Students, faculty and staff of the USC Mann School took part in the California Pharmacists Association (CPhA) Western Pharmacy Exchange, held in Las Vegas from April 28 to May 1. Highlights included:
A USC Mann student team—Pooja Singh, Marcella Vargas, Merry Ann Sta Maria, Sharon Su and Yijun Cai—won first place in the annual CPhA Quiz Bowl competition. Assistant professors Samantha Yeung and Patrick Tabon coached the team.
Edith Mirzaian, associate professor of clinical pharmacy and assistant dean of curriculum, was elected and installed as president of the CPhA Education Foundation.
Former CPhA president Richard Dang, assistant professor of clinical pharmacy and community pharmacy residency program director, now serves as the immediate past president on the CPhA Board of Trustees. He received a certificate of recognition from the California State Legislature from Assemblyman Tri Ta (70th District) and the Past President Achievement Award from the California Pharmacists Association.
David Truong, adjunct lecturer, was elected as trustee-at-large of CPhA. Pooja Singh, third-year PharmD student, was elected student trustee.
Ania Nazari, fourth-year PharmD student, was named CPhA Student Pharmacist of the Year. The annual award recognizes a student who has demonstrated a willingness to become involved in the future of the profession.
USC’s CPhA Academy of Student Pharmacists chapter (CPhA-ASP) received the Chapter of Excellence award, which recognizes chapters that have achieved excellence in pursuing CPhA’s mission and goals in promoting the health of the public through the practice of pharmacy.
Faculty, Staff and Student Presentations
- “Advanced Pharmacist APP Presentation,” Phuong Nghi Le and Huynh Wynn Tran
- “Hep Hep Hooray! Winning the Fight Against Hepatitis B,” Edith Mirzaian, Phuong Nghi Le and Cassandra Ferguson
- “Applying Ryan’s Law: The Compassionate Use of Cannabis in Healthcare Facilities,” Jill Simonian, Codi Peterson, Kari Franson and Paul Lofholm
- “To Be or Not TB: Role of Pharmacists in Detecting and Managing LTBI,” Yelim Joung, Jenny Soobin Kim, Kyle Christopher Fischer and Allison Chacon
- “Integrating a Residency Program into a Community Pharmacy,” Richard Dang and Micah Hata
- “Update: New CDC Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Pain,” Melissa Durham and Allison Chacon
- “Annual Immunization Update: 2023,” Richard Dang and Michael Hogue
- “American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Update: Use of Vaccines in Immunosuppressed Conditions,” Nora Garabedian, Natalie Kanimian and Negin Sazgar
- “Intestinal Microbiota and Metabolic Syndrome – The Influence of Food and Supplements,” Cynthia Lieu
- “Polypharmacy and Deprescribing in Older Adults: The Role of the Pharmacist,” Ala Babakhanians, Tatyana Gurvich and Shanon Vartanian
- “You’re Hired: How to Make a Lasting Impression on Your Preceptors,” Jennifer Courtney and Patrick Tabon
- “Annual Business Meeting and Keynote Address,” Richard Dang