This year, the School established a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee made up of students, faculty, staff and alumni to initiate and support DEI initiatives across Pacific.

Marisella Guerrero ’98, PharmD, assistant clinical professor of pharmacy practice, who serves as chair of the committee, identifies herself as Mexican American. During her first year as a Pacific faculty member, a group of students told her they were grateful to interact with a Latina faculty member. The conversation gave her a heightened awareness of the opportunity — and responsibility — to use her perspectiveto provide advice and guidance for students with a similar cultural background.

Doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) student Adam Aboubakare ’22 wanted to join the DEI Committee because of his passion for creating inclusive spaces. “No matter what the setting is, whether it is on your campus, in your organization, in your workplace or at home, every place can benefit from incorporating more DEI values,” said Aboubakare. He is the founding president of Pacific’s chapter of White Coats for Black Lives, a nationwide movement dedicated to dismantling racism and promoting the health and well-being of people of color by educating future health care professionals.

Aboubakare said there are two facets of DEI within health care: patient care and representation.

“When we consider DEI from a patient care aspect, we think about serving every patient to the best of our abilities no matter their background, race, sexuality, gender or other demographics,” he said. “We must put aside our own biases to provide them the best care they can receive.”

He believes it is also important for health care professionals to ask themselves, “How does my team embody diversity?”

The lack of diversity, equity and inclusion in health care can have life or death consequences. “We’ve seen that it leads to numerous health care disparities and can literally lead to people losing their lives because they don’t get the right care,” said Dr. Guerrero. “In the same way we place value and importance on learning about medications, pharmacists need to be committed to learning about inequities, biases and racism because of how much they affect a person’s health and well-being.

As one of their first initiatives, the committee examined the language used in the Oath of a Pharmacist and the School’s Pledge of Professionalism. The pledge is recited by first-year PharmD students at the annual White Coat Ceremony and universities have the freedom to modify the pledge. The School’s DEI committee recommended and received approval to modify the School’s pledge to include: “I will advocate for equitable health care for all.”

The oath is recited by graduates during commencement ceremonies at universities throughout the United States. The committee contacted the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and the American Pharmacists Association to revise the oath. As a result, the Oath Revision Committee was created and Aboubakare was selected as the student representative. The revised oath is expected to be voted on in November, with the hope of being incorporated into the commencement ceremonies of the Class of 2022, which holds special significance to Aboubakare as he is a member of that class.

This year, the committee launched Diversity Perspectives, a newsletter that provides a safe space for members in the Pacific community to share cultural insights from a personal perspective about current events. They also implemented a training course that will equip faculty and staff to become agents of change who feel empowered to lead transformative social justice initiatives within and beyond the School.

Dr. Guerrero and Aboubakare encourage people to explore how they can promote DEI values in their communities. “Being open to learning, being compassionate and having empathy is really all you need,” Dr. Guerrero said.

The following article is a publication of the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. Diversity Perspectives is a safe space for members in our community to share cultural insights from a personal perspective about current events.

Violence against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community

From the viewpoint of Jasmine Patel

In the past few months, there has been a spike in this violence in California’s Bay Area and other parts of the country, bringing a deep sense of pain in a season that is typically marked by joyful celebrations of the Lunar New Year. It has been particularly heartbreaking to see that so many of those who have been attacked have been elderly members of the AAPI community. In late January of this year, an 84-year-old Thai man named Vicha Ratanapakdee was assaulted while taking a walk in San Francisco; he passed away two days later. A 64-year-old Vietnamese woman was robbed and assaulted in San Jose. A 91-year-old elder was violently attacked in Oakland. These are just a few of the many deeply disturbing incidents that have occurred in the last several months.

These stories must be shared, and actions must be taken to pursue justice for impacted individuals and communities. However, as many community leaders have pointed out, the answer to protecting Asian Americans from discrimination and violence cannot be rooted in anti-Blackness. Given the history of racial bias in law enforcement contributing to disproportionate harm against Black and brown communities, the first and only response cannot be to demand more policing. The solution is not found in turning communities of color against each other. I am inspired and encouraged by organizations that are exploring alternative approaches. For example, Compassion in Oakland is working to connect volunteer chaperones with Asian American elders as a way to provide them with protection.

I believe that Pacific’s commitment to seeking and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion doesn’t stop at just our campuses. It extends to the cities that our institution calls home — Stockton, San Francisco and Sacramento. It extends to the places that our students come from and to every place that our alumni go. We must not stay silent in response to hateful, xenophobic and racist rhetoric and actions.

My hope is that we can continue to be a community that is committed to learning alongside one another and protecting each other.

Pacific partnered with the United States Air Force to establish a new fellowship.

Reflecting the support of our generous donors, the School was able to name the following spaces: the Jonathan Chan and Megan Chan Auditorium (Rotunda auditorium, R103), the Guadalupe Chang Café and the Clark and Pamela Gustafson Auditorium (large lecture hall, room 115).

Alumni Sundeep S. Gill ’00, PharmD and Elaine Gill ’98, JD established the Powell-matched Pacific Pharmacy Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship.

Student Highlights

Phi Delta Chi, Alpha Psi chapter, received the 2020 Emory W. Thurston Grand President’s Award. This is the fifth time Alpha Psi has received this national award, the fraternity’s highest honor.

Pacific’s Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program hosted a virtual health fair in coordination with the 52nd annual Stockton Black Family Day and was featured on Good Day Sacramento and in The Record.

Zizhao Xu ’20, MS received a 2020 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Best Abstract Award.

Sandra Le ’21 was named one of the top 10 recipients of the 2020 U.S. Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Award and a recipient of the California Society of Health-System Pharmacists 2020 Student Leadership Award.

Taylor Chan ’21 was selected for a rotation in the Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology at the Food and Drug Administration, starting February 2021.

Md. Rahatullah Razan ’21 was awarded the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) Mentoring Network travel award to participate in the ASPET Mentoring Network: Coaching for Career Development program in April, in San Diego.

Pharmaceutical and Chemical Sciences Program students Yuntao Zhang ’21 received Pacific’s Graduate Seminarian of the Year Award, Peter Weidner ’20 was named the Graduate Seminarian of the Year Runner-up and Tre Andang ’21 received the Graduate Seminar Series Award of Merit.

Faculty Highlights

Stephanie Luu ’20, PharmD, assistant clinical professor, joined the Department of Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry.

Andrew L. Haydon ’12, PharmD, associate clinical professor and director of professional programs, Cynthia Lee ’19, PharmD, MS, BCPS, assistant clinical professor, and Martha Ndung’u, PharmD, assistant clinical professor, joined the Department of Pharmacy Practice.

Atefeh Rabiee, PhD, assistant professor, joined the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology.

Bhaskara R. Jasti ’95, MPharm, PhD, professor of pharmaceutics and medicinal chemistry, was appointed the inaugural executive director of the Jie Du Center for Innovation and Excellence for Drug Development. Dr. Jasti established the Jasti Lecture Series in Biopharmaceutical Sciences and in February Dr. Du served as the guest speaker at the inaugural lecture.

Pacific pharmacy faculty were awarded a $105,000 contract as San Joaquin County Opioid Safety Program Consultant to support local efforts to reduce the number of opioid- and drug-related overdoses and deaths.

The School co-hosted Pacific’s COVID-19 and Your Health series. Speakers included Mark P. Walberg ’06, ’09, PharmD, PhD, CTH and Robert F. Halliwell, PhD, professor of physiology and pharmacology. Each week the featured topic was followed by CDC updates presented by Neel Prasad ’96, PharmD, assistant clinical professor of pharmacy practice and regional coordinator for East Bay – Modesto/Sonora.

Melanie A. Felmlee, PhD, assistant professor of pharmaceutics and medicinal chemistry received a four-year $1.15 million grant from the National Institutes of Health Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) Program for research focused on the differences in the way males and females process GHB.

Carlos A. Villalba-Galea, PhD, assistant professor of physiology and pharmacology, was awarded a $337,647 NIH grant for the proposal “Identification of Structural Determinants in Kv7 Open Channel Stabilization.”

Rajul A. Patel ’01, ’06, PharmD, PhD, professor of pharmacy practice, on behalf of the Medicare Part D Outreach Clinics, received a $10,000 grant in February and a $43,500 grant in August from the Human Services Agency of San Joaquin County. Dr. Patel and Dr. Halliwell received a $35,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente on behalf of the Medicare Part D Outreach Clinics to support improving opioid and prescription drug management with mental health assessment in Medicare beneficiaries.

Rajkumar Sevak, PhD, RPh, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, and Dr. Patel received a $9,300 grant from the Pacific Technology in Education Committee to support delivering of Part D and MTM interventions via telehealth.

Mamoun M. Alhamadsheh, PhD, associate professor of pharmaceutics and medicinal chemistry, received Pacific’s 2020 Faculty Research Lecturer Award.

Dr. Patel was named a recipient of Pacific’s 2020 Faculty Mentor Award and the Pacific Pharmacy Alumni Association’s Alumnus of the Year.

Sachin A. Shah, PharmD, FACC, FAHA, professor of pharmacy practice and regional coordinator, director of pharmacy research and education at Travis Air Force Base, became a fellow of the American College of Cardiology.

Clifford A. Young, RPh, CGP, associate clinical professor of pharmacy practice and regional coordinator for Fresno, was elected president of the California Pharmacists Association. His term began Sept. 13, 2020.

Dr. Sevak received the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacist Foundation Strategic Goals Award for his research on mental health stigma.

William K. Chan, PharmD, PhD, professor, chair of the Department of Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry, received the 2019-20 Pacific Faculty Research Lecturer Award.

The University has appointed Rae Matsumoto, PhD as the new dean for Pacific’s Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy. Dr. Matsumoto comes from Touro University California, where she has served as the dean of the College of Pharmacy since 2014. She has more than 20 years of administrative experience building collaborative, multidisciplinary educational programs and brings a deep and broad perspective of changes in pharmacy practice to ensure Pacific’s pharmacy program meets the educational and research needs of students and faculty.

“I am looking forward to being a part of the future of the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, and building on the legacy of pharmacy education and practice for which University of the Pacific is known,” said Dr. Matsumoto.

Prior to her position at Touro, Dr. Matsumoto was the associate dean for research and graduate programs in the School of Pharmacy at West Virginia University. Dr. Matsumoto’s experience also includes faculty and administrative roles at University of Mississippi, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and University of California, Irvine.

She earned her bachelor of science in biology and psychology from Creighton University. She earned her master of science in psychology and doctor of philosophy in psychology from Brown University. Dr. Matsumoto completed postdoctoral training in psychology and biochemistry at Brown University and postdoctoral training in physiology at Northwestern University. She has been actively involved in the accreditation process of doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) programs by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education at four institutions.

Her extensive research experience has focused on the development of pharmaceutical treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders, in particular the relationship between cellular mechanisms and therapeutic effects. Over the course of her career she applied for seven patents.

Dean Phillip R. Oppenheimer, who has served in the role of dean since 1997, announced his plans for retirement last February. He will continue to serve until Dr. Matsumoto joins us on July 1.