Dr. John Pezzuto has been named Dean and Professor of Pharmaceutics of the Western New England University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

“Dr. Pezzuto’s credentials as a world-renowned researcher, pharmaceutical administrator, and innovative educator for more than 35 years make him an outstanding addition to the Western New England University faculty,” stated Jones.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (PRWEB)
May 15, 2020

Dr. John Pezzuto has been named Dean and Professor of Pharmaceutics of the Western New England University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Dr. Linda E. Jones, University Provost, recently made the announcement of his appointment, which will begin this summer.

“Dr. Pezzuto’s credentials as a world-renowned researcher, pharmaceutical administrator, and innovative educator for more than 35 years make him an outstanding addition to the Western New England University faculty,” stated Jones.

Most recently, Dr. Pezzuto served as Dean and Professor of Pharmacy of the Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Long Island University (LIU) in Brooklyn, New York. Previously, he served as Distinguished Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and held deanships at the College of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Sciences at Purdue University; and the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, where he was the founding dean.

Pezzuto was the 2014 recipient of the Volwiler Research Award, the top research award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. He was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

He is an author of over 600 publications, including the first report describing the cancer preventive activity of resveratrol, a component of grapes and grape products such as red wine. This single manuscript has been cited over 5,000 times, and resveratrol is now in numerous clinical trials and the subject of over 20,000 manuscripts.

Pezzuto’s H-index, a measure of scientific impact, exceeds 100. He is an inventor/co-inventor of several patents, the editor of six books, a member of over 10 editorial boards of international journals, the former editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Pharmacognosy (1990-1995), the former editor-in-chief of Combinatorial Chemistry and High Throughput Screening (1996-1997), and the current editor-in-chief of Pharmaceutical Biology.

He has served on the National Cancer Institute subcommittee on cancer epidemiology, prevention and control, and was the recipient of a Research Career Development Award from the National Cancer Institute (1984-1989) and a Research Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (1990-1991). He will be transferring major grant funding to Western New England University when he joins the faculty, and continuing research to explore the health benefits of grapes.

Pezzuto earned an A.B. in Chemistry from Rutgers University, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and a D.Sc. (h.c.) from Roskilde University, Denmark. Postdoctoral work was performed at MIT.

The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Western New England University educates tomorrow’s leaders in the health and wellness fields through innovative doctoral programs. The College promotes the development of leadership, professionalism, advocacy, and a commitment to community service through a cross-disciplinary approach to teaching. For more information visit Western New England University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences website.

Having just celebrated its Centennial, Western New England University is a private, independent, coeducational institution. Located on an attractive 215-acre suburban campus in Springfield, Massachusetts, Western New England serves 3,825 students, including 2,580 full-time undergraduate students. Undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs are offered through Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and the School of Law.

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The Prem Rawat Foundation grant of $30,000 to Save the Children Fiji will support health and education initiatives in the hardest hit areas, including Kadavu Island.

“As so many people globally are dealing with hardships, your support is playing a critical role in helping to meet their essential needs and maintain hope.”

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB)
May 15, 2020

The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) is funding health care, medical supplies, clean water and educational resources to help people in Fiji who are suffering from storm damage and disease.

Cyclone Harold struck the South Pacific island nation on April 8, leaving thousands of people without food, water, shelter and medical care as they were already struggling to contain the COVID-19 virus.

TPRF immediately announced that it would provide $25,000 in aid, and in the weeks since, generous supporters donated to make the $30,000 grant possible. TPRF will also grant additional funds soon to help with ongoing needs in Fiji.

The TPRF grant of $30,000 to Save the Children Fiji will support health and education initiatives in the hardest hit areas, including Kadavu Island. The funds are being used to provide children and families with water, critical hygiene items such as cleaners and soaps, and personal protective equipment. The grant will also fund educational supplies to help children succeed in school, plus health awareness sessions to further limit the spread of sickness.

“A big ‘thank you’ to each one of you who contribute to TPRF, making it possible to help people who are facing this terrible crisis,” says Linda Pascotto, TPRF Board Chair. “As so many people globally are dealing with hardships, your support is playing a critical role in helping to meet their essential needs and maintain hope.”

The Fiji recovery initiative is part of a larger effort by TPRF to help people across the world who are struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. TPRF is providing more than $300,000 in grants for medical care, supplies, food and other humanitarian aid in several other countries, including Italy, France, Spain, South Africa, Ecuador, Mexico and the U.S.

TPRF is also adjusting its signature Peace Education and Food for People programs to continue addressing the fundamental needs of food, water and peace while following official distancing recommendations to help stem the spread of the virus.

TPRF Founder Prem Rawat is also offering uplifting daily video messages to help people cope with the trying times. A renowned author and speaker, his new video series, “Lockdown,” is available to watch at premrawat.com.

“There is a lot to be said about the power of the people, about the motivation that people have to move forward and to try to make a difference,” says Prem Rawat. “This is the time for empathy, clear thinking and courage.”

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The new SafeDivide unit provides a barrier as these women exercise on treadmills.

“We’ve had a couple competitors call us asking for several thousand of our products to service their customers’ needs. This has inspired us to create a ‘Dealer’ program that we are now launching throughout the U.S.”

ELGIN, Ill. (PRWEB)
May 15, 2020

COVID-19 has made people feel fearful, but Rieke Office Interiors (ROI) is helping businesses get back on their feet by making sure their employees can get back to work safely. Their unique line of SafeSpace™ PPE equipment for the office has been so popular, they have expanded to gyms, restaurants, bars, and countless other settings.

Everyone needs to be able to get back to work and to know they can do that safely. Still, employees also have lives outside work and routines that help to keep them fit and mentally healthy. Working out at the gym, going out for dinner, or meeting friends for a drink all play a role in that. ROI knows this firsthand because “Work hard, play hard,” has been part of their company culture, too.

Inspiration for the first SafeSpace™ products—specially designed protective shields, panels, and panel extenders–came from the face shields that doctors are wearing to protect themselves from COVID-19. Seeing how their customers and the public have responded to these new products, one of their salespeople suggested they expand to help even more businesses.

The new SafeDivide unit began as a way to allow people to get back into the gym, separating people safely without making them feel isolated, whether on a treadmill, a bike, or an elliptical. This unit comes in a variety of sizes but can be as large as eight feet high and four feet wide. It has been modified to work perfectly at beauty salons, restaurants, and bars, too.

ROI has also designed Panel Risers, extending the height of workstation panels, and they work on any cubicle system. ROI president Melissa Kehl, said, “People still want the open office feel, so adding the acrylic to the top of the panels allows for natural light to still go through the office. Our product is able to go on any panel system, not just our brand. With our custom capabilities and my amazing team, we feel our product line can be modified to fit most commercial environment needs.”

Customers obviously agree as hundreds of orders have poured in during the first three weeks after the SafeSpace™ products hit the market. They ranged from a few items to several thousand on a single order alone.

Kehl noted, “We’ve had a couple competitors call us asking for several thousand of our products to service their customers’ needs. This has inspired us to create a ‘Dealer’ program that we are now launching throughout the U.S. We are turning our sales reps into a national sales team to establish relationships with furniture dealers around the country. This network of dealers will allow us to help businesses around the country get back to work, help dealers backfill some of their revenue shortfall during the COVID-19 pandemic, and establish a foundation for future nationwide product offerings.”

Just as the orders have flooded in, so has the praise. Kehl said people are excited about how nice they look in their space, and how they blend in to give their employees a sense of normalcy while being safe. “I even have companies wanting us to make them for their specific customers,” she added.

Michelle Amore, owner of Precision Human Performance, said, “I love our new SafeDivide unit. It is the perfect size, and it blends right into the gym.” Kehl shared that another customer, Kane County Government, said, “Your staff is pleasant and helpful, and the product is great.” They loved it so much they placed an order one day, and then bought more the next.

Another customer, Echo, told Kehl they felt the acrylic barrier would allow the office to still feel open and not closed in while letting the staff feel safe.

When looking over their PPE product line at https://rieke.com/safespace-rx/, consider the options for the base–acrylic or laminate. Over 80 percent of customer orders have chosen the laminate base, something that sets ROI’s SafeSpace™ products apart from competitors. In addition, Kehl said, “I was also surprised that 28 percent of our orders have been for custom manufactured shields, which plays to our custom manufacturing strength and allows customers to get the best solution for their needs.”

SafeSpace™ products are safe, secure, and offer satisfaction to business owners at all levels.

For more information, contact their sales team through https://rieke.com/safespace-rx/.

About Rieke Office Interiors

Rieke Office Interiors (ROI) has an impressive, state-of-the-art, 150,000 square foot, office furniture manufacturing facility in Elgin, Illinois. As a certified WBE business in its 27th year, ROI provides innovative products and services that are fully customizable, a unique capability that isn’t found anywhere else in the office interior industry. This flexibility allows ROI to create a big impact for any budget, streamlining the project process to make each vision come to life. For more information, visit Rieke.com.

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DALLAS (PRWEB)
May 15, 2020

The restaurant industry downturn created by the COVID-19 pandemic was both swift and severe. Restaurant same-store sales and traffic declined by 55% year over year during March, by far the worst month for the industry in many decades according to Black Box Intelligence™. However, as bad as results were in April, it seems restaurant sales bottomed out at the end of March, with same-store sales dropping by 67% during the last two weeks. At the beginning of May, as some states begin to reopen their dining rooms, we are already seeing better results.

As sales fell for restaurants, so did guest sentiment among their guests. In fact, much like sales, the year over year drops in sentiment reported for April are the largest since Black Box Intelligence started analyzing guest online mentions. Positive guest sentiment based on restaurant food dropped 12 percentage points year over year during April. On average, 44% of all food mentions were positive during the first three months of the year, but only 34% of all food mentions in April were classified as positive. This is not surprising given that the vast majority of the industry was operating under off-premise only during the month, and guest sentiment is typically much lower for off-premise offerings.

But the biggest drop in guest sentiment was related to restaurant service. While about half of all restaurant mentions related to service were classified as positive during the first quarter of the year, April saw only 32% positive service mentions. Again, as the industry shifted away from dine-in, many of the service-related mentions were now based on the timeliness and smoothness of off-premise transactions as well as guest being very aware of cleanliness practices when interacting with restaurants.

There seems to be a lot of pent up demand for dining out at restaurants. According to a recent survey of 1,000 consumers by Lisa W. Miller & Associates, 87% of them said that dining out was the first thing that they wanted to do once the restrictions were lifted. It was also listed as the activity that gives respondents the most joy. As restrictions get eased at the state level, as well as many consumers simply getting tired of cooking and eating at home, online chatter based on restaurants has increased substantially over the last two weeks.

Just in the first thirteen days of May, the total number of online restaurant mentions is already 79% of the total number of mentions recorded for the entire month of May. Furthermore, the data suggests it is the possibility of dining out that may be fueling those online conversations. Analyzing the data for Texas and Georgia, two of the biggest states that started reopening their restaurants the earliest, the relative increase in the number of restaurant mentions escalated even further.

So what are guests talking about when mentioning restaurants online? During April the number one topic was food, followed by service. This makes sense considering that the vast majority of restaurant interactions during the month were off-premise and thus, the quality and appearance of the food when finally consumed was central to the experience while service was slightly less present in the transaction.

But during the first two weeks of May we are already seeing service becoming the number one topic discussed, with food taking the second spot. As restaurants start reopening guests are once again becoming vigilant on service, especially as it relates to meeting their expectations regarding keeping them safe when visiting a restaurant.

Regional Performance

The shock to the restaurant industry’s sales has also brought some interesting results when it comes to guest sentiment at the local level. Although the typical result each month was for Orlando, FL to top the list among major markets as the one with the most positive restaurant sentiment based on most of the attributes of the restaurant experience, Orlando was the most positive DMA based only on food and ambiance during April.

Meanwhile, what seems to be a new trend is guests in areas of the country where some of the biggest COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred rallying around restaurants and topping the country in intent to return. Three of the four DMAs with most positive intent to return guest sentiment in April were Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. The latter was the market with the highest intent to return in March as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases was growing rapidly last month.

However, this does not seem to be the case for all guests across the country. In Seattle, the epicenter of where the outbreak began about two months ago, guests are the least positive in terms of their intent to return to those restaurants they are mentioning online. Perhaps the initial rally around restaurants may wear off after some time passes and the realities of dealing with the complexities of operating restaurants under this new environment set in.

The Restaurant Guest Satisfaction Snapshot™ is produced by Black Box Intelligence™. Guest Intelligence is tracking over 192 brands to benchmark customer satisfaction and is the only online tool that integrates with operational performance data to validate the impact on financial performance. The algorithm determining ranking brands is based on sentiment and determined by Black Box Guest Intelligence. Brands included in this monthly snapshot must have a total of at least 250 mentions for the month. Restaurants must have a minimum number of units to be eligible as well. DMA rankings consider only the largest 25 areas.

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