Daniel Hagerman
Daniel Hagerman of Powell, a University of Wyoming first-year pharmacy student, won the $1,500 first prize in the 2008 James Orr Willits Ethics Essay Competition.
His essay, titled "Conscientious Objection: Retention of Personal Values," dealt with the essay theme "Is it morally permissible for a pharmacist to refuse to dispense a prescription based on his/her personal values?"
"The general thesis of my essay entailed the fact that pharmacists should have the right to refuse to dispense medications that conflict with their personal values as long as this does not hinder the patients' ability to receive their medication by some other means," he says. "I entered the essay contest for the opportunity to broaden my knowledge of ethics within the health care field."
The James Orr Willitts Essay contest, jointly organized by the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Health Sciences School of Pharmacy, is a great program and intellectual opportunity for all University of Wyoming students, Hagerman says.
"I am very thankful for the contributions made by the donors for the first prize, but the amount of knowledge that I gained trumped the monetary value," he says.
The son of Laura and the late James Riley, Hagerman graduated from Powell High School in 2001 and received an associate's degree from Northwest College in 2003.
Posted on Wednesday, February 04, 2009
