TTUHSC Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy Receives National Award for Community Service from AACP

• By Meaghan Collier
• March 28, 2024
• Education

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy received the 2024 Lawrence C. Weaver Transformative Community Service Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. The award is presented annually to one college or school of pharmacy demonstrating a major institutional commitment to addressing unmet community needs through education, practice and research.

“AACP’s award recipients exemplify excellence in teaching, research, service and publishing with far-reaching impact here and around the world," said AACP CEO and Executive Vice President Lee Vermeulen. "Celebrating the extraordinary contributions of our recipients is the highlight of our annual meeting.”

The award highlighted the school’s work in medication safety through programs like Medication Cleanout™, which has collected more than 83,000 pounds of medications and sharps from homes in its 15-year history; the school’s production of viral transport medium and administration of life-saving vaccines during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic; the school providing pharmaceutical care to thousands of patients at its two outpatient pharmacies in Amarillo and Lubbock; the special population services provided to underserved people and incarcerated individuals in Texas; and the research collaboration and training taking place at campuses, schools and communities across the region.

“We accept this prestigious award with great pleasure and excitement,” TTUHSC Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy Dean Grace M. Kuo, Pharm.D., Ph.D., said. “We are among elite company as we join other schools of pharmacy who have received this honor. It is truly a testament to our faculty, staff and students' dedication and passion to the communities we live in and serve.” 

The award letter from AACP said the TTUHSC Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy is to be commended for its commitment to broad outreach and engagement, as well as for collaborating with larger communities for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources.

“Through partnership and reciprocity, TTUHSC SOP has enriched scholarship productivity, enhanced teaching and learning, strengthened democratic values and civic responsibility, addressed critical societal issues, and contributed to the public good,” the award letter said. 

The AACP explained that the students, faculty, alumni and community partners were enthusiastic and consistently emphasized that accomplishments could not have been made without the Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy.  

“It is evident that the administration, faculty and staff are dedicated to not only providing student pharmacists with the skills, resources and experiences to make a change in their community and beyond, but they are also committed to continuous improvement,” Kuo said. “I’m so proud of our team members for all they do each day, and I am proud of the professionalism of our students who have a clear passion for what they are learning and their efforts throughout the community.”  

The award consists of a commemorative sculpture and a $5,000 honorarium. School leadership plans to use the funding to conduct a needs assessment while launching a pharmacy practice resource and research network by connecting academic and community partners on all four campuses in Amarillo, Lubbock, Abilene and Dallas. The award ceremony will take place at the 2024 AACP annual meeting in July. For more information on the 2024 Lawrence C. Weaver Transformative Community Service Award, visit www.aacp.org.