VitalsJERRY H. HODGE SCHOOL OF PHARMACY

Project: ‘Combat Cancer’

The Society of Toxicology selected Shreyas Gaikwad, a PhD candidate in pharmaceutical sciences, as the 2023 recipient of the Syngenta Fellowship Award in Human Health Applications of New Technologies. His primary project is drug repurposing to combat cancer, specifically pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. “From a patient’s point-of-view, strategies such as drug repurposing provide hope for novel treatment options,” he says.

Portrait photograph perspective of Shreyas Gaikwad (a PhD candidate in pharmaceutical sciences) smiling in a white laboratory gown with blue surgical gloves as he poses for a picture by leaning his left hand on a black table with other scientific equipment nearby

MARK HENDRICKS

Shreyas Gaikwad, PhD candidate, searches for cancer solutions.

A SUMMER ESCAPE LIKE NO OTHER

WELCOME CAMPERS

At first glance, Camp New Day is an ordinary summer camp. Take a closer look and you will notice a staff of medical and pharmacy students that give kids with diabetes an experience they can’t get anywhere else.

MANAGEABLE CHANGE

Summer camp environments can have a dramatic effect on children with diabetes. Extra physical activity and emotional stressors make blood sugars erratic, requiring dosage changes on a day-to-day, if not hour-by-hour, basis. Most summer camps don’t have the medical staff to manage these constant changes.That’s why diabetes camps fill an important gap, said Thomas Parker, PharmD, assistant professor of pharmacy practice at TTUHSC, who also serves as Camp New Day director.

A DIFFERENT APPROACH

Although diabetes camps most often have medical professionals on-site, the counselors are high school and college students or general volunteers. At Camp New Day, all counselors are in the medical field, including many TTUHSC pharmacy students. They also go through extensive Type 1 diabetes training.

“We want our counselors to have that higher level knowledge so that they can make timely decisions. Instead of relying on outside medical staff,” Parker said, “and have a greater awareness of changes that need to be made.”

WALK IN THEIR SHOES

Having a staff of trained medical professionals means campers have comprehensive support and education on good medical habits. The camp is also an opportunity for TTUHSC students to gain hands-on patient experience and a better understanding of the challenges those with a chronic disease face in life.

Lexie Greenwood, PharmD, (Pharmacy ‘23) said the camp was a chance to walk beside a person with diabetes, from finger pricks to counting carbs. Berkley Freund, PharmD, (Pharmacy ‘23) added, “It helped me develop a strong sense of empathy for my patients.”

CONNECTIONS THAT LAST

Parker hopes the camp is a source of connection between providers and patients and between children with similar life experiences.

“Some of the kids may be the only ones in school who have Type 1 diabetes. Coming to a camp focused on that allows them to be with peers who understand the extra challenges they go through.”

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