Study: Sickle cell costs U.S. $1.5 billion per year in lost wages and productivity
Sickle cell disease causes $1.5 billion in lost wages and productivity each year in the U.S. alone, according to the first study of its kind. That comes to more than $650,000 lost over the average working life of a person living with the painful genetic disorder. Lead researcher David Holdford, Ph.D., a professor of pharmacoeconomics […]
Beloved pharmacy professor remembered with scholarship
The MCV Campus is full of inspiring people and moments, even in the face of tragedy. Shortly before the pandemic, the VCU School of Pharmacy experienced an emotional loss when Amy Pakyz, Pharm.D., Ph.D., died of ovarian cancer at age 52. Pakyz was a beloved professor and researcher, and soon after her death, her loved […]
A link in the chain: Building on his mentor’s work, Martin Safo closes in on sickle cell treatment
By Greg Weatherford School of Pharmacy News For 30 years, Martin Safo, Ph.D., has worked to find a solution to a complex puzzle: How can chemistry stop human blood cells from twisting and sticking together? The answer is critical for millions of people with sickle cell disease. Their blood cells fold into bizarre shapes including […]
Student group aims to bridge the digital divide in health care
By Greg WeatherfordVCU School of Pharmacy The digital divide is cutting many people off from health care. A group of pharmacy students at Virginia Commonwealth University aims to bridge that gap. “We’re trying to help and make an impact,” said Emily Ko, a first-year Pharm.D. student and co-founder of the student group Pharmacists for Digital […]
Once a coronavirus vaccine exists, a VCU researcher’s mailable patch could deliver it to millions
Greg WeatherfordVCU School of Pharmacy Someday, hundreds of millions of vaccinations against the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 could show up in people’s mailboxes and be applied as simply as slapping on a Band-Aid. That’s the vision of Guizhi “Julian” Zhu, Ph.D., at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy. Zhu, an assistant professor in the school’s Department of […]
Researcher develops novel vaccine to treat colorectal cancer in combination with immunotherapy
A School of Pharmacy researcher’s new vaccine to boost the immune system’s ability to fight colorectal cancer has shown promise in pre-clinical experiments. Julian Zhu, Ph.D., an assistant professor at VCU School of Pharmacy and a member of the Developmental Therapeutics research program at VCU Massey Cancer Center, developed the novel vaccine and used it […]
Pharmacy joins with engineering to make inhaled medications more effective for infants
Pharmaceutical aerosols are painless, fast-acting and less likely to cause side effects than medicines delivered via pills or injections. Yet inhaled therapies are often avoided because of the challenges associated with targeting how aerosol particles are deposited within the lung. “Current inhalers produce fairly large particles, so approximately 90 percent of the medication gets lost […]
$6.8M grant supports research at VCU interdisciplinary center on opioids and other addictions
By Greg WeatherfordVCU School of Pharmacy Every day more than 130 people in the United States die from opioid overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — enough people each year to fill an Olympic stadium. That’s why Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine and School of Pharmacy have teamed up on a $6.8 million grant […]
“There’s going to be so much opportunity”: Kelly Goode on the future of community pharmacy
Community pharmacies today are much more than places to pick up medications. Pharmacists and other health-care workers increasingly are taking on additional roles and working to improve patient health. In a recent article in Pharmacy, Jean-Venable “Kelly” Goode, Pharm.D., examines the evolution of community pharmacy in the United States. We spoke to her about what […]
State approves nation’s first Ph.D. program in pharmaceutical engineering
Greg Weatherford VCU School of Pharmacy (804) 828-6470 Virginia Commonwealth University will be home to the nation’s first Ph.D. program in pharmaceutical engineering. The doctoral program, a collaboration between VCU’s School of Pharmacy and College of Engineering, will focus on research and training students in areas of drug product development such as continuous manufacturing and […]