Fred Abramson Receives PLS Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award

Award recognizes Abramson’s promotion of student leadership, contributions to the achievements of the School’s chapter, and leadership and mentorship through service

By Becky Ceraul
April 27, 2011

Fred Abramson, BSP’56, RPh, an assistant professor of pharmacy practice and science at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, accepted the Phi Lambda Sigma (PLS) Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award presented at the annual meeting of the American Pharmacists Association on March 26.

Abramson, or Fred as he is affectionately known to his students, is the founding advisor of the PLS Beta Lambda Chapter at the School of Pharmacy. “Fred has served as a tireless leader and mentor to students in the Beta Lambda Chapter, and he continues to be one of the primary reasons for its success and accomplishments,” says Katelyn Smith, a third-year student pharmacist and president of the chapter.

According to his students, Abramson takes a personal stake in their success and in the success of the chapter. “His vast leadership experience as well as his nurturing, attentive, and supportive personality were critical to starting our chapter,” says Andrew York, a third-year student pharmacist and past-president of the chapter.

Under Abramson’s leadership, the Beta Lambda chapter has won the National PLS Chapter of the Year Award, as well as the Charles Thomas Leadership Challenge. A number of its members have won the PLS National Founder’s Award, and its founding member was recognized with the first PLS National Alumni of the Year Award. “All of the success of the Beta Lambda Chapter should be directly attributed to Fred,” says York.

Abramson came to the School of Pharmacy in 1982 after a 20-year career as the owner of an independent pharmacy and several years working in management for a large pharmacy chain. He has taught more than 4,000 pharmacy students and, for the past 10 years, has served as director of the Pharmacy Practice Lab, also known as “Fred Lab,” where he teaches first-, second- and third-year students. As a teacher who is dedicated to his students’ professional growth, “watching them move on to successful careers is what I like best,” he says.

“One of the features that make Fred’s leadership so important is that his experience is not solely related to pharmacy,” says Smith. “Fred served as a business and community leader, and he shares these experiences with his students. He is able to provide an extremely valuable perspective which incorporates leadership within pharmacy with skills learned in other disciplines. He instills these values in his students and the Beta Lambda members, which has allowed us to excel as leaders and manage our organization with an effectiveness that is not often seen.”

Among Abramson’s many accolades are: 2008-2009 Faculty Member of the Year Award, Best Class Advisor in 1995, Teacher of the Year in 1998, Honorary President of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy Alumni Association in 1998, and the Maryland Pharmacists Association’s Mentor of the Year Award in 2005. He also serves as advisor to the School’s student chapter of the National Community Pharmacists Association and is a member of the Alumni Association’s Executive Board.

“I can think of no one more deserving of this premier PLS Award than Fred Abramson,” says Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, FAAPS, professor and dean of the School of Pharmacy. “Fred is tremendously dedicated to pharmacy education as exemplified by his advice, advocacy, and genuine concern for all students. He is loved by the faculty, staff, and students here at the School and we all congratulate Fred on this honor.”

“Advisors are the backbone of our chapter structure,” says Mary Euler, PharmD, FAPhA, executive director of Phi Lambda Sigma. “The successes of the Beta Lambda chapter are a testament to Fred’s commitment to the students at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.”