National awards recognize pharmacy educators

Three UCSF School of Pharmacy faculty members have received national honors for health sciences education this spring.

Public Health Excellence Award

Robin Corelli, PharmD, and Karen Hudmon, DrPH, MS, BSPharm, both Department of Clinical Pharmacy, received the Public Health Excellence Award from the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) in recognition of the duo’s exceptional contributions and national impact on tobacco cessation education. Making the presentation on March 4 at the Federal Pharmacy Forum during the American Pharmacists Association annual meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, was Assistant Surgeon General, Rear Admiral Pamela Schweitzer, USPHS.

Corelli and Hudmon have been promoting tobacco cessation for almost 20 years through collaborative research, publications, advocacy, and the seminal Rx for Change tobacco cessation training program, which they created. This free program, available online for download, is designed to give health professional students and licensed clinicians—regardless of discipline—the knowledge and skills needed to help patients quit using all forms of tobacco. Almost every graduating pharmacy student in the U.S. has used the Rx for Change program. The USPHS Commissioned Corps has adopted the program as a health education resource for communities and health professionals.

Corelli serves as vice chair of professional affairs, Department of Clinical Pharmacy. Hudmon is a volunteer faculty member in the same department and a professor of pharmacy practice, Purdue University College of Pharmacy.

AACP Master Preceptor Recognition

Joining Corelli and Hudmon on the national stage is Sharya Bourdet, PharmD, BCPS, a volunteer faculty member, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, who teaches UCSF doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students. Bourdet was named one of seven master preceptors in the 2016 Master Preceptor Recognition Program from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). The award, announced by AACP on April 14, recognizes dedication and commitment to excellence in experiential education and professional practice.

Sharya Bourdet, PharmD, BCPS

Bourdet serves as associate chief of pharmacy for acute care and education and pharmacy residency program director for first-year residents within the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System. UCSF student pharmacists rotate through Bourdet’s clinical practice site where they gain introductory and advanced practice experiences in health system pharmacy.

Bourdet also teaches therapeutics courses in the PharmD program and is developing an experiential education program for students that incorporates team-based patient care and a deeper understanding of health systems in the clinical setting. “Sharya’s input has been spot on as we transform our PharmD curriculum to one that better meets the rapidly changing health care needs of today,” said Vice Dean Sharon L. Youmans, PharmD, MPH.

“Sharya is a star—an asset to our School, the UCSF community, and the profession of pharmacy,” Youmans added. “We look forward to gleaning more of her insights into experiential education as we prepare to launch a transformed PharmD curriculum in 2018.”

More

• Pharmacy Times: An interview with the dean of the UCSF School of Pharmacy [link defunct]
• PharmD curriculum transformation: An interview with Vice Dean Sharon L. Youmans
• Academic Pharmacy Now: Evolving Education [link defunct]
• Commentary: The PharmD graduate of the future