Distinguished Alumni Award
Distinguished Alumni Award
Every year, the UW School of Pharmacy and the Pharmacy Alumni Association (PAA) recognize two alumni for their outstanding work and leadership. Nominations come from the community and awardees are selected by the Pharmacy Alumni Association. These outstanding alumni are celebrated at the annual Dean’s Recognition Reception held in May.
Please check our events page for more details.
Distinguished Alumni
In 1973, the UW School of Pharmacy and the Pharmacy Alumni Association (PAA) began giving the Distinguished Alumnus/a in Pharmacy Practice Award annually to individuals who demonstrate outstanding service to the School, the profession of pharmacy and to the community.
In 1995, the Distinguished Alumnus/a in Pharmaceutical Science and Research Award was also established to honor alumni from the School’s graduate programs who have excelled in their scientific careers.
The following individuals are the recipients of this prestigious annual PAA award. Their accomplishments and the impact they have had in their respective fields cannot be overstated.
Jonathan H. Watanabe, PharmD, PhD, ’98, ’08, ’12
2018 Distinguished Alumna in Pharmaceutical Science and Research
Nominations are closed
We will announce and celebrate our distinguished alums at the Dean’s Recognition Reception on May 8, 2019 at UW Seattle Campus. Please save the date and join us for our annual celebration of our outstanding alumni community.
For more details about the event please refer to our events calendar.
2016: Roger A. Woolf, ’85
2015: Nanci Murphy, ’97
2014: Bill Fassett, ’69
2013: Kenneth Thummel, ’87
2012: Jeff Rochon, ’99
2011: Ryan Hansen, ’03, ’12
2009: Steve Singer, ’81
2008: Herb Tsuchiya, ’55
2006: Warren Hall, ’79
2005: Joy Plein, ’51, ’56
2003: Ann Wittkowsky, ’88
2002: Don Downing, ’75
2000: Bev Schaefer, ’70
1999: Ed Wong, ’71
1997: General Jack Babcock, ’37
1996: Shirley Bridge*, ’45
1995: George Bartell, Jr.*, ’53, and Gayle Hudgins Cochran, ’69
1993: Donna Dockter, ’72
1992: Rodney Shafer, ’77
1991: Theodore Taniguchi, ’49
1990: Sidney Nelson, ’68
1989: Evelyn Benson*, ’50
1988: Virgil Sheppard, ’53
1987: Theodore West*, ’48
1986: Douglas McCarter, ’67
1985: Dennis Smith, ’69
1984: Lars Hennum, ’43
1983: Lillie Jones*, ’60, and Don Katterman*, ’48,
1982: Sanford Thal*, ’47
1981: Richard Ramsey, ’55
1980: Nathan Hall*, ’39
1979: Peg Kronfield*, ’42
1978: Phillip Nudelman, ’64
1977: Raymond Ahlquist*, ’35
1976: R.E. Duckering*, ’26, and James Ramseth, ’63
1975: Henry Verhulst*, ’42
1974: Louis Fischer*, ’26, and Forest Goodrich*, ’14
1973: George Benson*, ’47
2016: Cyrus Khojasteh-Bakht, ’98
2015: Mitch Higashi, ’01
2014: Larry Wienkers, ’93
2010: Gail Anderson, ’78, ’81, ’87
2007: Duane Miller, ’69
2004: Hank Yamamura*, ’64, ’68, ’69
2001: Bill Trager*, ’65
1998: John DiGiovanni, ’74, ’78
1996: William Garland, ’74
1995: William Stavropoulos, ’67
*In loving memory
Shirley is a Seattleite, born and raised. From a young age, she dedicated her life to advocating for women, children, human rights and healthcare. Her Mother and a knack for science lead her to Pharmacy school, where she thrived. Her career helped so many people, but as the HIV/AIDS epidemic grew, it became a central part of her career. Her outreach efforts, where she went door to door to help people understand the disease, was only part of her contribution to battle the epidemic. She was a founding board member of AIDS Housing of Washington (recently renamed Building Changes) and co-chaired the $8.5 million campaign that built the group’s Bailey-Boushay House in 1992. Her legacy of advocating for women pharmacists lives on with the Herb and Shirley Bridge Endowed Professorship, designed to support women in pharmacy.
Dr. Hall joined the faculty of the School of Pharmacy in 1952, after spending a few years at the Eli Lilly and Co. as a Pharmaceutical Chemist. After returning to the UW, he soon set himself apart from his peers by developing innovative approaches to teaching, particularly in dispensing pharmacy. While at UW Hall developed one of the first models for an externship program, allowing senior pharmacy students to gain theoretical and practical experience in a pharmacy setting for academic credit. Being too ahead of his time, this for credit externship program did not became a formal requirement in the School of Pharmacy’s curriculum until the 1990’s, thanks in large part to Dr. Hall’s vision. Dr. Hall was also awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1980 to celebrate the impact of his career on the profession of Pharmacy.
After completing his graduate work in California, Sid Nelson returned to the School of Pharmacy to join the faculty in 1977. Progressing through the ranks, he landed his “dream job” as the Dean of the School of Pharmacy in 1995. Under his leadership, the School converted our degree offerings from a B.S. degree to an entry-level Doctor of Pharmacy degree program and added a nontraditional approach that enabled existing pharmacists to obtain the Pharm.D. degree. He also evolved the graduate programs and worked tirelessly to expand the School’s faculty. In 2008, he returned full-time to his research and teaching activities in the School’s Department of Medicinal Chemistry. Sid truly embodies the idea of a legend with his warmth, care and passion for our students and alumni.
Jonathan Watanabe, ‘98, ‘08, ‘12, PharmD, MS, PhD, BCGP, is a board-certified geriatrics pharmacist, outcomes researcher, and associate professor at the University of California San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Dr. Watanabe was the first the UW/Allergan Global Health Economics and Outcomes Research Fellow. His research on the cost of non-optimized therapy, comprehensive medication management and drug prices has been cited in successful state legislative efforts for pharmacist provider status. Dr. Watanabe is an inaugural scholar in the National Academy of Medicine Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine program.
Timothy Fuller, ‘69, is an independent pharmacist consultant and founder of Timothy S. Fuller & Associates, Inc. Consulting. He is recognized as the Father of Pharmacist Collaborative Drug Therapy for his extensive and continued research, advocacy, and publication on the subject. In partnership with the WSPA and PATH, Tim recruited 50 pharmacies in Washington to pilot the U.S. movement for pharmacists to prescribe emergency contraceptive pills. Tim is the fourth member of the UW School of Pharmacy B.S. Class of 1969 to receive a PAA Distinguished Alumni Award.