New 2+4 Collaborative Pharmaceutical Sciences Agreement Signed by Officials at GCC and UB

BATAVIA, NY (02/14/2017) (readMedia)-- Genesee Community College (GCC) and the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have formed a new collaborative agreement that will provide students the opportunity to earn a doctor of pharmacy degree in a shorter amount of time.

A memorandum of agreement was formally signed by Genesee Community College President, Dr. James Sunser and Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Kathleen Schiefen, and Dr. James O'Donnell, dean of the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Dr. Michael Cain, vice president for health sciences and dean of the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; and, Dr. Graham Hammill, vice provost and dean of The Graduate School at UB.

"Genesee Community College is committed to student success, and this new agreement with the University at Buffalo further exemplifies our ongoing efforts to prepare students for rewarding careers." Dr. James M. Sunser, president of GCC said. "On a personal basis, my son, who is a pharmacist, tells me about the challenges and excitement of this fast-growing profession. I am very pleased that our local students can now begin to prepare for pharmacy careers right here at GCC."

Under the 2+4 agreement, students will complete two years of undergraduate study in GCC's A.S. Liberal Arts and Sciences: Natural Science, Biology Concentration and then apply to UB's pharmacy program. The UB Pharmacy School, which is the first in the SUNY system, is ranked among the top pharmacy schools in the U.S. and one of the top departments in the world in pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and biopharmaceutics.

Discussing the UB-GCC partnership, Dr. James O'Donnell, dean of the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences said, "The University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences values our collaboration with GCC and this 2+4 agreement will further solidify our strong partnership. We look forward to having their best and brightest students as members of our PharmD program."

According to UB, graduates of the PharmD program are among the most sought-after in the country. UB prepares students enrolled in the PharmD program to be members of the health-care team working with physicians, non-physician providers and other allied health professionals. PharmD program graduates have many career options including working in the community, a hospital, a university, government agencies, pharmaceutical research companies, nursing homes, hospice and home care. Pharmacists can also choose a specific population to work with such as newborns and geriatrics.

Additionally, GCC also has a transfer program into the pharmacy program at St. John Fisher College.

For further information on these and other programs, please contact Kristen Hargrave, transfer coordinator at GCC through klhargrave@genesee.edu or call 585-343-0055 ext. 6230.

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