Teacher of the Year and Alumni Get Crafty

Brian Cowles: Teacher of the Year

How long have you been at ACPHS? I have been with the Vermont Campus since it opened in 2009. I previously worked at the University of Rhode Island. My background is in pediatric and neonatal medicine. I worked in hospital pharmacy practice and did a pediatric pharmacy residency.

What is your favorite part about teaching? Getting the chance to see the students getting excited about the things that make me excited. When I see them light up, it means I'm doing an effective job.

What are a few things you like about living in Vermont? Just about everything. We make no bones about it, we saw that the College was opening a campus in Vermont and took the opportunity to move here in 2009. We had visited southern Vermont to go skiing and thought about how great it would be to move here someday. It was the lifestyle that drew us. The culture and the environment make it a great place to be.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? Skiing, mountain biking, hiking. My wife (Jonna Schwarz, also a pharmacy professor at ACPHS) and I, have three-year-old son, so we try to get him outside as much as possible. We live about 30 minutes away from Burlington, out towards the mountains, so we have great access to the mountains and the city. The great arts and culture scene, local music scene in Burlington is phenomenal. Local musicians are outrageous to listen to live. The food and craft beer scene is great, too.

Craft Beer, It's a Science

Brewing beer is a science. There's biology and chemistry involved and chemical reactions between the hops, malt and yeast that can produce color, flavor and clarity changes. Small differences in temperatures can greatly impact a beer.

Maybe it's that very science that has attracted some of our alumni to the art of brewing beer. Or maybe it's just because it's fun and results in a refreshing product. Either way, two alumni-founded breweries are making big moves in Vermont.

David Bombard '13 and Evan Vacarr founded Green Empire Brewing, a nano-brewery in Colchester, VT. In their first week in business, Green Empire Brewing won top prize at Burke Mountain Bike & Briefest with their Side Business IPA. They beat out a lot of the "big guys" and earned themselves a full time tap line at the ski resort.

Queen City Brewery on Pine Street in Burlington, VT recently announced plans to open a 2,000 square foot café as early as late summer. Paul Held '83 is a partner in the brewery, which boasts 14 taps and a rotating list of beers with varieties like an American pale lager, a Scotch ale, and an Oktoberfest.

We wish both breweries the best of luck and look forward to trying a pint the next time we're in Vermont!

Reunion 2018: Thank you!

The ACPHS Albany campus became home again for generations of Panthers during Reunion Weekend 2018. Close to 200 alumni and guests attended the June 1- 3 festivities to reconnect with classmates and celebrate their cherished college experiences.

Highlights included the FONSMZ golf tournament, Casino Night at the Rivers Casino, campus tours and dinner and dancing at the Albany Capital Center. Alums enjoyed socializing and reminiscing at cocktail receptions, brunch and the barbecue.

You can browse our Reunion Weekend photo albums and relive all the fun from the weekend.

Alumni-Student Mentoring

Together with Career Services, we have launched a joint venture connecting students to alumni in their field of study.

The goal of the Alumni Student Mentor program is to match students to like-minded alumni mentors who can share their expertise and experience and help guide them as they embark on their careers in both pharmacy and the health sciences.

We invite you to be a part of it! If you're interested in becoming an alumni mentor to help foster the development, growth, and professionalism of ACPHS students, complete the Alumni-Student Mentor Form and email it to [email protected].