Professor AlGhananeem is an Academic Leadership Fellow (ALFP) of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), Past Chair and Commissioner at The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) International Services Program, Board of Trustees member at Talal Abu-Ghazaleh University College for Innovation (TAGUCI) Jordan, a Global Lead for Quality Assurance at The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), and Associate Editor of the FIP Pharmacy Education Journal. Prof. AlGhananeem received a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree from the University of Jordan and her Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Kentucky, College of Pharmacy. Prior to Joining AU, Prof AlGhananeem was the Associate Dean of Research at Sullivan University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She also held a faculty appointment at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, which is ranked among the top ten colleges of pharmacy in USA. She also served at national and international initiatives and innovative projects that connect science with global health matters, such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Jordan as a steering committee member for Continuous professional development (CPD) and inter-professional education (IPE) in health sciences. Furthermore, Prof. AlGhananeem has a successful academic-industrial research collaboration initiatives that culminate into several USA FDA approved drugs such as Revonto™ injection, Lucemyra™ tablets, Subsys™ sublingual spray, Valchor gel, and several dietary supplement products such as Luciplex, Noctoplex, Addivance, Calmposure, and GoodSprouts topical pediatrics products and cosmetic pharmaceutical preparations.
Objective. Dihydroergotamine (DHE) is used for acute migraine treatment. Oral DHE is extensively metabolized; therefore, it must be given by a nonoral route. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential use of chitosan nanoparticles as a system for improving the systemic absorption of dihydroergotamine (DHE) following nasal administration. Methods. DHE-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (CS-NPs) were prepared by a modified ionotropic gelation method with sodium tripolyphosphate. The resulting nanoparticles were evaluated for size, drug loading, and in vitro release. DHE was administered at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg to male Sprague–Dawley rats intravenously, as an intranasal solution, or intranasal nanoparticles (n = 3 in each group). A special surgical procedure was performed to ensure that the drug solution was held in the nasal cavity. Blood samples were collected at appropriate times for 90 min. An HPLC-fluorescence detection method was employed to determine DHE in the plasma. Results. DHE chitosan nanoparticles with 20% loading had 95 ± 13% encapsulation efficiency and a particle size of 395 ± 59 nm. In vitro DHE release studies showed an initial burst followed by a slow release of DHE. DHE intranasal nanoparticles demonstrated significantly increased absolute bioavailability (82.5 ± 12.3%) over intranasal DHE solution administration (53.2 ± 7.7%). Conclusion. Taking in consideration the limitations of delivering DHE, the results of the present study demonstrate that DHE CS-NPs have a great potential for nasal DHE administration (55% increase in bioavailability) compared to intranasal solution with effective systemic absorption.
Purpose: This wisdom of experience commentary, from peer academic reviewers serving on accreditation teams, will discuss benefits and challenges of international and national virtual accreditation visits (VAVs) using a "What? So What? Now What?" reflective model. Description: Onsite accreditation reviews for health professional education programs require investments in time, effort, and money to maintain program alignment with accreditation standards and continuously generate quality practitioners. When COVID-19 entered the accreditation world, reviewers had to pivot modalities to a VAV format. Analysis/interpretation: Adaptation and expectations of VAVs present several challenges. Barriers and advantages will be discussed as well as implications for the future. While medical and pharmacy education standardization has long been established, the authors propose national and international accrediting bodies will utilize the ingenuity of emergency COVID-19-driven onsite accreditation alternatives to develop protocols for novel accreditation methodology. Conclusions: Whether the continued mutation of COVID-19 prevents the return to previous accreditation visits or not, the experiences gained from the emergency-driven VAV, can inform and enrich accrediting bodies knowledge, theories, and practices of future VAVs. Implications: Higher-education institutions, accreditation bodies, and government entities will use experiences during COVID-19 to transform and improve academic requirements and future practices. Even if there is a full return to onsite reviews, such guidelines or improved versions of them can be applied to situations where immobility or restricted mobility is an issue, such as in illness, pregnancy, travel, war, etc. It is crucial for educators and accrediting bodies to evolve as we navigate these unprecedented times.