Ph.D. Medicinal Chemistry, 1969
Duane D. Miller, born 1943, grew up on a farm in Larned Kansas. He obtained his B.S. degree in Pharmacy at Kansas University in 1966, and his interest in research was stimulated by two professors at the University of Kansas, Dr. Ed Smissman and Dr. Matt Mertes. As a National Science Foundation Undergraduate Research Fellow, he worked on anticancer drugs. He next moved to Seattle, Washington and was an NIH Fellow while at the University of Washington and obtained his Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry in 1969, under the mentorship of Dr. Wendel L. Nelson and did research on conformationally restricted analogs of ephedrine. He next joined The Ohio State University Faculty in 1969, where he became Professor and Chairman of the Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy in 1982. He studied dopamine and norepinephrine analogs with Drs. Popat Patil, Norman Uretsky and Dennis Feller. He moved to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, TN in 1992, as the Van Vleet Endowed Professor of The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy. He was made chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2001.
Dr. Miller has published over 430 publications and has 16 book chapters. He has given 343 presentations at national and international meetings and has over 100 patents and patent applications. Dr. Miller’s research interests include the design and synthesis of new drug molecules. He has a strong interest in developing drugs for new areas in which there is currently a lack of therapeutic agents or in areas in which there is the need to develop new drugs with fewer side effects. Dr. Miller and Dr. Jim Dalton, currently Dean of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Michigan, discovered the first new nonsteroidal selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) and reported on them in 1998. GTx, is the company that initially licensed SARMs, and they have carried out clinical studies with SARMs. These agents can be used for muscle wasting and osteoporosis in cancer patients. The SARMS have the advantage that they are orally active with fewer side effects, including less liver toxicity than current muscle building agents. Such agents may be of value in aging males to treat low testosterone in older males, [called ADAM (androgen decline in aging males) or also called andropause]. The SARMs have completed Phase I, Phase II and Phase III human clinical testing for the treatment of cachexia in cancer patients but were not approved by the FDA. Other studies have been made to try and obtain approval. He has also worked on radiation mitigators, anti-inflammatory drugs and drugs for the treatment of brain cancer and molecules in these areas have been licensed by RXbio.
During his academic career Dr. Miller has been presented the University of Tennessee National Alumni Outstanding Teacher Award (1994). For teaching at the The University of Tennessee Health Science Center in the College of Pharmacy, he was presented the Student Government Association Executive Council (SGAEC) Excellence in Teaching Award In 1995, 2001 and 2005. He was the UT Pharmacy Class Teacher of the Year (2006).
He was honored as an American Association Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Fellow in (1990). He was selected as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow and honored for fundamental studies on the structural and stereo-chemical requirements of adrenergic drugs interacting in the CNS and peripheral nervous systems (2001). In 2008, he was recognized by the University of Washington, College of Pharmacy as the “Alumni of the Year”. He was awarded the Division of Medicinal Chemistry Award from the American Chemical Society at the National Medicinal Chemistry Symposium in June 2008. The Division of Medicinal Chemistry Award is conferred biannually in the United States to a scientist or team of scientists with a substantial record of contributions to the field of medicinal chemistry in research, mentorship and service to the discipline. In August 2008, he was inducted into the Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame of the American Chemical Society at the National American Chemical Society Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2009, he was awarded the Volwiler Research Achievement Award for research in the pharmaceutical sciences at the National American Association Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). In 2015, he was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors at the California Institute Technology in Pasadena, California.
In 2015, he retired and was given the title of Professor Emeritus, and he continues to do funded research on the design, preparation and study of new drugs for the treatment of cancer. He is currently patenting and publishing on new drugs for prostate cancer, breast cancer, melanoma and brain cancer (glioma) with Dr. Ramesh Narayanan, Dr. Wei Li and Dr. Lawrence Pfeffer at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. We have one drug, Veu-111 that has been licensed by Veru and is currently in Phase I clinical trials for prostate cancer.
Duane Miller and Nona Kay Miller were married for 47 years, and she passed on July 21, 2010 due to cancer. They have three children, Ron Miller, Don (married to Kristina) Miller and Randy (married to Joy) Miller. They have 4 grandchildren, Elizabeth Boywid, Laura Scott, Ellen Miller and Henry Miller along with 4 great grandchildren, Miller Scott, Clover Scott, Bambi Rose Boywid and Dauphine (Dolly) Boywid. In 2014, Duane married Shirl Taylor-Miller and gained a new stepson Charles Taylor Hodum (married to Nikki). Shirl was a teacher at a private middle school and manages rental property. Duane and Shirl have enjoyed traveling to Alaska (2017), Cape Cod (2018) and are going to Washington D. C. in 2019. The fact that all the children and grandchildren live within a thirty-mile radius in Memphis, Tennessee is a blessing.
After earning his PharmD, Brian worked for independent community pharmacies before joining the Kelley-Ross Pharmacy Group, where he helped move Kelley-Ross from a mixed-model to a closed-door, long-term care pharmacy. Brian is currently the Chief Financial Officer and manages the Union Center Pharmacy for the Kelley-Ross Pharmacy Group. Brian was presented with the 2015 National Community Pharmacists Association Prescription Drug Safety Award for his work to expand access to the overdose antidote naloxone and continues to fight the opioid overdose crisis by working to reduce the stigma surrounding opioid overdoses.
Susan is currently Senior Consultant with ASHP Consulting Services and serves as primary faculty member for the ASHP Pharmacy Leadership Academy. 
Larry C. Wienkers received his BS in Chemistry and Biology in 1986 and his MS in Chemistry in 1988 from Western Washington University. He then earned his Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from University of Washington in 1993 under the direction of Dr William F. Trager. He did postdoctoral work in the department of Drug Metabolism at the Upjohn Company and subsequently joined the company as a Research Scientist 1995. 
Gayle Hudgins, Pharm. D., BCGP, is a Professor Emerita of the University of Montana Skaggs School of Pharmacy in the Department of Pharmacy Practice. She is a 1969 graduate of the University of Washington School of Pharmacy with a B.S. degree in Pharmacy and a 1976 graduate of Duquesne University with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. She also completed a pharmacy practice residency at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. 
Ed Wong was formerly Vice President of Pharmacy and Clinical Programs at Premera Blue Cross. His responsibilities under Integrated Health Management include leadership for strategy development, vendor contracting; care management, disease management and pharmacy programs.
Growing up the son of a pharmacist in Tacoma, Richard spent his high school years working at the family store, Nelson Drug Company, before pursuing his own Pharmacy degree at the University of Washington in 1962. 
Al holds degrees from Central Washington State BS in Zoology, University of Washington BS Pharmacy, Class of 1971, and an MBA Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. 
Dr. Nanci Murphy’s past roles at the University of Washington include, Collaborative Practice Specialist, Co-Director of the Center for Health Sciences Interprofessional Education, Research and Practice, and Associate Dean and Director of Student Leadership Programs for the School of Pharmacy. She received her PharmD degree from UW SOP in 1997. She looks forward to the next chapter of her post-retirement career contributing to an international work force group focused on interprofessional education and collaborative practice.
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.
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.
Shirley is a Seattleite, born and raised. From a young age, she dedicated her life to advocating for women, children, human rights and healthcare. Encouragement from her mother, and her knack for science, led Shirley 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. Brady was recruited to join the University of Washington by Tip Tyler, a School of Pharmacy Faculty member studying mushrooms and ergot. After completing his Ph.D. at the School of Pharmacy, Lynn joined the faculty and eventually became the first chair of the then-named Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. As a graduate student, Lynn authored or co-authored over 100 research and review articles and later in his career authored the major textbook in the field of Pharmacognosy. Lynn was very passionate about the Medicinal Herb Garden and was on the steering committee for the Friends of the Medicinal Herb Garden.
George Benson, also known as the Father of the Waterfront Street Trolley, was a WWII Navy Veteran, five-term City Council member, owner of Mission Street Pharmacy and one of the founders of the Friends of the Medicinal Herb Garden. George was nothing short of a passionate person, known throughout his life for his caring nature. He was devoted to his wife Evelyn, who was a fellow Pharmacy alumna, their business and spearheading the development of the Waterfront Streetcar.
Herb’s time at the School of Pharmacy lead him to a life rich in love, charity and service. During his 50-year career as a pharmacy owner and clinical pharmacist, he always found a way to support his communities. From founding the Walk for Rice, a fundraising walk to support the Asian Counseling and Referral Service food bank, to donating his expertise to the Rainier Vista Clinic Pharmacy where he sourced low-cost drugs for in-need communities, Herbert was always dedicated to his community. Herbert received the Pharmacy Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award in 2008, in addition to the A.H. Robins/Wyeth Bowl of Hygeia Award and a Seattle Mayor’s Small Business Award for excellence in management, entrepreneurial spirit and customer service. He is a member of the National Community Pharmacists Association and Washington State Pharmacy Association, and a former longstanding member of the American Pharmaceutical Association and Seattle-King County Pharmaceutical Society.
Dr. Plein and her late husband Elmer, are widely credited for creating the momentum for senior-care pharmacy in the state of Washington at a time when few pharmacists were geriatricians and had few resources to advocate for older patients. In 1973, they developed a nursing home pharmacy course at the School of Pharmacy and Foss Home, a nursing home, with the help of a graduate student. Throughout her career, she was honored with several awards and is a beloved member of the School of Pharmacy.
Phil received a pharmacy degree from the University of Washington in 1964 and by 1975, was the Head of Pharmacy for Group Health. That same year he unveiled the Co-OPRx computerized prescription system that provided doctors and pharmacists instant access to patient drug histories, potential allergies and adverse reactions. The Co-CORx project sparked his interest in innovation, which became the cornerstone of his career. He went on to help Group Health expand into Bellevue and rose to a top leadership position with Group Health and Kaiser Operations in the Northwest.
Virginia graduated from the School of Pharmacy in 1943 and while in school, she was a member of the Totem Club and Chi Omega Sorority. Virginia was one of the first women pharmacists to work in a hospital setting, which was remarkable in the 1940s. During her career, she conducted research on motion sickness medication for soldiers in World War II, studied breast cancer at the University of Rochester Medical School and was the first pharmacist at the Monadnock Hospital. She spent 17 years as a relief pharmacist and traveled the world after opening her travel company.
George H. Bartell Jr. started his career in the family business stocking shelves and went on to grow Bartell Drugs into the oldest family-owned drugstore chain in the nation. After becoming the President of Bartell Drugs in 1939, George served in World War II and came back to a world changed. Among these changes were new Pharmacist licensing laws in Washington State that required George to become licensed. After joining the School of Pharmacy, he earned his Pharmacy Degree (and became licensed) in just three years. George was an avid Husky Football fan and a supporter of local organizations such as the Rainier Club, Seattle Golf and Country Club, the Scottish Rite Temple and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce.
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.
Jonathan Watanabe, ‘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.