Paul F. Parker Award

 José O. Rivera, PharmD, R77, current and founding dean of the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) School of Pharmacy, has been named as the recipient of the 2023 Paul F. Parker Award. This distinguished recognition was conferred at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear meeting in Anaheim, California.

Originally from Barranquitas, Puerto Rico, Rivera earned a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the Universidad de Puerto Rico in 1976. Subsequently, he pursued a Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Kentucky, with a concurrent residency program at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in 1979, at the time led by Paul F. Parker. 

Rivera is recognized as a stalwart leader in pharmacy education and practice, boasting an impressive array of publications and presentations spanning topics such as cultural competency, alternative herbal treatments, antibiotic resistance, and pharmacotherapy of infectious diseases. His research on border health, complementary alternative medicine, and medication literacy has received funding from the Paso del Norte Health Foundation, Thomason Hospital, and several pharmaceutical companies.

His illustrious career has been punctuated by numerous honors and accolades, including recognition as a fellow of the UTEP Center for Hispanic Entrepreneurship (Kauffman Foundation) in 2008, the University of Texas at El Paso Faculty Research Award in 2007, and the El Paso Pharmacy Association Pharmacy Research and Education Award in 2001.

In addition to the founding deanship at UTEP School of Pharmacy, Rivera maintains roles as a clinical professor and assistant dean at the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy. 

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Goodin received her Bachelor of Science (’90) and Pharm.D. (’91) degrees from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy (UKCOP). She subsequently completed an American Society of Health-System Pharmacy accredited Pharmacy Practice Residency at the University of Kentucky Medical Center and an Oncology Pharmacy Residency at the Lucille P. Markey Cancer Center in conjunction with the University of Kentucky Medical Center. After completing her residencies, she joined the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (Rutgers), where she was a founding member of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey and played a key leadership role in the organizational design and establishment of the clinical practice, clinical research infrastructure, and NCI-designation of the cancer center.

Goodin has demonstrated an unmatched ability to balance ground-breaking research and exceptional clinical care. During her 25 years at the cancer center, she continued to practice and conduct clinical trials while serving in various leadership roles in the university and the cancer center, including as the interim director of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey at University Hospital, deputy director of the Rutgers Cancer Institute in New Brunswick, a tenured professor at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the executive director of Statewide Affairs for the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and the executive officer for the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium.

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Dr. Welton O’Neal (PharmD 1981, R126), Vice President of Medical Affairs at Supernus Pharmaceuticals, has been named the 2021 recipient of the Paul F. Parker Award.  

The Paul F. Parker Award is given annually to a past resident of the University of Kentucky (UK) Pharmacy Residency Program or an individual intimately associated with its success. This award recognizes an individual who has displayed a sustained contribution to the profession in practice, teaching or research, a commitment to high ideals and excellence in their chosen field; leadership and innovation; and a passion for encouraging others’ personal and professional growth. 

During his time at University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, O’Neal became the first Black student to graduate with a PharmD in 1981 and complete the post-PharmD pharmacy residency training at UK HealthCare. O’Neal also became the first African American faculty member both within UKCOP and the UK College of Medicine. O’Neal then left UK and returned to work at his alma mater, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). There, he also became the first African American faculty member of MUSC’s Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine.  

After spending a significant amount of time at MUSC, O’Neal decided to leave academia in 1987 to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry. Throughout his 34-year career in industry, O’Neal has worked for many prestigious pharmaceutical organizations, including Bristol Myers Squibb, Pharmacia, Sanofi-Aventis, NitroMed, Alpharma and now Supernus Pharmaceuticals. He also became the first Black Vice President at many of the pharmaceutical companies he worked for. 

Having paved the way for Black pharmacy students and achieved tremendous personal success throughout his career, O’Neal is an excellent example of a pharmacy role model who has made a profound and lasting impact on those around him. “Dr. O’Neal’s leadership, innovation and passion for encouraging others’ personal and professional growth is evidenced by his continuing advancement in education and medical affairs and promotions to senior positions in the pharmaceutical industry,” said Jimmi Hatton Kolpek (BS 1983, PharmD 1984, R151), UKCOP Professor, ICU Recovery Clinic Pharmacist, and previous Paul Parker award recipient. “His humble and positive personality is always welcoming, and he is an important mentor for past residents and present employees. As a Black male, he is also a shining light to many who are seeking a mentor to guide them through pharmacy careers.” 

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Cindy Stowe, PharmD (BS '90, PharmD '91, R201), Dean at the University of Arkansas for Medical Science College of Pharmacy (UAMS) is the 2020 recipient of the Paul F. Parker Award. After completing her UK residency in 1993, Stowe spent two years in a Pediatric Pharmacotherapy Research Fellowship at the University of Tennessee, Memphis, training at LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center. She then took a faculty position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at UAMS. During her nearly 19 years there, she was promoted to Professor with tenure, serving as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, then Associate Dean for Professional Education, and finally Associate Dean for Administrative and Academic Affairs.

While faculty at UAMS, she received numerous awards and honors—a testament to her commitment to student center learning and professional growth. These include an Outstanding Faculty Award (2022), Faculty Marshal for three consecutive years, and the Endowed Cindy D. Stowe Clinical Excellence Award for UAMS senior pharmacy students. Stowe has made a profound impact on the lives of students and colleagues. “Practitioners like Dr. Stowe bring integrity, richness, and depth to the profession of pharmacy,” said Dawn Butler, PharmD (R207), the Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator and NICU Specialty at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

In July 2014, Stowe was named Dean of the Sullivan University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and later the Associate Provost of Sullivan University. Five years later, she then returned to UAMS to serve as Dean. Ann Amerson Mazone, PharmD, Professor Emeritus at the UK College of Pharmacy and 1999 Paul F. Parker Award recipient, noted, “Dr. Stowe has displayed sustained contribution to the profession in practice, teaching and scholarly activity. Her selection as Dean at Sullivan University is further evidence of her development as an outstanding leader in the profession.”

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Jimmi Hatton Kolpek, PharmD (R151), faculty at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and President-elect of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), has been named the 2019 recipient of the Paul F. Parker Award. She will receive the award at the 2019 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Hatton Kolpek has held many roles at the UK College of Pharmacy, including tenured professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice. She provides advanced pharmacy practice, clinical research ethics, and critical care therapeutics instruction to professional students, residents and graduate students in the Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine. At the hospital, she has been an active preceptor and director of the PGY2 Critical Care Program. In her earlier years, Hatton Kolpek worked primarily with the UK HealthCare neurosurgery team and became a fixture in the neurological intensive care unit (ICU). Her integration of research and teaching with her practice creates a unique environment for resident learning.

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Dr. J. Russell (Rusty) May, a UK College of Pharmacy alumnus and R98 in the UK HealthCare Pharmacy Residency program, has been named the 2018 recipient of the Paul F. Parker Award. May will receive this honor at UK's annual Parker Luncheon at the 2018 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition in Anaheim, California.

"Paul Parker was a mentor to me during my residency and this relationship continued for years after I graduated," said May. "We spent many hours together on residency accreditation site visits. Our evening conversations during these trips shaped my practice and teaching philosophies. Dr. Parker was a huge influence on my career. Winning this award, named in his honor, is priceless. Words cannot express how appreciative I am."

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Dr. Robert Kuhn, a specialist in pediatric pharmacy and University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy (UKCOP) faculty member since 1985, has been named the 2017 recipient of the Paul F. Parker Award. He will receive the award on December 5th at the Annual UK Luncheon during the 2017 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Meeting in Orlando.

"I am honored and humbled by this selection,” said Dr. Kuhn. “This is a dream come true. I’m incredibly grateful to be honored by my professional home in this way, and I share this award with the residents, preceptors, students and colleagues who have helped continue the legacy of Paul Parker and his contemporaries. While I may not have completed my post-graduate training at UK, I do consider it my professional home.”

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Gilbert Burckart, a UK College of Pharmacy alumnus and R#22 in the UK HealthCare Pharmacy Residency program, is the 2016 recipient of the Paul F. Parker Award. The Paul F. Parker Award is given annually to a past resident of the University of Kentucky Pharmacy Residency Program or to an individual intimately associated with the success of the program.

This award recognizes an individual who has displayed sustained contribution to the profession in practice, teaching or research; a commitment to high ideals and excellence in their chosen field; leadership and innovation; and a passion to encourage the personal and professional growth of others.

Dr. Gilbert Burckart is presently Associate Director for Pediatrics, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Burckart received his B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of Pittsburgh in 1972, his Pharm.D. from the University of Kentucky in 1975, and did his pediatric residency at the UK Medical Center in Lexington and Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville. He served on the faculties of the State University of New York at Buffalo Children’s Hospital, and the University of Tennessee at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital.

He joined the University of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital in 1982 where his research focused on drug therapy in organ transplant patients. He has been Principal Investigator on NIH grants in both liver and lung transplantation. At Pitt, he was a Professor of Pharmacy, Pediatrics and Surgery, and served as Director of Research for the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. In 2003, he moved to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he was Chairman of the Department of Pharmacy, Director of the Clinical Pharmacogenomics Laboratory, Professor of Pharmacy and Professor of Pediatrics. Dr. Burckart was an investigator at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.

Dr. Burckart has previously served as the President of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, and as President of the American College of Clinical Pharmacology. He is a member of the Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group, and received their Sumner J. Yaffe Lifetime Achievement Award in Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics in 2014. Dr. Burckart moved to the US FDA in 2008. His duties include the direction of the Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology program within the Office of Clinical Pharmacology, and participation in the FDA’s Pediatric Review Committee. His present research program includes analyses of pediatric drug development studies from 1997 to present.

Kenneth Record, a UK College of Pharmacy alumnus and R#63 in the UK HealthCare Pharmacy Residency program, is the 2015 recipient of the Paul F. Parker Award.

Dr. Record is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. After earning his Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the College in 1973, he was piqued by the emerging clinical pharmacy world – particularly what was occurring at the UK Chandler Medical Center. Under the direction and mentorship of Drs. Paul Parker and Robert Rapp, he completed a combined Doctor of Pharmacy and pharmacy residency in 1978.

For most of his career, he has focused his clinical practice in Acute Care Surgery/Trauma with an emphasis on residency training, surgical infectious diseases, and surgical critical care. He has also dedicated himself to bringing his clinical experience to the classroom. He has been a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist for 21 years and enthusiastically supports board certification of pharmacists.

His current interests include clinical pharmacy education and student assessment. Dr. REcord is a recipient of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Innovations in Teaching Award in 2001 and the UK College of Pharmacy Michael J. Lach Faculty Award for Innovative Teaching Practices in 2006.

The Paul F. Parker Award is given annually to a past resident of the University of Kentucky Pharmacy Residency Program or to an individual intimately associated with the success of the program. This award recognizes an individual who has displayed sustained contribution to the profession in practice, teaching or research; a commitment to high ideals and excellence in their chosen field; leadership and innovation; and a passion to encourage the personal and professional growth of others.

Dr. Kirking had a distinguished career in pharmacy and public health, having served as a faculty member for 28 years at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy and School of Public Health. While at Michigan, he served as department chair and graduate program director, and developed and directed a Center for Medication Use Policy and Economics. Upon his retirement, the University of Michigan named Dr. Kirking as a Professor Emeritus of Social and Administrative Sciences and a Research Scientist Emeritus of Health Management and Policy. He has trained and mentored numerous pharmacists and graduate students who have gone on to have distinguished careers in pharmacy practice, academia, the pharmaceutical industry, and other areas. Through his joint appointment in the School of Public Health he advanced the principles of appropriate medication use and innovative pharmacy practice to future health care administrators.

Dr. Kirking has made a sustained and substantial contribution to research throughout his career. His research interests have encompassed assessment of the quality of medication use, drug utilization review, consumer satisfaction, accessibility and availability of generic drugs, evaluation of innovative pharmacy programs and medication use outcomes in asthma, hormone replacement therapy, and HIV. His contribution to pharmacy-related research was recognized by the American Pharmacists Association when Dr. Kirking was given its Research Achievement Award in the Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2003, an award given in his discipline only once every three years.

Among Dr. Kirking’s professional activities in pharmacy and public health is his 22 years of volunteer service to the United States Pharmacopeia. He was elected to USP’s Board of Trustees in 2005 and has served as Chairman of the Board since 2008.

Dr. Kirking earned a BS in Pharmacy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a PharmD from the University of Kentucky. He also received a Master’s degree in Public Administration and a PhD in Social and Administrative Sciences in Pharmacy from the Ohio State University.