Expanding Expertise in the Pharmacy Industry with Help from the Students

Legal and illegal drug use has been a growing trend in America. On a monthly basis it is reported that 48% of the population has taken at least one prescription drug and 31% has taken at least two. Similarly, it is reported in a month’s time that 9% of the population has taken illegal drugs or abused psycho-therapeutic medication. While the effects of alcohol on driving are well-known and understood, the effects of these drugs (both legal and illegal) are unclear.

This creates a huge demand for this kind of research to be done at facilities with the necessary resources. Thanks to some new staff and our relationship with the UI College of Pharmacy we have begun to fill this demand. University of Iowa alumnus and new NADS staff member, Dr. Andrew Spurgin, and Dr. Gary Milavetz, Associate Professor, at the university offer an elective research course for pharmacy students.

The course exposes students to the entire research project lifecycle, while they help solve study design issues and assist with finding and analyzing the research data.

We are excited to offer this program to students. As the need to understand how various classes of drugs impair driving increases, we look forward to having these students as part of the team helping to make the roads safer for everyone.