Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011 - 10

ALumni

As	informatics	pharmacist	for	WellStar,	a		 five-hospital	health	system	based	in	Atlanta,	GA,	 Loku	provides	an	interface	between	the	hospital,	 the	pharmacy,	IT	and	vendors,	making	sure	that	 the	system	works	for	their	needs.	He	ensures	that	 the	formularies	are	consistent	across	hospitals,		 that	order	entry	and	auto	dispensing	systems		 work	and	interface	properly,	and	that	clinical	 alerts	are	firing	when	they	should.	Loku	is	the		 filter	between	the	hospital	network	and	the		 vendor.	“Information	technology	is	an	essential		 component	for	delivering	healthcare,	and		 because	of	this	there	is	a	vast	array	of	opportunity	 for	pharmacists	in	this	arena.”	

In Memoriam
Dear friend and alumnus George Masunaga (BS ’41) passed away March 3 after a long illness. He was 96. After	graduating	from	the	School	of		 Pharmacy,	he	worked	as	a	chemist	with	the	 Denver	and	Rio	Grande	Railroad.	He	served	 in	the	Army,	and	then	was	chief	civilian	 pharmacist	at	Lowry	Air	Force	Base.	He,	together	with	his	two	brothers,	operated	Walgreen’s	stores	in	Denver	and	Adams	County	 and	later	owned	Swansea	Drug	Store. According	to	his	wife,	Mary,	George	worked	 “day	and	night”	at	the	pharmacy.	“Sometimes	we	were	up	at	3	a.m.	to	scrape	the	 (drug	store)	parking	lot	in	Northglenn,”	she	 said.		 Known	for	his	sense	of	humor	and	ability	to	 make	people	feel	welcome,	he	never	needed	 a	book	on	how	to	communicate,	said	his	 nephew	Gordon	Studebaker.	“There	was	 an	electric	buzz	around	him	that	just	drew	 people	to	him.”	 In	addition	to	his	wife,	he	is	survived	by	a	 brother,	John	Masunaga,	and	a	sister,	Mary	 Fujimoto.	George,	a	staunch	supporter	 of	the	school	of	pharmacy,	served	on	the	 school’s	development	council	and	will	be	 sorely	missed. Joseph Bondurant (BS ’59) of Lexington, KY, died April 1 after a brief illness. After	receiving	his	degree	from	CU,	Bondurant	returned	to	Kentucky	and	founded	 Bondurant’s	Drugstore	in	Corbin,	which	for	 many	years	was	the	largest	drugstore	in	the	 state.	 In	the	early	1970s,	the	Bondurants	moved	 to	Lexington	where	they	built	and	operated	Bondurant’s	Pharmacy,	which	was	well	 known	for	its	unique	mortar	and	pestle	 architecture.	He	is	survived	by	his	wife,	Jo	 Ann	Bondurant,	his	son,	Richard,	daughterin-law	Jennifer	and	five	grandchildren.

“I couldn’t do what I do without having taken risks with my career.”

Loku	credits	his	varied	background	with	his	 willingness	to	take	risks.	“I	couldn’t	do	what	I	do	 without	having	taken	risks	with	my	career.”	 His	advice	to	current	students	is	to,	“Choose	 off-the-wall	rotations	because	you	won’t	have	 that	opportunity	again.	Take	risks	and	serve	in	 unique	settings	because	you	can	always	work	in		 a	traditional	pharmacy	role.	When	are	you	going	 to	get	the	chance	to	explore	new	settings	and	new	 people?	So,	do	it	while	you’re	in	school.” Throughout	his	career,	Loku	has	learned	that	 curiosity	and	a	willingness	to	learn	new	skills	 helps	separate	him	from	his	colleagues.	“Learning	excites	me.”	Because	of	this	philosophy,	he	is	 currently	obtaining	his	PharmD.		But	true	to	form,	 Loku	is	enrolled	in	the	University	of	Colorado	 School	of	Pharmacy’s	non-traditional	PharmD	 program.	A	program	specifically	developed	with	a	 working	pharmacist	in	mind. “There’s	no	way	I	could	put	my	career	on	hold		 to	go	back	to	school	through	a	campus-based	 program.	This	one	fits	my	needs	and	is	being	 delivered	by	a	program	I	trust.”

LokendraUpadhyay
Unconventional path leads to dream job
According	to	1993	graduate	Lokendra		 Upadhyay	(aka	Loku),	“Back	in	the	day,	the	most	 non-traditional	role	for	a	pharmacist	was	working	 in	hospice.”	During	the	last	18	years,	Loku	has	 proven	that	non-traditional	means	a	lot	of	things	 and	what	was	once	unconventional	has	become	 standard	operating	procedure	for	many	hospitals	 and	health	care	providers. Even	though	his	path	has	been	anything	but		 ordinary	–	from	hospital	pharmacist	to		 building	computers	in	Saudi	Arabia	to	account		 management	and	informatics	–		his	experience		 has	allowed	him	to	craft	his	dream	job	and	one	 that	he	currently	holds.	

Continued

Deb Devereaux
In	2006,	the	country	enacted	Medicare	Part	D	and	a	national	Medicare	consulting	firm	–	the	Gorman	 Health	Group	(GHG)	–	needed	a	clinical	pharmacist	to	help	clients	navigate	the	new	program	and	approached	Deb.	Not	interested	in	changing	jobs,	she	declined,	but	offered	to	consult	on	a	project	basis.	 “The	company	literally	wouldn’t	take	no	for	an	answer.”	So,	what	started	as	a	few	projects	has	grown	 into	a	job	that	she	loves.	“It’s	a	nice	combination	of	clinical	pharmacy,	managed	care	and	process	improvement.” Today,	Deb	travels	the	globe	helping	private	entities	such	as	health	plans,	pharmacy	 benefit	management	companies	and	physician	groups	strategize,	prepare	for	audits,	 improve	systems	and	deal	with	compliance	issues.	“I’m	in	a	really	good	spot.	And	as	my	 father	said	many	years	ago,	‘Be	happy	with	what	you’re	doing	and	success	will	follow.’”

License Plate Frames
	For	$5,	show	your	pride	in	being	a	 School	of	Pharmacy	graduate	and	 you’ll	get	your	very	own	license	plate	 frame!		Just	contact	Dana	Brandorff	 at	303.724.4618	or	dana.brandorff@ ucdenver.edu	to	request	the	license	 plate	frame,	provide	form	of	payment	and	one	will	be	mailed	to	you. 		

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CU School of Pharmacy
Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pharmacy Perspectives - Fall 2011
