Cedarville Receives Pharmacy Research Grants

Updated on May 2, 2014

The Cedarville University School of Pharmacy received several impressive research grants during the 2013-2014 academic year. They include:

Lexi-Comp Underserved Population Gap Analysis Research Grant

A research grant in December 2013 from Lexicomp-Wolters/Kluwer Inc. The $8,192 grant will be used to identify the needs of free medical clinics serving underserved, indigent and underinsured populations. Along with this, research will be conducted to look for ways the School of Pharmacy can partner with external sponsors to meet the needs of these patient populations.

The current service mission initiatives undertaken by the School of Pharmacy, Center for Global Health Education, have also paved the way to further conduct this research in free medical clinics for these populations.

Dr. Miriam Ansong, associate professor of pharmacy practice, headed up the application process for this grant along with co-investigator, Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, Associate Dean of the School of Pharmacy.

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy New Investigator Award

In January 2014, the School of Pharmacy was awarded a research grant from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). Dr. Tracy Frame, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, applied for this $10,000 grant along with a student research assistant who helped Frame develop the grant application.

This grant will provide start-up funding for Frame, a new pharmacy faculty investigator, as she conducts research and begins a project that is looking to utilize an active learning approach to patient education. Frame hopes that the project will advance her future efforts of building a foundation for research and scholarship endeavors regarding patient health education. The project also aligns with the School of Pharmacy’s goal to promote creative solutions and approaches to problems surrounding the delivery of effective patient care.

Aerpio Therapeutics Research Agreement

In January 2014, the School of Pharmacy received a research grant from Aerpio Therapeutics. Dr. Rocco Rotello, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences, is a consultant for the company. He worked with several pharmacy and pre-med students over the past year to demonstrate that they had observed activity of a pre-clinical antibody in vitro.

This grant is the first to be received by the School of Pharmacy’s pharmaceutical science department. A follow up of a previous grant the School of Pharmacy received from Aerpio Therapeutics, this grant is a research agreement, requiring Rotello to deliver certain results. It will enable additional research about the progressive validation of the potential antibody that is interacting in a key endothelial cell signaling pathway.

Cardinal Health Foundation Prescription Drug Abuse and Misuse Prevention Grant Program

Cedarville University’s School of Pharmacy was selected in December 2013 by the Cardinal Health Foundation to receive grant funding for its dedication to the fight against prescription drug abuse.

Dr. Aleda Chen, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, Dr. Tracy Frame, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, and Dr. Phillip Thornton, associate professor of pharmacy practice and vice chair, collaborated to apply for this grant. Two pharmacy students, Bethany Sibblitt from Dayton, Ohio and Stephanie Cailor from Linburn, GA, also helped with several stages of the application process.

The School of Pharmacy at Cedarville University is one of 26 non-profit organizations to be awarded funding nationally. Consideration is given to programs that are specifically focused on increasing awareness of the dangers of misusing and abusing prescription medications and to those that educate communities about the proper use and disposal of prescription drugs. The complete list of grantees is available here.

The $10,000 grant is being used to work with Cedarville’s student chapter of the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) to create an educational program and resources for local middle schools to fight prescription drug abuse. According to Chen, “This grant is unique because we are using it specifically to partner with college students to create and deliver the program.”

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University attracts 3,400 undergraduate, graduate and online students to more than 100 areas of study. Inspiring greatness for over 125 years, Cedarville is a Christ-centered learning community recognized nationally for rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and leading student satisfaction ratings. Visit the University online at www.cedarville.edu.

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