Assessing Students' Impressions of the Cultural Awareness of Pharmacy Faculty and Students.

To determine pharmacy students' impressions of their faculty's interactions with diverse student and patient populations. Three student focus groups were convened. Eighty-four page transcripts were coded, and emergent themes were identified by qualitative analysis.

Assessing outcomes and perceived benefits of a professional development seminar series.

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of alumni who were enrolled in a professional development seminar series during their doctor of pharmacy program.

Design: A weekly development seminar series was administered over 5 semesters with the goal of bringing academic advisees together to help develop performance-based abilities, prepare them for entry into the profession after graduation, and provide exposure to different career opportunities.

Assessment: A survey instrument containing 39 Likert-type scale items, 2 open-ended questions, and a 10-item demographic survey was created and content-validated to assess the effect of the seminar series on alumni advisees' perceived outcomes and professional development since their graduation.

Engaging external senior faculty members as faculty mentors.

A small nonprofit private college with limited resources and a high proportion of junior faculty developed a nontraditional external faculty mentor program in the summer of 2011 in response to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) faculty survey data regarding the professional development needs of pharmacy faculty members. Experienced faculty members with national reputations from other colleges and schools of pharmacy were hired as consultants to serve as mentors for assigned faculty members. Program goals were to provide directed, individual mentorship for pharmacy practice and basic science faculty members, expand peer review of faculty teaching prowess, and enhance monthly faculty development programming.

The 4-year evolution of a social and behavioral pharmacy course.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of 3 sequential course revisions on student performance in and perceived value of a social science-based course.

Design: The initial revision emphasized study of the primary literature and traditional assessments of student learning. Subsequent course revisions emphasized active learning and reflective assessment methodologies.

The influence of faculty mentors on junior pharmacy faculty members' career decisions.

OBJECTIVE. To assess junior faculty members' perceptions regarding the impact of past faculty-mentoring relationships in their career decisions, including the decision to pursue postgraduate training and ultimately an academic career. METHODS.

Comparison of learning styles of pharmacy students and faculty members.

Objectives: To compare dominant learning styles of pharmacy students and faculty members and between faculty members in different tracks.

Methods: Gregorc Style Delineator (GSD) and Zubin's Pharmacists' Inventory of Learning Styles (PILS) were administered to students and faculty members at an urban, Midwestern college of pharmacy.

Results: Based on responses from 299 students (classes of 2008, 2009, and 2010) and 59 faculty members, GSD styles were concrete sequential (48%), abstract sequential (18%), abstract random (13%), concrete random (13%), and multimodal (8%).

A critical appraisal of and recommendations for faculty development.

The 2009-2010 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Council of Faculties Faculty Affairs Committee reviewed published literature assessing the scope and outcomes of faculty development for tenure and promotion. Relevant articles were identified via a PubMed search, review of pharmacy education journals, and identification of position papers from major healthcare professions academic organizations. While programs intended to enhance faculty development were described by some healthcare professions, relatively little specific to pharmacy has been published and none of the healthcare professions have adequately evaluated the impact of various faculty-development programs on associated outcomes.

Guest speakers in a professional development seminar series.

Objective: To evaluate the impact guest speakers have on student development in a professional development seminar series.

Design: Over a 5-semester period, presentations were given by 18 guest speakers as part of a professional development seminar series.

Assessment: A 28-item survey instrument was constructed and administered to 68 students to assess the impact of the guest speakers on the students' professional development.

An instrument to evaluate pharmacists' patient counseling on herbal and dietary supplements.

Objective: To develop a measure of pharmacists' patient counseling on herbal and dietary supplements.

Methods: A systematic process was used for item generation, testing, and validation of a measure of pharmacists counseling on herbal and dietary supplements. Because a pharmacist-patient encounter may or may not identify an indication for taking an herb or dietary supplement, the instrument was bifurcated into 2 distinct components: (1) patient counseling in general; and (2) patient counseling related to herbal and dietary supplements.

A microteaching exercise to develop performance-based abilities in pharmacy students.

Objective: To create, implement, and evaluate a microteaching exercise to enhance student development of communication skills, critical-thinking skills, and problem-solving abilities.

Methods: A microteaching exercise was developed and implemented in 2 semesters of a professional development series. Advisees from 3 classes developed 7-minute presentations for classmates, followed by a brief question-and-answer session.

Electrochemical sensor for detection of unmodified nucleic acids.

We have developed a nucleic acid (NA) sensor based on mediated electrochemical oxidation of guanine residues. In this method, oligonucleotide probes are bound to a tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) electrode through a self-assembled phosphonate monolayer. The end carboxyl moiety of the monolayer is activated with carbodiimide and reacted with the amine group of a C6 alkyl linker which has been added to the 5'-end of the oligonucleotide probe.

A clinical nutrition course to improve pharmacy students' skills and confidence in counseling patients.

Objective: To create, implement, and evaluate a PharmD course on primary care nutrition.

Design: A 2-credit hour elective course was offered to second- and third-year pharmacy students. It was informed by the Socratic method using a minimum number of formal lecture presentations and featured problem-based learning exercises, case-based scenarios, and scientific literature to fuel informed debate.

Conceptual development of a measure to assess pharmacists' knowledge of herbal and dietary supplements.

Objectives: To describe the conceptual development of a measure for assessing pharmacist knowledge of herbal and dietary supplements.

Methods: A standardized approach to constructing a multiple-choice competency examination following 8 pre-specified criteria (eg, specifying the target spectrum of herbal and dietary supplements) was used to create an item bank. The quality of each item was evaluated by 5 herbal and dietary supplement content experts based on specific criteria in 3 rounds of review.

Effectiveness of a weekly faculty conversation forum about teaching.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of holding weekly 60-90 minute conversation forums for faculty members to discuss, explore, and reflect on various teaching topics in a relaxed, informal, interactive format.

Methods: Weekly, 60-90 minute sessions were held for faculty members of the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy. A 15-item retrospective pretest-posttest questionnaire was developed and administered at the end of the first year of implementation to evaluate the participants' perceived knowledge, abilities, and confidence gains relative to becoming effective educators.

New OTC drugs and devices 2003: a selective review.

Objectives: To present current information about trends development and marketing of over-the-counter (OTC) medications and dietary supplement products and describe new products, delivery systems, home monitoring devices, and home accessories in these markets that are likely generating questions from or posing potential problems for patients.

Data Sources: Recently published clinical and pharmaceutical industry literature.

Study Selection: By the authors.

New OTC drugs and devices 2002: a selective review.

Objectives: To create a heightened awareness of two consumer issues confronting pharmacists in the self-care arena--consumers' need for accurate information about over-the-counter (OTC) products and consumers' attitudes and beliefs about OTC drugs--and to educate pharmacists about newly introduced nonprescription products, home screening devices, and home accessories.

Data Sources: Recently published clinical and pharmaceutical industry literature and survey results from the National Council on Patient Information and Education.

Data Synthesis: Although changes have been made to labeling for OTC products to heighten consumers' awareness of the dangers associated with misuse of these products, consumers need the expertise of the pharmacist to guide them toward effective and safe self-care.

Influence of microstructure on the electrochemical performance of tin-doped indium oxide film electrodes.

The effect of the microstructure of tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films on their electrochemical performance was studied using three redox probes, tris(2,2'-bipyridyl ruthenium(II) chloride (Ru(bpy)3(2+/3+)), ferrocyanide (Fe(CN)6(4-/3-)), and ferrocenemethanol (FcCH2H(0/+)). ITO films were deposited using dc magnetron sputtering under a variety of conditions that resulted in films having different degrees of crystallinity, crystallographic texture, sheet resistance, surface roughness, and percent tin. It was found that the electron transfer for all three redox probes used in this study was more efficient at polycrystalline films than at amorphous ITO films.

New OTC drugs and devices 2001: a selective review.

Objectives: To create a heightened awareness of two important issues that arose over the past year with respect to over-the-counter (OTC) drugs-the possible switching of nonsedating second-generation antihistamines to OTC status and the continuing need for pharmacists to learn about dietary supplements and herbal products-and to educate pharmacists about newly introduced nonprescription products, devices, and diagnostic products.

Data Sources: Recently published clinical and pharmaceutical industry literature.

Data Synthesis: In a historical precedent, a third party insurer rather than a pharmaceutical company is attempting to force the switching of several prescription nonsedating antihistamines to OTC status.

New OTC drugs and devices 2000: a selective review.

Objectives: To create a heightened awareness of the issues confronting pharmacists in the self-care arena. To educate pharmacists about newly introduced nonprescription products, devices, and diagnostic products.

Data Sources: Recently published governmental, clinical, and pharmaceutical industry literature.

New OTC drugs and devices 1999: a selective review.

Objectives: To educate pharmacists about newly introduced nonprescription products/devices/diagnostic products, and to create a heightened awareness of the dilemma of dietary supplements and the problems their use poses for consumers and pharmacists.

Data Sources: Recent clinical and pharmaceutical industry literature.

Data Synthesis: It is critical for the pharmacist to be knowledgeable about dietary supplements to be able to appropriately counsel patients on benefits and risks associated with their use.

New OTC drugs and devices 1998: a selective review.

Objective: To create a heightened awareness of the marketing strategy of dual labeling, i.e., labeling of two benefits on a nonprescription drug product, and to review a selection of new self-care products that became available in 1998 for consumer use in the United States.

Smoking cessation: Part 2--Pharmacologic approaches.

Objective: To present the concept of nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT) and the pharmacologic approaches, nonprescription and prescription, to smoking cessation.

Data Sources: Current clinical literature.

Data Synthesis: NRT can be delivered through a number of different nicotine-containing dosage forms (e.