Pharmacy student Jonathan Balk presents poster at North American Primary Care Research Group's annual meeting

Jonathan Balk, ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Doctor of Pharmacy candidate Class of 2013, made a poster presentation at the North American Primary Care Research Group's annual meeting (NAPCRG) in Banff, Canada, in November.

Nearly 800 primary care researchers attended this conference.

Balk's poster presented data from a study being conducted by a team of researchers he worked with that included Christina Holt, M.D., Maine Medical Center, and ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ College of Pharmacy faculty members Kenneth Lee McCall, Pharm.D., Chunhao Tu, Ph.D., Matthew M Lacroix, Pharm.D BCPS, and Kevin L. Wallace, M.D.

The researchers collected data from the Maine Prescription Monitoring Program, a database that allows prescribers and pharmacists to obtain real time information about controlled substance prescriptions. This database allowed the ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ College of Pharmacy to utilize the data as an epidemiological analysis tool, discovering prescribing and utilization trends.

The poster was a great success, drawing interest from politicians, medical journal authors, students and physicians, keeping Balk at the poster until well after the session ended. Balk said "It was an amazing opportunity to be able to present at the conference and I was thrilled to represent the College of Pharmacy in this endeavor."

About the ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ

The ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.