Fischelis Award Presented to Metta Lou Henderson

Executive Director Dennis Birke presented the AIHP Robert P. Fischelis Award to Metta Lou Henderson, PhD, on October 19 at a ceremony at the History of Pharmacy Museum at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy in Tucson.

AIHP’s Board of Directors in June selected Dr. Henderson to receive the 2021 Fischelis Award, which is awarded annually for extraordinary contributions to the Institute and the field of the history of pharmacy and pharmaceuticals. The Board cited her pioneering work researching the history of women in pharmacy, her donation to the Institute of a treasure trove of research materials that comprise the “Metta Lou Henderson Women in Pharmacy Collection,” and her contribution of funds that established the Women in Pharmacy Fund.

A small group of Dr. Henderson’s friends attended the presentation ceremony, including current APhA President Sandra Leal; former APhA President Nancy Alverez; Dr. Theodore Tong, Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Arizona; and Stephen Hall, Curator of the History of Pharmacy Museum. 

In his remarks at the event, Mr. Birke stated that “it’s hard to think of someone more deserving of the Fischelis Award than Metta Lou Henderson.” 

The AIHP Robert P. Fischelis Award is given in honor of the late Robert P. Fischelis, a gifted leader of the pharmacy profession and a generous benefactor of the Institute. In his remarks. Mr. Birke noted the Mr. Fischelis and Dr. Henderson shared ties to the Ohio Northern University College of Pharmacy. Mr. Fischelis served as the Dean of the College for several years in the early 1960s, well before Dr. Henderson joined the school’s faculty in 1978.