on the banks of the Trinity River,Dallas has evolved into a major metropolis that Fortunemagazine called the “best place in the nation to do business.”

RESIDENCYAPPOINTMENTS

Community PracticeLauren Angelo, Kerr Drug/University ofNorth Carolina, Durham, NC

Pharmaceutical Care & LeadershipSarah Biebighauser, East Des Moines FamilyPractice/University of Iowa, Des Moines, IA

Drug Information and CompetitiveIntelligenceJulie Kenkel, University of Missouri, Kansas City, MO

Ambulatory ResidencyKim O’Hara, Kaiser Permanente,Honolulu, HI

Pharmacy PracticeMichelle Magarity, East Des Moines FamilyPractice/University of Iowa, Des Moines, IA

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Faculty ProfileJohn Rovers

Title: Associate professor ofpharmacy practice and directorof the Drake/Medicap ResidencyProgram. Rover came to Drakein 1991 as a shared facultymember with Mercy Hospitalteaching clerkship students andtherapeutics. In 1993, hebecame based on the Drakecampus. Rovers teaches avariety of courses includingtherapeutics, immunology,various Introductory Practice

Experiences, and clerkships. He also directs one of Drake’sresidency programs.

Background: BS in Pharmacy,University of Toronto, Canada,1979; residency in drug infor-mation, University of Torontoand Toronto General Hospital,1985; PharmD, MassachusettsCollege of Pharmacy and HealthSciences, 1987; Fellowship ininfectious diseases, NortheasternUniversity and Brigham andWomen’s Hospital, 1988; boardcertified in pharmacotherapy,Board of PharmaceuticalSpecialties, 1992.

Research Interests:Implementation and evaluationof patient care programs in

community and hospitalpharmacies.

Notable Achievement:Co-author of “A PracticalGuide to Pharmaceutical Care,”which has been adopted byseveral colleges of pharmacyacross the country.

Rovers taught pharmacypractice skills in Australia andNew Zealand.Consequently, Drake’s pharmacy college hashad a student exchangeprogram with MonashUniversity in Melbourne,Australia, for four years, andthe first Drake students will go to New Zealand this year.

Off-campus Activities:“Anything and everythingabout Australia. I’m also tryingto learn to paint — badly!”

Pharmakon asked: How has the evolution of the professioninfluenced how you educatestudents?

“The career opportunities forour students have never beenbetter or more diverse.Whatever job you take, makesure it is one that allows youto keep learning and improvingyour skills. That way, no matterwhere pharmacy goes, notonly will you have a job,you’ll be a leader.”

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTSSara Jund, VA Puget Sound Health CareSystem, Puget Sound, VA

Shelly Nebel, Medicap/Drake University, Des Moines, IA

Anne Graff, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, IA

Jen Dolan, Zablocki VA Medical Center,Milwaukee, WI

Jodi Grabinski, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Lindsey Corporon, Nebraska Health System,Omaha, NE

Lori Cleverley, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Leslie Mahr, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

General PracticeMegan McHone, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA

FELLOWSHIPAPPOINTMENTS

Outcomes Research/PharmacoeconomicsKavita Patel, University of Washington,Seattle, WA

Medical CommunicationsAlpita Thakkar, Bimark HealthcareCommunications, Rutgers University, NJ

Talk of the TownWelcome to Talk of the Town, thepublic forum for airing opinions,gripes and predictions regarding issues of interest to Pharmacy andHealth Sciences faculty, students and graduates.

In this round of Talk of the Town,faculty and grads weigh in on how we can keep up with the technologyexplosion as it relates to pharmacyeducation and practices.

“In this era of medication errormanagement and reporting,statistics reveal that 50 percentof the errors occur in theprescribing/transcribing area.The management of formulariesand drug information on hand-held devices can dramaticallyreduce medication errors. Withthese devices prescribers canaccurately select the drug, route,dose, frequency, etc. Our system

“I think the best way to keepup with the ‘explosion’ is toexpose the students to as muchof the latest, greatest in school.Letting them learn about thetechnology, along with actuallyusing it, in as close to an actualpractice setting as possible, tosee the application in action isthe key. Exposure and applica-tion and use.” – Mary Walbridge

Patton, PH’74, coordinator of

community outreach, St. Louis

College of Pharmacy

“I have had to broaden thekinds of reading material that I regularly review. One of myfavorites is the Wall Street Journalelectronic edition. I am able toput keywords in my “PersonalJournal” and have articles pulledfor me not only on pharmacy,but on various technologies aswell. I have always liked“gadgets”, so I keep up-to-dateon all of the latest innovationsthat hopefully will make businessa little easier — if that ispossible.” – Carl T. Jakopec, R. Ph.,

Director of Government Sales, Forest

Laboratories, Inc.

is looking to this technology inthe near future.” – Sally Sounhein,

PH’74, pharmacy coordinator,

Memorial Medical Center

“The problem is not necessarilykeeping up with technology, it iskeeping technology and thosewho produce it from definingwhat the profession ofpharmacy is and will become.Technology is a useful tool butit should not define the profession.Pharmacists should define theprofession.” – Bill Nebel, PH’74,

owner, Toledo Pharmacy, Inc

“My continued connection withthe Drake College of Pharmacy,through the students, has beenone aspect helping me keep up.I enjoy hearing about theiracademic experiences! Also, Isubscribe to many journals andInternet providers for informa-tion that I can apply in mypractice.” – Doug Fitzgerald, PH’79,

pharmacy manager, Walgreens

“Short answer: self-learning!”– June Johnson, vice chair/ associate

professor of pharmacy practice, Drake

Alumni ProfileRaith T. Erickson, PH, MBA ‘95

Occupation: Owner of ChinookConsulting — where he is assessing thepotential for an Intel administered pharma-

cist authentication service for Internet-based health care transactions. He is alsoconsulting with Aviron on the distributionand administration capabilities for FluMist,a nasally administered flu vaccine, bypharmacists.

Background: Business director, iSCRIBE,INC.; pharmacy affairs manager, NationalAssociation of Chain Drug Stores(NACDS);pharmacy manager, AHOLD, USA.

Notable Achievement: Initiated thefirst ADA-approved diabetes program in apharmacy. Helped create the National

Institute for Standards in PharmacistCredentialing.

Off-the-Job Interests: Sailboat racing,golfing, mountain climbing, gardening and travel.

“Drake provided the flexibility I needed to create my own path. I met some of myclosest friends who now each live only afairway away. If I hadn’t left Alaska totransfer to Drake, I wouldn’t have metmy wife, Katja Kaminen, who at the timewas an exchange student from Helsinki,Finland.”

Documents

Pharmakon Newsletter summer 2001