Faculty Perspectives

Clinical trial: How a CU Pharmacy professor’s research is helping people with severe epilepsy

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Video courtesy of Stephanie Carlson, Digital Media Manager, 9Health

For patients with a severe form of epilepsy, it can be dangerous to drive, go to work or even walk to the mailbox alone. A fear of falling and blacking out prevents many patients with medically refractory epilepsy from living lives most people take for granted.

“They can’t have a job, they can’t really live a normal life,” said Tom Anchordoquy, PhD, professor at the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “These patients, before, had to always have someone with them because there was a fear of seizures.”

On top of that, the drugs patients with the severe form of epilepsy take to manage their disorder — which are needed in high concentrations in the brain — are typically taken orally and then distributed throughout the entire body, resulting in problematic side effects. Read More

CU Pharmacy professor named new president of the American Geriatrics Society

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When Dr. Sunny Linnebur was still a student, she never dreamed the rest of her career would focus on geriatric care.

“It was kind of a surprise to me,” said Linnebur, a professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. “And it was because I really lacked exposure to the older adult patient population.”

Now, with a well-established career in the field, she has a 6,000-member platform to use to help spread awareness about geriatrics — and help healthcare professionals of several disciplines find a professional home within the field. Read More

CU Pharmacy professors weigh in on Denver’s historic psychedelic mushroom initiative

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Denver made history this month by effectively decriminalizing psychedelic mushrooms — and experts at the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences say the vote marks an important development for the drug, but only time will tell of its impact in a clinical setting.

The initiative, which passed by a close margin and was certified by the city of Denver on May 16, means that arresting anyone for personal possession, consumption or growth of “magic mushrooms” is a low priority for law enforcement. It also prohibits Denver from using city funds to prosecute similar cases.

Hallucinogenic mushrooms haven’t been fully legalized — and unlike marijuana, people won’t be able to legally buy and sell them in the city. Read More

CU Pharmacy cyclists take part in the 2013 Tour de Cure ride, where the team raised nearly $18,000.

CU Pharmacy professor leads effort to create campuswide ‘Tour de Cure’ cycling team

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Dr. Richard Radcliffe has always thought of himself as an avid bicyclist, but he never considered signing up for a sponsored bike race.

Not until his daughter, Julie, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 13.

Radcliffe, a professor of pharmacology at the CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, said shortly after his daughter’s diagnosis, a friend encouraged him to sign up for the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure bike ride, which puts money toward researching treatments — and finding a cure — for diabetes.

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Skaggs School of Pharmacy Faculty

CU Pharmacy investigators receive PhRMA Foundation Award

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The University of Colorado Center for Pharmaceutical Value (PValue) has been established with a Value Assessment Center of Excellence Award from the PhRMA Foundation.

The foundation grant of $500,000 was awarded to Jonathan Campbell, PhD, R. Brett McQueen, PhD, and Melanie Whittington, PhD, who have primary faculty appointments in the field of Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research with the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences on the Anschutz Medical Campus.

PValue will be a center of excellence within the D2V initiative, a Transformational Research Funding project supported by the Dean’s Office of the University of Colorado School of Medicine. D2V will support PValue through a matching award of $500,000. Additional D2V support will include peer review, shared professional research assistance, project management expertise, and institutional accountability. The total award will be allocated over three years to establish PValue initiatives. Read More

Dr. Jon Campbell in Hungary

A Hungary Sabbatical: Q&A with Dr. Jon Campbell

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When typing the term sabbatical into Google, out spits the following, “a period of paid leave granted to a university teacher or other worker for study or travel, traditionally one year for every seven years worked.” Toggling to Wikipedia yields, “In recent times, “sabbatical” has come to mean any extended absence in the career of an individual in order to achieve something. In the modern sense, one takes sabbatical typically to fulfill some goal, e.g., writing a book or traveling extensively for research.” University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences faculty member Jon Campbell, PhD, recently got to take a sabbatical and chose to go to Hungary. Read More

Personalized Cancer Treatment

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According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, more than 14 million people will be diagnosed with cancer this year, worldwide, and more than 9 million people will succumb to the effects of cancer. This is equal to approximately 22,000 cancer deaths per day, and this cancer mortality rate is expected to continue to rise.

Despite all the advances in technology to both diagnose and treat cancer, many of these therapies are ineffective against the later stages of cancer. Read More

Sheridan Health Services earns Perfect Compliance Rating

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Sheridan Health Services, a University of Colorado College of Nursing nurse-led community health center in the Denver metro area, recently passed the Health Resources & Service Administration (HRSA) Compliance Review with a 100 percent rating. Faculty and students from CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences also play an integral role at the clinic. Read More