College of Pharmacy holds commencement
Graduation ceremonies were held on Thursday, May 11th at Hancher Auditorium for 108 graduating seniors. Class of 2007 President Matthew Burns provided the opening speech. The invited keynote address was given by alumnus Thomas R. Temple ('77 MS), Executive Vice President and CEO of the Iowa Pharmacy Association. Opening and closing remarks were given by Dean Jordan Cohen, while Associate Dean Michael Kelly, ('73 BSPh, '88 PharmD, '89 MS), and faculty members Karen Farris and Maureen Donovan helped with the hooding of the graduates.

Almost half of the graduates will stay in Iowa; 31 have accepted residencies, 69 will work in community pharmacies and 4 in hospitals. To view the commencement ceremony video you may click here.

Jay currie receives 2007 finkbine medallion
Jay D. Currie, '80 BSPh, '84 PharmD, associate head and director of Experience Programs in the Division of Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy and director of the Community Pharmacy Residence program, received the 2007 Hancher Finkbine Medallion. This prestigious award is presented by the University to four outstanding students, one professor, one staff member and an alumnus each year.  The winners are chosen for the manner in which they exemplify the characteristics of learning, leadership, and loyalty. Dr. Currie was chosen from nominations solicited by the College of Pharmacy Student Association.

Currie, a graduate of the first doctorate of pharmacy class at the UI, joined the faculty in the College of Pharmacy in 1984. He received his bachelor of science in pharmacy and his doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Iowa. He is a significant innovator in the field of pharmaceutical care. He is one of the founding members of the Iowa Center for Pharmaceutical Care and was instrumental in the development of the clinical and Advanced Practice Experience programs, which ensure that pharmacists graduating from the UI would have the proper experience to be progressive, patient-focused practitioners. He was elected president of the Iowa Pharmacy Association, one of the most active state pharmacy associations in the nation.

Emeritus dale e. wursteR DIes april 4th
Dale E. Wurster, 88, of 16 Brickwood Knoll RR6, Iowa City, died Wednesday, April 4, 2007, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa. He will be deeply missed by many family, friends, and colleagues.

A private family service was held Tuesday, April 10, 2007 in Iowa City. A celebration of life for friends and colleagues will take place at 1:30pm, Saturday, May 26th at the IMU Richey Ballroom. Burial was held at Oak Hill Cemetery in Coralville with Military Honors. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Wurster Memorial, University of Iowa Foundation.

Dale Erwin Wurster was born April 10, 1918, in Sparta, Wisconsin the son of Edward and Emma (Steingraber) Wurster. Dale earned the Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy in 1942 from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. After serving in the United States Navy during World War II, he earned the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Physical Pharmacy, with minors in Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Biochemistry, in 1947. His faculty career at UW - Madison started immediately thereafter, and he rapidly rose to the rank of Professor. Dale left UW - Madison in 1971 to become Dean of the College of Pharmacy at North Dakota State University. In 1972, he joined the University of Iowa as Dean of its College of Pharmacy. He held that position until1983, and retired from his professorial position in the UI College of Pharmacy in 1986. As Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus, he undertook special projects for the UI, and he continued to serve on national review panels until the age of 80.

Dale received international recognition for his work in the areas of dissolution kinetics, percutaneous absorption, and air suspension technology. His research in dermal transport led to the use of scientific principles in the formulation of topical dosage forms, while his research in dissolution kinetics was instrumental to the understanding of solid dosage form performance several years prior to the establishment of the discipline of Biopharmaceutics. Of his many contributions to the field of Pharmaceutics, he is most cited for his discovery and development of the Wurster Air-Suspension Coating Technique, a process of tablet and particle coating and of microencapsulation that is used worldwide for the manufacture of medications. In addition to its applicability to the development and production of pharmaceuticals, it has been utilized for such diverse applications as agriculture, food science, and rocket propellants.

His family includes a son, Dale Eric Wurster his wife, Pamela of North Liberty, daughter, Susan W. Biel of St. Gabriel, Louisiana, three grandchildren, Elizabeth Dobesh and her husband Brett, Kristin Wurster, Dale Edward Wurster, and a number of nieces and nephews. Dale was preceded in death by his parents, brother Delbert Wurster, three sisters Dolores Larsen, Dolly Hemming, and Dorthea Bird.

dale e. wurster receives apha's takeru higuchi research prize
The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) announces that Dale E. Wurster, PhD., received the 2007 Takeru Higuchi Research Prize at the APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, March 16-19, 2007.

The award, established in 1981 in honor of Dr. Takeru Higuchi, the first president of the APhA Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences, recognizes scientists who have demonstrated effective and persistent efforts in pioneering a new concept applicable to the pharmaceutical sciences. The award is international in scope and stature and consists of a medal and $10,000 honorarium. APhA’s awards program is pharmacy’s most comprehensive recognition program.

Dr. Wurster has received international recognition for his ground-breaking research in the areas of dissolution kinetics, percutaneous absorption, and air suspension technology. His research in dermal transport has led to the use of scientific principles in the formulation of topical dosage forms, while his research in dissolution kinetics was instrumental to the understanding of solid dosage form performance several years prior to the establishment of the discipline of biopharmaceutics. 

Dr. Wurster has made numerous contributions to the pharmaceutical sciences, but he is most noted for the discovery and development of the Wurster Air-Suspension Coating Technique, a process of particle coating and micro-encapsulation used worldwide in the manufacturing of medications. In addition to its worldwide applicability to the development of pharmaceuticals, the Wurster Air-Suspension Coating Technique has been utilized in such fields as agriculture, food science and rocket propellants.

Dr. Wurster earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1942 and a PhD in Physical Pharmacy, Chemistry, Pharmacology and Biochemistry in 1947 from the University of Wisconsin. He has published articles on dissolution kinetics, diffusion in membranes, and physical-chemical factors influencing percutaneous absorption. Dr. Wurster is currently Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy.

The American Pharmacists Association, founded in 1852 as the American Pharmaceutical Association, represents more than 57,000 practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and others interested in advancing the profession. APhA, dedicated to helping all pharmacists improve medication use and advance patient care, is the first-established and largest association of pharmacists in the United States.