Blog Archives

PPAD Post Doc Dessert Reception

6/28/2018

Congratulations to the 2018 Post-Docs for the completion of their residency or fellowship (Program Director):
Dr. Elizabeth Akhparyan (Dr. Janice Hoffman)
Dr. Nancy Dao (Dr. Micah Hata)
Dr. Sun Lee (Dr. Anandi Law)
Dr. Yang Qiu (Dr. Mark Nguyen)
Dr. Kayla Uh (Dr. Emmanuelle Schwartzman)
Congratulations to the new Post-Docs starting July 1, 2018:
Dr. Neehoufar Fakoufar from UCSD (Dr. Emmanuelle Schwartzman)
Dr. Kelli Shiroma from WesternU (Dr. Mark Nguyen)
Dr. Arutyun Sarkissian from CSU Northridge (Dr. Janice Hoffman)
Dr. An Chau from Chapman (Dr. Micah Hata)
Dr. Aya Fukuma Ozaki from WesternU (Dr Cynthia Jackevicius)
Dr. Dimitri Delecry from University of Florida (Dr. JaeJin An & Dr. Quang Le)
Dr. David Essie from State University of New York, Buffalo (Dr. Anandi Law)

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WesternU Welcomes HCC Summer Intern: Penelope Nwaukwa

6/26/2018

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Penelope Nwaukwa is WesternU's first Health Career Connection (HCC) summer intern. HCC is a program that encourages undergraduate and recent graduate students to successfully choose and pursue the health career that is best suited for them. This is done by carefully paring students with organizations that best fit the student's interests, talents, and future career aspirations. These organizations will then provide the HCC interns with mentors, exposure, and real world experience. Penelope was paired with Western U because of her interest in pharmacy, public health, and community outreach. Penelope is a recent graduate from the University of California, Riverside where she received her B.S. in Neuroscience. As an undergrad she was a pharmacy volunteer for Riverside Free Clinic, a student-run health clinic that provided health care services and medication to the underserved population of Riverside. During her internship she hopes to continue to expand her knowledge about pharmacy and help improve the health of underserved communities all across Southern California.
The WesternU College of Pharmacy welcomed their new intern Penelope Nwaukwa with a breakfast reception on June 25, 2018. She will be here until August 31, 2018. During her internship she will be participating in health fairs, clinical job shadowing, public speaking, research activities, informational interviews and community outreach events.
Posted by Penelope Nwaukwa and Sam Shimomura, PharmD

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Heartburn Self-Care: Tiffany Truong, PharmD Candidate 2019

6/13/2018

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Heartburn is defined as the acidic contents of the stomach coming back into the esophagus causing an uncomfortable feeling of burning and warmth near the chest region. Per the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, roughly 20% of the United States population is affected. Heartburn is also known as acid reflux, acid indigestion, acid regurgitation. An individual has a higher likelihood to developing heartburn if they present with the following risk factors: overweight/obese, pregnant, smoker, stress, etc. It is important to recognize the symptoms of heartburn early on and treat it appropriately. If left untreated it can cause serious complications over time and become difficult to treat in the near future.
The following is a case example of heartburn:
A mom stopped by the pharmacy to ask for a recommendation for her healthy 15 years old daughter who experiences burning sensation in the stomach with regurgitation started 3 days ago. Her final exams are coming up so she has been drinking coffee daily. She noticed that the symptoms got worse every time she had coffee. Mom got her Tums (calcium carbonate) but the symptoms relief didn’t last long. She doesn’t have any food or drug allergies. She’s not taking any prescription or supplements. She has put on some weight because she loves eating fast foods.

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Headaches Self-Care: Jonathan Choi, PharmD Candidate 2019

6/13/2018

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Headaches are a commonly treated condition in Urgent Care and Emergency rooms. In a study done in 2003, it is estimated that anywhere between $650 million to $1.94 billion is spent annually on ER bills for headaches. Pharmacists can help cut costs by recommending over the counter self-care products when applicable. By recognizing the signs of tension, migraine, and sinus headaches, pharmacists can recommend an appropriate over the counter abortive regimen and reduce health care costs.
Tension headaches generally affect the forehead area. The pain is bilateral and like a band squeezing the head. Patients who experience onset of tension headache without prior history meet the criteria for self-care and can be treated effectively with acetaminophen or NSAIDS.
Migraines differ from tension headaches as the pain can be unilateral or bilateral. Patients often experience an aura prior to migraine attack where visual changes are reported. Additionally, migraines can cause nausea. When evaluating migraines for self-care pharmacists should consider frequency (less than 2x a week) as criteria for self-care. Also note whether the patient has attempted any prior therapy. Patients who have failed OTC regimens or who have frequent migraines are candidates for referral.
Sinus headaches are caused by congestion and are accompanied by pressure near the forehead or cheekbones. Pressure makes these areas tender to palpation. Patients with sinus headaches are candidates for self-care if they do not present with any pressing signs of infection. Patients who have fever, malaise, extended
duration of the symptoms should be referred. If patient is a candidate for self-care, recommend acetaminophen or NSAIDS for abortive therapy as well as pseudoephedrine as a decongestant.
Acetaminophen or NSAIDS (Ibuprofen & Naproxen Sodium) should be the first OTC abortive analgesics recommended. Doses of 1000mg acetaminophen every 8 hours, ibuprofen 200mg every 6 hours, and 220mg naproxen sodium every 12 hours have similar analgesic relief. While aspirin can also be used as an analgesic for headaches, the dose needed is associated with toxic effects and therefore not recommended for headache.
When choosing between acetaminophen and NSAIDS, consider their respective black box warnings. Acetaminophen is hepatotoxic at high doses exceeding 4 grams and should be avoided in cirrhotic patients. NSAIDS have 2 black box warnings of increased risk of cardiac events and risk of damage to the GI mucosa. Treatment with NSAIDs should be avoided in patients with CVD (high cardiac event risk) and patients with increased risk of stomach bleed. Aside from the high risk patients mentioned above, acetaminophen or NSAIDs can be used with equal efficacy in treating headache.

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PPAD Post Doc Dessert Reception

WesternU Welcomes HCC Summer Intern: Penelope Nwaukwa

Heartburn Self-Care: Tiffany Truong, PharmD Candidate 2019

Headaches Self-Care: Jonathan Choi, PharmD Candidate 2019

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