Robert J. Kuhn, PharmD, has been named the recipient of this year's University of Kentucky (UK) Piecoro Pioneer Award in Pediatric Pharmacy, given annually to someone who has made sustained contributions to the field and shown a passion for growing the next generation of pediatric pharmacists. Kuhn is the 10th recipient since the award's founding in 2017, when its namesake, John Piecoro, PharmD, was the inaugural honoree.
Kuhn, professor emeritus and former Kentucky Hospital Association Endowed Professor, joined the UK faculty in 1985 and retired in 2025 after four decades of service. His research helped secure approval of ciprofloxacin for children with cystic fibrosis — a milestone that changed treatment outcomes. His advocacy helped establish the pharmacist as a standard member of every cystic fibrosis care team in the country.
That work is part of a career built on mentorship as much as research and practice. Kuhn trained more than 40 pediatric pharmacy residents many of whom now lead in pediatric pharmacy themselves, and he instilled in generations of students a principle he still champions: nothing comes before the care of a sick child.
Kuhn holds a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy from Ohio State University, a Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Texas at Austin (1984) and is an ASHP Pediatric Pharmacotherapy Fellow. His honors include the Richard Helms Award for Excellence in Pediatric Pharmacy Practice, the ACCP Pediatric PRN Outstanding Achievement Award and the ASHP Outstanding Preceptor of the Year Award, as well as the Kentucky Society of Health-System Pharmacists' Pharmacist of the Year and the Paul Parker Award.
The award carries personal significance for Kuhn, who was a close friend and longtime colleague of Piecoro, a pioneer who spent more than 35 years with the UK College of Pharmacy, starting in the late 1960s. Piecoro launched pediatric clinical pharmacy services at UK HealthCare and was instrumental in building the program. He passed away in 2019.
The Piecoro Pioneer lectureship will be presented on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at noon in the Lee T. Todd Jr. Building, Room 124. A virtual option is also available. Click here for the Zoom link.
