On the CUSP: February 2026

Awards and Recognitions 

• Dr. Jeff Goad was awarded the 2026-2027 Faculty Sabbatical and Development Award.

• Dr. Neeloufar Fakourfar was awarded the OCSHP Pharmacist of the Year Award at the OCSHP Banquet. The OCSHP Pharmacist of the Year Award is the organization’s highest individual honor, recognizing one exceptional pharmacist who has demonstrated outstanding dedication to the pharmacy profession, their community, and the development of future pharmacists.

Quotables (Faculty In the News)

• Dr. Jeff Goad co-authored “Expert Discusses the Presidential Administration’s Narrowing of COVID-19 Vaccines” in Drug Topics, published on Feb 16, 2026.

Publications

• Dr. Laressa Bethishou, Dr. Albert Bach, Dr. Kathleen Hill-Besinque, Dr. Jeff Goad, Dr. Karl Hess, and Dr. Emmanuelle Schwartzman published “Navigating the Transition to APPEs: A Survey of U.S. Schools of Pharmacy” in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education on February 11, 2026. 

• Dr. Sandeep Lohan, Dr. Innokentiy Maslennikov, Dr. Keykavous Parang, and others published “Selectivity modulation of small cationic membrane-active cyclic peptides with broad-spectrum activity against bacteria and fungi.” in the Journal of Medicincal Chemistry. 

• Dr. Jonathan Moreno, Dr. Keykavous Parang, and others published “Cyclic-linear hybrid peptides as molecular transporters of chemotherapeutic agents.” in Chemical Biology Letters.

• Dr. Keykavous Parang, Thuy Do, Clare Dinh, Dorna Davani-Davari, Max Foroughi, Troy Khong, Mahsa Moazen, and others published “Tumor targeting with peptide-drug conjugates: Showcasing key progress and hurdles.” in Drug Design, Development, and Therapy.
• Dr. Keykavous Parang and others published “Gadolinium Nanoparticles: Emerging platforms beyond imaging for drug delivery and theranostics.” in Preprints 

• Dr. Keykavous Parang and others published “Microbiome-responsive hydrogels: From biological cues to smart biomaterials.” in Preprints and Pharmaceutics. 

Presentations

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

• Dr. Jeff Goad presented the APhA Pharmacy-based Travel Health Services Advanced Competency Training virtually on 2/28/26.

Posters

• Dr. Keykavous Parang, Dr. Dorna Davani-Davari, Eman Mohammed, and others presented “Cyclic Antimicrobial Peptides Containing Arginine Mimics” at the Gordon Research Conference in Ventura, CA, on February 1-6, 2026.
• Dr. Keykavous Parang, Dr. Naglaa Salem El-Syaed, Dr. Dorna Davani-Davari, and others presented “Modulation of Antimicrobial Activity Using Unnatural Amino Acids in the Cyclic Amphipathic Peptide [R5W4].” at the Gordon Research Conference in Ventura, CA, on February 1-6, 2026.