Dean David D. Allen (left) presents Alan McKay with the UM School of Pharmacy’s 2017 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award at the Alumni Weekend banquet. UM photo by Sydney Slotkin DuPriest

OXFORD, Miss. – Alan McKay, founding dean emeritus of the Shenandoah University Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy, has been named the 2017 University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy Distinguished Alumnus of the Year.

McKay accepted the award April 8 at the annual School of Pharmacy Alumni Weekend banquet.

McKay completed his master’s and Ph.D. in health care administration, now called pharmacy administration, at UM in 1980 under the guidance of Mickey Smith, then chair of the Department of Health Care Administration.

“Everybody at Ole Miss was like family and it took away the fear,” McKay said. “Mississippi has a way of accepting people and letting them feel comfortable with who they are.”

After completing his master’s degree, McKay, feeling overwhelmed with school, work and family, decided to tell Smith that he wouldn’t be pursuing his Ph.D.

“And Mickey looked at me and he said, ‘McKay, I see smart people come and I see smart people go. The ones that make a difference are the ones who don’t give up,'” McKay recounted. “Everybody has to have somebody who believes in them.”

McKay received his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Mercer University in 1975. After receiving his doctorate from UM, he became an assistant professor at Mercer University College of Pharmacy. He joined the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in 1983 before moving to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences as chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice in 1990.

He began his penultimate position as founding dean of Shenandoah’s School of Pharmacy in 1995 and retired in August 2016.

“Starting a new school of pharmacy 22 years ago was a big challenge,” McKay said. “You can’t just tell people what you want done and what you think is important. Sometimes you have to demonstrate.”

Since retiring, he has continued to use his experience as the director of Shenandoah University’s Design Innovation Center and as a member of a task force charged with creating a new medical school in northern Virginia.

During the planning of the medical school, McKay wrote a curriculum proposal that focused on team-based education, known as a fusion curriculum. As part of his proposal, students from all health care disciplines would take a three-week break from their specialized curricula every semester and work together to solve health care problems using information technology and genomics, a practice called precision medicine.

“We are trying to intentionally incorporate into the next generation of health professionals an understanding and appreciation of two things: one, that technology is changing under your feet, and two, you’re not going to solve all the problems yourself,” McKay said.

Besides his visionary approach to health care education, McKay’s colleagues know him as a caring educator who is deeply interested in the well-being of his students. John Bentley, chair of the Department of Pharmacy Administration at UM, referred to McKay’s “transformative effect” on others.

“Part of it is role modeling,” Bentley said. “We see in Alan someone who has strong values, has a vision for where he wants to go and can see things beyond where a lot of people can see; but it’s also just taking an interest in people.

“Alan sees qualities in people and is able to help develop them.”

The winner of this award is chosen based on character, leadership and contributions to the pharmacy profession, said David D. Allen, dean of the UM School of Pharmacy.

“Alan McKay is one of the most insightful and forward-thinking pharmacy educators I’ve met, and an exceptional representative of the School of Pharmacy,” Allen said. “I’m very pleased we can honor him in this way.”

Alix Cawthon

OXFORD, Miss. – Alix Cawthon, a second-year pharmacy student at the University of Mississippi, is the winner of a Kappa Epsilon Zada M. Cooper Scholarship.

A professional pharmacy fraternity founded in 1921 with the mission to serve women pharmacists, Kappa Epsilon champions women’s health issues. The fraternity’s foundation promotes scholastic and professional advancement among its members with awards, fellowships and scholarships such as the Zada M. Cooper Scholarship, a $750 award given to five students each year.

Cawthon became a member of the UM chapter of Kappa Epsilon as a sophomore in the early-entry pharmacy program. After a year, she became the organization’s secretary and this year serves as the Kappa Epsilon president.

“While Alix has demonstrated she can excel within the academic rigor of a challenging pharmacy curriculum, perhaps one of her most outstanding characteristics is the ability to accomplish so much academically with a humble and quiet approach, coupled with her service to others,” said David Gregory, associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Pharmacy. “She is well respected by the faculty, her fellow students and certainly by our administration.”

After completing her Pharm.D., Cawthon, an Abita Springs, Louisiana native, plans to complete at least one year in a hospital residency program, where she hopes to specialize in infectious diseases.

“Receiving this national scholarship will hopefully give me a leg up in the residency application process, and, of course, it also helps alleviate the burden of student loans,” Cawthon said.

Cawthon spent an extensive amount of time on the scholarship application, which required several essays about her career goals and how she will contribute to Kappa Epsilon in the future.

“Alix is a very bright young woman with innate abilities,” said Rachel Robinson, pharmacy practice professor and faculty adviser of Kappa Epsilon. “She has an intellectual curiosity that is indicative of her skills and willingness to learn.”

Kappa Epsilon presented the Zada M. Cooper Scholarships at the American Pharmacists Association annual meeting and exposition March 25 in San Francisco.

UM pharmacy student Ethan Casey (left), Andrew Smelser, Blake Burcham and Jonathan Doles, all of whom are in their fourth professional year of the program, show off their trophy from the 2014 golf tournament. Submitted photo

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy is gearing up for one of its biggest weekends of the year, as both alumni and students gather for a full slate of competition, fellowship and awards.

The school’s annual Alumni Weekend is set for Friday and Saturday (April 7-8), complete with class reunions, a golf tournament, a cookout and an awards banquet. Meanwhile, student teams will be facing off against one another in the annual Pharmacy Olympics, which run through Sunday.

Scott Thompson, assistant director of the Alumni Association, plans the Alumni Weekend each year.

“The best part of putting the Alumni Weekend together is that I get to connect with alumni who are eager to invite their classmates back to campus,” Thompson said. “The brochures and emails we send can only do so much, but a personal phone call, email or social media message from a friend can do so much more.”

Alumni from all graduating classes are invited, and this year’s event includes reunions for the classes of 1957, 1967, 1977, 1987, 1997 and 2007. Attendees form teams to compete in the golf tournament, which raises money for student scholarships.

“We are so grateful to the alumni who work to make the golf tournament and the whole Alumni Weekend a success,” said David D. Allen, dean of the School of Pharmacy. “It’s wonderful to see the Ole Miss pharmacy family come together and our students appreciate being able to meet and seek advice from practicing pharmacists.”

As part of the banquet on Saturday night, the school will present the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award to Alan McKay, founding dean emeritus of Shenandoah University’s Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy. McKay graduated from the Ole Miss pharmacy school in 1980 with a master’s and Ph.D. in health administration, now called pharmacy administration.

For a complete schedule or to sign up, visit http://rebelnetwork.olemissalumni.com/events.

Meanwhile, the Pharmacy Olympics kick off Friday with a talent show at the Thad Cochran Research Center, followed by a trivia night in downtown Oxford. Sport competitions on Saturday include tennis, basketball, ping-pong and volleyball at the Turner Center. The events conclude Sunday at Avent Park with flag football, a water balloon toss, a donut-eating contest and kickball.

Each Pharmacy Olympics team consists of students from the same year, from a team of Early Entry pre-pharmacy students to fourth-year students in their final year of the professional program.

UM pharmacy students compete in a Pharmacy Olympics event. Submitted photo

Student body officers organize the event, which is the culmination of a yearlong effort by each class to earn points through community service and other competitions. Another portion of the Olympics is the Pharmacy Fitness Challenge where students and faculty earn points all semester by logging their workouts.

“The competitiveness between the classes is probably the highest I have seen it since I came to Ole Miss,” said Regan Tyler, a second-year pharmacy student from Collierville, Tenn. and president-elect of the pharmacy student body. “Students from each class have been getting together to practice, and the first- and second-year students already have nearly 8,000 fitness points.”

Faculty members and friends of the school donate snacks, water and Gatorade for the competitions, and students coordinate the entire event, said Chelsea Bennett, the school’s assistant dean of student services.

“Our students work very hard, so it is always great to see them having fun during Pharmacy Olympics,” Bennett said. “I hope the alumni find time to stop by for some fun and reminisce about their own Pharmacy Olympics days.”

Henry Harris, a first-year pharmacy student from Olive Branch, said he is excited to participate in his first Pharmacy Olympics.

“I’ve heard that it gets very competitive, but I’m confident that my class will ultimately win the weekend,” he said.

Ikhlas Khan

OXFORD, Miss. – Ikhlas Khan, director of the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississppi School of Pharmacy, was honored Monday (April 3) night with the 2016 Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder Award from the American Botanical Council.

The presentation came at the 17th annual International Conference on the Science of Botanicals, hosted by NCNPR this week at the Oxford Conference Center.

The American Botanical Council focuses on using science-based and traditional information to promote and educate about the responsible use of herbal medicine. The Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder Award is given to an ABC member who exceeds expectations in promoting community and collaboration among those passionate about furthering the study of botanicals.

“All of us here at ABC are profoundly grateful to Dr. Khan for countless invaluable and exemplary contributions to the organization’s nonprofit educational mission, publications and programs,” said Mark Blumenthal, namesake of the award and founder of the ABC.

Previous winners include entrepreneurs, authors, activists and herbalists. Khan, who was instrumental in establishing the annual International Conference on the Science of Botanicals, is the first scientific researcher in the organization’s history to receive the award.

Khan’s research interests are in drug discovery from natural products and developing standards for botanical purity. He helped establish a partnership between the Ole Miss natural products center and the FDA dedicated to assessing the safety and chemical makeup of dietary supplements.

The UM Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences that houses the center has partnered with ABC for many years in the Botanical Adulterants Program, which educates the herbal and dietary supplement community about ingredient and product adulteration. Khan serves on the ABC advisory board and, in 2009, won its Norman R. Farnsworth Excellence in Botanical Research Award.

Khan said he was happily surprised to receive the Community Builder Award and honored to be in the company of the award’s previous winners.

“Building a global scientific community is very important for educating about botanicals,” Khan said. “Science alone cannot solve a problem. You have to work with manufacturers, herbalists, regulatory agencies – every stakeholder has to play a role.”

Leigh Ann Ross

OXFORD, Miss. – Leigh Ann Ross, associate dean for clinical affairs at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, is being named a 2017 fellow by the American Pharmacists Association this weekend.

The designation honors those with a history of exemplary service and achievement in the pharmacy profession for at least 10 years. Ross will receive the award Saturday (March 25) at the APhA annual meeting in San Francisco.

Ross is also a professor of pharmacy practice and research professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the pharmacy school. She earned both her bachelor’s degree and Pharm.D. from Ole Miss and completed a primary care pharmacy residency at the UM Medical Center in Jackson.

“The School of Pharmacy is very proud to call Dr. Ross one of its leaders,” said David D. Allen, UM pharmacy dean. “She has served the profession and the school extremely well for many years, and I applaud her on this honor.”

Ross previously served as the director of the university’s Pharmaceutical Care Services from 2000 to 2008, during which time the pharmaceutical care clinics won a Best Practice Award from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. She went on to be the chair of the school’s Department of Pharmacy Practice from 2008 to 2016.

Besides her service to the school, Ross is director of the Community-Based Research Program which implements direct patient care services in community pharmacies and clinics in the Mississippi Delta. She served as a policy adviser to U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran on health care, labor, housing and economic development after completing a two-year congressional fellowship.

She also has held leadership positions in many state and national pharmacy organizations.

“It is truly an honor to be recognized by APhA as a fellow,” Ross said. “I’m most appreciative of the mentorship that has been provided and the friendships that have been developed through my involvement in APhA. I look forward to many more years of service in APhA and pharmacy.”