SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION 150 Years of Pharmacy Excellence

Previous Position: Owner, Retail Pharmacist, Central City Clinic Pharmacy (currently retired)

"I think that pharmacy is a good profession. There are so many different areas that you can specialize in. Retail is usually the most familiar, but it is just one of many aspects in the field. Take time when you are a student to check out all the areas and see what suits you. At the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, the rigorous training and different program aspects create confidence in the type of graduates coming out of the College of Pharmacy."

Current Position: Pharmacist, Owner of Six Retail Pharmacy Stores in Central City, KY

"Thanks to my time at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, I was able to experience many impactful moments with patients and make a difference in their lives. My husband Darrell and I used to do IV therapy out of our store. There was a patient in a town about 30 minutes away who had HIV. This was in the early days of the virus and nobody would treat her. Darrell and I drove to her house nearly every day to give the patient treatment. I got to know the patient and the family well and it was a very rewarding experience knowing that I could help thanks to my degree in pharmacy from UK."

Current Position: Senior Phamacologist, Food and Drug Administration.

"UKCOP really gave me a strong network. I felt very prepared and ready for a career in the industry. UK forced me out of my comfort zone by requiring presentations, which really helped me get more comfortable speaking to a group and being prepared for a lot of different situations. Through my UKCOP experience and network, I have been able to meet some really notable scientists and successful people and gotten to share ideas and conversations with them. It has been amazing to be part of this group."

Current Position: Professor, Chairman, Department of Pharmacology, University of South Alabama

Award: Hall of Distinguished Alumni - Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient (2010)

"I got to be a translational scientist before it was good. I got to look at things from a standpoint of doing research that I could link back to improving human health, and occasionally, I've gotten to take advantage of the familiarity with quantitative aspects of biomedical sciences. I got a great education, I didn't know it at the time, but I can certainly look back on it and see it now. And I got it from people that were stunningly good role models."

Previous Position: Director of Admission, Alumni Affairs, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy; Executive Director, Kentucky Society of Health System Pharmacists (currently retired)

Award: Hall of Distinguished Alumni - Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient (2017)

"Meeting the people and getting to know friends in school was the best part of UKCOP. The faculty and preceptors that I had were great and I made lifelong friends. Pharmacy is a neat family. There are so many loyal, caring people with similar outlooks on life. Also, the reputation of UKCOP is incredible. People look at you a little differently when they know you're from UKCOP. That opened so many doors for me and I was well prepared for the many opportunities that came along."

Previous Position: Continuing Medical Education and Pharmaceuticals Professional (currently retired)

"Being a pharmacist is wonderful because there’s so much flexibility and versatility. You can apply your knowledge in so many ways by working for an independent pharmacy, a chain, a college, a hospital or even work in medical education. You can always take your base education and learn more and stay up to date. You know how to learn and can get up to speed quickly because you know how to educate yourself. I suggest that everyone finds something in their day to day work that makes them happy and then fight to keep and enlarge that. You should strive to do good and it will help you feel good. Think and dream big!"

Current Position: Dean, Professor, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy

Dr. Guy obtained his BA in chemistry from Reed College in Portland, OR in 1990. After college, he worked as a process development chemist in the Process Translation Unit at IBM-Almaden in San Jose, CA. In 1996, he received his PhD in Organic Chemistry based on the total synthesis of taxol from the Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) La Jolla, CA. His research is focused on the discovery and development of novel small molecules that target the pathophysiology of orphan diseases, particularly pediatric oncology and protozoal infectious diseases. Most of his group’s work falls into the areas of chemical validation of novel targets, lead discovery and optimization of novel chemical matter for validated disease targets, and use of non-targeted whole-cell strategies for lead discovery and optimization.

Current Position: Co-Owner, St. Matthews Pharmacy

"One professional accomplishment that I am the most proud of since I graduated from UKCOP was being appointed president of the Kentucky Pharmacists Association. However, from a patient care standpoint, being able to implement the Opioid Use Disorder Protocol for the state was a major accomplishment for me. Helping shape what that looks like was extremely rewarding and important for our profession."

Current Position: Geriatric Integrative Clinical Pharmacist; Owner, Senior Pharmacy Solutions Medication Therapy Management Services

Award: Hall of Distinguished Alumni - Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient (2020)

Current Position: Professor, Pharmacy Practice and Science Department, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy; ICU Recovery Clinic Pharmacist; President of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy

Award: Paul F. Parker Award Recipent (2019)

"I have found that pharmacy has given me the opportunity for every season of my life to be complete. I have had the chance to give to others, while using my skills and heart to help people. Everything we are trained in is a unique discipline that affords us the chance to stay ahead if you keep applying the science. Medicines have changed so much, but knowing the foundations, you can go back and read. As long as you are staying with science, mechanism of action, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and pharmaceutics, you can figure these things out because you learned the evidence in the grounded science. To me, pouring everything into training is hard, but it is so worth it. It is a fabulous gift. I'm very grateful for that."

Current Position: Associate Director of Medical Excellence, Biogen Pharmaceuticals

"I think being a pharmacist is just so fulfilling, because no matter what setting you are in, you can really help people. Even if you’re at the beginning of your career, you can make a difference for a patient just as much as an experienced pharmacist can. Even though I’m in industry, I keep the focus that whatever I do, the outcome is still about the patient. It’s about making sure the practitioner has the right information about our product so they can make the best selection in the safest way to use it for the patient. We feel like we’re part of the patient care team too! That’s what I would like the public to know. We are public servants and we have an invaluable role in helping patients and their families and the providers that help take care of them around medication."

Current Position: Director of Pharmacy, Hazard ARH Regional Medical Center

"The most beneficial part of getting my degree from UKCOP is that graduates can function at a high level right out of school. Graduates are very prepared to care for patients. The university has a strong reputation in Kentucky and across the country. There’s a real sense of pride and confidence in knowing that you were educated at the University of Kentucky."

Current Position: Revenue Cycle Pharmacist, Hazard AHR Regional Medical Center

"The best part of being a pharmacist is that there are so many opportunities. You can do things you never imagined. My proudest accomplishment since I graduated from UKCOP was that I established the residency program at Appalachian Regional Healthcare. They received a six year accreditation right away, which was great validation from ASHP. It was a ton of extra work on top of my job, but it was sustainable and really putting good pharmacists out there. They had to educate doctors and nurses on what it was and why it was important, but now we all see the value of it."

Current Position: Pediatric Clinical Pharmacist, Children's Hospital, Cleveland Clinic

"The professors and staff at the College of Pharmacy were probably some of my most awesome and meaningful interactions in general. Everybody was so open and welcome. I could easily go into any office and ask a question. You could walk down the hall and make jokes with others. It was a great environment and I miss all that so much. I think UKCOP inspired me as a pharmacist to be open and happy about things with my co-workers and my patients."

Current Position: Enterprise Operations Director, UK HealthCare