Issue link: http://uwashington.uberflip.com/i/102670
OUR IMPACT WORKING TO HELP PEOPLE WITH BRAIN INJURIES E ach year, 1.7 million people in the United States sustain a traumatic brain injury. Although numerous clinical studies have tried using single drug treatments for people with brain injuries, the results have been overwhelmingly disappointing. Gail Anderson, professor of pharmacy and adjunct professor of pharmaceutics and neurosurgery, is in search of a more successful treatment method. Her current research, funded by a $2.5 million NIH grant, seeks to identify combinations of medications that could prevent long-term health issues for brain-injured patients. Some of these long-term issues include epilepsy and residual physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral impairment. Anderson knows that daily life can change significantly for patients diagnosed with epilepsy. With this in mind, she has been a patient advocate, community volunteer and professional advisory board member of the Epilepsy Foundation Northwest for more than 20 years. She also precepts pharmacy students at the UW Regional Epilepsy Center at Harborview Medical Center — helping them provide the best care possible to patients in the clinic and at the bedside. A UW alumna (BS in pharmacy, MS in pharmacy practice, PhD in pharmaceutics), Anderson received the School's 2010 Distinguished Alumna Award for her research, teaching and community involvement. It is one of many career honors she has received. While Anderson appreciates such accolades, what she especially appreciates is knowing that her research could one day help people seeking hope after surviving a traumatic injury. [ 6 sop.washington.edu ] FA CU LTY, D EPART ME NT O F P HAR MAC E UT I C S Gail Anderson is a nationally recognized expert on anticonvulsant medications and their use in epilepsy. Carol Collins, MD, Clinical Associate Professor Rodney Ho, PhD, Professor Shiu-Lok Hu, PhD, Milo Gibaldi Endowed Professor Nina Isoherranen, PhD, Associate Professor Edward Kelly, PhD, Research Assistant Professor Suzanne Lee, PharmD, Clinical Associate Professor Rene Levy, PhD, Professor Emeritus Yvonne Lin, PhD, Assistant Professor Qincheng Mao, PhD, Associate Professor Bhagwat Prasad, PhD, Acting Instructor Isabelle Ragueneau-Majlessi, MD, Clinical Associate Professor Danny Shen, PhD, Professor Kenneth Thummel, PhD, Professor and Milo Gibaldi Endowed Department Chair Jashvant Unadkat, PhD, Professor Joanne Wang, PhD, Associate Professor