Staff Report
Two UNM College of Pharmacy assistant professors have received separate grants from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
James Nawarskas, Pharm.D., will be using the funds to complete a study titled "Characterization of an Interaction Between Aspirin and Ibuprofen."
By investigating the effects of using the two popular analgesics together, Nawarskas hopes to determine whether or not heart patients taking ibuprofen are putting themselves in danger when they self-prescribe for minor aches and pain.
Aspirin is commonly prescribed to sufferers of heart disease because of its ability to inhibit blood clots. If ibuprofen is shown to interfere with or inhibit aspirin's ability to do this, the effects could be life threatening.
Nawarskas, who previously conducted research in the same field at the University of Pennsylvania, said that results from past studies require further investigation.
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Marcia Worley-Lous received a grant to perform a study focusing on the relationship of diabetics and their pharmacists. Titled "Investigating the Influence of Participative and Patient-Centered Pharmacist Patient Relationships on Diabetic Patients' Self Efficacy for Medication Management," Worley will investigate to what degree pharmacist/patient relationships impact patients' knowledge of the medications.
Also being studied is how this pharmacist/patient relationship enables diabetics to successfully manage their pharmaceuticals.
Worley-Lous' study will focus on diabetics 65 years of age and older.
James Nawarskas received his Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Toledo and his doctorate from SUNY Buffalo.
Worley-Lous has Bachelors degrees in Pharmacy and Behavioral Neurosciences, a masters in Pharmacy Administration and a Ph.D. in Pharmacy Administration from the University of Minnesota.
The grants were handed out by the AACP's Academic Sections Coordinating Committee, which has 33 members. Members have expertise in fields such as biology, chemistry, pharmacy and social sciences.
