Pharmacy student and faculty member make hand sanitizer for distribution during campus visits

Sandra Schipelliti (Pharm.D., '22) and George Allen, Pharm.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, have been busy recently making hand sanitizer in the Hannaford Lab.

The hand sanitizer will be distributed to students and families during campus tours this summer.

“I think peace of mind for our visitors is important,” Allen stated.

UNE’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions reached out to the pharmacy program to see if compounding hand sanitizer would be possible.

“I did a lot of research on the rules for making it and it turns out that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released emergency guidance allowing people like us to compound hand sanitizer,” Allen explained. “They provided a very simple recipe. For example, it doesn't have the moisturizing qualities that your typical product that you buy in the stores has. It is much simpler.”

Allen and Schipelliti will be supplying the Admissions office with 50, two-ounce bottles of sanitizer per week.

“Since my background is in infectious diseases, it made sense on a personal level to help,” Allen commented. “I'm passionate about infectious diseases and trying to control them. Sandra is a member of a student organization called the Infectious Diseases Association. She's been a leader in that group, so it made sense to ask her to help me.”

Schipelliti found extra time in her summer to help out after her rotation at the pharmacy at Beth Israel Hospital in Plymouth, Massachusetts, was canceled because of the coronavirus.

“I was supposed to go there a week after classes ended for three weeks, but it is nice to come here and do something different,” she said. “I worked with professor Allen on research, so it's nice to see him again and do a project with him, and it is a super good cause.”

In all, Allen and Schipelliti hope to produce about 30 liters of sanitizer for the Admissions office. If they have enough materials on hand, they are looking into the possibility of producing even more to include in welcome packages for incoming students.

“It is a relatively small gesture but I think it shows some goodwill, that we're concerned about the health and safety of our visitors and our students,” Allen said.