A new year brings a fresh start and a reason for optimism. As a school, we are taking a prominent role in protecting the health and safety of our campus community and beyond by helping with COVID-19 testing and vaccinations. Pacific has partnered with San Joaquin County Public Health Services to establish a pilot program administering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a drive-through clinic on the Stockton campus. On January 24, nearly 400 eligible Pacific community members received their first dose.

I am inspired by the students who have volunteered to give flu and COVID-19 vaccines. Their willingness to don PPE and spend hours outside in the cold in order to serve their community is commendable.

When reading about COVID-19 vaccines I am reminded of the importance of research. The pandemic has highlighted the symbiotic relationship between research and health care. The use of messenger RNA (mRNA), genetic material read by cells to make proteins, for immunotherapies has gained momentum over the past decade. The research on mRNA paved the way for the rapid development of high efficacy COVID-19 vaccines.

I am excited to share some of the ways our students, faculty and alumni have been engaging in research. During their Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience rotations, Anika Patel ’21 and Edward Liang ’21 conducted research focused on COVID-19 treatment methods. Alumna and current Pacific fellow Sanaz Ziad ’16, PharmD co-authored a clinical trial which showed statistically significant benefits of plant-based meal kits compared to non-plant-based meal kits. Another Pacific fellow, Sonoko Kawakatsu, PharmD, served as co-primary investigator for a study which found the selection of either the right or left arm for continuous glucose monitoring device placement could potentially affect the glucose readings collected by the devices.

The pandemic is not over. As you interact with members of the community, I ask you to be cautious and continue to take precautions to protect your health and safety. Please take care of yourself as you care for those around you.

Wishing you a happy and healthy new year.