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In the past two months, faculty from ��«Ӱҵ's College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions have had eight articles published in peer-reviewed journals. 

Topics covered in these publications include poverty simulation, impact of a new medication for cystic fibrosis, stigma surrounding substance use disorder, a rare pediatric case of Bergeyella zoohelcum, medical billing in pharmacy curriculum, American Pharmacists Association Foundation incentive grants, social determinants of health in pharmacy curriculum, and population health management and naloxone counseling. 

Published in Nursing Education Perspectives in December 2024. Authors are SDSU professor Brittney Meyer and assistant professor Alyssa Zweifel. 

This article details the comparison between the impact of two approaches to an interprofessional poverty simulation among pharmacy and nursing students: the first was a virtual simulation game, and the second was a live interactive poverty simulation. The study saw a similar impact for both groups, with the virtual group improving scores by 3.17 points and the live group improving scores by 3.52 points, indicating the effectiveness of both modalities. 

Published in Pediatric Pulmonology in December 2024. SDSU professor Stacy Peters co-authored the article. 

This article examines the impact of elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI), a new medication used in the treatment of cystic fibrosis. Since its approval, there have been reports of papilledema and intracranial hypertension in children with cystic fibrosis taking ETI. This multicenter case series reports eight cases of papilledema in children with cystic fibrosis taking ETI that were diagnosed via routine eye exam, the majority of whom presented with minimal to no symptoms and all had normal serum vitamin A levels. 

Published in BMC Public Health in December 2024. Authors from SDSU include assistant professor Erin Miller, community care coordinator Sarah Schweitzer, assistant professor Patricia Ahmed and assistant professor Christopher Robbins. 

This article compares survey data related to stigma surrounding substance use disorder among rural Ohio and rural South Dakota populations. Results showed participants from South Dakota were more likely to believe the “brain disease model,” which views substance use disorder as illness. In both studies, believing the brain disease model was associated with less stigmatizing attitudes. 

Published in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal in January 2025. SDSU associate professor Amy Heiberger co-authored the article. 

This case report details the diagnosis and treatment of a single 14-month-old patient with Bergeyella zoohelcum, which had previously been identified in children only three times. The article reports a case of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection and meningitis caused by B. zoohelcum in a toddler with an open post-surgical wound and recent exposure to a family dog. All three previous instances of B. zoohelcum in children occurred following a dog bite, marking this a unique instance where the infection is expected to have developed after the open wound was exposed to the family dog giving the patient “kisses.” 

Published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education in January 2025. SDSU associate professor Shanna O’Connor co-authored the article. 

This commentary discusses the importance of including medical billing as a topic covered in curriculum for students pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy. Pharmacists across the United States are rapidly gaining the ability to bill the medical benefit. The commentary encourages colleges and schools of pharmacy to take action and improve curricula, adding that tools and resources are in development to support this change. This commentary was a collaboration between ��«Ӱҵ, Idaho State University, University of Washington and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. 

Published in The Journal of the American Pharmacists Association January 2025. SDSU associate professor Shanna O’Connor co-authored the article. 

This brief report describes and breaks down the project topics and geographical reach of the first 30-years of projects funded through the American Pharmacists Association Foundation’s Incentive Grants. The Incentive Grant program provides funding for pharmacy learners to conduct community pharmacy-based research projects. The findings of this study serve as a summary of community pharmacy-based research over time, indicating the Incentive Grant program has likely had a positive influence on community pharmacy-based research. 

Set to be published in Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning in February 2025. SDSU professor Brittney Meyer co-authored the article. 

This article reports on survey data highlighting unpublished exemplars of models for teaching social determinants of health and proposed strategies for teaching social determinants of health in pharmacy curriculum. Social determinants of health include the social conditions in which people are born, live and work and are consider by the World Health Organization to be the most important determinants of health status. Exemplar identified included simulations, case-based learning activities and interprofessional education and research. 

Set to be published in Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning in April 2025. Authors from SDSU include associate professor Joseph Berendse, professor John Kappes and professor Mike Lemon. 

This article highlights pharmacy student training in population health management specifically related to use of naloxone. Fourth-year pharmacy students on rotations used a population health management tool developed by the Veterans Health Administration to independently make naloxone interventions throughout their rotations. Students were surveyed before and after their rotation experience and showed significant positive change in all questions related to population health management and naloxone counseling. 

Learn more about research within the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions.