The University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has been selected as the recipient of the 2017 Lawrence C. Weaver Transformative Community Service Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).
The award is presented annually to a single college or school of pharmacy that demonstrates a commitment to addressing unmet community needs through education, practice, and research. According to AACP, this commitment should be demonstrated through the development of exceptional programs that go beyond the traditional service role of academic pharmacy, "I am very happy that we will be recognized on a national stage for the good work we and our students do at our school and in our community," said Dean Ralph Altiere.
During the site visit presentation to AACP several CU Pharmacy programs were showcased including:
- Prescription drug abuse prevention and the combatting the opioid epidemic in Colorado. The efforts of CU Pharmacy faculty member Rob Valuck and the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, in assembling stakeholders to fight the opioid crisis is remarkable and continues to gain national attention. Faculty members Robert Page and Brandon Utter, and the DUR (Drug Utilization Review) team have made substantial contributions in Medicaid policy to limit opioid use among Medicaid beneficiaries. Sunny Linnebur and her colleagues at CDPHE have expanded drug take-back receptacles throughout our state.
- Commitment to rural health in Colorado. CU Pharmacy faculty Megan Thompson, Wes Nuffer, the Office of Experiential Programs, and our students have made a true difference in improving the health of rural Coloradans. Alumnus, David Gurule, and his work at Valley Wide Health in Alamosa is a point of pride for our school.
- Commitment to Community Health Centers and Federally Qualified Health Centers in Colorado through faculty positions, student rotations, and scholarly work. CU Pharmacy faculty members Sarah Anderson, Joel Marrs, Emily Kosirog, Ben Chavez, Rhianna Tuchscherer, Jen Petrie, Morgan Payne, Connie Valdez, and their students and residents all provide care to thousands of underserved Coloradans.
- Aurora Elementary Schools Nutrition Program. Over 1,500 pharmacy students and 8,000 elementary students have participated since program inception.
- Partnership with the Community Campus Partnership and the work of Robert McGranaghan, MPH.
CU Pharmacy faculty member, Gina Moore, gathered all the elements needed for the award submission, "Thanks to your {Dr. Moore's} commitment and persistence over the years in preparing our award application and arranging our site visits and the great work of our faculty and students," said Dean Altiere.
"Gina and everyone at the School of Pharmacy – congratulations! This is truly and richly deserved and I am so happy for you (and for the campus). I was honored to be part of this process and so glad to know that the outcome was what we all wanted. The School of Pharmacy has been a great champion and leader on the campus for community engagement and this award gives further evidence of that. Cheers!" Added Robert McGranaghan.
This is a huge honor for our school! The award consists of a commemorative sculpture honoring the institution’s extraordinary social commitment and $5,000 to distribute to community partners to support continuation or expansion of their collaboration. The award will be presented at AACP’s Annual Meeting in July.
