KU News Release

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas chapter of the Academy of Student Pharmacists was one of 10 nationwide to receive a $2,000 award from the American Pharmacists Association.

The award was offered through the national organization’s Project CHANCE, or Chapters Helping Advocate for Needy Community Everywhere. Project CHANCE aims to assist community health centers and clinics that provide reduced-price medical and pharmacy services to underserved and needy patients.

KU’s student chapter proposed a plan to improve patient understanding of prescriptions.

Zahra Nasrazadani, a second-year pharmacy student from Emporia and chair of KU’s Project CHANCE accepted the award at the American Pharmacists Association national meeting in March in Washington, D.C. Nasrazdani is author of the KU entry.

KU’s award-winning plan is titled Project PACE, or Patients Achieving Compliance via Education. Nasrazadani said the plan intends to address one of the most significant hurdles to patient compliance — a lack of understanding, either of the special directions accompanying prescriptions or of the status of the disease itself.

“It is basically a three-tiered proposal to help patients acquire a greater understanding of their medication regimens and medical conditions,” Nasrazadani said. “The National Institutes of Health estimates that the cost of patient noncompliance costs billions of dollars yearly, which is to say nothing of the direct impacts on the patients themselves. Addressing this pivotal issue could prevent medication-related problems before they even start.”

KU faculty members attending the national meeting included the chapter’s two advisers: Janelle Ruisinger, clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice, and Tara Jenkins, assistant professor of pharmacy practice.

Harold N. Godwin, professor and chair of pharmacy practice and associate dean of KU’s School of Pharmacy, began his term as the American Pharmacists Association national president at the meeting.

Nasrazadani and others in the organization will work during the 2010-11 academic year on details to develop and implement their proposal, then present it at the next national meeting in March 2011 in Seattle, Wash. Project CHANCE is one of several events and patient care service projects the student chapter conducts throughout the year.

The KU chapter proposal consists of three steps:

— Provide notepads for doctors, similar to those used for prescriptions, to give to patients. Doctors can check boxes that correspond to a simplified translation of dosing directions or disease states in the patient’s native language.

— Explain dosing or medical conditions in easy-to-understand terminology. Medical jargon can be as incomprehensible as a foreign language.

— Make available to patients generalized literature about common diseases such as diabetes and hypertension in non-English languages and conversational English.

KU’s chapter has more than 250 student members. The 2010-11 chapter officers and its Project CHANCE leaders are listed below by hometown, parents’ names (when available), other schools attended and leadership role. All are pursuing doctor of pharmacy degrees, a six-year professional program at KU.

DOUGLAS COUNTY
From Lawrence 66049
Laura Jeanne Randall; bachelor’s degrees from Wichita State University, spring 2006 and summer 2007; Augusta (Kan.) High School; president-elect.

FINNEY COUNTY
From Garden City 67846
Heather Nichole Hansen, daughter of Frank and Gail Hansen; bachelor’s in human biology from KU, spring 2008; Garden City Senior High School; membership vice president and social co-chair.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Olathe 66062
Rachel Michelle Markovich, daughter of Michelle Kauffman and Stan Markovich; Olathe East High School; Project CHANCE patient care project co-chair.

LYON COUNTY
From Emporia 66801
Zahra Crystal Nasrazadani, daughter of Grace and Mehdi Nasrazadani; Emporia Senior High School; Project CHANCE patient care project co-chair and Student Political Advocacy Network liaison.

From Olpe 66865
Amanda Ann Hoffman, daughter of Michael and Lisa Cole; bachelor’s from the University of Saint Mary, spring 2008; Olpe High School; treasurer.

McPHERSON COUNTY
From Moundridge 67107
Holly Nicole Parry, daughter of Dennis and Linda Parry; Ellsworth (Kan.) High School; secretary.

SEDGWICK COUNTY
From Andale 67001
Katherine J. Hieger, daughter of Mike and Mary Jo Hieger; Andale High School; president.

From Wichita 67205
Idia Tokunboh; bachelor’s from Wichita State University, spring 2008; Bishop Carroll High School; Project CHANCE patient care project co-chair.

IOWA
From Des Moines 50310
Traci Lynn Reid, daughter of Delores A. Lankford; Hoover High School; vice president.