May 3, 2014 — Alumni Natasha Gallizzi (Pharm.D. ’01) and Lee Smith (B.S.P. ’75) were
selected as the University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy 2014 Preceptors of the Year.
Gallizzi and Smith were recognized at the Annual Honors and Awards Banquet for their
significant contributions to the education of UW pharmacy students.
“Pharmacists have a long history of helping train the next generation of practitioners,”
says Janelle Krueger, director of Experiential Education. “Experiential education
or rotations account for over 25 percent of our curriculum. It would be impossible
to accomplish this training without the generous assistance of our preceptors.”
Each year, the school requests nominations from students for outstanding preceptors
who are not full-time faculty.
Lee Smith, R.Ph., with the Riverton Memorial Hospital in Riverton, Wyoming, teaches an Introductory
Hospital Rotation for P2 students and an Advanced Institutional Rotation for P4 students.
Students comment:
• Lee Smith is an incredibly intelligent person and would bend over backwards to
help educate me during this internship. He would always listen to what I had to say
and always take the time to answer my questions. When interesting things would come
up in the pharmacy about a patient, he would make sure to guide me through his thinking
process to assess the problem and develop a solution. I will definitely attend this
facility again during my P4 year, just because of the great experience I had with
Lee.
• Lee Smith is such a great teacher and has the best attitude for helping the students
learn. I truly look up to him how he is able to handle every situation whether it
is interacting with physicians, nurses, coworkers or students. He pushes the students
to learn and improve their pharmaceutical skills.
• Lee Smith is an amazing pharmacist/teacher. He is always willing to listen to
the questions and work with interns. Lee has amazing respect for the people he works
with. [And], all of his staff had nothing but great things to say about him. I could
not agree with them more. Lee has inspired me to become a great pharmacist and I
cherish the experience that I had with him at this facility.
Natasha Gallizzi, Pharm.D., practices at the Wyoming Medication Donation Program in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and offers
a very unique elective for P4 students.
Students comment:
• Dr. Gallizzi is an exceptional preceptor who is dedicated to helping patients
with an increased need for assistance compared to that of the everyday population.
Her desire to help those in need has inspired me to do the most that I can as a pharmacist
to make sure patients are taken care of no matter where they come from. Her humble
beginnings with the medication donation program have escalated into a state wide venture
to provide affordable healthcare to patients in need and she deserves to be commended
for such as preceptor of the year.
• Dr. Gallizzi was a wonderful teacher and guided me to whatever I wanted to learn.
She was very willing and open and took a great interest in me as a student.
• Very easy to work with. Very professional in everything she does. The pharmacy
is very well organized, and runs smoothly which makes it easy for a student to learn
during this rotation.
• A student ended her nomination with the following statement, “I am nominating
Dr. Gallizzi for this award because she took the time to teach me not only about pharmacy
but how I can make a difference in the community.”
Photo:
Alumni Natasha Gallizzi (Pharm.D. ’01) and Lee Smith (B.S.P. ’75) were recognized at the Annual Honors and Awards Banquet as the University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy 2014 Preceptors of the Year. Pictured with Gallizzi and Smith (center) are Experiential Education Director Janelle Krueger and Dean Linda Gore Martin. (photo by Jeff Gilmore Photography)