UW College of Health Sciences to Honor Distinguished Alumni During Homecoming

The University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences will honor six of its alumni during this year’s UW Homecoming.

William Kraemer, Mark McKenna, Susan Polston Mills, Pamela Oiler, John Pieper and Margaret “Maggie” Webster Scarlett will be honored at a reception Friday, Oct. 19, at the Laramie Hilton Garden Inn.

Each year, during the fall semester, the College of Health Sciences recognizes a graduate from each of its divisions and schools for outstanding professional accomplishments, excellence in education and ways he or she has benefited his or her communities.

While visiting campus for Homecoming events, these health care professionals take time to meet with students pursuing similar health care career goals and offer insight into what students can expect once they begin their journey into the health care professions.

Division of Kinesiology and Health -- William Kraemer

Kraemer received his master’s degree in exercise physiology in 1978 and his Ph.D. in zoology and physiology in 1984, both from UW. Before becoming one of the world’s leading experts in resistance training and a top sport scientist, he taught physical education and coached wrestling and football at the secondary level. While working on his Ph.D., Kraemer worked in the Human Energy Research Laboratory and led the American Heart Association’s Wyoming Cardiac Rehabilitation Program.

He is currently a professor at Ohio State University, where he leads the Neuroscience and Neuromuscular Laboratory. 

Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing -- Susan Polston Mills

Mills is a 1996 Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduate from UW. In 2001, she earned her Master of Science in Nursing degree, with a focus in public health from the University of Texas-Austin. Ten years later, Mills completed her Ph.D. in nursing, with a portfolio in women and gender studies, also from the University of Texas-Austin. She has been the vice president of quality improvement with Superior HealthPlans of Texas since 2008.

“In that position,” states a nominator, “she demonstrates great integrity, accountability and leadership to all that work with and for her. Mills is a wonderful contributor to her profession, community and team.”

Division of Social Work -- Pamela Oiler

Oiler earned her Bachelor of Social Work degree in 1999 from UW. She also holds a Master of Social Work degree from Colorado State University. She is a licensed clinical social worker and an associate lecturer at UW’s Family Medicine Residency Program in Cheyenne. Before joining the faculty at the residency program, she provided discharge planning and case management services to patients/families on in-patient units at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center.

Oiler serves as a mentor and provides field instruction, on-site supervision and teaching for social work practicum students (bachelor- and master-level students) at the residency program.

School of Pharmacy -- John Pieper

Pieper received a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology in 1974 from the University of Colorado-Boulder and a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy in 1977 from UW. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 1979 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in 1980 at the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Pharmacy.

Pieper became the fourth president of St. Louis College of Pharmacy Aug. 1, 2010. He previously served as a professor and dean of the College of Pharmacy at the University of New Mexico (UNM), with concurrent appointments as vice president for research and deputy executive vice president at UNM Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque.

He has served as president of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). He was selected as a fellow of the ACCP and the American Pharmacists Association.

Division of Communication Disorders -- Margaret “Maggie” Webster Scarlett

Scarlett earned her bachelor’s degree in hearing and speech science in 1963 from UW and her master’s degree in 1965 from Colorado State University. She received an honorary doctorate degree in 2018 from UW.

She worked as a speech-language pathologist for more than 20 years in Wyoming, Colorado and Utah in both school and medical settings, including Denver Children’s Hospital and Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. Scarlett also served on the board of the Teton Literacy Program, and she has volunteered at two important cultural institutions in Wyoming: the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody.

Division of Medical Education -- Mark McKenna

McKenna received his bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont.; his graduate degree from UW; and his medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine’s WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) program. He completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa., and then completed his education and training with a shoulder and elbow fellowship at the University of Washington.

McKenna, from Casper, joined Premier Bone & Joint Centers in Laramie in 2011. He serves as a team physician for the UW athletics department. He also teaches and is a preceptor for the WWAMI program.

For more information about this year’s distinguished alumni, go to www.uwyo.edu/hs/alumni-and-friends/dist-alumni-2018.html.