College of Pharmacy

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David F. Gregory, Dean and Professor

Administration:

Erin Behnen, Associate Dean for Assessment and Academic Affairs, Professor
Kelley Kiningham, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Professor
Cathy Ficzere, Chair Pharmacy Practice, Associate Professor
Marilyn Odom, Chair Pharmaceutical, Administrative and Social Sciences, Professor
Angela Clauson, Director, Experiential Education and Development, Assistant Professor.

Faculty

Anthony Blash, Chris Brown, Leigh Ann Bynum, Hope Campbell, Tavajay Campbell, Edgar Diaz-Cruz, Fernando Diggs, Tracy Frame, Montgomery Green, Elisa Greene, Angela Hagan, Lindsay Hahn, Amy Ham, Leela Kodali, Phillip Lee, Michael McGuire, Genevieve Ness, Adam Pace, Traci Poole, Ken Reed, Kendall Shultes, Steven Stodghill, Kristy Wahaib, Andy Webster.

Doctor of Pharmacy

Mission, Values, and Vision Mission

Mission

The Belmont University College of Pharmacy is a community dedicated to rigorous and purposeful teaching, scholarship, service and leadership in pharmacy to develop pharmacists prepared to meet the demands of evolving contemporary practice.

Values

Integrity, Inquiry, Collaboration, Service, Humility.

Vision

To excel at pharmacy education, scholarship, patient-centered care, and service.

Educational Goals

Fulfilling the College of Pharmacy mission and vision requires a philosophical foundation upon which are placed clear, mission-relevant goals in support of intellectual rigor and leadership responsibilities. The curriculum develops competent generalist pharmacists ready to meet the demands of entry-level practice. This vision guides curricular development and sets the educational standard for students and faculty. Students complete a curriculum that provides them a broad, solid grounding in the basic and clinical sciences, epistemologies, and values that define contemporary pharmacy practice.

A BUCOP graduate will be able to demonstrate the ability to:

1. Use knowledge from foundational science and clinical practice to solve complex problems
2. Use information systems and literature
3. Integrate pharmacy care within an interdisciplinary team
4. Provide patient-centered and population-based care
5. Safely and effectively manage pharmacy resources
6. Communicate effectively through both verbal and nonverbal means
7. Be a self-directed and lifelong learner
8. Behave professionally and ethically

Curricular Concentrations

Student development is extended by longitudinal interaction with four concentrations that define and guide the program:

1. Pharmacotherapy: Contemporary pharmacy practitioners benefit from learning about and how to manage diseases at levels of depth beyond that located in the core curriculum, as well as those not part of the core curriculum, so that they develop increasingly sophisticated pharmacy practice intervention and pharmacy service justification abilities.
2. Information Management: Information systems infuse health care delivery; career competence requires the ability to use and to develop systems that integrate and extend current and emerging technologies.
3. Pharmacy Management: Successful pharmacists require more than a solid base in the science of pharmacy; long-term career success and responsible patient care requires more-than-passing training in the art and science of management. This is one of the profession’s greatest needs.
4. Pharmacy Missions/Public Health: Pharmacy is about serving others and what distinguishes fully developed pharmacists is their concern for others and commitment to service; leadership in the profession and one’s community requires understanding and committing to health care access and equity for underserved populations.

Requirements for Admission

The College of Pharmacy participates in the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS), a national centralized common application process (www.pharmcas.org). Individuals who wish to apply to Belmont University College of Pharmacy must complete the PharmCAS application process and the supplemental Belmont University Graduate Application.

In addition to the minimum undergraduate academic pre-requisite requirements, application to the School of Pharmacy requires the following:

• Official college transcripts from each institution attended, submitted via PharmCAS at the time of application. A second set must be submitted directly to Belmont University, Office of Admissions (1900 Belmont Blvd., Nashville, TN 37212), prior to matriculation.
• Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.5 (on a 4 point scale) is preferred, and each prerequisite course must have a grade of “C” or better to be accepted. 
• Two letters of recommendation from persons able to discuss the applicant’s work ethic submitted via PharmCAS.
• Belmont does not require the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) examination, but candidates may strengthen their application with competitive scores (Belmont’s PCAT code is 155).

Applications are reviewed, and selected individuals are invited for on-campus interviews. An onsite interview is an admissions requirement. The College uses a rolling admissions process.  

Transfer from Other Pharmacy Programs

Requests to transfer into the College of Pharmacy from another pharmacy program are considered case by case. Interested students must be in good academic standing (verified in writing by the Dean of that program) at an ACPE-recognized school of pharmacy, and present a compelling need to change institutions. Transfer inquiries are directed to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. Standard application criteria apply. The Admissions Committee and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs will consider transfer feasibility based on such variables as seat availability, student academic strength, and program-to-program curricular match. A face-to-face interview with Admissions Committee members is required. Moves between pharmacy programs may result in extended time to graduation.

Requirements for Matriculation

Offer of admission into the Doctor of Pharmacy degree program is not a guarantee of matriculation. Admitted students are allowed to matriculate (i.e., officially join the BUCOP community and, thus, be allowed to attend classes and participate in school activities) following verified completion of all required tasks, including

• Completion, by published deadline, of all pre-requisite courses at a final course grade of C or better from a regionally accredited college or university.
• Receipt, by published deadline, of official academic transcripts from all colleges/universities attended.
• Completion, by published deadline, of all required immunization activity and health tests.
• Filing with Belmont University, by published deadline, of all required health records.
• Successful completion, by published deadline, of required screening processes (e.g., background checks - employment and criminal, drug use, etc.)
• Receipt, by published deadline, of enrollment deposit.

Students who do not complete all of these tasks will not be allowed to matriculate, and their offer of admission to the program will be rescinded.

Technical Standards for Belmont University College of Pharmacy Students

Technical standards for admission ensure that pharmacists are trained to facilitate competent patient care in any and all pharmacy-relevant facets of healthcare. Admitted students must possess the intellectual, emotional, and physical abilities, with reasonable accommodations as needed for those with disabilities, to acquire the knowledge, behaviors, and skills needed to complete the curriculum. These standards are essential to ensure the competencies of the college’s graduates. Each applicant will be assessed in the academic and technical standards set forth by the admissions committee, notwithstanding reasonable accommodations, prior to matriculation.

The doctor of pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree identifies persons who have completed the curriculum necessary to perform the functions of a pharmacist in any and all areas of contemporary practice; thus graduates must convey and demonstrate abilities to preserve the safety and protection of the public. Moreover, pharmacy applicants must be able, with or without reasonable accommodations, to perform specific essential functions that the faculty deem requisite for the practice of pharmacy. These functions fall into several categories including: communicative, motor, conceptual, integrative, quantitative, behavioral and social. Applicants must have the physical and emotional stamina to perform competently in clinical settings that involve heavy workloads and/or stressful stimuli. Individuals impaired by alcohol or substance abuse do not meet the technical standards.

1. Communication: Candidates must be able to speak, hear, and observe patients in a clinical setting. They must be able to record information accurately and clearly, speak, read and write fluent English, and communicate effectively and sensitively with patients. Candidates must also be able to communicate effectively, accurately, and without error with other members of the healthcare team in oral and written form, and in patient care settings in which decisions based upon those communications must be made accurately and rapidly. Change and/or revealed deficiencies in student communication ability may create insurmountable barriers to matriculation or continuation of the curriculum.
2. Motor: Pharmacy students must possess sufficient visual, tactile and motor abilities required to gather data from written reference material, from oral presentations, by observing demonstrations and experiments, by studying various types of medical illustrations, by observing patients and their environment, by observing clinical procedures performed by others, by reading digital or analog representations of physiologic phenomena, and by performing basic patient physical examinations. Candidates must have sufficient motor function to gather information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion and other diagnostic maneuvers necessary to complete a general physical exam. Candidates must have the physical ability and manual dexterity to compound sterile and non-sterile products in an environment and manner compliant with existing regulations. Change and/or revealed deficiencies in student motor skills may create insurmountable barriers to matriculation or continuation of the curriculum.
3. Interpretative, Conceptual, and Quantitative: Pharm.D. candidates must have effective and efficient learning techniques and habits to master a complex curriculum. They must be able to learn through many modalities including, but not limited to, classroom instruction, small group activities, individual study, report preparation and presentation, and computer technology use. They must be able to memorize, measure, calculate, reason, analyze, synthesize, transcribe verbal messages accurately, and interpret written prescriptions accurately. Candidates must be able to read, comprehend and respond to serial information related to medical situations or patients. Change and/or revealed deficiencies in student interpretive ability may create insurmountable barriers to matriculation or continuation of the curriculum.
4. Behavioral, Social and Emotional Attributes: Candidates must understand the legal and ethical aspects of pharmacy practice and function within guidelines established by the law and by the profession’s ethical standards. They must relate to patients and their families, colleagues, and other healthcare team members with courtesy, maturity, and respect for individuals’ dignity. They must place patient welfare foremost, and demonstrate honesty, integrity, dedication, compassion and nondiscrimination in their patient care. Candidates must, at all times, demonstrate the emotional stability to exercise good judgment, and carry out prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to patient care with sensitivity and effectiveness. This sensitivity includes self-examination of personal attitudes, perceptions, and stereotypes so to avoid potential negative relationship and patient care consequences. Applicants must exhibit sufficient emotional health to adapt to changing environments, display flexibility and professional responsibility to their patients, and learn to function in uncertain environments, in which changes occur rapidly and without warning. Change and/or revealed deficiencies in student behavioral ability may create insurmountable barriers to matriculation or continuation of the curriculum.
5. Stamina: The study and ongoing practice of pharmacy involves taxing workloads and stressful situations. Pharmacy students must have the physical and emotional stamina to maintain a high level of function in the face of such working conditions. In the event of deteriorating behavioral, social or emotional function, pharmacy students maybe required to counsel with college and university officials if there is evidence that they are not meeting the technical standards. Pharmacy students whose actions or decisions pose a danger to self, patients and/or colleagues may not continue in the program unless they agree to accept professional help under conditions acceptable to the School of Pharmacy. Change and/or revealed deficiencies in student ability may create insurmountable barriers to matriculation or continuation of the curriculum.

Should questions arise about an admitted and/or matriculated student’s ability to meet these technical standards, the college may investigate to determine if a student can continue in the program. Course faculty, faculty advisors, college/university administrators and staff may raise concerns in this area. A written request for technical standards assessment is provided to the Chair, Academic and Professional Standards Committee. The Chair will notify any matriculated student in question and arrange for any assessment deemed necessary. Students are responsible for any costs associated with such assessment activity.

Individuals with a diagnosed disability may function as a pharmacy student as long as the above technical standards are fulfilled. Requests for accommodation must be made by the student through processes established by Belmont University. Students are responsible for maintaining all records needed to keep any accommodation requests current.

Accreditation

The Belmont University Doctor of Pharmacy is accredited by the Accreditation Council on Pharmacy Education (ACPE). ACPE granted Belmont University College of Pharmacy full accreditation on June 24, 2012.

Academic Policies

Transfer Policy

Graduate transfer credits policy conforms to university policy which allows up to six credit hours of graduate-level coursework in transfer from regionally accredited colleges or universities with prior approval from the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs School of Pharmacy.

Academic Progress

To receive a degree, candidates must satisfy all curricular requirements of the Belmont University School of Pharmacy and of Belmont University. The Doctor of Pharmacy program is a full-time program and courses follow a prescribed sequence. Course availability is limited to courses offered during the fall and spring semesters (exceptions: year-round Advanced Professional Practice Experience courses, Year Four) as published in the catalog. Occasional opportunities arise to provide students unique educational opportunities outside the traditional academic year.

Satisfactory academic progress is required of all students to remain in the School of Pharmacy (see Academic Probation, Suspension & Expulsion below). Academic standing is determined by the professional GPA using grades earned in courses that fulfill the School’s curricular requirements. Unless otherwise stated in course syllabi, grades are assigned using the following scale: 100-92= A, 91-90 = A-, 89-88 = B+, 87-80 = B, 79-78 = B-, 77-76 = C+, 75-67 = C, 66 and below 66 = F.

Academic Probation, Suspension & Expulsion

Probation: Normally, a student who fails a course, is found guilty of an Honor Code violation (including HIPAA & FERPA compliance), who fails to abide by Belmont University community conduct stipulations, or whose cumulative GPA is below 2.3 in any semester will be placed on academic probation for one semester, during which their activity will be guided by a Student Success Plan developed by the Academic and Professional Standards Committee as part of required counseling sessions.* Students are allowed a maximum of two semesters of probation during their time in the program. Additional failed courses, or failure to achieve and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.3 at the end of all remaining semesters, will result in academic suspension or expulsion from the School of Pharmacy as delineated below.

*Probation may be waived by action of the school’s Academic and Professional Standards Committee through the implementation of a Student Success Plan. The result of waiving probation is suspension or dismissal from the program.

Suspension: Students are suspended following any of the following conditions:

• failure of a course that impedes curricular progression *
• judgment of an Honor Code or Community Conduct violation that impedes curricular progression, * or
• failure to resolve conditions of probation.

Students who amass two course failures and/or whose cumulative GPA is below 2.3 for two academic semesters will be suspended (placed on inactive student status) from the pharmacy program, and as part of required counseling sessions the Academic and Professional Standards Committee will develop a Student Success Plan to guide activity leading, potentially, to reinstitution of active student status. If reactivated following the prescribed suspension period, students are placed on probation for one semester. Because the level of a student’s academic difficulty may be determined by the quantity of failed coursework, failed courses in a given academic semester may preclude the option of probation or suspension, and lead to dismissal. Multiple probations may preclude the option of suspension which may lead to dismissal. Regardless, Belmont University continued enrollment rules prevail.
Students suspended from the school must notify any health-related employers (i.e., hospitals, care facilities, pharmacies, etc.) of their loss of enrolled pharmacy student status so that work assignments can comply with laws and best practices governing the delivery of health care in Tennessee and other states. Failure to do so will jeopardize the student’s ability to return to the program in good standing. Belmont University School of Pharmacy provides the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy with active student rosters each semester to facilitate the continuous awarding of student status necessary to accrue pharmacy internship hours.

Students dismissed from the pharmacy program or the university by judgment of the Honor Council or Community Conduct Board will be allowed to return to the program under conditions set forward by the appropriate Belmont University body. No later than three (3) months prior to the desired return date, however, the dismissed student must notify the School of Pharmacy’s Academic and Professional Standards Committee (Associate Dean for Academic Affairs) to schedule a session with the committee to discuss the prior action. The committee reserves the right to establish conditions of return to the Doctor of Pharmacy program in addition to those set forth in the preceding disciplinary action. In most cases, the resulting Student Success Plan will include a one-semester (minimum) probationary period within the School of Pharmacy.

*Suspension may be waived by action of the school’s Academic and Professional Standards Committee through the implementation of a Student Success Plan. The result of waiving suspension is dismissal from the program.

Dismissal: Students who fail three or more courses or fail the same course twice or whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.3 for any three academic semesters will be dismissed from the school. Dismissed students are not eligible for readmission to the School of Pharmacy; those wishing to remain at Belmont University are subject to University academic progression and retention policies.

Expulsion: Expulsion is a judgment exercised exclusively by Belmont University and results from violations (single or multiple) of rules governing both academic and community conduct as defined by University Graduate Catalog and/or the Bruin Guide.

Course Remediation Policy

The overall goal of all academic policies of the College of Pharmacy is to maximize student learning.  The specific goal of course remediation is to give the student who is initially unsuccessful another opportunity to achieve the level of competency and knowledge expected of students who pass the course.  Both the student and the instructor of record (or another instructor designated by the instructor of record) are expected to be active participants in the course remediation process.

For each didactic course in the curriculum, the instructor of record will place the eligibility criteria for remediation for that course in the course syllabus. In the event that a student receives a failing final course grade in one of these courses and meets the eligibility criteria for remediation, the instructor of record will assign a grade of incomplete for the student and work with the student to develop and execute a remediation plan, subject to the criteria listed below.

• A maximum of one course remediation per semester per student will be allowed. 
• No student will be allowed to remediate more than a total of three didactic courses within the PharmD program.
• No student will be allowed to remediate a didactic course for which the student has previously received a final course grade of “F” within the PharmD program.
• The course remediation plan will be individually designed by the instructor of record (or another instructor designated by the instructor of record) to address the specific demonstrated deficiencies in student learning.
• The course remediation must be completed successfully by the student no later than the following January 1 (for fall semester didactic courses) or the following June 1 (for spring semester didactic courses), otherwise the course grade will revert to the original failing grade received in the course.
• If the course remediation is completed successfully, the student’s course grade will be updated from incomplete to “C” or the lowest passing grade allowed for the course.

If a student does not successfully pass a didactic course in the curriculum, but is ineligible for remediation of this course according to the criteria outlined in the course syllabus, the student will receive the failing grade earned in the course. For the course remediation policy for experiential courses, see the Belmont University College of Pharmacy Student IPPE and APPE Manuals.

Appeals and Complaints Policy and Procedure

Student pharmacists have a right to protest any aspect of a course in the curriculum.  The chain to be followed is: Course Instructor, Course Coordinator, Department Chair, Associate Dean, and Dean.  Students are expected to adhere to this sequence.  An appeal must remain focused on the initial complaint, and only that complaint.  Multiple complaints must be appealed separately.  If an appeal is referred beyond the first step, all previous documentation should be included.

Grade Appeals

Students have the right to appeal grades directly to the instructor if they believe that an incorrect grade has been assigned for the course.  This must be initialized by the end of the drop period of the following semester. In the written appeal, the student must be prepared to demonstrate and document an unusual circumstance that warrants a review of the grade and evidences of the grade s/he believes should have been given by the instructor. All written appeals will be reviewed and responded to within ten working days of receipt and responded to in writing either confirming or changing the posted final grade. A copy of this response will be made available to the next step in the progression if appealed. If a grade is changed, a grade change form will be submitted.

Further appeal is through the same process - to the course coordinator, Department chair,   Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Dean of the college administrative structure of the college in which the course was taken, with final appeal to the Dean of the College. Any appeal must be in writing and include appropriate documentation to support the student’s position that a grade change is warranted. Each step of all written appeals will be reviewed within ten working days of receipt and responded to in writing either confirming or changing the posted final grade.

The final grade is the instructor’s posted grade, which may be viewed in the student’s grade report on-line at the close of the term or part-of-term. It is solely the responsibility of the student to check that grades are posted for all courses taken during a semester and note the grade given for each class.  Unless an active appeal is under review, after the mid-term point of the next semester, neither instructors nor the university will consider a grade change.

Once a final grade has been posted the student may not petition the instructor to do additional work or extra credit to raise the grade awarded. Any grade change as a result of such action will be disallowed.

For grades of IP or I, once the I or IP is replaced by a grade, including a change to F, that becomes the posting date of the final grade.  Administrative grades such as W (withdrawal) are handled through the Registrar’s Office.

Appeals for Non-Grade Course Process Matters

If appeals are to be filed for grades and non-grade process matters, these appeals should be filed separately.  The chain to be followed is: Course Instructor, Course Coordinator, Department Chair, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Dean of the College.  Students are expected to adhere to this sequence.  Further appeal is through the administrative structure of the college in which the course was taken, with final appeal to the Dean of the College. Any appeal must be in writing and include appropriate documentation to support the student’s position. All written appeals will be reviewed within one month of receipt and responded to in writing, with a statement, and next steps (including appeals) to be taken by the student, if any.

Appeals and Complaints for Non-Course Matters

Any student who believes he or she has been treated inappropriately or unfairly by a University employee or process may seek resolution through the University Dean of Students office. The Associate Provost and Dean of Students serves as the primary coordinator of response and support to students with concerns or those in crisis.  Students may file a formal complaint by e-mailing deanofstudents@belmont.edu describing the treatment, action or decision at issue and the remedy sought. Complaints will be investigated or referred to other offices as necessary. Because the University already has identified several mechanisms for dispute resolution (e.g. the Grade Appeal process), students who contact the Dean of Students Office may be redirected to established channels or the dean of an academic college if these have not already been engaged.  A written response regarding the issue will be sent to the student who initiated the complaint within 30 days.

Complaints regarding treatment by non-academic employees of the university should be made to the supervisor of the employee or to the Office of the Dean of Students.  Any other student complaint regarding unfair treatment should be reported to the Office of the Dean of Students.  If a student is not sure how to file a complaint or appeal, the Office of the Dean of Students will assist the student and may be reached via email at deanofstudents@belmont.edu.

Students also have a right to submit a formal complaint to the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) for unsatisfactorily resolved issues related to the accreditation standards.

NOTE:  For further detail, please refer to the Bruin Guide, the Graduate Catalog, and the Belmont College of Pharmacy Student Handbook.

Appeals for Reactivation of Student Status:

Students dismissed for academic reasons may apply in writing to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for reactivation, no later than three months before the desired return date (unless stipulated differently in the individual Student Success Plan). The letter should explain reasons for prior academic difficulty and measures taken to ensure the ability to raise the GPA, including completing stipulations contained in the Student Success Plan created by the School’s Academic and Professional Standards Committee during mandatory counseling sessions embedded in the probation and suspension process. The Academic and Professional Standards Committee decides on reactivation of student status. Reactivated students must understand that additional failed courses or failure to achieve and maintain a minimum cumulative 2.3 GPA for all remaining academic semesters may result in dismissal from the School of Pharmacy. Additionally, upon reactivation, students may find that catalog requirements for graduation have changed and they will be held accountable to these new requirements. Associated Consequences: Students on academic probation and students suspended from the School of Pharmacy may not serve as officers or committee members in campus organization, participate in extracurricular activities sponsored by Belmont University that involve appreciable amounts of time, or be employed by any Belmont department. Outside employment for students on academic probation is discouraged.

Course Prerequisites: A student may not take a course until all prerequisites for that course have been successfully completed.

Progression to Advanced Professional Practice Experiences: A 2.3 minimum cumulative GPA is required before entering the Advanced Professional Practice Experience (APPE) courses in year four.

Time to Degree Completion: Students have six (6) academic years from the original matriculation date to complete the entire prescribed curriculum.

Withdrawals and Leaves

The BUSOP curriculum is organized in a sequential and complementary manner, making it imperative that the proper sequence and timing of courses be maintained.  Students considering a complete withdrawal or wishing to explore options for formal leave from the School should schedule time with their faculty advisor to discuss their options and to follow established protocol.

Withdrawal from the School of Pharmacy requires a written request for withdrawal submitted to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs (Pharmacy) and an exit interview with the School Dean prior to initiating formal withdrawal procedures with Belmont University to determine eligibility for readmission in the future.  Students should consult with the Office of the Registrar to determine if a tuition refund is possible. 

Situations arise that require students to leave the pharmacy program for extended periods to deal with family, health, military and other substantial obligations. To facilitate the decision-making process, students should begin the process of exploring a leave request by discussing their situation with their faculty advisor. Faculty advisors will assist students through the leave request process. Students requesting a leave from the School of Pharmacy should provide the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs (Pharmacy) with a written leave request that includes reason for the leave request, estimation of duration of leave, and any other relevant information. The Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, in consultation with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, will forward a recommendation to the Dean for review. If approved, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs will provide the student with a letter summarizing the details of the leave, including duration, required timetable for communication, point of reentry into the curriculum, etc. Two signed copies of this letter will be maintained: one by the School of Pharmacy in the student file; one by the student.

Readmission to the Program may only be considered for students who were granted a readmission option at time of withdrawal and requires written notification to the Dean by May 1 prior to the academic year of the proposed return.  Readmission is subject to seat availability, successful completion of any stipulations for readmission, and the approval of the Academic Standards Committee.

Graduation Requirements

To be eligible to graduate, students must complete all curricular requirements with a grade of “C” or better, have a final, cumulative GPA of 2.3 or better, and have completed the prescribed curriculum of 150 minimum earned graduate credit hours within six years of the original matriculation date.

Financial Aid

Students in good standing are eligible for scholarships awarded by the School of Pharmacy and its community partners. Scholarship eligibility criteria and application processes are managed by the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. Information on federal loan programs is listed under “Financing Your Education” in the Belmont University Catalog.

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