Last November 9, 2017 (Thursday), the Faculty of Pharmacy hosted the return of Melissa G. Taylor, a 1988 Pharmacy alumna, during a continuing professional development seminar regarding the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program that was recently launched.
In her lecture, Taylor compared how PharmD is being offered in the Philippines and in the United States, citing the case of the University of Colorado School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Taylor said that in a PharmD program, “clinical rotations in diverse areas in pharmacy held mold the students.” This involved training on the effective patient assessment and therapeutic plan, which was exemplified through a patient case, how to evaluate a drug information resource, described the importance of evidence-based literature in pharmacy practice, and explained the ten-system elements fundamental to medication use to avoid medication-related errors.
Taylor likewise talked about immunotherapy, dubbed as the fourth pillar of cancer treatment. In her presentation, she elucidated on the basis of adverse effects by explaining the mechanisms of action of the current FDA-approved checkpoint inhibitors. She likewise discussed the effect on the different body organs, as well as the grading of adverse effects and recommendations on how to evaluate and manage the immune-related toxicities of the checkpoint inhibitors in terms of pharmacotherapy treatment.
According to Faculty of Pharmacy Dean Aleth Therese L. Dacanay, PhD, the talk of Taylor was part of the Balik Faculty of Pharmacy program for the alumni practitioners. Funding for the talk came from both the University and alumni foundation. The seminar was attended by pharmacists from UST, partner hospitals, and Philippine Association of Colleges of Pharmacy member schools.
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