2026 Hall of Distinguished Preceptors Announced

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 31, 2026) — The University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy (UKCOP) is proud to announce the induction of four outstanding preceptors into the prestigious Hall of Distinguished Preceptors. The honorees will be recognized during the Hall of Distinguished Alumni & Preceptor Awards on Friday, April 17, 2026, at 6 p.m. at Limestone Hall, 215 W. Main St., Lexington, Ky.

The Hall of Distinguished Preceptors honors voluntary or adjunct faculty who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to mentoring student pharmacists through experiential learning. This year’s recipients represent four categories: advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE), introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE), Christopher Miller Louisville Clinical Education Center and new preceptor of the year.

“This recognition is a testament to the remarkable dedication these individuals bring to experiential education every single day,” said Holly Divine, PharmD, assistant dean of external studies. “Among nearly 800 active preceptors in our program, being named to this group is a true distinction. We are so grateful for the time, energy and passion they invest in our students and in the future of this profession.”

APPE Preceptor of the Year: Katie Wallace, PharmD, BCIDP

Katie Wallace, PharmD, BCIDP, was raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2013 from the Purdue University College of Pharmacy in West Lafayette, Indiana. She completed both a PGY1 pharmacy practice residency and a PGY2 infectious diseases pharmacy residency at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, finishing in 2015. Upon completion of residency, Wallace joined the UK HealthCare team as an infectious disease clinical pharmacist.

In 2017, Wallace became the infectious diseases residency program director. Working alongside her outstanding infectious diseases team, she has helped grow the program from one resident position to three. Over the past several years, she has mentored 20 PGY2 infectious diseases residents and more than 40 pharmacy students. In recognition of her commitment to training and mentorship, she was honored with the 2022–2023 UK HealthCare Pharmacy Residency Preceptor of the Year award. Wallace has also contributed to advancing infectious diseases pharmacy through more than 15 peer-reviewed publications and over 45 regional and national research and quality-improvement projects completed in collaboration with her ID team.

Wallace has been precepting pharmacy students and residents since 2015, and it has consistently been one of the most meaningful and rewarding parts of her career. She frequently reflects that the students she teaches have also been among her greatest teachers, continually reminding her that the most meaningful impact in any profession comes from caring deeply for the people we serve and mentor.

IPPE Preceptor of the Year: Kevin Crabtree, RPh

Kevin Crabtree, RPh, was born and raised in Monticello, Kentucky, and quite literally grew up in community pharmacy due to his family’s deep roots in that setting. He received his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy in 1982 from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. Crabtree practiced in community pharmacies in Kentucky until 1993, when he began working at Taylor County Hospital. In 2000, he joined Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, first as a staff pharmacist, then as a pharmacy clinical coordinator, and ultimately as pharmacy director in 2011, a role in which he supervises a staff of 27 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

Crabtree has been precepting pharmacy students throughout most of his career. Having benefited from many dedicated preceptors and mentors himself, he views it as a professional obligation to “pay it forward” to the next generation of pharmacists. He brings unique insight gained across both community and health-system pharmacy settings, enriching the learning experience for every student he mentors.

A proud member of the Kentucky Colonels, Crabtree has participated in medical mission trips to Belize, Mexico, Cuba and Israel. He has been married to Teri Horton-Crabtree for 44 years and is the grandfather of five.

Ryan Albers, PharmD, BCACP, BC-ADM, was born and raised in New Albany, Indiana, and received his Doctor of Pharmacy in 2015 from Purdue University College of Pharmacy. He completed a PGY1 pharmacy residency at the Fayetteville VA Medical Center and a PGY2 ambulatory care residency at the Lexington VA Medical Center, followed by a position as ambulatory care clinical pharmacy specialist for the VA Northern Indiana Health Care System.

In 2019, Albers returned to Kentuckiana and joined Baptist Health Louisville as an ambulatory care pharmacist in the Medication Management Clinic. In 2021, he became the founding residency program director for the PGY2 ambulatory care residency, a role he held for four years. Throughout his tenure, he has mentored APPE students, PGY1 pharmacy residents and PGY2 ambulatory care residents across rotations, including anticoagulation management, new service development, population health and professional development and service.

Above all, Albers seeks to create a supportive learning environment where learners can be challenged yet feel at ease. He has found particular joy in directly precepting some of his mentees at every step of their training—from APPE student to PGY1 resident to PGY2 ambulatory care resident to colleague. While honored by this recognition, he humbly acknowledges the meaningful contributions of his colleagues, especially Taylor Hawkins, PharmD and Emalee Haynes, PharmD, in fostering the growth of learners.

Eric Marr, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, was raised in Glasgow, Kentucky, and earned his bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University before completing his PharmD and MBA at the University of Kentucky. After completing his PGY1 pharmacy residency at Baptist Health Lexington in 2020, Marr joined the organization as a clinical pharmacist. He currently serves as PGY1 pharmacy residency program director at Baptist Health Lexington, where he also precepts in internal medicine, hospital practice, the anticoagulation clinic and residency leadership. In addition to his work in residency education, Marr serves as chair of the Kentucky Society of Health-System Pharmacists House of Delegates and sits on the KSHP Board of Directors.

Marr has precepted advanced pharmacy practice experience students, longitudinal IPPE-L students and pharmacy residents, with teaching centered in internal medicine and hospital practice while also incorporating ambulatory and leadership experiences. His precepting style is supportive, relationship-driven and individualized to each learner’s goals.

One of his favorite parts of precepting is seeing learners progress from being unfamiliar with the clinical environment to confidently contributing to patient care. For Marr, precepting is about advocacy, growth and helping learners take meaningful steps toward the pharmacists they want to become.