School of Pharmacy Students Present at Pharmaceutical Cancer Research Mini-Symposium at MCPHS—Worcester

On Friday, July 21, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) students from the School of Pharmacy presented their research at the Pharmaceutical Cancer Research Mini-Symposium.

The students, who are at the P1 and P2 stages of the Doctor of Pharmacy program, are actively engaged in research in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences within the School of Pharmacy. The students presented to the MCPHS community, including fellow students and faculty members from the School of Pharmacy.

Anna Morin, PharmD, Dean of the School of Pharmacy on the Worcester and Manchester campuses, attended the symposium and was impressed by the work being done by students. “It was a valuable informative, collegial, and professional experience that allowed for discussion and learning,” said Dean Morin.

The theme of the symposium was multidrug resistance (MDR) and strategies used to overcome the obstacle to cancer disease. Dr. Robert Campbell, PhD, Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the School of Pharmacy mentored the students and organized the symposium.

“The information featured in the P1 student’s posters form the foundation for understanding the physiological basis for disease for an assigned cancer disease topic, and report on effects - basic science, pre-clinical and clinical - used to improve treatment of drug-resistant cancer disease,” explained Dr. Campbell.

The P2 students, who had participated in last year’s symposium, presented original research projects to the attendees. “The P2 students are currently working on a novel treatment approach for the same disease topic that they were assigned, and presented on, during the P1 year,” said Dr. Campbell. “Their work will be completed during the APPE rotation this fall.”

The posters presented by the P2 students covered an introduction to the cancer disease and mechanisms for MDR for a particular cancer disease, as well insight into the progress made to date on developing and evaluating a novel treatment approach.

The School of Pharmacy at MCPHS has prepared more students for successful careers in pharmacy than any other university in the world. The Doctor of Pharmacy program is offered in six-year and accelerated formats and is designed to empower the next generation of pharmacists.