Patent-pending veterinary medicine, economic studies on pharmaceutical cost impact, clinical informatics, and a nationwide pharmacy network for aging patients. It sounds like the beginning of a sci-fi novel, but it's not; its contributions made by University of Colorado Anschutz Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences alumni who are changing the field of healthcare.
In November, alumni, faculty, staff, and members of the CU Pharmacy community gathered to honor the recipients of the Pharmacy Alumni Awards, an annual event celebrating alumni achievement. The event also recognized the hard work of the Pharmacy Alumni Association Board, a volunteer organization with the purpose of helping recent graduates navigate their field.
“This event is one way that we can gather our alumni, celebrate their wins, and be part of their continued journey in pharmacy,” said Madison Crepeau, Program Manager of Alumni Relations.
The event did more than celebrate wins, as it recognized lifetime achievement, innovation in scientific discovery, and systemic development to improve how elderly patients receive care, and — one surprise recognition for outgoing CU Pharmacy Dean, Ralph Altiere, PhD.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Jagdish Khatter, PharmD ’86
The Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes graduates of CU Pharmacy who have made significant contributions to the advancement and practice of pharmacy and/or pharmaceutical sciences over the whole of their career.
Dr. Jagdish Khatter’s journey from a rural farming village in northern India to executive leadership in American pharmacy reflects a life defined by resilience, service and innovation. Inspired by his grandfather, a village pharmacist, he pursued healthcare and ultimately came to the United States, earning his Bachelor of Science in pharmacy in 1986 and his PharmD in 2004 from CU Pharmacy.
He began his career in retail pharmacy at Walgreens, rising to vice president of innovation and diabetes services, and later led long-term care operations at Pharmcare USA. From a basement operation in Aurora, Colorado, he helped build one of the nation’s largest assisted living pharmacy networks. A pioneer in community-based clinical services, Khatter launched early diabetes management programs, immunization clinics and expanded care into lipid management, infertility and compounding.
Certified as a geriatric pharmacist and diabetes educator, he has held numerous national leadership roles and served as a clinical preceptor, mentoring generations of pharmacy students, especially those from underserved communities. His community service includes chronic disease education in senior centers, faith organizations, and public health screenings.
Now, he is focused on advancing affordable, dignified aging and end-of-life care, guided by his philosophy: learn, contribute, achieve.
Alumni Impact Award: David Tabano, PhD ’18
The Alumni Impact Award recognizes graduates of CU Pharmacy who have made impactful contributions to the practice of pharmacy or demonstrated major accomplishments in a professional pharmacy practice or significant contributions in pharmaceutical research and development.
Dr. David Tabano is a nationally recognized leader in Health Economics and Outcomes Research, currently serving as Senior Director, Value Evidence Customer Strategy Lead at Genentech. In this role, he leads real-world evidence strategies supporting national payers and pharmacy benefit managers, translating complex HEOR data into clear, actionable value messaging that improves patient access to care. Tabano built his foundation in economics at the CU Denver, where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. His interest in outcomes research deepened through early exposure to real-world data and collaborative research at the CU Pharmacy Center for Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research. He later joined the Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Research, where he gained hands-on experience in clinical informatics and population-level research.
Recognizing the need for advanced training, Tabano returned to academia and earned his PhD from CU Pharmacy in 2018, focusing his dissertation on the economic impact of breakthrough hepatitis C therapies. His postdoctoral career includes key HEOR and data science leadership roles at Bristol Myers Squibb and Genentech.
A dedicated mentor and advocate for evidence-based decision-making, Tabano emphasizes curiosity, clarity and resilience as essential tools for advancing both research and healthcare policy.
Horizon Alumni Award: Patrick Smith, PharmD ’16
The Horizon Alumni Award recognizes recent graduates within the last 10 years of the CU Pharmacy who have made outstanding contributions to the practice of pharmacy or demonstrated potential for major accomplishments in a professional pharmacy practice or significant contributions in pharmaceutical research and development.
Since graduating from the CU Pharmacy in 2016, Dr. Patrick Smith has built a career defined by innovation, integrity and a commitment to the art of pharmacy. He serves as director of innovation and intellectual property strategy at the nation’s largest compounding pharmacy for food-producing animals, where he leads novel formulation development and IP management while working with executives to drive innovation forward.
Smith began in retail pharmacy, gaining recognition for tackling complex compounding requests for maternal health clinics and pediatric providers lacking access to specialized formulations. His curiosity and problem-solving mindset led him into veterinary pharmacy, an area where pharmacists are rarely consulted but can have major impact.
His work has resulted in multiple patent-pending formulations, including a widely used water-soluble NSAID for the swine industry and a recently issued patent for a water-soluble aminopenicillin. These advances have transformed medication delivery for large herds and expanded how veterinarians view the role of pharmacy.
In addition to the awards and board recognition, this year’s event honored the outgoing CU Pharmacy dean Dr. Ralph Altiere. Altiere announced his decision to return to the faculty in January after twenty years as dean of CU Pharmacy, and this alumni awards marks his last in that role.
“Honoring the dean was a surprise to him,” said Crepeau. “We went so far as to have different scripts for the night, so his recognition was a total shock, and we were happy that we were able to do this on his last awards ceremony.”
Altiere was honored for his exceptional service to the School. Throughout his leadership, CU Pharmacy grew in stature and program offerings. Altiere led CU Pharmacy to the top tier of pharmacy schools in the country, ranked in the top 10% of more than 140 schools, and has fostered a culture of mentorship and support that has prepared countless students to lead in the field and drawn top talent to the faculty ranks.
During his tenure, he oversaw major milestones: the move to the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora (2008), construction of a new $48 million facility funded in part by gifts from the ALSAM Foundation and the Skaggs family, and the renaming of the school. He also led the creation of numerous new academic programs, including international-trained and remote PharmD tracks, an MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences with specialties like Cannabis Science, and new graduate-level certificates. Altiere also championed growth in research and scholarship funding, with endowments increasing more than 12-fold since 2006 and the establishment of a dedicated Research Pharmacy and Drug Discovery Center.
“Dr. Altiere has been an integral part of our story as a campus, and we are grateful for his countless contributions to CU Pharmacy,” said CU Anschutz Chancellor Don Elliman earlier this year. “He has led the school through nearly two decades of growth and change, and we owe him a debt of gratitude for his longstanding service and commitment to pharmacy education and pharmaceutical research pursuits.”