Academic Pharmacy Fellowship Programs are an Innovative Solution to Improve the Faculty Pipeline.

Academic pharmacy fellowship programs can offer an innovative training solution to help prepare pharmacists for successful careers as clinical faculty members. However, there is no well-defined program blueprint or recommendations for what a successful program should include. This commentary describes the program overview for the academic pharmacy fellowship at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy and discusses the implications of incorporating a similar program at a college of pharmacy. The purpose of the fellowship program is to prepare pharmacists for a career in pharmacy education through training in teaching, curriculum development, college service, mentoring, scholarship, and clinical practice. A structured program with monthly rotations in key academic areas, teaching experience and mentorship (didactics and skills labs), committee service, and leading a research project make up the core structure of the program. These experiences, coupled with significant student interaction, can prepare fellowship graduates to transition effectively into clinical faculty roles.

Education, training, and academic experience of newly hired, first-time pharmacy faculty members.

Objective. To describe the education, training, and academic experiences of newly hired faculty members at US colleges and schools of pharmacy during the 2012-2013 academic year. Methods. A survey regarding education, training, and academic experiences was conducted of all first-time faculty members at US colleges and schools of pharmacy hired during the 2012-2013 academic year. Results. Pharmacy practice faculty members accounted for the majority (68.2%) of new hires. Ambulatory care was the most common pharmacy specialty position (29.8%). Most new faculty members had a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) as their terminal degree (74.8%), and 88.3% of pharmacy practice faculty members completed a residency. Of new faculty members who responded to the survey, 102 (67.5%) had at least 3 prior academic teaching, precepting, or research experiences. Conclusion. New faculty members were hired most frequently for clinical faculty positions at the assistant professor level and most frequently in the specialty of ambulatory care. Prior academic experience included precepting pharmacy students, facilitating small discussions, and guest lecturing.

Characterization of integrin expression in the mouse ovary.

Integrin alpha:beta heterodimers mediate cell contacts to the extracellular matrix and initiate intracellular signaling cascades in response to a variety of factors. Integrins interact with many determinants of cellular phenotypes and play roles in controlling the development, structural integrity, and function of every type of tissue. Despite their importance, little is known about the regulation of integrin subunits in the mammalian ovary and how they function in folliculogenesis. To determine their relevance to ovarian physiology, we have studied the expression of integrin subunit mRNAs by Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization in ovaries of wild-type, growth differentiation factor 9 (Gdf 9) knockout, FSHbeta (Fshb) knockout, and inhibin alpha (Inha) knockout mice. Integrin alpha6 mRNA is expressed in oocytes and granulosa cells of single-layer follicles and in oocytes and theca cells of multilayer follicles. Integrin alpha6 is highly expressed in Gdf 9 knockout ovaries, which are enriched in oocytes and primary (single layer) follicles because of a block at this stage of follicular development. Integrin alpha(v) mRNA is most highly expressed in the granulosa cells of multilayer growing follicles, and therefore only low levels of expression are detectable in the Gdf 9 knockout ovaries. Integrin beta1 mRNA exhibits a broad expression pattern in ovaries, including oocytes, granulosa cells, theca cells, and corpora lutea. Integrin beta3 mRNA is expressed in theca and interstitial cells and is upregulated in corpora lutea. It is nearly undetectable in ovaries of Fshb knockout mice, which develop preantral follicles but have no luteal cells. Integrin beta5 mRNA is predominantly expressed in granulosa cells of multilayer follicles. It is expressed at high levels in the Fshb knockout mice and in a compartmentalized manner in the granulosa cell/Sertoli cell tumors that develop in the Inha knockout mice. Specific integrins are associated with ovarian cellular phenotypes in mice, which raises intriguing possibilities as to integrin functions in oocyte competence, follicular development, luteinization, and granulosa cell proliferation.