An accomplished pharmacy professional, Ellen Scharaga has held leadership positions with pharmacy companies such as OncoMed and Alegria Specialty Infusion and Pain Pharmacy, where she now serves as an operational consultant. Ellen Scharaga is also committed to giving back to others through her support of nonprofit organizations such as the American Cancer Society. Founded by a group of 15 people in 1913, ACS initially served to spread awareness of a disease that was, at the time, a source of dread and shame. In the more than a century since its founding, ACS has emerged as the world’s leading organization devoted to policy advocacy, medical research, and treatment support for individuals with cancer in all its forms. As part of ACS’ commitment to ending cancer, it has launched an awareness initiative about the dangers of tobacco, which accounts for a large percentage of cancer incidence and costs the global economy more than $2 trillion per year. Since 2002, ACS has published the Tobacco Atlas, an informative report and accompanying website that lists facts and figures about tobacco usage and related research. The most recent edition of the Tobacco Atlas is the sixth, and it includes insights into the relationship between cigarettes and mental health, recommendations for government policies to reduce tobacco use among the population, and more. To learn more about the publication and its findings, please visit www.tobaccoatlas.com.
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An experienced pharmacist, Ellen Scharaga of New York assists with the creation of medication for chronic conditions in her role as operational consultant at Alegria Specialty Pharmacy. Over the course of her career, Ellen Scharaga has held a variety of positions where her responsibilities included talent acquisition and training. As with other aspects of business, talent acquisition fluctuates from year to year with incoming and outgoing trends, making effective recruiting an ongoing challenge for employers across industries. Among others, there are two hiring-related dynamics poised to play an important role in 2017. One involves a growing emphasis on work-life balance. Attracting quality talent requires offering perks that appeal to candidates, and the prospect of maintaining balance between the office and personal life is one an increasing number of job seekers want. Businesses that do not build this into their offers will likely miss out on hiring opportunities. A second trend relates to the task of securing entry-level candidates. The labor pool recently has presented a lack of individuals seeking entry-level positions. Businesses are expected to turn more to on-the-job training and offer flexible hours to bring in the right people for these roles. According to two recent studies, drinking regular and diet soda may increase individuals’ risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The studies were published in Stroke, the journal of the American Stroke Association, and Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Journal of the Alzheimer's Association and focus on how sweetened drinks affect a person’s body and mind. The first study published in Stroke was completed by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine and looked at data from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS). The FHS was a multi-decade observational review that took information from over 5,000 volunteers in 1948. In 1971, volunteers’ children were added to the review, followed by their grandchildren in 2002. Every four years, participants answered questions about their beverage intake and diet. Researchers from Boston University took data from participants’ offspring between 1998 and 2001 and grandchildren from 2008 to 2011 to complete their new study. According to their results, drinking artificially sweetened beverages was associated with a higher risk of stroke and dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Meanwhile, the study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia looked at rates of pre-clinical Alzheimer’s and consumption of sugary beverages. This study found that higher consumption of such drinks was associated with common pre-clinical Alzheimer's markers, including poorer episodic memory. The results for this study support earlier results from the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study. Ellen is currently an operational consultant for Alegria Specialty Pharmacy (alegriarx.com). Alegria’s focus is on delivering high touch patient service, education, and advocacy. She assists Alegria in developing new innovative specialty medications to manage chronic conditions such as HIV, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, organ transplants, chronic pain, growth disorders and infertility. Ellen Scharaga’s goal is to ensure that all stakeholders, patients, physicians, managed care providers and manufacturers, have a platform to battle these conditions and ensure better patient outcomes.
Ellen Scharaga studied pharmaceutical sciences at St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York, earning a bachelor of science. Outside of her work of overseeing operations at Alegria, she contributes to the American Cancer Society, a national organization that has worked to improve the lives of more than 14 million cancer survivors throughout the United States. She also supports the Alzheimer’s Foundation and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. A pharmaceutical industry veteran, Ellen Scharaga serves as an operational consultant with Alegria Specialty Pharmacy in Melville, New York, assisting the company in the development of new drug strategies for difficult-to-treat diseases. In addition to her everyday professional work, Ellen Scharaga helps in the fight against chronic illnesses by supporting nonprofit groups like the Alzheimer’s Foundation. According to data collected by the Alzheimer’s Association, some $260 billion was spent over the past year to treat people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related conditions. This figure was reported as part of the organization’s annual Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures release, which also calculates the physical and emotional toll that caring for people with the disease can have on caregivers. For example, more than a third of people caring for Alzheimer’s patients report that their overall health has deteriorated because of the strain that caregiving has had on them. Mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, are also more prevalent in Alzheimer’s caregivers than in individuals who provide care to loved ones suffering from other illnesses. The report can be viewed in its entirety at http://www.alz.org/documents_custom/2017-facts-and-figures.pdf. Melville, NY-based Ellen Scharaga serves Alegria Specialty Pharmacy, which specializes in innovative pharmaceutical compounds based on individual patient needs, as an operational consultant. As such, Ellen Scharaga is instrumental in introducing operational efficiencies to ensure that patients’ needs are fully met. Among the ailments covered by the pharmacy are HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, and osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, occurring when the cartilage at the ends of the bones breaks down due to wear and tear. The hands, lower back, neck, knees, and hips are impacted the most, with pain, sensitivity, stiffness, a grating sound or sensation in the joint, and a loss of flexibility constituting initial warning signs. Bone spurs, which appear as hard lumps around the joint, can also occur. Women are at a higher risk for the condition than men. Additionally, the presence of other diseases, holding certain occupations that place stress on certain joints, and deformities can increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis. While there is no cure for the disease, its symptoms can be managed through proper treatment. Committed to public service, Melville, NY, resident Ellen Scharaga makes time to support health organizations. Ellen Scharaga particularly advocates the work carried out by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The LLS has contributed more than $1 billion to blood cancer research since its inception in the 1950s. The organization funded the development of Gleevec, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved targeted therapy catering to patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, and now works with numerous award-winning researchers that have pioneered anticancer agents, discovered oncogenes, and isolated the natural cell interleukin-2 (IL-2) that stimulates immune system cells during lymphoma therapy. In September of 2015, the LLS announced it will be awarding $28.6 million in grants to new research studies that show promise of advancing blood cancer science and finding a cure. In addition, the organization will continue its partnership with biotechnology companies through the Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP). Investing approximately $13 million a year in TAP, the LLS aims to develop personalized treatments for patients and create multiple approaches to immunotherapy. Melville, NY, resident Ellen Scharaga serves as an operational consultant with Alegria Specialty Pharmacy. In her free time, Ellen Scharaga contributes to national medical organizations including the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) hosts a number of grant opportunities in order to support individuals and facilities in their lymphoma, basic and translational leukemia, and myeloma research efforts. LLS investigators, as grant recipients are known, number among some of the world’s preeminent scientists and conduct their work at research centers located all over the world. These scientists use grant funds to work in areas ranging from basic blood cancer research to more advanced research methods utilizing the newest genomics tools. Certain grants have been set aside specifically to monitor the long-term and late-life effects of blood cancer procedures and treatments. LLS grant programs include the Translational Research Program, the Transforming CURES Initiative, and the Specialized Center of Research Program. For more information on grant opportunities, visit LLS.org. A pharmaceutical specialist with over 30 years of experience, Ellen Scharaga has developed an in-depth understanding of all aspects of pharmaceutical care and management. As the current vice president of operations with OncoMed Pharmaceutical Services, a large portion of Ellen Scharaga’s professional responsibilities involve networking with healthcare facilities to provide them with access to the latest cancer treatments.
At various locations throughout New York, the American Cancer Society will be hosting the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer (MSABC) Walk to raise awareness and support for further breast cancer research and treatment. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Estimates suggest that each year more than 220,000 women are diagnosed with the condition, and over 40,000 lives claimed by it. The MSABC Walk at Jones Beach State Park will be hosted on October 19th, 2014. Contributors from Melville, New York, and surrounding areas are invited to participate in a non-competitive 5-mile walk through the streets of Long Island, courtesy of the American Cancer Society. To register, donate, or to find an event in your area, visit main.acsevents.org. Melville, NY-based Ellen Scharaga functions as an operational consultant who helps Alegria Specialty Pharmacy develop medical compounds for treating a wide variety of chronic ailments. Her assistance has resulted in, among other things, faster turnaround times for filling prescriptions. In addition to her career, Ellen Scharaga gives to charitable causes, including the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative form of dementia that affects over 5 million people in the U.S. The risk of developing the disease doubles every five years for people aged 65 and older. Additionally, about 500,000 people younger than 65 have early-onset forms of dementia, which includes Alzheimer’s disease. The disease attacks the neurons in the brain, leading to memory loss, a breakdown of language and thought processing, and changes in behavior. Short-term memory first begins to break down when nerve cells of the hippocampus are destroyed, and when neurons in the cerebral cortex are targeted, other functions like language and behavior are impacted. For more information on this disease, visit www.alzfdn.org. |