Two 91���� researchers have been named AAAS Fellows, according to an by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They are among 502 newly elected fellows from around the world, who are recognized for their “scientifically and socially distinguished achievements” in science and engineering.

A tradition dating back to 1874, election as an AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor, and all fellows are expected to meet the commonly held standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity.

This year’s 91���� AAAS fellows are:

, the Lloyd E. and Florence M. West Endowed Professor of Chemistry and a researcher with the 91���� Clean Energy Institute, is honored for her contributions to the development of nanoscale materials, which are in the size range of approximately 1 to 100 nanometers, for applications in energy and advanced electronics. For reference, 1 nanometer is about 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Cossairt investigates how crystalline nanoscale materials come together, grow and shrink and react with other compounds and photons. Her research includes synthesizing materials with novel physical and surface chemistry properties, such as inorganic quantum dots with use in lighting, displays, catalysis and quantum information technology. A 91���� faculty member since 2012, Cossairt has earned numerous honors, including a Sloan Research Fellowship, a Packard Fellowship, an NSF CAREER Award and a teacher scholar award from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation. She also co-founded the Chemistry Women Mentorship Network to provide support, encouragement and career-development opportunities for women in the chemistry field.

, professor of pharmacy and of global health, was recognized for his work to better monitor the safety of essential medicines and vaccines, especially in low- and middle-income countries. He directed a study assessing the safety of antimalarial drugs among pregnant people in sub-Saharan African nations and has been involved in several other initiatives to assess the safety of vaccines used during pregnancy. He researches the global burden of antimicrobial resistance and has strengthened pharmacy services in numerous countries. Dr. Stergachis is an elected member of the National Academies of Medicine, fellow of the American Pharmacists Association and fellow of the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology. He holds adjunct faculty appointments in the Departments of Health Metrics & Evaluation and in Epidemiology.

The 91����’s School of Pharmacy announced on Thursday, Sept. 12, a collaboration with global biopharmaceutical company UCB to improve access to care for people living with epilepsy.This interdisciplinary project will explore ways in which community pharmacists can better support people living with this neurological disorder.

The roughly 3.4 million people nationally and 75,000 people in Washington state who live with epilepsy often get fragmented and uncoordinated healthcare and community services.

“For the growing population of people living with epilepsy, this fragmentation of resources makes it harder to manage multiple co-existing health conditions and take anti-seizure drugs,” said , professor and chair of the 91���� department of pharmacy, and a global expert on epilepsy. “And given the importance of medication adherence to manage epilepsy, poor adherence can have profound effects including injury, hospitalization, even unexpected death.”

The project isled by White; , Assistant Professor, department of pharmacy; , Associate Dean for Research, 91���� School of Pharmacy; and Sabra Zarâa, CHOICE Institute PhD student. The effort builds upon a funding grant from the 91���� Population Health Initiative announced earlier this year.

Epilepsy is a complex and devastating disease in which patients experience spontaneous and recurrent seizures. This condition can impair daily routines, such as driving and working, which can often result in substantial socioeconomic disparities. Medications to treat the condition can be associated with serious side effects, and the seizures themselves can lead to on-going health challenges.

“Community pharmacists are among the most accessible healthcare providers for many in Washington state, and have extensive knowledge of drug therapy as well as the ability to support people in managing complex medication regimens, yet are seldom leveraged to close the gaps in epilepsy care,” said Bacci. Moreover, “community pharmacists educate patients about their disease, ensure dosing accuracy, monitor for side effects and drug interactions, and encourage medication adherence.”

At a population level, community pharmacists collaborate with other healthcare providers and assess medication use patterns and patient outcomes data to ensure medications are used effectively, safely and in a cost-effective manner. No models exist for engaging community pharmacists in population health approaches to epilepsy care.

“The 91���� Population Health Initiative seeks to accelerate new collaborations between diverse disciplines to find innovative solutions to the complex challenges society faces,” said Ali Mokdad, the 91����’s chief strategy officer for Population Health and professor of Health Metrics Sciences. “We are excited to support the 91���� and UCB in bringing together the expertise and resources of the public and private sectors to develop a novel approach to increasing access to care for people living with epilepsy.”

The team will develop an intervention by conducting a needs assessment, including interviewing stakeholders and performing a literature review. They will (1) identify best practices to address the needs of persons living with epilepsy and their caregivers; (2) develop a community pharmacy intervention using a stakeholder driven and consensus building approach; and (3) evaluate the acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility and potential effectiveness of the intervention.

“Community pharmacists are increasingly at the front line of healthcare delivery in the US.” Said Mike Davis, Head of U.S. Neurology at UCB. “With these tools to facilitate better conversations with their community living with epilepsy they can play an important role in ensuring that more people living with epilepsy get to the right treatment at the right time. The 91���� is doing great work in this area and UCB is proud to collaborate with them on this initiative.”

Other members on the project team are , 91���� Medicine, Neurology; , 91���� Medicine, Neurology and Seattle Children’s Hospital; , 91���� departments of Global Health and Health Services; Matt Schumacher, UCB, Head Neurology Healthcare Strategy; Lawford Ricafort, UCB, Neurology Ecosystem Lead – Pacific West; and Grant Simic, UCB, Population Health Partner

For more information, contact Jake Ellison at 91���� News at jbe3@uw.eduor 206-543-2580, or Allyson Funk at UCB at uscommunications@ucb.com.

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About 91���� School of Pharmacy:
Ranked in the top 4 in the world for pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences research, 91���� School of Pharmacy is comprised of three departments: ,��, and , offering , and  degrees, post docs and certificate programs. The 91���� School of Pharmacy is a global leader in pharmacy education, research and service, committed to providing a transformative learning experience in a collaborative and diverse environment focused on improving the health and well-being of the communities we serve.

About UCB
At UCB, we come together every day to work, laser-focused, on a simple question: How will this create value for people living with severe diseases? Patient value is not just what we say, but how we how we live. It is our culture of care, embodied by our patient value strategy. That’s because how we do business – from discovery to development to delivery – has been transformed and redesigned around the patient and their individual experience. Patients are at the heart of everything we do, inspiring us, driving our scientific discovery, and leading us to rethink the patient experience. By fulfilling our commitment, driving innovation, and providing patients a meaningful experience, more impactful solutions are on the horizon.

With a team of approximately 7,500 employees and operations in approximately 40 countries, we are a global biopharmaceutical company investing more than a quarter of our revenue in cutting-edge scientific research to meet unmet patient needs. Global headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium, with U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Additional U.S. UCB sites include global clinical development in Raleigh, North Carolina, research supporting UCB’s pipeline in Boston, Massachusetts and Seattle, Washington, and offices in Washington, D.C.,��Durham, North Carolina as part of our acquisition of Element Genomics.