by Mark Weinstein, Executive Director of Public Relations
Cedarville University's School of Pharmacy and Cedar Care Village Pharmacy will present an online town hall on the coronavirus Friday, March 13 at 4 p.m. with Dr. Zach Jenkins, an infectious disease expert. The town hall will address all aspects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Dr. Thad Franz, R.Ph., Pharm.D., vice chair of experiential programs and associate professor of pharmacy practice at Cedarville University will host the town hall with Dr. Jenkins, R. Ph., Pharm.D., associate professor of pharmacy practice at Cedarville. Together, they will address the growing concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, and, if possible, attendees will be able to ask questions via Facebook or by telephone during the town hall. To attend, go to https://www.cedarville.edu/COVID-19Forum.
Dr. Jenkins completed his postgraduate pharmacy practice residency with Summa Health System, where he focused on adult internal medicine and infectious disease. Throughout both his graduate and postgraduate education, Dr. Jenkins was frequently involved in teaching medical and pharmacy students at Northeast Ohio Medical University, which ultimately led him to earn a graduate teaching certification. He is an active member of the pharmacy profession, and he currently serves within the leadership of several professional organizations. His research interests include subjects related to infectious disease, antimicrobial stewardship, interprofessional education, and student professional development. He maintains a clinical practice in infectious disease at Atrium Medical Center and Miami Valley Hospital, where he helps to lead the antimicrobial stewardship initiative for the Premier Health Partners system.
In addition to his clinical and academic work, Dr. Jenkins has provided regular insight on the coronavirus for radio programs across the United States. Just in the past month, Dr. Jenkins has appeared on radio stations in Columbus, Dayton, Chicago, and West Palm Beach, Florida to discuss the cause of the coronavirus, ways to protect against the disease, and help calm fears.
Franz oversees both the introductory and advance pharmacy student experiences throughout the professional program, and he is involved in training and developing relationships with pharmacists to successfully precept Cedarville students. Dr. Franz also currently serves as a clinical pharmacist at the Rocking Horse Center, a primary care clinic in Springfield, Ohio. There he cares for and manages medication therapies of patients with complex chronic diseases. Prior to his academic appointment at Cedarville in 2012, he served as a pharmacist with the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where he developed clinical programs in the community care setting focused on patient adherence, education, and disease state management. He also served as a preceptor himself for pharmacy students and residents.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,380 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, including its Doctor of Pharmacy program, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and high student engagement ranking. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.