Throughout the PharmD professional curriculum, students are expected to be actively involved in the learning process. They are asked to work in settings ranging from large lecture halls to small groups to individual instruction, and need to develop critical thinking and problem-solving abilities to assist in providing pharmaceutical based patient care in many diverse rotational sites. They must also be able to handle questions and apply knowledge in a variety of settings as opposed to simple memorization.

The pharmacy profession requires practitioners to constantly communicate intricate oral and written information to patients, care providers and other health-care professionals. Effective communication not only requires an ability to use the language fluently and write clearly and concisely, but also requires clear thinking and an awareness of when there is understanding or lack thereof. It is essential that students become active listeners.

Our goal is to provide a strong educational foundation with knowledge, skills and attitudes that enable the graduate to successfully practice as a pharmacist, and to embrace the concept of being a life-long learner.

In addition to the PharmD program, applicants are attracted by the excellence of our basic career tracks (Outpatient Care, Inpatient Care, Clinical Research, and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research) and combined degree programs (PharmD/MBA, PharmD/JD, PharmD/MPH, and PharmD/PhD - planned) as well as post-graduate residency and fellowship training programs.

The PharmD and combined degree programs include quality staff, students, graduates, and faculty including Distinguished Teaching Professors and recipients of the Chancellor's Awards for Excellence. At a small, personalized community within a major public research university, students are able to experience a close-knit community with their peers and faculty with the resources and facilities of a large research university.

Acceptance Information

As a renowned center for education and groundbreaking research, admission to the PharmD program is highly competitive. Approximately 120-125 students are selectively admitted to the program each fall after completion of the pre-pharmacy course requirements. Students who enter UB directly from high school as intended pharmacy majors are automatically eligible for admission into the professional PharmD program after their sophomore year if they adhere to our Early Assurance (EA) program requirements. To be considered for the EA program, students should indicate pharmacy as their intended major either on their initial application or before the end of their first semester at UB. There is no additional paperwork to complete as an incoming freshman. Please note: the University at Buffalo’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions is not involved with the EA program; therefore, you will not receive any information regarding this program with their admission decision.

All other applicants are accepted into the program after taking the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) and completing the prerequisite courses as noted below. Regular applicants may complete their prerequisites at UB and then apply to the PharmD program, or they may complete their prerequisites at another accredited institution and then apply through the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS). While a bachelor's degree is not required, applicants having earned this degree are encouraged to apply. We have a rolling admissions process, so applicants should apply well in advance to allow ample time to process their applications. The professional program in pharmacy encourages applications from students who have attained a minimum GPA of 3.0 in their pre-pharmacy science and math courses to apply for admission. Note, however, that in recent years, admitted students have performed at a higher level.

Selection is based on scholastic achievement, aptitude, personal qualifications, and evidence of motivation toward pharmacy. These criteria are judged from the college record, grade point average, the PCAT, letters of reference and evaluation, a supplemental application, and a personal interview. In addition to intellectual and academic competence, the School's Admissions Committee considers communication skills, leadership ability, community service, health care-related or research experience, and motivation for pursuing a career in pharmacy. It is critical that all students possess the ability to communicate effectively using both the oral and written English language. These competencies will be assessed of qualified applicants through an in-person interview and a written essay.

Deadlines:
February 1 for PharmCAS applications for fall entrance into the professional program. Applicants are advised to apply well in advance of this deadline.
March 1 for PharmCAS supplemental materials (Supplemental Admission Application, Supplemental Admission Application Fee, and a minimum of three completed letters of reference)
November 1 for Supplemental Admission Applications for sophomore Early Assurance program candidates

Number of applicants (2008): over 1000
Number of accepted majors (2008): 119
Total number of majors currently enrolled: approximately 490

Students enjoy state-of-the-art facilities, laboratories, "smart" classrooms, and centers for research that are among the finest in the world, all in a safe, close-knit setting. Thanks to a 10-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, SoPPS students work side-by-side with faculty who have established a reputation for excellence in scholarship, teaching, clinical activities, and research. It’s all part of an educational environment based on community and teamwork, with students, alumni, and faculty working together to create an atmosphere of active collaboration, professional development, and mentorship.

In 2011, the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences will be moving to John Kapoor Hall on the University at Buffalo’s South Campus. The new building will provide high-level teaching and research facilities for pharmacy practice and the pharmaceutical sciences, including patient assessment rooms for clinical counseling and assessment; video monitoring facility for immediate feedback and review; interactive community and hospital care suites enhancing patient-centered pharmaceutical care; a 75 seat Pharmaceutical Care Learning Center with a compounding facility; sterile preparation and intravenous preparation areas and instrumentation area; and pharmacogenetics, nuclear pharmacy and general research laboratories.

The School is also home to the Pharmacy Museum and Turn-of-the-Century Apothecary; these sites provide education to the public regarding the history of the school and the profession of pharmacy. Tours of the facilities are available.

Throughout the PharmD curriculum, a student's education consists of both lecture and seminar-type classes, as well as "professional practice" laboratories and experiential activities involving patients and other health care professionals.

In addition to lecture halls and seminar rooms, which are associated with introductory pharmacy practice experiences, the program provides instructional activities in our Pharmaceutical Care Learning Center (PCLC). This center includes a simulated hospital pharmacy, a community pharmacy, a professional practice (compounding) laboratory, a sterile preparation laboratory, a professional practice conference room and lecture room, and an inpatient hospital room containing a "practice patient."

Typical class size:

Upper level/advanced courses - approximately 120-125

In the Department of Pharmacy Practice, what do student teaching assistants (TAs) do?

They assist in laboratories and in recitations.

Suggested Introductory Courses
BIO 200 Evolutionary Biology
BIO 201 Cell Biology
CHE 101-CHE 102 General Chemistry I-II or CHE 105-CHE 106 Chemistry: Principles and Applications I-II (or CHE 100 Introduction to Chemistry, if required)
MTH 121 Survey of Calculus and Its Applications I or MTH 141 College Calculus I (based on placement)
ENG 101 or 2ENG 01 English Composition (based on placement)
Any Social Behavioral Science (see the Undergraduate Catalog)
PHM 201 Orientation to Pharmaceutical Fields

The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has two Distinguished Teaching Professors and five recipients of the Chancellor's Awards for Excellence. Four of these faculty members were honored for excellence in teaching. Many faculty members have also received recognition in their areas of specialization, including patents, grants, and national awards.

Faculty in the Department of Pharmacy Practice conduct research as part of the school's Pharmacotherapy Research Center. Some of the areas of study include patient care environments in adult medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, nephrology, transplantation, infectious diseases, HIV, oncology, neurology, and psychiatry with many funded through federal grants and contracts. Clinical trials are performed, incorporating pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, employing the services of the department's Pharmacometrics Study Unit.

Practical Experience and Special Academic Opportunities
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences students are encouraged to give back to the community through our comprehensive outreach programs. Our students are involved in many opportunities for professional and personal growth such as the HIV ePharmacotherapy Network and
Poison Prevention Education Program, where students participate in community clinics answering questions and educating the public about the proper use of medications and visit elementary schools to teach children how to prevent accidental poisonings in their homes. Students also attend professional meetings, both locally and nationally, to learn about the latest advances in medication and treatment for various disease states.

Students are required to participate in Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE) during the first three years of the professional curriculum. These "rotations" provide students an opportunity to put into practice what they are learning in the classroom. PharmD students complete 10 months (40 weeks) of Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) during their fourth professional (P4) year.

The Pharmaceutical Care Learning Center (PCLC) provides students with hospital and community pharmacy training through a simulated hospital pharmacy setting, complete with a drug information center, an IV preparation area, and an inpatient hospital room. There is also a professional practice lab for extemporaneous compounding and a sterile preparation laboratory. The community pharmacy area contains patient counseling rooms with videotaping equipment, computers, telephones, fax machines, and robotics. The PCLC houses a professional practice conference room and a lecture room for small-group lectures and meetings.

Internships
Pharmacy practice experience is required of all PharmD graduates in order to take the Pharmacist Licensing Examination. The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences maintains both academic and research affiliations with a variety of local, regional, national and international sites where students may obtain internships and related experience. These sites include the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Kaleida Health, National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), Buffalo Medical Group, the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, the National Institutes of Health, the ACTG (AIDS Clinical Trial Group),and the University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe.

Clinical Rotations and Post Graduate Opportunities
Post-graduate residencies and fellowships are available through formalized partnerships with pharmacy practice and research training programs throughout the nation. Some of these programs include alcoholism, anticoagulation, antimicrobial studies, antiviral research, asthma, attention deficit hypersensitivity disorder, cardiovascular pharmacotherapy, clinical pharmacokinetics, critical care pharmacotherapy, diabetes, geriatrics, headache, immunodeficiency services, infectious disease pharmacotherapy, lipids, managed care, medication adherence, neuropharmacology, nicotine addiction/smoking cessation, oncology, pain management, patient education, pediatrics, pharmacology, pharmacoeconomics, pharmacometrics, thyroid disease, and transplant immunosuppression.

Honors, Awards, and Scholarships
The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences awards approximately $350,000 in competitive scholarships each year. First professional (P1) year students are eligible for $20,000 ($5,000 for up to four years) and $10,000 ($2,500 for up to four years) scholarships. Scholarship decisions are made during the admissions process and are conveyed along with the university offer of admission. In addition, students are eligible for funding from many private and public sources including Health Professions Loans, Alumni Association Scholarships, the CVS Scholarship, the Cecil & Violet Newton Scholarship, the Henry A. Panasci, Jr. Pharmacy School Fund, and a Pharmacy short-term loan fund. Eligible students may be nominated for the Schomburg Fellowship, which provides tuition payments for three years of professional study.

Over thirty awards and prizes are presented to graduating PharmD students. These include the Samuel J. Bauda Award for leadership and dedication to community health care, the Lilly Achievement Award for superior scholastic achievement and professional attitude, and the SmithKline Beecham Award for an outstanding student in Clinical Practice.

Extracurricular Activities
Student Organizations
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Student Association
National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA)
Student Chapter Academy of Student Pharmacists (ASP)
Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA)
Phi Lambda Sigma [Leadership organization]
Rho Chi [national pharmacy honor society]
Kappa Psi
Phi Delta Chi
Lambda Kappa Sigma
Western New York Health Systems Pharmacists (WNYSHP)
Student Pharmacists Association of Western New York (SPAWNY)
Dean’s Student Ambassadors
See the UB Student Association.

Student Organizations

• School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Student Association
• National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Student Chapter
• Academy of Student Pharmacists (ASP)
• Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA)
• Phi Lambda Sigma [Leadership organization]
• Rho Chi [national pharmacy honor society]
• Kappa Psi
• Phi Delta Chi
• Lambda Kappa Sigma
• Western New York Health Systems Pharmacists (WNYSHP)
• Student Pharmacists Association of Western New York (SPAWNY)

See the UB Student Association.