School of Pharmacy Celebrates the Class of 2011 at Convocation

156 PharmD and PhD students receive degrees and start the next phase of their lives

By Becky Ceraul
May 23, 2011

On May 20, family, friends, faculty, staff, and preceptors watched proudly as the School of Pharmacy’s newest Doctors of Pharmacy walked across the stage at the School’s annual convocation ceremony held at the Sheraton Hotel to receive their doctoral hoods.

In her opening remarks, Dean Eddington told the class that their countless hours in class and in the lab, studying, training, researching, and representing the School of Pharmacy at practice sites has finally paid off. “You will walk out of this auditorium a doctor of pharmacy and embark on the next phase of your life,” she said. “This graduation ceremony is a special day for me personally because you were new first year students when I became dean of the School of Pharmacy in the late summer of 2007. Just like you, I’ve learned a lot in the last four years, but unlike you, my time at the School isn’t ending. I’ll be back on Monday morning.”

The Class of 2011 is a special one for the School because it marks the graduation of the first group of PharmD students from the School’s Shady Grove program. In the fall of 2007, the School of Pharmacy took an innovative route by implementing distance learning technology in order to expand its PharmD program to the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Md., enrolling 40 additional students in fall 2007. Thirty-three of those students graduated.

According to Eddington, the landscape of how health care is provided is changing quickly and in dynamic ways. “It is truly a transformational time to be a pharmacist because you will play a significant role in modifying pharmacy practice under health care reform,” she told the graduates. “There are patients in the state of Maryland and beyond who need your expertise.”

She reminded everyone in attendance how vital the School’s PhD graduates are to the equation. The School’s PhD students received their hoods at a Graduate School ceremony on May 19. “Your endeavors in research will lead to the design and discovery of new therapeutics to treat a variety of diseases,” she said. “As a researcher myself, I understand the challenges a career in scientific research present. But with your unique skills and perseverance, it’s foreseeable that you will be on the forefront of discovery.”

Mary Euler, PharmD, FAPhA, professor and associate dean for academic affairs at the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy in West Virginia and executive director of Phi Lambda Sigma, the national pharmacy leadership society, was chosen by the Class of 2011 as the keynote speaker for convocation.

Robert Michocki, PharmD, a professor of pharmacy practice and science, and Jill Morgan, PharmD, associated dean of student affairs and an associate professor of pharmacy practice and science, was selected by the graduating class as Faculty Members of the Year.

The School’s morning convocation ceremony was followed by a campus-wide graduation ceremony at 3 p.m. at First Mariner Arena. Jay A. Perman, MD, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, provided the keynote address.

Maryland Society of Health-System Pharmacists Student Achievement Award
Sheryl Thedford

Experiential Achievement Award
Anthony Uwadia

Alpha Zeta Omega Fraternity, Kappa Chapter Prize for proficiency in pharmacology
Sarah Murphy

Andrew G. DuMez Award for superior proficiency in pharmacy
Kelly Hanna

Lambda Kappa Sigma, Epsilon Alumnae Chapter-Cole Award for proficiency in pharmacy administration
Mario Luong

William Simon Memorial Prize for superior work in the field of medicinal chemistry, practical and analytical chemistry
Addishiwot Solomon

Dr. & Mrs. Frank J. Slama Award for superior work in the field of biopharmacognosy
Katherine O’Brien

Frank J. Slama Award by the School’s Alumni Association to a graduating student who has excelled in extracurricular activities
Chai Wang

Wagner Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence Prize for meritorious academic achievement in pharmaceutical jurisprudence
Kate McHenry

John F. Wannenwetsch Memorial Prize for exceptional performance and promise in the practice of community pharmacy
Joan Phillips

Conrad L. Wich Prize for exceptional work in medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy
Melanie Hare

L.S. Williams Practical Pharmacy Prize to the student having the highest general average in basic and applied pharmaceutics
Nikisadat Mehdizadegan

Academic Excellence Award
Kelly Hanna
Sarah Murphy
Joan Phillips

Leadership Awards
Justin Constantino
Christina Dang
Catherine Lee
Kathleen Morneau
Grace Pak
Sheryl Thedford
Allen Tran
Chai Wang

Preceptors of the Year
Lt Hamet H. Toure, PharmD, MPH
Meghan Sullivan, PharmD
Michael J. Beatty, RPh
Larry P. Siegel, PharmD
Joshana K. Goga, PharmD, BCPP

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