UW Faculty Members Honored at Pharmacy Association Annual Meeting

Five University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences faculty members recently were honored for their professional achievements at the 99th Wyoming Pharmacy Association (WPhA) Annual Convention.

Joe Steiner, UW College of Health Sciences dean, was named Pharmacist of the Year. The award is presented to an individual who has been an advocate of the profession; a supporter of patients, pharmacy legislation and innovative practice; and a community leader.

The WPhA selected Steiner because “his commitment to and passion for pharmacy and health care cultivate knowledge, values and motivation with all his colleagues.”

Steiner received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree (1974) from the University of Michigan and then completed a residency at the University of Michigan Medical Center.

From 1979-1997, Steiner was professor and director of clinical pharmacy at the UW Family Medicine Residency Program at Casper. He spent the next four years as professor and director of pharmacy practice for the UW School of Pharmacy. In 2001, he accepted the position of dean of the Idaho State University College of Pharmacy. Steiner returned to UW in 2009 to serve as dean of the College of Health Sciences.

Throughout his career, Steiner has been a leader in helping advance pharmacy practice in Wyoming. He has been active in state, regional and national pharmacy organizations. Additionally, he was a past president of the Wyoming Society of Health-System Pharmacy (WSHP).

Jaime Hornecker, a UW School of Pharmacy clinical associate professor, received the Bowl of Hygeia Award. The honor is given to pharmacists who have shown dedication to their communities and the profession of pharmacy.

The WPhA recognized Hornecker for being “an advocate for advanced pharmacy practice who provides outstanding education, training and professional service for moving her profession forward.”

Hornecker is a board certified pharmacotherapy specialist, a certified diabetes educator and a licensed immunizer. She provides clinical services at the UW Family Medicine Residency Program at Casper. She has trained numerous pharmacy residents by directing an ambulatory care-focused program. She has expanded the program from one resident to two, and from one core clinic to multiple sites, including federally qualified health centers.

The WPhA presented the Excellence in Innovation Award to Carol Kobulnicky, associate professor of social and administrative pharmacy. The award honors pharmacists who have demonstrated significant innovation in their respective practice, method or service, directly or indirectly, resulting in improved patient care and/or advancement of the profession of pharmacy. The National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations coordinates the award, and Upsher-Smith Laboratories Inc. sponsors it.

Kobulnicky is the director of interprofessional education for the UW College of Health Sciences. As such, she gathers cutting-edge practice strategies from around the country and strengthens pharmacy students’ ability to work with other professionals to maximize health outcomes through medication therapy management. Through her work, she has changed the way students from the health sciences relate with one another by building collaborative relationships that carry over into professional practice.

Kobulnicky’s areas of research include patient self-advocacy and self-monitoring, oncology patient experiences and pharmacy practice innovation. She has written numerous journal articles on patient self-monitoring, among other topics, as well as two book chapters.

Two other UW School of Pharmacy faculty members received awards for their leadership service to state organizations.

Lanae Fox, a clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice, received the McKesson Leadership Award for her service as board president of the WPhA. Fox provides clinical services at the Wyoming Medical Center in Casper and teaches courses in pharmacokinetics and therapeutics.

UW School of Pharmacy Associate Dean Tonja Woods was honored with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Leadership Award for her contributions to the WSHP. Woods, a clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice, is the past president of the WSHP. She practices at Adult & Geriatric Medical Specialties in Laramie, and her teaching assignments include ambulatory care, geriatrics and the role of pharmacists.

“These awards speak to the quality of our faculty and the influence they have on pharmacy practice in the state,” says Kem Krueger, UW School of Pharmacy dean. “The fact that the Wyoming Pharmacy Association presented awards to five of our faculty indicates that the relationship between UW and the profession is mutually beneficial.”