The new home of The USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy (TCOP) continues to progress and the PharmD program prepares to move into the state-of-the-art USF Health Downtown Facility. The 30,000-square-foot home will expand USF Health’s interprofessional educational initiatives, technology, and creative learning development.

TCOP will be located on the 11th and 12th floors with a spectacular view of the Water Street Tampa urban development district that overlooks Tampa Bay. Pharmacy students and faculty will get to enjoy amenities throughout the building such as The Florida Blue Health Knowledge Exchange Wall, Greenbaum Student Center, on-site coffee bar, small group learning rooms, and the Experiential Learning Lab.

“I am giving the students the best view; we want to make sure students have a home away from home,” said Kevin B. Sneed, PharmD, dean of the Taneja College of Pharmacy and senior associate vice president for USF Health.

Meanwhile, the downtown facility will provide incredible opportunities for its students and enhance its innovative education and research programs. With the expansion of interprofessional education, the new building will support community outreach activities that are part of the college’s mission. As a result, USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy will be able to build on its previously successful community outreach programs.

The downtown facility is also close to the USF Health CAMLS (Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation), where pharmacy students will be able to participate in first-class simulation training. “The move to downtown will give USF Health pharmacy students more training opportunities than ever before,” Dr. Sneed said.

Gresham Smith is the firm designing the new space. Several of the classroom technologies and innovative educational initiatives that are already in place for the Morsani College of Medicine will be incorporated into the design of TCOP’s space.

In the future, the space will include: 

• Clinical learning center: An innovative environment for learning advanced compounding techniques and honing clinical skills. Also, continuing education programs will be offered to pharmacists and other health– care professionals in this space.
   
• 120-person classroom: A space designed to be flexible and lend itself to various modes of learning. The classrooms will also feature a hologram of guest speakers, teachers, and health– care professionals that will be able to teach the class, which will create an innovative and futuristic learning environment for students.
   

• Collaborative ‘maker’ space/Creativity Lounge: This area provides a unique space in which student groups, such as ITEHC (Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship in Healthcare), can develop innovative ideas and prototypes for health-related devices.
   
• Pre-function space: An event space, to celebrate award functions, banquets, achievements, and noteworthy events. 

As part of their professional development, the space will provide students, faculty, and staff with opportunities to connect with leaders and innovators. Students will be prepared for the workplace because the college is incorporating career-oriented didactic and experiential components into the foundational pharmacy curriculum.

The new space plans also include innovative technologies such as, virtual and augmented reality, a multitaction video wall, CAD drawing software, 3D printing, and holographic technology for virtual collaboration to help elevate and advance pharmacy education further.

“I wanted a space where people would begin to unlock their imagination and creativity, so we are going to have CAD drawing software, 3D printers, and virtual and augmented reality. When you walk in, you will have everything you need to invent something.” Dr. Sneed said. “To be able to start fresh in a development like Water Street Tampa is exciting, and I am looking forward to making our move.”

Here are some renderings of the future space designed by Gresham Smith:

Story and video by Ryan Rossy, USF Health Communications and Marketing

This years’ top news and social media stories feature a little bit of everything – and it’s not all about COVID-19.  Broken records, emotional patient stories, advances in research, multitalented physicians, and other big news from around USF Health fill the list.

Take a look at the top USF Health online and social media stories of 2021.

Top USF Health Online Stories*

1:  USF Health selected as a clinical trial site for Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children six months to 11 years old.

2:  Michael Teng’s Q&A behind the MRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

3:  USF Health receives a five-year, $44 million grant to test if computerized brain training can reduce the risk of dementia.

4:  USF Health researchers suggest the natural compound in basil may protect against Alzheimer’s.

5:  USF Health conducted an NIH study of allergic reactions to various COVID19 vaccines

6:  The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine welcomed the most academically competitive and diverse class of medical students.

7:  COVID-19 couldn’t put a damper on the excitement of Match Day 2021.

8:  A USF Health emergency medicine resident became a Grammy Award-winning opera choir singer.

9:  USF was awarded a four-year, $69.9 million NIH grant for type-1 diabetes research.

Jeffery Krischer, PhD, is principal investigator of the TEDDY study.

10:  In the wake of a global pandemic, USF Health returned to full operations.

*Page views on the USF Health News WordPress site as determined by Google Analytics

Top 10 Social Media Stories*

1: USF Health selected as a clinical trial site for Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children six months to 11 years old.

2: USF Health researchers suggest the natural compound in basil may protect against Alzheimer’s.

3: The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine class of 2024 receive their first white coats.

4: USF Health Morsani College of Medicine welcome the most academically competitive and diverse class in history.

5: USF Health physicians treat car enthusiast with ENT cancer.

Allen Parent, of Brookville, Fla., was diagnosed with squamous cell mouth cancer, a head and neck cancer, and referred for treatment to Dr. Matthew Mifsud, a USF Health head and neck surgeon and otolaryngologist, and Dr. Julia Toman, a USF Health facial plastic surgeon.

6: USF Health neurosurgeons repair spine for thrill-seeking patient. 

7: Our USF Health physicians make the top doctors list.

8:  USF Health patient makes $25,000 gift to USF Health IBD center

9: USF Health emergency medicine resident became a Grammy Award-winning opera choir singer.

10: Taneja College of Pharmacy announces their move to downtown Tampa.

**Based on Facebook page views

A decade ago, the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy (TCOP) admitted its charter class of PharmD students. With its innovative curriculum, research and educational advances, dynamic leadership, and commitment to excellence and growth, the college climbed the U.S. News & World Report rankings to become #68 Best Pharmacy School in 2020. “It doesn’t feel like ten years,” Kevin B. Sneed, PharmD, senior associate vice president of USF Health and founding dean of the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy, said. “When you see all of the hard work that has gone into building something from scratch and the enormous amount that we’ve accomplished in a 10 year period, it just means so much and is so rewarding.”

Take a look back at some of the college’s notable achievements and what it has in store for the next 10 years.

The USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy (TCOP) was established in 2007. From the start, founding Dean Kevin B. Sneed, PharmD, set out to build an innovative program that would be a pacesetter in both pharmacy curriculum and clinical experience. With a focus on the future of healthcare and the interprofessional prowess of USF Health, TCOP was established by the Florida Board of Governors in 2009 and became Florida’s first public, comprehensive college of pharmacy in a metropolitan area.

TCOP’s first pharmacy student, Mark LaBossiere, PharmD, now a mental health clinical pharmacist at Mountain Home VA, was one of 38 students who applied during the early action application phase. As the interviews were scored and candidates were ranked, five more students were chosen as the first to be accepted: Semyon Aminov, Phuong Le, Aakash Patel, Bradley Tillander, and Minal Shah. “We are charting new territory in pharmacy education,” Dr. Sneed said. “Our student pharmacists will be trained to participate as effective and integral members of an inter-professional healthcare team. Students are being handpicked for qualities that go beyond test scores and grades.”

Inducted in 2011, the charter class included 53 PharmD students (68% female, 32% male, and 53% Caucasian, 46% minority and 1 undisclosed ethnicity). “Our student body has a diverse variety of talents and backgrounds that will allow us to grow in ways never imagined,” said LaBossiere during the white coat ceremony’s closing remarks. “As the Class of 2015, we’ll travel uncharted territory, set the bar for those who follow and continue to make history – go Bulls!”

Dr. Sneed presented four people with the Dean’s Awards, the College’s highest honor, for being instrumental in helping create TCOP – Judy Genshaft, PhD, USF System President (2000-2019); Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA, CEO of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine (2004-2013); Patricia Haynie, former associate vice president from strategic planning and policy; and Ralph Wilcox, PhD, USF Provost.

Today, the Taneja College of Pharmacy welcomes 100 new students each year for its PharmD program.

Graduate Programs was founded in 2013 with the mission to create graduate level education programs in pharmacy while producing global pharmacy leaders, one scholar at a time. Eight years later, Graduate Programs has grown to offer the Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology degree, 5 different graduate certificate programs, PharmD/M.S. concurrent degree program, and a wide range of elective course options. The vision is to develop cutting-edge research training while preparing students with the foundational knowledge and expertise in the area of pharmaceutical nanotechnology.

TCOP earned its first full accreditation in 2015 from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), marking a huge milestone for the young school and validating the innovative education experience offered to USF Health pharmacy students. In addition, the ACPE recognized the college’s interprofessional endeavors and sent a commendation to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy as an example of noteworthy practice. As part of the accreditation process, the college was measured across 30 standards for providing a strong program, including planning and evaluation, administration and governance, curriculum, student support, faculty and staff, and facilities and resources. “This is the best news and our entire team of faculty, staff and students is thrilled,” said Dr. Sneed. “Such resounding approval confirms what we’ve all known about the program we are building and is the culmination of a lot of hard work.”

In 2015, Pharmacy Plus opened for business on the first floor of the USF Health Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare. USF Health’s “Pharmacy of the Future” is blazing a trail, making the traditional behind-the-counter role of the pharmacist obsolete in the new era of the digital health revolution. At Pharmacy Plus, the pharmacists do more than provide pills, they are a valued health partner for improving a patient’s life. It’s a personalized experience, bringing patients, their pharmacist and their healthcare team, together to collaborate and communicate. Physicians seeing patients inside the Morsani Center can electronically send prescriptions to Pharmacy Plus so that, in most cases, the medication can be ready for pickup before the patient leaves the building. In addition, medication can be delivered anywhere on the USF Tampa campus. USF Health Pharmacy Plus earned Community Pharmacy accreditation through the Center for Pharmacy Practice Accreditation (CPPA®)  in 2018.

TCOP was officially accepted as a chapter of the international Rho Chi Honor Society in 2016, and 43 of the college’s students and faculty were inducted as the charter members. The Epsilon Kappa Chapter is the 119^th chapter for the national honor society. Since its inception in 1922, the Rho Chi Society has inducted more than 100,000 members into its fellowship. The society’s name is from the Greek letters Rho and Chi that, when juxtaposed a certain way, they form the prescription sign (Rx). Bradley Boucher, PharmD, FCCP, FCCM, Rho Chi Society National President (2016-2018), officiated the event and shared the Society’s mission and vision and what is expected of its chapters and members, saying, “the Rho Chi Honor Society encourages and recognizes excellence in intellectual achievement and fosters scholarship among its members, encourages high standards of conduct and character and advocates critical inquiry in all aspects of pharmacy, seeks to achieve universal recognition of its members as lifelong intellectual leaders in pharmacy.”

In 2019, the University of South Florida received a $10 million gift from Taneja Family Foundation to name the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy. The donation, made through the USF Foundation, is the largest philanthropic gift to a pharmacy school in the state of Florida. As result of the gift, TCOP will move to Water Street Tampa, inside the new USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute facility in downtown Tampa. “From the very beginning, we set out to build a college built for the future of healthcare, and not simply exist in the past,” said Dr. Sneed. “With the generosity of Mr. Taneja, we will now have the opportunity to build a new home that allows us to truly build the pharmacist clinician of the future.”

“Jugal and Manju Taneja share a passion for education, for giving back to their community, and for transforming the health care system for future generations,” said USF President Steve Currall, PhD. “This gift will do so much for the trajectory of USF’s success — advancing innovation at our College of Pharmacy and elevating the academic stature of the entire university.”

TCOP is already full speed ahead into its next ten years, building the foundation for continued success. The college is expanding its pharmacogenomics efforts by launching a new partnership with Tampa General Hospital and its pharmacy team that will allow clinicians to tailor medications based on a patient’s genetic makeup. Plans include developing clinical decision support tools in the electronic health record (EHR) to support clinicians in interpreting results and guide treatment options in the presence of pharmacogenetic data. The Botanical Medical Research and Education Consortium (BMREC) is a new research effort that will explore potential therapeutic benefits in medicinal botanicals. This initiative aims to contribute to the body of science already known about medicinal plants and to impact patient care with treatments and potential cures. TCOP is also developing a unique certificate program in pharmaceutical compounding and will soon have a brand-new, non-sterile compounding lab inside USF Health Downtown. In collaboration with the USF Muma College of Business, the TCOP Entrepreneurial Academy, is a new program that aims to help its pharmacy students succeed in the health care industry and pharmacy sector. The intra- and inter-collegiate interdisciplinary program aims to provide pharmacy students with innovative, intrapreneurial and entrepreneurial knowledge, tools, and skills necessary for advanced practice training and health care careers. A new resource within the college, the Industry Advisory Council (TCOP-IAC), will provide students networking and interprofessional opportunities with professionals in the pharmaceutical industry, experience that could help shape the careers of these future pharmacists. This new grass-roots type effort, called the Pharmacy Industry Network (PIN), allows students to spend time with industry experts to gain valuable insight into that lane of the pharmacy profession.

“We never walked in looking in the rearview mirror. We’ve always been looking forward and we continue to do that today,” Dr. Sneed said. “Our vision for the next ten years is to continue to promulgate the transformation of health care.”

The familiar sea of colorful research posters decorated the USF Tampa campus Marshall Student Center ballroom on the morning of Feb. 21. USF Health Research Day 2020 marked 30 years of showcasing the best interdisciplinary scholarly research from students, faculty and staff across all health disciplines.

USF Health Research Day 2020 marked 30 years of showcasing the best interdisciplinary scholarly research from across all health disciplines.

More than 340 poster presentations out of over 400 submissions were on display representing the profound span of research conducted within the colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and Pharmacy, as well as health-related collaborations with other USF colleges and several hospital affiliates. Research Day is the largest interdisciplinary research event at the University of South Florida, and both spotlights existing collaborations and encourages the formation of new ones.

Presentations ranged from pilot, preliminary, empirical and case studies to systemic reviews and reviews of literature or charts.

Yingwei Yang, doctoral student at the College of Public Health and one of the 12 Joseph Krzanowski Invited Oral Presenters, explains her poster presentation on the co-occurring impact of individual and community risk factors on youth’s perceived safety.

Stephen Liggett, MD, associate vice president for research at USF Health, welcomes attendees to Research Day 2020.

Stephen Liggett, MD, associate vice president for research at USF Health, described the poster presentation room as a “beehive” of activity and said, “the energy that you feel during Research Day is contagious. The enthusiasm that researchers have for their own work creates a special environment.”

The Roy H. Behnke keynote speaker was Allan Levey, MD, PhD, Betty Gage Holland Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology, Emory University, and Director, Emory Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Dr. Levey presented, “Racing to a Cure for Alzheimer’s Disease.” Dr. Levey was excited to participate in USF Health’s Research Day, saying that Emory University does not currently have an event like it.

Deanna Chan discusses her poster presentation with keynote speaker, Allan Levey, MD, PhD.

The Roy H. Behnke keynote speaker was Allan Levey, MD, PhD, who presented on his Alzheimer’s disease research.

Dr. Levey is a neurologist and neuroscientist internationally recognized for his work in neurodegenerative disease. He has more than 270 research publications. His work has contributed to understanding the brain systems and mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and in identifying molecular targets for new therapeutic strategies.

Dr. Levey thinks about his passion for Alzheimer’s research at every graduation he attends. “If we don’t do something quickly, 1 out of every 2 of those graduates is going to develop Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Levey said.

The goal in the USA National Plan is to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease by 2025. Dr. Levey urges interdisciplinary collaboration because he believes that what’s needed for Alzheimer’s research is “people from other fields to join and bring fresh ideas.”

Jasmine Carter and Miranda E. Essa, research assistants in the College of Nursing, set up their poster presentation on the adaption of a web-based intervention system specifically for firefighters and first responders.

Jasmine Carter and Miranda E. Essa, research assistants in the College of Nursing and recent USF graduates of psychology, were part of a team of seven whose research focused on tailored messages aimed towards firefighters for the web-based Tailored Intervention Messaging System (TIMS©). TIMS© is an existing intervention designed to increase cancer screening behavior, and the goal of Jasmine and Miranda’s study was to gather information specifically on firefighters to inform the adaption of this web-based intervention system. The chances of getting colorectal cancer, one of the most preventable of all cancers, is very high in a firefighter and first responder’s environment.

“Firefighters risk their lives for others, but it’s also important that they take care of themselves and get screened for colorectal cancer,” Carter said.

This presentation of research was a culmination of eight months of qualitative work into the risks and barriers for why firefighters and first responders often don’t receive annual colorectal screenings. Essa joined Carter at USF Health Research Day 2020 and was excited to see their research come together in a display.

“We are so excited and hyped to show off all this hard work we’ve been doing for the past eight months and to be able to explain it to people,” Essa said. “This is one of the few cancers you can genuinely prevent, so I think it’s really important information to get out there to everyone.”

Charles Lockwood, MD, MHCM, dean of the Morsani College of Medicine and senior vice president of USF Health, learns about Salma S. Abdelmaboud’s team’s research on sigma-1 receptors.

Salma S. Abdelmaboud, a research assistant in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, Morsani College of Medicine, presented research on the protective effects of the sigma-1 receptor on lymphatic endothelial cells. The study aimed to test the role of sigma-1 in lymphatic endothelial barrier function and explore its influence in lymphatic endothelial bioenergetics. Collectively, the results suggest that sigma-1 might serve as a potential future therapeutic target for the lymphatic system.

“This was my first time presenting my poster,” Abdelmaboud said. “Dr. Lockwood was the first person I presented my poster to, and I’m so happy that the dean liked what I did.” Abdelmaboud is applying for her PhD and is excited about her interview next week.

Byron Cheon, second-year medical student and one of the 12 Joseph Krzanowski Invited Oral Presenters, explains his poster presentation, “Open Data: Novel Uses and Old Ethical Concerns New Again.”

Tampa General Hospital, the primary teaching hospital for USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, ResearchOne and the USF Federal Credit Union, were the sponsors for USF Health Research Day 2020.

After attendees and the 124 volunteer judges had the chance to buzz around all the poster presentations and interact with the participants, the 11th Annual Joseph Krzanowski Invited Oral Presenters took their research to the Oval Theatre stage. Out of the 12 presenters, Kristi Miley, doctoral student, College of Public Health, won the Outstanding Oral Presentation Award for her presentation titled “Evaluation of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (EEEV) Winter Activity in Florida.”

Kristi Miley (center), doctoral student, College of Public Health, won the Joseph Krzanowski, PhD Invited Oral Presentations Award. The USF Health Research Day TGH Presenting Sponsor Awards were presented by Sally H. Houston, MD (right), executive vice president and chief medical officer, and Matthew L. Anderson, MD, PhD (left), director of gynecologic oncology research.

The day-long celebration of research concluded with a ceremony announcing top award and certificate winners:

• The Best Poster in the Field of:
  • Cardiovascular Biology
    • Julia Fedorova
  • Immunology and Microbiology
    • Ojas Natarajan
  • Molecular and Cellular Biology
    • Dante Deascanis
  • Neuroscience
    • Yan Yan
  • Other Clinical Research
    • Andrew Sephien
  • Nursing
    • Dorothie Durosier Mertilus
  • Other Basic Research
    • Olivia Hardy

•  Medical Student Research:
  • Year 1, 2 (Basic Science)
    • Vineet Nadkarni
  • Year 1, 2 (Clinical / Translational Science)
    • John Cheng
  • Year 3, 4
    • Alexander Shahin
  • Case Study / Review Award
    • Zachary Makovich

• Student Basic Sciences:
  • Doctoral Student Research
    • Helena Hernandez-Cuervo
  • COPH Doctoral Student Research
    • Nisha Vijayakumar
  • Masters Student Research
    • Mitchell Farmer
  • COPH Masters Student Research
    • Jan Dahrendorff
  • Undergraduate Student Research
    • Alexander Llauget

• Student Clinical / Translational Sciences:
  • Doctoral Student Research
    • Alexandra Cochrane
  • COPH Doctoral Student Research
    • Kenneth Taylor
  • Masters Student Research
    • Amrita Unnikumaran
  • COPH Masters Student Research
    • Emma Hume
  • Undergraduate Student Research
    • Aizara Ermekbaeva

• Post-Doctoral Scholar Research Award
  • Jea-Young Lee

• The Community Research Award (COPH):
  • Doctoral Student Research
    • Marshara Fross
  • Masters Student Research
    • Davies Toluhi

• The USF Health Dean’s Interdisciplinary Research Award
  • Caitlin Wolfe

• The Outstanding Innovations in Medicine Award
  • Zeinab Motawe

• The Outstanding 4th Year Medical Student Poster Award (Presented by Watson Clinic)
  • Yumna Ahmad

• The Dr. Christopher P. Phelps Memorial Fund Annual Morsani College of Medicine Neuroscience Student Travel Award
  • Sara Cazzaro

• The USF Federal Credit Union Best Poster in the Field of Cancer Biology Award
  • Roukiah Khalil

• The Tampa General Hospital Travel Award for Clinical Fellows
  • David Gajzer

• The Tampa General Hospital Outstanding Medical Resident Research Award
  • Evelena Cousin-Peterson

• The Joseph Krzanowski, PhD Invited Oral Presentations Award
  • Kristi Miley

USF bulls pride from the Research Day 2020 award winners.

More highlights from Research Day 2020

-Photos by Freddie Coleman and video by Allison Long, USF Health Communications and Research

Video and article by Allison Long.

Photos by Freddie Coleman.

The arena erupted in cheers and applause as USF System President Judy Genshaft walked toward the stage for this year’s USF Health Commencement Ceremony – and one of her final commencement exercises.

The May 2 graduation ceremony was among her final as USF President and the students, friends and families at the Yuengling Center on the USF Tampa campus all showed their gratitude for her 19-year tenure.

The USF Health’s Morsani College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy and College of Public Health were represented at the 2019 Spring Commencement held in the Yuengling Center.

“These ceremonies are especially significant for me as this is my last time presiding over commencement as USF President,” Genshaft said, as she welcomed everyone to the ceremony. “Over my 19 years as president I’ve had the honor and the privilege of graduating over 210,000 USF students.”

The 2019 USF Health Commencement featured students graduating with bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees representing USF Health’s Morsani College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy and College of Public Health. The Morsani College of Medicine will also hold an MD commencement ceremony on May 10.

Dr. Charles J. Lockwood spoke to the graduates and their families at the 2019 Spring Commencement.

In addition to acknowledging the significance of Genshaft’s contributions to USF, the evening ceremony also offered two other milestones: the graduation of the charter class of the Physician Assistant program in the Morsani College of Medicine, and the graduation of the charter class of the Genetics Counseling program in the College of Public Health.

Zachary Ulshafer, Physician Assistant Program graduate, gave the student welcome at the 2019 Spring Commencement.

Kyle Holsted, a 2019 physician assistant graduate, understood the importance of being in the charter class. “It’s nice to set the foundation for USF Health and for the P.A. (physician assistant) program,” he said.

Audrey Heimler received an honorary doctorate in public health for her pioneering work in genetic counseling, and David Eddy, MD, received the President’s Fellow Medallion. Dr. Eddy is a professor for the USF Institute for Advanced Discovery and Innovation.

Also, the College of Public Health featured several award-winning students:

• King O’Neal Scholars: Ved Patel, Kaelan Skinner and Jessica Zelitt
• Golden Bull awardee: Whitney Fung.

USF System President Judy Genshaft and Merritt Martin, USF Alumni Association chair, presented College of Public Health graduate Ved Patel with a King O’Neal Scholar award.

And the College of Nursing also featured several award-winning students:

• King O’Neal Scholars: Loretta Bayer, Laura Rouco and Carly Stagg
• Outstanding Graduate: Roberto Velasco

College of Nursing graduate Loretta Bayer received a King O’Neal Scholar award from Genshaft and Martin.

The USF Health commencement ceremony was one of several Spring commencement exercises across the USF System. With approximately 7,500 degrees expected to be conferred, the 2019 class represents the largest in USF System history. The class features graduates from 50 states, 109 nations and 57 students with a cumulative 4.0 GPA.

Charles Lockwood, MD, MHCM participated in a poverty simulation on Monday, April 1, 2019, at the American Legion Seminole Post #111 in Tampa. Some of the objectives of the simulation was to engage USF Health faculty experience struggles faced by low-income families.

Donna Petersen, ScD, MHS, CPH (facing camera, right) participated in a poverty simulation on Monday, April 1, 2019, at the American Legion Seminole Post #111 in Tampa. Some of the objectives of the simulation was to engage USF Health faculty experience struggles faced by low-income families.

Haru Okuda, MD, USF Health CAMLS executive director and USF Health executive director for interprofessional education and practice, took a photo during a poverty simulation on Monday, April 1, 2019, at the American Legion Seminole Post #111 in Tampa. Some of the objectives of the simulation were to engage USF Health faculty experience struggles faced by low-income families.

Multimedia story by Allison Long.

For the first time, the exercise brings together students from all USF Health colleges.

Living in the moment is a way of life that countless people strive to achieve, but for those living in poverty, the concept takes on a much more somber meaning. If someone is struggling to make ends meet, their daily life is so stressful that they’re probably not thinking about or planning for the long term.

Every day, health care professionals come face-to-face with patients in poverty and in order to teach students empathy and an understanding of these barriers, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Office of Student Diversity and Enrichment hosts poverty simulations. This training is in its sixth year, but this year is the first with an interprofessional mix of athletic training, medical, nursing, public health, pharmacy, physician assistant, and physical therapy students, as well as residents, and fellows. At the end of 10 sessions provided in the 2018-19 academic year, about 840 people will have participated.

The local American Legion Post donated its community hall to accommodate the large groups of students and volunteers.

Based on a simulation activity from Central Missouri Community Action, participants have the opportunity to experience life in the shoes of a fixed, limited-income family.

Shirley B. Smith, MA, Director of the Office of Student Diversity and Enrichment for MCOM, begins the activity by instructing the group to take it seriously because, “these are real people who have lived this experience.”

The students were assigned to fill various family roles, with identities ranging from seniors living alone to single-parents and blended families. Each family struggles with barriers such as unemployment, disabilities, and transportation. Over the course of a simulated four weeks, the families’ priorities are shelter, electricity, food, and keeping the family together.

The assigned identities range from single seniors living alone to single parents and blended families. Some are recently unemployed or struggling with disabilities.

A variety of resources are offered to the families by volunteers stationed around the community center room.  The volunteers simulate the roles of bankers, grocery store clerks, hospital staff, social service workers, and a pawn broker. Over the course of the activity, participants may run out of time or money, or even just forget to pay rent or buy groceries. One family was visited by law enforcement after she forgot to pick up her child from day care. Another family pawned their furniture for extra money. At least three families were evicted.

“This experience gives insight to health care workers, because sometimes we don’t know what is going on in a patient’s life and how it’s affecting their treatment or compliance,” said Brolivia Harvey, an adjunct faculty member in the College of Nursing.

Volunteers staff the resource tables that represent businesses such as banks, groceries, social service agencies, pawn brokers, and quick cash operators.

Participants without private transportation have to budget for public transportation passes needed to get to each resource station.

Just like in real life, when the rent is not paid, families are evicted.

At the end of the interprofessional education simulation, the participants sit down for a debrief. More than half of the students raised their hands when asked if they felt stressed or anxious during the experience. One student shared that she felt a “sense of insecurity” the entire experience and how you don’t realize the mental health strain it’s having on you or your children.

“I think the poverty simulation made everyone more aware of the struggles that people go through. We saw how much had to be accomplished in one day and that someone living in poverty may have to choose to pay rent instead of buy their medication,” said Rumour Piepenbrink, a first-year public health student.

“It was an eye-opening and humbling experience. I felt an array of emotions from frustration to gratitude for what I have,” said Ashley Reed, a fourth-year nursing student.

First-year public health student Rumour Piepenbrink visits the payday advance quick cash station.

Fourth-year nursing student Ashley Reed speaks with the volunteers at the simulated hospital.

During debrief, the group discussed how they can apply the lessons they learned from the poverty simulation to their health care careers:

• Don’t judge your patients.
• You have to consider the situation your patient is coming from to best help them.
• Be aware of local resources to refer a patient in need.
• Besides providing a resource to help a patient right now, empower them for the future.
• Teach patients the importance of long-term health.
• Physician burnout can happen when you do not deal with not being able to help everyone.

“Don’t ever get to the point where you’re numb to the poverty or problems of the people in the community,” said Priscilla Perez, a case manager for Positive Spin, a community-based social service agency that assists children and families to live healthy, and long-time poverty simulation community partner. “Helping a patient is more than just taking care of the reason for their visit,” she added.

Students are not the only ones participating in the poverty simulation. A session in April will include USF Health leadership and faculty.

“At USF Health, we are committed to preparing health professionals who recognize the importance of interprofessional team-based care, not only in the clinical setting but also in working together to address the social determinants of health in the communities we serve. Engaging our faculty in this intensive training will help us be better teachers and encourage us to recognize and emphasize the important role that every member of the team plays, including our patients and our community partners,” said Donna Petersen, ScD, senior associate vice president of USF Health and dean of the College of Public Health.

USF Health students, residents, and fellows debrief after the poverty simulation.

-Multimedia story by Torie Doll.

New study teams researchers from College of Arts and Sciences, USF Health

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TUNea-f_TI

Jan. 9, 2019 — The ketogenic diet has proven successful in helping people lose weight and improve their overall health, including those with epilepsy. The low-carb diet transitions the body from burning sugar to burning fat and ketones for energy. New research suggests that increasing blood ketones by using ketogenic supplementation can reduce seizures without dietary restriction.

A study published this month in Physiological Reports finds supplementing a normal, carbohydrate-rich diet with specific ketogenic agents may significantly delay tonic-clonic seizures caused by exposure to high levels of oxygen.

Oxygen toxicity is a complication that can arise following hyperbaric oxygen therapy, an FDA approved treatment used to manage various medical conditions, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, air/gas embolism and diabetic wounds. It involves inhaling pure oxygen in a pressurized or hyperbaric chamber.

“Exposure to high-pressure oxygen is also a danger to recreational, technical and military scuba divers, including Navy SEAL divers, as a seizure manifesting underwater can be lethal,” said lead author Csilla Ari D’Agostino, PhD, research assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Florida College of Arts and Sciences. “As a scuba diver, I am very excited about the implications of these findings, since during 20 years of diving I have heard many stories about the dangers of being exposed to high partial pressure of oxygen and it is something that always has to be considered when planning a dive.”

An experienced scuba diver, Csilla Ari D’Agostino, PhD (pictured here), says the ketogenic supplement findings also have implications for recreational, technical and military scuba divers, who are at risk for lethal seizures induced by exposure to high-pressure oxygen.

Dr. Ari D’Agostino and her team, including collaborators from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology and the USF College of Pharmacy, used a small hyperbaric environmental chamber to test the effects of ketogenic agents on rats. The animals were freely fed standard rodent chow, consisting of 70% carbohydrates. They also received different ketogenic supplements one hour before being exposed to pure oxygen in the chamber, which was pressurized to simulate technical and military dive operations. These conditions were maintained until physical symptoms of a seizure were observed.

The team found that the most effective supplement was a combination of ketone ester and medium-chain triglyceride oil in delaying the onset of hyperbaric oxygen-induced seizures. The latency to seizures was delayed by 219 percent in that group and the seizure severity was significantly reduced as well with ketone supplementation. The neuroprotective effects of ketone supplements were associated with an elevation of blood ketone levels.

The study was conducted using the Hyperbaric Biomedical Research Laboratory at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

The findings show that boosting the level of blood ketones by specific ketone supplements produce therapeutic ketosis, which, in turn, may provide increased resistance to seizures induced by extreme levels of hyperbaric oxygen. Importantly, the findings support that this neuroprotective effect may not require strict adherence to dietary restrictions and can be achieved through supplementation alone.

The study was supported in part by grants from the federal Office of Naval Research.

First-year students from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy and Athletic Training Program came together Oct. 16 and 18 at the Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) for a team simulation training involving 20 standardized patients portraying college soccer players suffering from compound leg fractures.

The simulation scenario starts with interdisciplinary teams triaging and stabilizing injured soccer players and transporting them to the emergency room.

In their first interprofessional education (IPE) experience, students broke into small groups, each overseen by a faculty preceptor. Each multidisciplinary team was assigned one soccer player to learn the transitions of care, from triaging a critical injury to rehabilitation.  Starting with stabilizing the injured soccer player on the field, the students worked together to transport the athlete to the emergency room, and then followed the patient to surgery, to the hospital floor, and finally to physical therapy. The IPE training also allowed students to explore the various roles and different strengths of health care professionals who care for injured college athletes.

“The overall goal is to have good communication between teams of health care providers,” said Dawn Schocken, PhD, MCOM director of Experiential Learning and Simulation. “No one takes care of patients in a vacuum anymore. Being able to rely on health care providers across multiple disciplines is the key to getting the best possible outcome for the patient, and that’s the message we are trying to teach.”

In the emergency room at CAMLS, team members pass along detailed information about the patient to help ensure the surgery team can make the best treatment decisions.

To complete the transition of care simulation, the physical therapy team follows up the with standardized patient post surgery and offers recommendations on rehabilitation.

Teams of students debrief with their faculty preceptors to discuss lessons learned from the simulation.

Video by Fredrick J. Coleman, and photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Communications and Marketing

First-year students put on simulation goggles to see how certain drugs interact in the body

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Virtual (VR) and augmented (AR) realities are transforming the way pharmacology students learn at the University of South Florida’s College of Pharmacy. First-year students are now using simulation goggles to see how certain drugs interact in the body.

They have applied AR/VR to visualize how beta blockers commonly prescribed to treat hypertension, asthma and cardiac workload may affect the heart, lungs and blood vessels. This new learning experience is part of a key initiative to integrate advanced technologies into the student curriculum.

Daniel Lee, PhD, associate professor of pharmaceutical science (standing), explains the integration of virtual and augmented reality into the College of Pharmacy  course he’s teaching.

“As dean, I teach an advanced metabolic syndrome course, and I have always wanted the students to have high fidelity visualization of the medications we use to treat diabetes and heart disease. With AR/ VR, we are now able to conceptualize organ function better, soon followed by complex medication mechanisms of action,” said Kevin Sneed, PharmD, dean of the USF College of Pharmacy. “We are now able to conceptualize organ function better.”

During a recent class, students covered their eyes with headsets and chose from components previously learned. They used a laser beam to drag and drop small medication doses onto an organ to witness a reaction. In some treatments the heart beat faster, the lungs expanded, or blood vessels constricted.

“They are able to really play with and really understand which drugs are causing the constriction which would lead to increase hypertension,” said Daniel Lee, PhD, associate professor of pharmaceutical science. Lee’s students gained a better perspective on main lecture objectives down to molecular organ function.

The experience is a game changer for Andreas Rosario, a student who had never tried VR and was seen smiling from ear to ear. “In lecture it’s just words and pictures, kind of hard sometimes to wrap your mind around it,” Rosario said. “I can just take my own time, it’s my own experience.”

Another student, Amanda Hutchings, said she’s a visual learner. “You can tell me day in and day out what Carvedilol (a drug treatment) does this to a receptor, but until I see it happen, I’m not going to understand it.”

This program is just the beginning. Feedback from participating students will be factored into future reiterations of the module. Faculty from the college will continue to work closely Information Technology’s Advanced Visualization Center (AVC) at USF to keep the technology fresh. Funding is received from a student technology fee initiative.

“It’s a great collaboration that shows the spirit of USF,” said Howard Kaplan, advanced technologies manager at AVC.

Kaplan’s team develops mechanisms for learning inside augmented and virtual realities with many departments across the university to innovate curriculums, enhance research projects and inspire more uses of new technologies.

“I wish I had something like this when I was learning pharmacology,” said Lee.“It’s very interactive.”

– Video by Ryan Noone and photos by Sandra C. Roa, USF Communications and Marketing