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Pharmacy’s Hatton Kolpek Retires After 33 Years of Service

Celebrated University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy (UKCOP) faculty member Jimmi Hatton Kolpek, Pharm.D., R151, retires following an exemplary career as tenured professor and former chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice and professor of neurosurgery in the College of Medicine. She will step down from her role on October 31, 2022, after devoting 33 years to teaching, research, and mentorship.

Behal Appointed as Post-Doctoral Academic Fellow

The University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy (UKCOP) is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Behal, PharmD, R537, as a post-doctoral academic fellow. The College is reestablishing the Academic Fellow position, and Behal will be the first to hold this revitalized role. The work was specifically designed to help early-career scholars grow into an academic role while providing additional training in scholarship, service, and pharmacy practice.

College of Pharmacy Welcomes New Faculty

The University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy (UKCOP) welcomed two junior faculty at the start of the 2022-2023 academic year, adding to its cadre of world-class health professionals, scientists, and educators. 

Pharmacy’s Dean honored with Portoghese Lectureship Award

R. Kip Guy, Ph.D., dean of the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy (UKCOP), has been named the recipient of the 2022 Philip S. Portoghese Medicinal Chemistry Lectureship Award. This award from the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry honors Guy for his outstanding contributions to medicinal chemistry.

An Inspirational Leader in the Pharmaceutical Industry

In today’s goal-oriented world, we are often told that we can accomplish anything we put our mind to. This is especially true when you believe in yourself and find passion in what you do. When reflecting on these personal strengths, one pharmacy professional that comes to mind is Dr. Verneda Hawkins (PharmD 1985). Hawkins, a leader at Biogen and in the pharmaceutical industry, has dedicated her professional life to building up strong skill sets and a remarkable level of self-confidence to succeed in her pharmacy career. This has allowed her to make a clear difference in her own life while positively impacting the lives of so many others. 

Dwoskin to Receive National Award for Innovation

Dr. Linda Dwoskin has been named the recipient of the 2022 Innovator Award by the College on Problems of Drug Dependence.

UKCOP Alumna Impacts Veteran Health Through Rural Scholars Fellowship

University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy alumna Tara Downs (PharmD 2008), a clinical pharmacy practitioner board certified in Ambulatory Care and Geriatric Pharmacy and serving in geriatrics at the Lexington Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System (HCS), has been named a fellow for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Rural Scholars Fellowship Program. As one of few primary care providers selected to participate in the program, Downs will use her knowledge of pharmacy, strong leadership skills and thorough job experience with the VA to improve rural health care for veterans.

Louisville Clinical Education Center Names Mills as Clinical Training Coordinator

The Louisville Clinical Education Center (LCEC) has announced a change in faculty for the Clinical Training Coordinator position. Dr. Janet Mills, PharmD, BCPS, CDCES, has been selected to replace Dr. Chris Miller, PharmD, MS, MBA, BCNSP, who held the position for 14 years and transitioned into retirement in November 2021.

Welton O'Neal Named 2021 Paul Parker Award Recipient

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.  

As one of the most accessible healthcare providers, pharmacist-led monoclonal antibody clinic makes sense

Pharmacists are arguably one of the most accessible healthcare providers to the public, especially during pandemic times, and often go unrecognized for their effort and sacrifices to help curb this devastating virus. One shining example of a pharmacist who readily contributes to the frontline battle is Dr. Gavin Howington (PharmD 2014). Howington, an Emergency Medicine Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at UK HealthCare and Clinical Assistant Professor at the UK College of Pharmacy, is making a daily impact on the lives of high-risk patients who contract COVID-19. Through the use of monoclonal antibody therapy, Howington helps the healthcare field gain control over a virus that continually evolves over time.

We wish to remember and honor those who inhabited this Commonwealth before the arrival of the Europeans. Briefly occupying these lands were the Osage, Wyndott tribe, and Miami peoples. The Adena and Hopewell peoples, who are recognized by the naming of the time period in which they resided here, were here more permanently. Some of their mounds remain in the Lexington area, including at UK’s Adena Park.

In more recent years, the Cherokee occupied southeast Kentucky, the Yuchi southwest Kentucky, the Chickasaw extreme western Kentucky and the Shawnee central Kentucky including what is now the city of Lexington. The Shawnee left when colonization pushed through the Appalachian Mountains. Lower Shawnee Town ceremonial grounds are still visible in Greenup County.

We honor the first inhabitants who were here, respect their culture, and acknowledge the presence of their descendants who are here today in all walks of life including fellow pharmacists and healthcare professionals.