Alumni Connection
Our alumni, faculty and students are front and center in the fight against COVID-19.
Check out the creative ways we’re solving big problems.
Snapshot
Clinical Professor of Pharmacy Practice Candice Garwood did drive-up international ratio (INR) testing for Rosa Parks Clinic patients on the blood thinner Warfarin, who need frequent checks for anticoagulation management. The drive-up station was established to minimize patients' potential exposure to COVID-19.
Feature story
Teaching hands-on professions under hands-off circumstances
Many faculty members in the college's health sciences programs rapidly transformed the second half of their winter semester courses in a way that would impart crucial lessons while keeping far-flung students engaged.
Headlines
Susan Davis named to newly released NIH COVID-19 guidelines panel
An urgent search for solutions: Michael Rybak leading COVID-19 clinical trials
Wayne State chemists, pharmacists team up to make hand sanitizer for COVID-19 frontline
OT students help neurologically injured prepare for stay-at-home order, COVID-19 safety
WSUPG, WSU and ACCESS joining City of Detroit in COVID-19 screening at Fairgrounds
In the media
Victoria Tutag Lehr in The Conversation: Pharmacists could be front-line fighters in battle against opioid epidemic
Michael Rybak in Pharmacotherapy: COVID-19 therapy considerations and approaches
MLive: Paul Kilgore says shelter-in-place akin to vaccine intervention
Free Press: Mark Evely discusses funerals, morgue practices during pandemic
Free Press: WSU alumni Kemp, Pye funeral homes on role as 'last responders'
Philanthropy corner
A message from Dean Cathy Lysack on the impact this crisis is having on our students (over 90 have applied for emergency funding to date) and how you may help:
Giving: How it can help you... and how you can help
For every great story you read about how our faculty and students are helping during the pandemic, we know there are dozens of alumni stories from the front lines. As we navigate this pandemic and think about our financial future, we would like to provide two helpful provisions from the CARES act which utilize philanthropic incentives to help reduce taxable income:
- Temporary universal charitable deduction – Allows non-itemizing taxpayers to deduct up to $300 in charitable gifts of cash for 2020. Gifts to donor-advised funds, supporting organizations not permitted. Currently, only itemizing taxpayers can deduct charitable gifts (10% of taxpayers) so this would allow all non-itemizing taxpayers to benefit from a modest charitable deduction.
- Temporary suspension of AGI limitations – Temporarily suspends the adjusted gross income (AGI) limitations on gifts of cash to charity to 100% for 2020. Currently, taxpayers can deduct up to 60% of their AGI in cash gifts annually. Again, suspension of AGI limitations does not apply to gifts to donor-advised funds and supporting organizations. For corporations, 10% limitation is raised to 25% of taxable income.
If you are in a position to think about a significant gift—either now or in your estate—to help during this extraordinary crisis, we deeply appreciate your consideration. Please contact Jon Goldstein, Interim Director of Development, to start a conversation.
