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

Jonathan Balk, UNE 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 UNE 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 UNE 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."