On the CUSP: April 2024

Publications

• Dr. Keykavous Parang collaborated to produce “Harnessing exosomes as a platform for drug delivery in breast cancer: A Systematic review for in vivo and in vitro studies” in Molecular Therapy Oncology.
• Dr. Jelena Lewis and PharmD candidate Brenda Kilzi authored “Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)—Who is at risk, and who can be vaccinated?” in Topics in Evidence-Based Pharmacy Practice for AccessPharmacy.
• Dr. Innokentiy Maslennikov, Dr. Keykavous Parang, previous faculty member Dr. Rakesh Tiwari, and Dr. Sandeep Lohan worked to publish “Broad-Spectrum Activity of Membranolytic Cationic Macrocyclic Peptides Against Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria and Fungi” in European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
• Dr. Richard Beuttler, Dr. Sun “Coco” Yang, Dr. and PhD candidate Anika Patel, and Dr. Rishikesh Chavan authored “Changes in real-world dispensing of ADHD stimulants in youth from 2019 to 2021 in California” in Frontiers Public Health.
• Dr. Rennolds Ostrom collaborated to publish “Role of protein kinase A and A kinase anchoring proteins in buffering and compartmentation of cAMP signaling in human airway smooth muscle cells” in the British Journal of Pharmacology.
• Dr. Keykavous Parang worked with others to publish “AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study” in Scientific Reports.

Grants

Dr. Gary Fong and his mentor at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, received a Melinta Investigator Initiated Research award with an amount of $19,836 for their project titled: “Identifying the need and potential role for a novel long-acting antifungal in a diverse, underserved population.”

Presentations

Oral (e.g., Platform Presentations, Symposiums, Plenaries, Keynotes)

• Dr. Albert Bach and Dr. Jelena Lewis presented “Annual Wellness Visits: Are you Ready to Make Some Money?” at the Western Pharmacy Exchange in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 19, 2024.
• Dr. Kathy Besinque and Dr. May Mak presented “When the Going Gets Rough: A Systematic Approach to Precepting Challenges” at the California Pharmacists Association CE Webinar.
• Dr. Laressa Bethishou presented “Increasing Student Engagement via Student Organizations and Co-Curriculum” at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy National Webinar.
• Dr. Jeff Goad and a collaborator spoke on “Annual Immunization Update: 2024” at the Western Pharmacy Exchange in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Dr. Jelena Lewis and Dr. Laressa Bethishou presented “Residency Interviews: Are you ready to be a STAR?” at the Western Pharmacy Exchange in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 21, 2024.
• Dr. Keykavous Parang presented “Designing Synthetic Membrane-Active Macrocyclics as Antibacterial Agents” at the Drug Discovery Chemistry for Cambridge Healthtech in San Diego, CA.
• Dr. Sun Yang presented “Say no to NO: Development of pharmaceutical inhibitors targeting nNOS for melanoma treatment” at the University of Southern California Afred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Los Angeles, CA.

Posters

• PharmD candidates Tupak Aguirre, Jasmine Cho, Brenda Kilzi, A. Monfared, Veronica Ninh, Ariana Royzman, Riya Sidgal, Mark Allen Ubongen, Dr. Laressa Bethishou, Dr. Jeff Goad, and Dr. Karl Hess presented “The Use of ChatGPT in Pharmacy Practice” at the Western Pharmacy Exchange in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• PharmD candidates Aws Al-Hashimi, Y. Lin, Alan Thammavingsa, B. Kim, Rayann Hsieh, and Dr. Sherif Elshahawi presented “Anticancer Leukemia Potential of Natural Products from California National Parks Bacteria” at the Western Pharmacy Exchange in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Dr. Saeidreza Harirforoosh, Edward Daniel, and Yaseman Jahromi presented “Capability of Various Artificial Intelligence Software in the Calculation of Pharmacokinetic Parameters” at the Western Pharmacy Exchange in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Dr. Albert Bach, Dr. Jelena Lewis, and PharmD candidates Katherine Ghattas and Cindy Tran presented “Effects of at Home Blood Pressure Monitoring and Ambulatory Care Pharmacists on Blood Pressure” at the Western Pharmacy Exchange in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Dr. Aftab Ahmed, Taran Harris, S. Jha, I. Panchal, B. Morales-Rodriguez, PhD candidate Adenike Oyegbesan, and Basir Syed presented “Affinity Chromatography and Tandem Mass Spectrometry Evaluation of Hemp (Cannabis sativa) Protein” at the American Chemistry Society Spring 2024 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA, March 17- 21, 2024.
• Dr. Sun Yang, Dr. Richard Beuttler, Dr. Viet-Huong Nguyen, PhD candidate Dr. Anika Patel, PharmD candidate Kindra Myers, S. Kim, and W. Park presented “Evaluating real-world brivaracetam prescribing and dispensing in California from 2019 to 2022” at the Western Pharmacy Exchange in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Dr. Sun Yang, PhD candidate Dr. Anika Patel, and Dr. Shirley Tong presented “Development of HH044, an orally bioavailable nNOS inhibitor, for the treatment of cutaneous melanoma” at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024 in San Diego, California.
• PharmD candidates Aida Pazhoohesh, Jack Menzagopian, Sahar Pakbaz, Cindy Tran, Dr. Richard Beuttler, Dr. Brian Kawahara, and Dr. Jelena Lewis presented “A Report on Rationing of Insulin and Diabetes Supplies by Type 2 Diabetes Patients from Healthcare System in Orange County” for an Encore Poster Presentation at the Western Pharmacy Exchange in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Awards and Recognitions

• Dr. Laressa Bethishou was awarded the New Practitioner of the Year award by the California Pharmacist Association at the Western Pharmacy Exchange in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Dr. Cintia Citterio was invited by the Endocrine Society Board of Directors to serve as a member of the Research Affairs Core Committee of the Endocrine Society.
• Dr. Amy Kang was nominated to serve as a Co-Chair of Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee for LA County Department of Health Services, encompassing 4 acute care hospitals and >20 clinics.
• Dr. Rachita Sumbria’s lab publication was selected as the winner of the 2023 BPS Paper of the Year Award for “Biologic TNF-α inhibitors reduce microgliosis, neuronal loss, and tau phosphorylation in a transgenic mouse model of tauopathy” in J Neuroinflammation.
• Dr. Rachita Sumbria served as a grant reviewer for the PSI Foundation, a Canadian granting agency.
• Dr. Sherry Wang was invited to serve as an Editorial Board Member for Scientific Reports.

Quotables (Faculty in the News)

Dean Ostrom was quoted in a Verywell Health News article “Some Heart Attack Patients Might Not Need Beta-Blockers.  Could You Stop Taking Beta-Blockers?”

“If you’re on a beta blocker, you don’t stop taking it—you need to taper off of it,” said Rennolds Ostrom, PhD, dean and a professor at Chapman University’s School of Pharmacy. “So it’s important for patients to consult with their healthcare providers in considering cessation of any drug, particularly drugs that affect the heart.”