Rochester, NY (PRWEB) May 26, 2010
PharmaSmart International, Inc., an award winning Inc. 5000 company and “Top 100” Rochester, NY growth company, has announced that their Senior Vice President/GM, Ashton S. Maaraba, and President Fred W. Sarkis II have joined the Wegmans School of Pharmacy Advisory Council, a committee aimed at identifying and initiating new academic and extracurricular opportunities. The PharmaSmart leaders began their first term by providing an educational grant in the form of donated technology — innovative blood pressure screening equipment and web services for students and faculty to utilize as part of their training in chronic disease management and advanced patient education.
PharmaSmart, headquartered in Rochester, NY, USA, is a world leader in blood pressure screening technology, providing innovative solutions to meet the needs of pharmacists, medical providers, employers, and patients to test, track, and manage blood pressure. PharmaSmart Blood Pressure equipment currently performs over 65 million blood pressure tests per year. PharmaSmart’s unique Pharmacy Services driven program, technology, and confidential blood pressure data integration capabilities are utilized by chain pharmacies, corporate worksites, fitness facilities, and medical clinics as a core disease state management solution. The latest program has been proven to improve patient behavior and health outcomes.
Fred Sarkis and Ashton Maaraba have extensive experience in the retail and clinical pharmacy industry. Entrepreneur and business owner Sarkis has provided advanced hypertension management solutions to retail pharmacy for over 20 years. Maaraba, the company’s General Manager and Senior Vice President, is a proven leader in innovative pharmacy service solutions, and has had long-term involvement with numerous university pharmacy programs in a guest educator’s capacity. He has worked with students at the University of Maryland, Michigan, Georgia, Texas Tech, University of Montreal and other leading Schools of Pharmacy. Maaraba’s business experience helps him engage students in “real world” pharmacy services issues, including the challenges and opportunities presented by the rapidly changing role of the modern pharmacist.
Maaraba states, “We are humbled to join a committee whose #1 interest is their Pharmacy student’s engagement and advancement.” Maaraba adds, “Pharmacy students are entering a retail pharmacy environment that is transforming itself daily into primary care giving. Today’s pharmacy graduates now inherit the role of therapeutic counselor, not ‘pill counter’ or ‘insurance lobbyist.’ It is important for pharmacy students to be prepared for this enhanced healthcare role.”
“Many of our graduates will practice in a retail setting as community pharmacists, who are the most accessible health professionals to patients. It is vital that they assist and counsel patients in managing their medications and chronic conditions,” said Dr. Michael DeBisschop, Chair, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Administration, Wegmans School of Pharmacy. “PharmaSmart’s generous donation of blood pressure screening equipment and web-based management tools will help to ensure that our graduates are educated to help patients in the most effective way possible.”
Fred Sarkis, the company’s President and CEO states, “Ashton and I are very excited to become part of this prestigious committee, and we hope that our grant and continuing support make a difference for the students, faculty, and the School of Pharmacy.”
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.pharma-smart.com or contact Corporate Communications Mary Ann Rutkowski at (800) 781-0323.
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