Commencement Speaker Announced, ACPHS Community Gives Back

Putting the "Fun" in Fundraiser

The philanthropic spirit is strong in the ACPHS community. Separately over the last month, we have come together to fight hunger and to fight cancer.

On February 25, students, faculty and staff joined with Chartwells to assemble 300 MATTERboxes for the "One Million Acts of Good Campaign". The campaign was inspired by talk show host Ellen DeGeneres with support provided by Cheerios. The main goal is to fight hunger by providing healthy meals. More than 50 volunteers gathered together to assemble the boxes, each of which is capable of feeding two people. Half the boxes have been distributed to AVillage, Inc. and the other half will go to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.

Then on March 2, even the snowstorm couldn't slow down ACPHS's annual Relay for Life event. Organized by the College's chapter of Colleges Against Cancer, this year's Relay featured more than 300 participants and 26 teams who came together to honor cancer survivors, remember loved ones lost, and raise money to support the efforts of the American Cancer Society. The fundraising total has already surpassed the $25,000 mark, and the official tally won't close until this summer ( click here if you'd like to make a donation).

New Associate Dean Named for Vermont

We are pleased to announce that the position of Associate Dean for the Vermont Campus has been filled.

Dr. Jennifer Mathews will join us on April 2. Previously she served as the Associate Dean of Assessment, Accreditation and Curricular Affairs at Stony Brook University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, as well as Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Wegmans School of Pharmacy, St. John Fisher College. Dr. Mathews received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Rochester School of Medicine.

Dr. Matthews has been actively involved in the fields of assessment and pedagogy during her career, having most recently served on the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Institutional Research and Assessment Committee. We are thrilled to have Dr. Matthews on board.

2018 Commencement Speaker

New York State Medicaid Director Jason Helgerson will be the speaker at the College's 138th Commencement exercises on Saturday, May 12, 2018. He will also receive an honorary degree.

Mr. Helgerson has overseen the state's $68-billion-a-year Medicaid program since 2011. His innovative approaches to reshaping the Medicaid program over that period led Governing magazine to write, "At a time when out-of-control health-care costs demand bold ideas and new thinking, Helgerson is leading the way."

We will be presenting a second honorary degree to Joe Gambino, CEO of Hometown Health Centers. For the past ten years, Joe has worked tirelessly to expand access to health care services for medically underserved patients in the city of Schenectady. He has also provided invaluable support to College Hometown Pharmacy, one of two student-operated pharmacies owned by the College.

Alumni Help Welcome Accepted Pre-Professional Students

On February 23, faculty, students, and alumni participated in an accepted students panel for those entering our pre-professional programs. Thank you to our panel for your experiences with our future ACPHS students.

Pictured above from left to right:

Dr. Dave Clarke; Dr. Eric Yager; Alexandra Rehfuss, BS '09, MD, PGY-5 Urology Resident, Albany Medical Center; Alex Villanueva, BS '09, MD; Emily Deierlein, BS '15, MPAS Candidate 2018, Albany Medical College; Alexa Hodges, BSPS Candidate 2019.

Pharmaceutical Research Institute Joins National Academy of Inventors

The College's Pharmaceutical Research Institute, under the leadership of Executive Director Shaker Mousa, has been invited to join the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). The NAI was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. As part of its mission, the NAI also seeks to (1) enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, (2) educate and mentor innovative students, and (3) translate the inventions of its members to benefit society. The diverse list of member institutions includes California Institute of Technology, Cleveland Clinic, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, and the Mayo Clinic.

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].