Pharmacy News and Stories

Colorado is one of the most progressive states in the nation in which to practice pharmacy. The state was one of the first in the nation to allow pharmacists to prescribe HIV medications, removing a barrier for the 15,000+ Coloradans living with HIV; one of the first to allow pharmacists to give immunizations, something that helped prevent severe disease and death during the COVID emergency; and one of the first states to grant pharmacists provider status, which allows pharmacists to effectively work with a greater healthcare team to optimize patient-centered care.

Jordan Kellerman | August 30, 2023

Clinical pharmaceutical research. Drug trials. Pharmaceutical trial patients. These medical buzzwords have a new home at CU Pharmacy – making the school a key player in not only developing new pharmaceuticals, but managing drug trials so new developments in pharmacy can be brought to the market, and one day save a life.

Jordan Kellerman | June 21, 2023

Before she left to hike Mount Everest base camp, Chandler Follett, PharmD, Clinical Instructor, said it would be fine.

“Hiking is just walking around with your backpack, right?” she mused.

Jordan Kellerman | June 06, 2023

Erika Freitas, PhD, inaugural Assistant Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, wants to level set on her position title. 

“To me, the order matters and it should be equity first,” she says, “because that’s where we have the potential to make more immediate impact. And without equity, diversity and inclusion will never achieve the needed depth for true transformation.”  

Jordan Kellerman | May 22, 2023

Research is critical to healthcare, from improving treatments to finding causes, and CU Pharmacy’s PhD graduates are up for the challenge.

Jordan Kellerman | May 21, 2023

Maria Trivino doesn’t stop moving. She runs. She swims. She works full-time. And for the last two years she’s been working on her master’s degree in Cannabis Science and Medicine at CU Pharmacy.

Jordan Kellerman | May 20, 2023

The CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences shined a spotlight on high-achieving students recently during the 2023 Awards Convocation Ceremony.  See the full list of award winners below:

SOP Communications | May 19, 2023

Determination doesn’t sleep, and neither does Lisa Chang, BS, MBA, and soon to be Doctor of Pharmacy from the North American-Trained PharmD program (NTPD).

Unlike traditional PharmD programs, where training is in-person, the NTPD program at CU Pharmacy is built for individuals already licensed to practice pharmacy but who want the added benefits of a doctoral degree.

Jordan Kellerman | May 17, 2023

When the Class of 2023 started at Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, it was the fall of 2019. COVID-19 did not even exist. Online learning was not totally mainstream. Eager to get started, the class came to CU Pharmacy ready to pave their own path.

Jordan Kellerman | May 15, 2023

The CU Pharmacy chapter of the national Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society had much to celebrate at their recent annual induction ceremony. In addition to commemorating the 75^th anniversary of their Alpha Theta chapter, they were also celebrating the fact that they beat out 131 other chapters to receive the national Rho Chi Chapter Achievement Award. The Chapter Achievement Award recognizes the full scope of chapter activities as documented in the Annual Chapter Report and reflective in a comprehensive video.

Lori Westermann | May 13, 2023

The Elliman Conference room in the Strauss Health Sciences building was filled close to capacity. Students and faculty from across the CU Anschutz Campus, healthcare professionals, along with students from Regis University, came together for one purpose: to learn how to administer naloxone to reverse a potentially fatal opioid overdose. They walked away with that, and much more.

Lori Westermann | April 10, 2023

The Experiential Programs at CU School of Pharmacy are an integral part of its PharmD education, comprising over 33% of the curriculum. The hands-on learning allows students clinical training opportunities to ensure that students have the self-confidence and ability to practice independently upon graduation.

Jordan Kellerman | July 19, 2022

Professor. Researcher. Fulbright awardee. Cindy O’Bryant, PharmD, can now add Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs to her impressive CV.

Jordan Kellerman | June 28, 2022

COVID-19 infections have plummeted, mask mandates are dropping, and the state of Colorado is welcoming the spring with a renewed sense of “post-Covid” enthusiasm. But not all Coloradans are breathing easier. According to the CDC, approximately 1.75 million people, or a third of the population in the state, have yet to be vaccinated. Many of these people are part of historically underserved, marginalized communities where access to health care is low and vaccination hesitancy is high.

Jordan Kellerman | June 14, 2022

“I’ve always been interested in science . . . but I had a personal, really adverse reaction to a medication, and I had to stop and think, what can we do to make medications better? And what can we do to make the best medications available to people who need them?”

Jordan Kellerman | May 25, 2022

She originally intended to be a medical doctor, but thought pre-med and biology sounded boring, so she majored in neuroscience in undergrad. Later, when she had free time in her course schedule, she took an elective on the history of country music. Now, Jordan Palan is graduating with her MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a concentration in pharmacokinetics – and she loves working at her fellowship with the CU Innovations Team.

Jordan Kellerman | May 24, 2022

Arjay Mendoza is an avid tennis player. He tries to play at least twice a week, at some newly renovated courts close to his house.

Jordan Kellerman | May 23, 2022

When Faithful Anane-Asane left Ghana at age 17, he knew he would be back. Born and raised there, he moved to the United States in 2007. More than a decade later, he returned for an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotation, where he was able to combine his internship with a family visit to enjoy good food and education at the same time.

Jordan Kellerman | May 21, 2022

Throughout the pandemic, we have struggled to get ahead of COVID-19. Now, with research from the Mallela Research Lab at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, scientists can take steps to be proactive instead of reactive – and possibly predict how the virus will act next.

Jordan Kellerman | January 10, 2022

For P4 Madison Ricco, pharmaceutical research has been a passion of hers as long as she can remember. As an undergrad, she led research projects at her institution. As a P1, she enrolled in the honors program for a research-intensive experience. And, as a P2, she enrolled in the Master of Science (MS) in Pharmaceutical Sciences degree; the first student to ever attempt both programs congruently.

Jordan Kellerman | January 10, 2022

“Story Slam always sticks out as this event, this kind of seminal event in their pharmacy training, where they really become a unified class.”

Jay Bolan, Senior Academic Coordinator for Experiential Programs, reflects on the annual event typically done in the spring of the P1year. Story Slam is a friendly competition of amateur storytelling in which the audience selects the best story, or storyteller. Each year, the P1 class gathers in one group to each tell 5-minute stories using one of three prompts – How I got here; Confirming Experience; and Do-Over.

Jordan Kellerman | January 10, 2022

The Skaggs School of Pharmacy is renowned for our experiential programs. At the core of this meaningful student educational experience are our preceptors who dedicate their time and talent to mentor and train the next generation of pharmacy professionals. The 2021 Preceptor Award winners are:

SOP Communications | August 12, 2021