Join the Drug Topics editorial advisory council! We are revamping our editorial board to include “man/woman on the street” pharmacists—people like you, who work in the trenches. Won’t you join us? If you come on board, we would list your name on our masthead, invite you to advise us on story ideas, ask you provide blogs or (short) commentaries in the magazine, and participate in a virtual roundtable of topics, which we’d publish in the magazine. This would not take up a great deal of your time, yet it would provide a great service to your colleagues and the profession. If you’d like to do this, send your full contact information, and a CV or resume, to Margaret Mulligan, editor-in-chief at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you, and thank you for your interest in Drug Topics—the voice of the pharmacist.

J.D. Power and Associates releases pharmacy study
While pharmacy customers with prescription drug coverage are more satisfied with their pharmacy experience, customers with public-private plans are just as satisfied as those with wholly private insurance, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 National Pharmacy Study released Thursday. More....

Joint Commission targets safety failures
The Joint Commission is targeting patient safety failures with a new program that will directly affect pharmacy operations. In the short term, look for increased emphasis on hand hygiene in direct patient care and in every step of medication preparation and administration. More...

Pharm tech sues employer
A New Jersey pharmacy technician, who claims she was traumatized by a mock holdup when a masked gunman burst into her store demanding OxyContin, is suing her employers for allegedly arranging the event. More...

University of Buffalo pharmacy school breaks ground
The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, held a ceremonial groundbreaking recently for Kapoor Hall, a new building to be completed in 2012, when pharmacy moves onto the south (Main Street) campus and into Buffalo. More...