Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2010 - 9

Up in Smoke

Research by faculty shows that smoking ban improves fetal outcomes
Robert	Page,	PharmD,	together	with	pharmaceutical	outcomes	research	faculty	member	 Anne	Libby,	PhD,	and	graduate	student	Julia	Slejko,	collected	and	analyzed	data	from	 mothers	in	two	Colorado	locations	before	and	after	a	citywide	cigarette	smoking	ban	in	 bars,	restaurants	and	workplaces	went	into	effect.	The	data	underscore	that	citywide	smoking	bans	contribute	to	a	significant	decrease	in	maternal	smoking	and	pre-term	births. The	study	compared	maternal	smoking	prevalence	in	Pueblo,	where	a	smoking	ban	was	 implemented	in	2003,	to	that	of	El	Paso	County	where	there	is	no	such	ordinance.	 According	to	the	new	data,	strong	smoke-free	policies	can	improve	fetal	outcomes	by		 significantly	reducing	the	prevalence	of	maternal	smoking.	“We	saw	a	statistically		 significant	reduction	in	the	odds	of	pre-term	birth,	while	the	odds	of	maternal	smoking	 dropped	by	almost	40	percent,”	says	Dr.	Page. In	fact,	data	from	Pueblo	following	the	ban	show	a	23	percent	decrease	in	the	odds	of		 pre-term	births	and	a	37	percent	decrease	in	the	odds	of	maternal	smoking.	Birth	outcomes	 in	El	Paso	County,	however,	showed	no	such	drop	during	the	same	time	period.	Findings	 in	this	first-ever	study	in	the	United	States	reflect	similar	findings	from	a	study	conducted	 in	Dublin,	Ireland,	which	is	the	only	other	study	to	survey	this	population. With	placements	in	the	Los Angeles Times,	CBS	Radio	and	the	Osgood	Files,	the	study	 suggests	that	smoking	bans	have	a	significant	and	immediate	positive	impact	on	the	health	 of	infants	and	mothers.	Pre-term	babies	stand	a	greater	likelihood	of	experiencing	cardiovascular	issues	later	in	life.	“The	good	news	is	that	implementing	a	strong	tobacco	control	 policy	can	protect	even	the	most	vulnerable	from	the	deadly	consequences	of	smoking.”

Residency Panel Draws Nearly 200 Students
Approximately	200		 pharmacy	students		 seeking	information		 on	residencies		 attended	the	CSSHP	 and	PLS	Residency	 Panel	on	Oct.27,	where	they	met	face-to-face	with		 residency	directors	and	current	residents	in	Colorado		 programs.	Faculty	members	Drs.	Linnebur,	Page	and		 Saseen	highlighted	the	benefits	of	post	graduation	 residencies	including	enhanced	job	opportunities.	In	 addition,	they	provided	tips	on	how	to	find	a	residency	 program,	an	opportunity	to	network	with	decision	makers	 and	potential	employers,	and	first-hand	information	on	 what	to	expect	from	a	residency.	P-4s	Candido	Chacon	 and	Anh	Tu	Than	attended	the	event.

Bone Marrow Drive
As	part	of	the	National	Community	Pharmacists		 Association	Foundation’s	Bone	Marrow	Drive	week,	the	 student	chapter	contacted	independent	pharmacies	to	 determine	interest	in	hosting	a	bone	marrow	drive.		 Three	community	pharmacies	–	Beattie’s	in	Brighton,	 Windsor	Gardens	in	Denver	and	Dale’s	Pharmacy	in	Fort	 Lupton	–	signed	up	to	participate.	Students	Michaela	 Hasan,	Stephanie	Kling,	Wendy	Lantaff,	Clarissa	Manzi	 and	Erin	Marten	staffed	the	bone	marrow	drives	at	the	 pharmacies,	registered	37	people,	took	cheek	swabs,	and	 educated	the	community	about	the	donation	process.	

	

4. In	October,	the	APhA	student	chapter	publicized	American	Pharmacists	Month	by	selling	“Know Your Medicine Know Your Pharmacist”	 T-shirts.	The	organization	sold	100	T-shirts	and	encouraged	those	 who	purchased	them	to	wear	them	on	Media	Day	Oct.	7.		 P-2	David	Vo	is	pictured	here	showing	off	the	T-shirt. 5. SOP	students,	together	with	students	from	dental	 medicine,	physical	therapy	and	medicine,	gave	back	 to	the	community	by	providing	free	health	education,	screenings	and	flu	vaccines	through	the	Paris	 Elementary	Health	Fair,	Saturday	Oct.	23.	Thanks	 to	funding	from	TARGET,	the	students	vaccinated	 100	people	with	the	influenza	vaccine,	screened	 99	people	and	provided	health	education	to	120	 participants.	Pharmacy	students	Kris	O’Malley,	 P-1,	and	P-3	Allison	Berch	captured	the	health	fair	 on	video	as	part	of	Make	a	Difference	Day	with	USA	 WEEKEND.	Berch	edited	and	posted	the	video	onto	 the	Make	A	Difference	Day	YouTUBE	channel.	The	 video	was	made	possible	through	Cisco,	a	sponsor	of	the	 event,	who	awarded	100	Flip	video	cameras	to	select	project	leaders,	including	Berch,	who	submitted	proposals.	

Holiday Food Drive
With	more	than	18,000	food	and	personal	care	items		 collected,	this	year’s	holiday	food	drive	was	a	certified		 success!	Organized	and	spearheaded	by	third-year		 pharmacy	student	Caleb	Oh,	the	holiday	drive	nearly	 tripled	the	amount	collected	from	the	previous	year.		 Congratulations	to	the	P-3	class	for	collecting	the		 most	items.	The	items	will	be	donated	to	the	Colfax		 Community	Network,	a	nonprofit	that	advocates	for	and	 works	on	behalf	of	children	and	families	residing	in	lowincome,	transient	housing	(primarily	residential	motels)	 along	Colfax	Avenue	by	providing	information,	services	 and	programs	to	strengthen	and	improve	family	and		 community	life.

Fall 2010

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Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2010
