JOY AND ELMER PLEIN CREATED A LEGACY by establishing two funds for geriatric pharmacy research: the Elmer Plein Research Fund in Pharmacy and the Plein Endowment for Geriatric Pharmacy Research, in addition to a fund to support faculty development.
The Plein Endowment for Geriatric Pharmacy Research is awarded to students engaged in geriatrics research who hold or are working toward a professional pharmacy degree. The first three recipients of this fund graduated in June.
Focusing on two Puget Sound retirement communities served by Pharmacy Cares, the consulting pharmacy developed by the UW School of Pharmacy, Laura Hart, ’14, examined the residents’ and staff’s perceptions of the professional services provided by pharmacy faculty and students. Hart states, “Carrying out this project furthered my passion for geriatric pharmacy and my aspiration to pursue an academic career.” Hart is now a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Resident at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle.
Ichiko Petrie, ’14, looked for connections between medication regimens and the incidence of falls among residents at an assisted-living facility in Seattle. “It struck closer to home when I heard that my paternal grandmother was at the hospital recovering from a fall accident that injured her knee,” said Ichiko. She presented her findings in a poster at the ASCP Annual Meeting with classmate Tope Osiyemi. An editor of a peer-reviewed journal accepted their manuscript proposal. Petrie is currently working at Genelex as a Graduate Pharmacy Intern.
Katelyn Keyloun, ’14, studied Toxoplasmosis, which has been implicated in memory and behavioral changes in the elderly. Thanks to the Plein Endowment, she was able to create targeted compounds that have little activity against human heart cell lines. “My research took on a new meaning and perspective,” she reflected. Keyloun is the first author of an article in Parasitology and a Senior Fellow in health outcomes and policy development, through a partnership with Allergan and the UW Pharmacy PORPP Program.
“Dr. Plein continues to mentor and inspire! Thank you for this enriching opportunity, personally and professionally,” wrote Keyloun, Petrie, Hart, and Osiyemi.
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