On the CUSP: January 2026

Awards and Recognitions 

• Dr. Amy Kang has been selected to serve as an author panelist for the Infectious Diseases Society of America’s guidance paper on resource framework and staffing for hospital antimicrobial stewardship programs.
• Dr. Rachita Sumbria was awarded 2025 BPS Paper of the Year for her publication “Hepatic LRP-1 plays an important role in amyloidosis in Alzheimer’s disease mice: Potential role in chronic heavy alcohol feeding” in Neurobiology of  Disease, published September 2024.

Publications 

• Dr. Keykavous Parang, Dr. Naiera M. Helmy, and Dorna Davani-Davari published “Fatty acid-conjugated antimicrobial Peptides: Advances in design, activity, and therapeutic potential” in the Journal of Medical Chemistry.

Presentations 

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

• A. Brown presented a platform Presentation: “An Interprofessional Simulation to Develop Communication Skills in Health Professional Students” at the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH 2026), in San Antonio, TX, on January 13, 2026.
• Dr. Jeff Goad presented “Immunization Update 2026 & Travel Medicine Update 2026” at Simply Socratic Rx Institute’s Compliance Symposium in Irvine, CA, on January 24, 2026
• Dr. Keykavous Parang, Dr. Reza Taheri, Dr. Moom Roosan, and Dr. Sherry Yun Wang presented “Integrating AI into Your Program: A Systematic Approach to Developing an AI Degree Emphasis” at the 2026 Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning on January 26, 2026.

Quotables 

• Dr. Jerika Lam and others spoke on the episode “Aging Well with HIV: Making the Golden Years Shine” for the ASHP Pharmacy Practice News Video Podcast.
• Dr. Jeff Goad authored “A measles resurgence has put the U.S. at risk of losing its ‘elimination’ status,” which was published in the LA Times on January 22, 2026.
• Dr. Jeff Goad authored “What Do the New HHS Vaccine Changes Mean for Pharmacists?;” “Pharmacists Face New Challenges Under Updated HHS Vaccine Guidance;” “Why Unified Messaging Matters for Childhood Immunization Confidence,” which were published in Pharmacy Times on January 15, 2026. This is a three part article intended to be read in order. 
• Dr. Jeff Goad authored “How Probable Is It That COVID-19 Vaccines Could Be Pulled From U.S. Markets?” which was published in Infectious Disease Special Edition on January 29, 2026.