AIHP Awards 2021 Certificates of Commendation

AIHP is pleased to announce that it has awarded 2021 Certificates of Commendation to five individuals and one organization for their notable contributions to the history of pharmacy.

The Institute’s Certificate of Commendation program recognizes projects and contributions that have either advanced knowledge or understanding of the history of pharmacy or that have used the history of pharmacy to educate, inform, entertain, or to address or advance understanding of contemporary issues.

The 2021 Certificate of Commendation honorees are:

John Schreiner, for his decades of work to collect, preserve, and make available to the public a treasure trove of artifacts, objects, and materials important to the history of pharmacy. He is also being recognized for founding and operating the History of Pharmacy Research Center, a pharmacy museum located in Griffith, Indiana, where his collection is housed and displayed. Mr. Schreiner is a longtime member of the Institute and he was nominated by AIHP member Crystal Mason.

Robin R. Kipps, for her almost 40 years of work as the lead interpreter at the Pasteur & Galt Apothecary in Colonial Williamsburg, in Williamsburg, Virginia. Since assuming her position in 1983, Ms. Kipps has used her skills as an interpreter to offer thousands of visitors a glimpse of the role and work of apothecaries in 18th century colonial America. Ms. Kipps is also being recognized for organizing an elective advanced pharmacy practice experience for fourth-year PharmD students at the Pasteur & Galt Apothecary, where they receive “hands-on” training on the range of services provided by 18th century apothecaries and the techniques used to compound and prepare medicines. The Pasteur & Galt Apothecary is a longtime organizational member of the Institute. Ms. Kipps was nominated by AIHP member Robert Buerki.

Therese Poirier, for recording oral histories with more than 50 past and present leaders of the pharmacy profession, inviting each to reflect on their professional journeys and changes in the pharmacy profession. She is also being recognized for developing an online course for PharmD students, “History of Pharmacy Leadership” (offered through the University of Florida), that uses the oral histories to trace the history of the transformation of pharmacy practice and education from a drug-product focus to a patient-care focus. Professor Poirier is an Institute member. She was nominated by AIHP member Bill Zellmer.

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, for its recently-completed “Pharmacy Heritage Trail,” a permanent exhibition at the School designed to introduce current and prospective students to the profession’s history. The exhibit’s components include videos on aspects of pharmacy history from ancient times to today, a timeline featuring the history of the VCU School of Pharmacy and the history of pharmacy in Virginia, and a series of informational panels depicting facets of pharmacy history in Virginia. The exhibit also includes displays of artifacts, including apothecary bottles, patent medicines, and drug store pharmacy tools and implements. The VCU School of Pharmacy is a member of the Institute’s Pharmacy Education Fund. The School was nominated by Bill Zellmer.

Ben Urick and Christian Asia Brown, for undertaking the UNC Pharmacy Desegregation Oral History Project, which seeks to record oral histories with the first African American students who desegregated the University of North Carolina School of Pharmacy during the 1960s and 1970s. Professor Urick is an Institute member and a member of our journal’s editorial board. He and Ms. Brown (a PharmD student at the UNC School of Pharmacy) were nominated by AIHP staff member Greg Bond. Read more about their project at AIHP’s blog Points.

Congratulations to the 2021 Certificate of Commendation winners!