ChipChat - March 1998

It's hard to imagine that when I last wrote to you the Boilermakers were preparing for their first bowl game in 13 years. We were all proud of the team in their victory over Oklahoma State at the Alamo Bowl. For those of you who went to San Antonio, thanks for stopping by our reception - it was a great turnout. As I write, the basketball Boilermakers (both men and women) are in the sweet 16. Is it possible that we will have two teams in the final four by the time you read this? That would be sweet.

If you have not already heard, Dr. Glen J. Sperandio died on December 19, 1997, apparently from an aneurysm. Dr. Sperandio began his distinguished career at Purdue in 1945. He established the first clinical pharmacy department in the United States. He was associate dean for professional programs for the five years prior to his retirement from the school in 1985. After retiring from Purdue he served as the executive director of the Indiana Society of Hospital Pharmacists. He is survived by his wife, Dorys. The Glen J. Sperandio Scholarship Fund has been established in his memory. An endowment fund will be established as soon as contributions total $20,000. You may contribute by making your check payable to "PURDUE FOUNDATION" mentioning "Sperandio Scholarship" in the note section. Mail the contribution to Mr. Bruce Hufford, Director of Development, Purdue University, 1330 R. Heine Pharmacy Bldg., W. Lafayette, IN 47907-1330. The spring issue of The Purdue Pharmacist will contain a feature highlighting Sperandio's many accomplishments.

The American Pharmaceutical Association Annual Meeting is being held in Miami Beach, March 21 -25. The school will have sponsored its annual reception on Monday evening by the time you read this. If you attended the meeting, I hope you joined us. Two individuals very close to Purdue will be honored at the meeting. Dr. Dennis J. McCallian (BS'71 & Pharm.D.'84) will receive the APhA-APPM Distinguished Achievement Award in Community and Ambulatory Practice. Professor Stanley M. Shaw, head of the school's Division of Nuclear Pharmacy, will be recognized with the APhA-APPM Distinguished Achievement Award in Nuclear Pharmacy Practice. Our congratulations to both of these extraordinary men for this well-deserved recognition.

I have often mentioned Corissa Yasen (BS'98) in issues of Chip-Chat. Corissa is temporarily postponing her career in women's professional basketball and finishing her B.S. pharmacy degree this year. In addition to her studies she has been serving as assistant basketball coach for the West Lafayette High School girls. Last weekend they won the Indiana Division 3A state championship. Congratulations, Corissa!

On Friday, March 27, 1998 the school will recognize five outstanding individuals as distinguished alumni. We salute this year's recipients:

David C. Hsia, (PhD'75); Executive VP, Research and Development; Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Corona, California

Jack A. Klee (BS'62); Manager, Temple Pharmacy/Hammond Clinic; Crown Point, Indiana

Rachel Mata de Espíndola (MS'76; PhD'79); Professor and Head, Pharmacognosy Department, School of Chemistry, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Covoacán, C.P., México

R. Craig Schnell (MS'67; PhD'69); Vice President for Academic Affairs; North Dakota State University; Fargo, North Dakota

Arthur C. Solomon (BS'70; MS'72); Vice President of Business Development; SP Pharmaceuticals LLC; Albuquerque, New Mexico

On March 2, Dr. Katie MacFarlane (BS'88; Pharm.D.'89) presented the 1998 Robert C. Anderson Lecture. Katie is the Director of Marketing for the Atherosclerosis Disease Team at Parke-Davis. Her talk, "Anatomy of a Pharmaceutical Launch - the Lipitor Experience," was extremely well received by students and faculty alike. The launch of Lipitor has been the most successful new drug product launch in the United States. It is estimated that the product has captured 29% of the cholesterol-lowing market in its introductory year. The Dr. R.C. Anderson Distinguished Lectureship was established in 1986 to honor Dr. Robert C. Anderson (BS '31, HDR '53) after his retirement as Director of Toxicology and Research at the Greenfield laboratories of Eli Lilly and Company. An endowment for the lectureship was established by his wife Charlotte, his daughter Janice, and sons Trent and Dr. Robert L. Anderson, M.D. (BS '57).

The admissions process is almost completed for the fall of 1998. The school received 352 applications and granted interviews to 252 of the best qualified students. Each student was then interviewed by a member of the admissions committee along with an additional faculty or staff member. We will admit 150 students into the Doctor of Pharmacy program and 50 students into the Bachelor of Science program. The total number of applications is down from recent years (a national trend), but the quality of students applying is very impressive. A big word of thanks to Dr. Robert Chalmers and the admissions committee for a job well done.

For the past several years there has been discussion about developing and promoting a B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences degree program, especially as the school finished the transition to the Pharm.D. as the entry level professional degree. With much guidance from the Dean's Industrial Advisory Council, the faculty has enthusiastically endorsed a curriculum for the new program. A brochure outlining the program is enclosed. Your comments are welcome.