Archive for February, 2021

Fish Fries are back! It is that time of year again. Time to enjoy a fish meal each Friday during Lent. There will be a few changes due to COVID, but the meals will still be delicious, as always.

Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church and the local Knights of Columbus Council 12772 will be holding their Friday Fish Fries every Friday through March 26. The Fish Fries will be drive thru or carryout only at the Parish Activity Center (the PAC), 670 West Main Street (behind the firehouse) from 5:30-8 pm.

Orders will be taken from your vehicle and delivered back to you in the vehicle due to COVID. You can also download and print an order form which you can bring with you to speed up the process.

To download the order from, go HERE.

Meals are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $6 for children 12 and under. Besides two pieces of fried fish (there will only be fried fish this year, no baked), the adult meal also includes two sides–cole slaw, fries, or macaroni and cheese. The child meal includes one piece of fish and two sides.

To minimize money handling, the Knights will be taking credit cards with a $1 convenience fee as well as personal checks as the preferred payment methods. They will still take cash, but would prefer exact change whenever possible.

So please come out this Friday, February 19, and support the Knights of Columbus. Join them each Friday (February 19, 26, March 5, 12, 19, and 26) throughout Lent (excluding Good Friday on April 2) for a delicious meal.

For more info, visit Saint Joe’s web site HERE.

In the month of February, there is one special day that really celebrates women. No, I am not talking about Valentine’s Day!

Any guesses?

Well, I am referring to the International Day of Women and Girls in Science that takes place on February 11 every year! It is a great day to recognize women’s significant achievements in science and place a much-needed focus on girls entering Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers.

History of women in STEM:

Throughout history, women have been underrepresented in STEM careers. Recent studies have found that women in STEM fields publish less, are paid less for their research, and do not progress as far as men in their careers.

According to UNESCO statistics, here are some powerful insights into why the work towards gender equality in the STEM fields must be a priority:

• There have been 572 male Nobel Prize winners in physics, chemistry and medicine since Marie Curie in 1903 and only 17 women have won this title.
• Only 28% of global researchers are women.
• In the US, 39% of women take part in advanced courses in physics and math, compared to 61% of men.
• On a global average, when it comes to higher education in engineering and construction, the ratio of women to men is 27:73.

In 2015, the United Nation (UN) adopted a resolution to raise awareness of the bias that exists against women in STEM fields and to put an end to it. Women are fully capable of making important contributions in science.

Important Women in Science

Let’s take a look at some of the most pivotal women in the field.

• Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (1836-1917)
  • As a British physician, not only did she serve her patients, but she also was an advocate for women to be admitted into institutes for education, especially medicine.
  • She was the first Englishwoman to become a doctor, obtaining her degree from the University of Paris.

• Marie Curie (1867-1934)
  • She received her first Nobel Prize in 1903 for discovering the radioactive elements radium and polonium and her second Nobel Prize in 1911 for producing radium as a pure metal.

• Irene Joliot-Curie (1897-1956)
  • Won a Nobel Prize in 1935 for discovering artificial radioactivity.

• Gerty Cori (1896-1957)
  • Won a Nobel Prize in 1947 for providing insight into glycogen and glucose metabolism.

• Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (1910-1994)
  • Won a Nobel Prize in 1964 for determining the crystal structures of penicillin and vitamin B-12.

• Rita Levi-Montalcini (1909-2012)
  • Won a Nobel Prize in 1986 for investigating how the nervous system works and develops.

• Linda Buck (1947-)
  • Won a Nobel Prize in 2004 for discovering how our sense of smell works.

• Françoise Barré-Sinoussi (1947- )
  • Won a Nobel Prize in 2008 for discovering the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

• Tu Youyou (1930- )
  • Won a Nobel Prize in 2015 for discovering a novel therapy against malaria.

Why is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science important?
It is a time to honor, appreciate, and share in the successes of women who have gone before us making significant contributions worldwide.

In addition, this day allows us to educate men on their role in encouraging and mentoring women in the workplace to pursue their technical and scientific passions.

Resources:

https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/international-day-of-women-and-girls-in-science

https://www.nobelprize.org/women-who-changed-the-world/

http://uis.unesco.org/en/topic/women-science

This month, we are joined at Happy Druggist on Karl Road by Ruba Lahoud, a fourth-year pharmacy student from The Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy.

Ruba will graduate in May 2021 and will then take the test to become a registered pharmacist. Ruba will be with Kristie and the staff on Karl Road throughout February, so please stop by and meet her while she is in the store in Columbus.

Here is what Ruba tells us about herself:

My name is Ruba Lahoud and I am a fourth year pharmacy student at The Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy. I was born and raised in Lebanon to a Lebanese dad and a Hispanic mother. I finished my high-school overseas before I pursued my bachelor degree in chemistry at Xavier University. Growing up in Lebanon not only helped me to be a trilingual person, but exposed me to varying cultures and traditions which contributed to a broadening of my horizons and resulted in an increase of my non-judgmental attitude. I highly value cultural exposure, which I believe cultivates an open mind.

On June 10, 2010, while basking in the beautiful sights of Paris, I was hit by a migraine. I heard at the time that using prontalgine, an over-the-counter analgesic for migraines sold in France, was the solution to relieve the pain, so I took six pills within 24 hours. The following morning, I didn’t feel good. My brother, a physician, spent some time outlining the inherent risks of using over-the-counter medications inappropriately. Needless to say, I started to appreciate the underlying risks associated with taking an inappropriate dosage of medication. However, little did I know that this excess of medication would awaken my curiosity and direct me towards my future profession. Ever since the migraine fiasco, medicines that help treat diseases, along with their respective risks and benefits, became an object of fascination.

My work has encompassed a variety of settings. I have worked as a tutor, intern, and volunteer.

During my sophomore year at Xavier University, I helped teach chemistry concepts as a private tutor. The interactions I had with my students enabled me to provide concise and helpful directions to patients about medications.

I currently work as a pharmacy intern at CVS where I aid patients in the selection of OTC medications, resolve problems to ensure optimal customer service, and complete medication therapy management (MTM) appointments to monitor patient compliance and adherence.

While teaching has been an integral part of my life, I am also highly invested in community service. As a committee co-chair of Be Poison Smart of APhA-ASP, I volunteer to teach children and their parents about safe use and storage of OTC medications.

In the future, I see myself as a retail pharmacist taking care of her patients. It will be my mission to make sure the medicine is prescribed correctly in accurate dosages. As I gaze into my future, I will be the last and efficient checkpoint between the physician’s prescriptions and the patient. Pharmacy is indeed the calling that fits all the criteria I look for in a career and I know I will do my best to be an integral member of the community.

I am excited to be at Happy Druggist this month and I look forward to making connections with patients while learning more about what independent pharmacy practice entails.

Outside of pharmacy school, I enjoy rock climbing, spending time with family/friends and trying different ethnic foods in town.