For immediate release
Contact: Maureen Thielemans, 703-739-2330, ext. 1022
or Kyle Bagin, 703-739-2330, ext. 1036
Arlington, Va. — The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy today announced the recipients of its top awards for 2025, which recognize seven individuals, one institution, and one scholarly paper for their outstanding contributions made to pharmacy education, research, patient outcomes, community service and academic publishing.
2025 Recipients:
- Naser Zaki Alsharif, Ph.D., of Lebanese American University, will receive the Robert K. Chalmers Distinguished Pharmacy Educator Award recognizing his outstanding achievements as an educator and mentor, his innovations in the classroom, and his overall impact on pharmacy education and the profession.
- C. Daniel Mullins, Ph.D., of the University of Maryland, will receive the Paul R. Dawson Award for Excellence in Patient Care Research for his research in advancing patient engagement.
- Alan J. Zillich, Pharm.D., of Purdue University, will receive the Volwiler Research Achievement Award for exemplary research investigating strategies to improve prescribing, delivery, and outcomes of medication use among ambulatory patients with chronic disease.
- David Zgarrick, Ph.D., of Northeastern University, will receive the Distinguished Service Award for over three decades of contributions to the pharmacy profession, the Academy, and AACP, including 12 years of service on the Board of Directors.
- Brian Erstad, Pharm.D., of The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for a prestigious career advancing the profession and healthcare on a national and interprofessional level, and for his commitment to patients and students through instruction, leadership, service and research and scholarship for over 40 years.
- Authors of "A National Survey of Perceptions Around Conditions Associated with Pharmacy Faculty Workload Equity" will receive the Rufus A. Lyman Award, which recognizes the best paper published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education during the previous year. The authors are:
- Daniel R. Malcom, Pharm.D., Sullivan University
- Sharon K. Park, Pharm.D., M.Ed., Notre Dame of Maryland University
- Lisa Lebovitz, J.D., M.S., University of Maryland
- Omar F. Attarabeen, R.Ph., Ph.D., University of Maryland Eastern Shore
- Ashley Castleberry, Pharm.D., M.Ed., The University of Texas at Austin
- Surajit Dey, B.S.Pharm., Ph.D., Roseman University of Health Sciences
- Margarita V. DiVall, Pharm.D., R.Ph., M.Ed., Northeastern University
- Cynthia Kirkwood, Pharm.D., Virginia Commonwealth University
- Kelly C. Lee, Pharm.D., MAS, BCPP, University of California, San Diego
- Melissa Medina, Ed.D., The University of Oklahoma
- Elizabeth A. Sheaffer, Ph.D., M.B.A., M.S.L., Samford University
- David Weldon, Ph.D., William Carey University
- The University of Michigan College of Pharmacy will receive the Lawrence C. Weaver Transformative Community Service Award for its commitment to addressing unmet community needs through education, practice and research.
- Michelle Z. Farland, Pharm.D., of the University of Florida; and Daniel R. Kennedy, Ph.D., of Western New England University, have been named the 2025 Distinguished Teaching Scholars, recognizing their excellence in scholarly teaching and the scholarship of teaching and learning.
"AACP is proud to recognize the outstanding achievements of our award recipients, whose exceptional contributions to education, research, service and scholarly publishing continue to shape the future of our field," said AACP CEO and Executive Vice President Lee Vermeulen, B.S.Pharm., M.S., FCCP, FFIP. "Their dedication and innovation inspire the next generation of pharmacists, educators, scholars and thought leaders."
Recipients will be honored at AACP’s Annual Meeting, Pharmacy Education 2025, July 19-22, in Chicago, Illinois.