FACULTY AND STAFF
School of Pharmacy Receives National Community Pharmacy Center of Excellence Recognition
"We will be used as a model for other institutions that would like to incorporate more community pharmacy education into their curriculum."
SARAH OPRINOVICH, PHARM.D.
Faculty member Sarah Oprinovich, Pharm.D., helped to get the school designated as a National Community Pharmacy Center of Excellence.
The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy has designated the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy a Community Pharmacy Center of Excellence. The designation recognizes the significant commitment the school has made to advancement in teaching, service, scholarship, leadership and partnerships. The school is one of 17 schools to receive the award.
Faculty members Kendall Guthrie (Pharm.D. ’13), Sarah Oprinovich, Pharm.D. and Heather Lyons-Burney (Pharm.D. ’94) applied for the award, with help from Mark Sawkin, Pharm.D., Mark Patterson, Ph.D., M.P.H., and Yifei Liu, Ph.D.
Alongside the other schools, the UMKC School of Pharmacy will serve as an ambassador for the discipline, and will have unique opportunities to share its knowledge and help other programs develop community-oriented care.
“We will be used as a model for other institutions that would like to incorporate more community pharmacy education into their curriculum,” Oprinovich said. “We will also be in closer contact with other Centers of Excellence, so we can all share practices that will improve our students’ readiness for practicing in contemporary communities.”
As a Center of Excellence, the UMKC School of Pharmacy now sets its sights on advancing community pharmacy practice for everyone and on continued training of the caregivers of tomorrow.
According to Oprinovich, many people don’t realize their community pharmacy is where they can get vaccines, testing for minor acute illnesses, monitor blood pressure and more.
“We have multiple faculty who are given the time and space to serve professional organizations, innovate and research,” Oprinovich said. “Our experiential education leaders also place high value on training students to be well-prepared for the rapid change happening in community pharmacy today.”
The School of Pharmacy will hold this designation for the next five years, after which it will be invited to reapply.
Sarah Oprinovich and School of Pharmacy student Adam Chanliongco speak with a customer inside Balls Foods Pharmacy in Kansas City, Missouri.
Oprinovich chats with a patient as Chanliongco takes his blood pressure.
"We will be used as a model for other institutions that would like to incorporate more community pharmacy education into their curriculum."
SARAH OPRINOVICH, PHARM.D.
Leading with Purpose
The UMKC School of Pharmacy will update its strategic plan in 2025 with a new focus: “shaping pharmacy, transforming lives.”
That renewed theme for the school came about after faculty and staff spent time last year meeting with experts as they prepared to update the current plan, which is set to expire this year.
One of those experts, Brooke Griffin, Pharm.D., led a discussion at the School of Pharmacy’s faculty and staff retreat last summer. Griffin, a recognized expert in coaching and mentoring for pharmacy organizations and a sought-after speaker on professional development, facilitated conversations on enhancing faculty and staff engagement to better align with and advance the school’s mission and vision.
The School of Pharmacy also partnered with Triangle Associates, a consulting agency specializing in education, to refine the strategic planning process. Members of the school’s executive committee, faculty, staff and the strategic planning and assessment committee participated in focus groups. The school also gathered input from preceptors and alumni through a comprehensive survey, ensuring diverse perspectives contributed to the development of the next strategic plan.
After additional focused discussions, the school approved the new “shaping pharmacy, transforming lives” theme of the plan, which should be complete by late spring and will be in place until 2030.
School Welcomes New Alumni Director
The School of Pharmacy welcomed Maria Dickson as its new alumni relations and annual giving senior director in December 2024.
Dickson, who also serves in her new role for the UMKC School of Nursing and Health Studies, previously worked at Crossroads Charter Schools in Kansas City, Missouri. There, she managed the schools’ internal and external communications and also coordinated fundraising events.
Dickson is already in the process of planning gatherings for alumni to connect and have some fun. These include a Springfield Cardinals baseball game and a tailgate at Mizzou. Other future gatherings may include a wine and/or bourbon tasting, a Kansas City Current game and a Top Golf outing.
Originally from Marshall, Missouri, Dickson is a Lindenwood University graduate. When she’s not at UMKC, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, as well as exploring Kansas City’s art, music and culinary scenes. Amelia Howard, who previously served in Dickson’s role, is now the senior director of alumni relations and annual giving for the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
You can contact Dickson at mdickson@umkc.edu or 816-235-2745 for more information about School of Pharmacy alumni events.
New Staff Members Join School of Pharmacy
The School of Pharmacy’s Office of Student Affairs welcomed two new team members in 2024.
Autumn Looney was hired as the senior student recruitment and programs specialist in April. She is primarily responsible for developing and executing events for pre-college students that promote pharmacy as a career path. Looney earned a degree in business management and leadership at the University of Kansas, where she was also a student-athlete for four years. Looney is based at the Kansas City campus.
Sydney Johnson was hired as the senior enrollment advisor in July. In her role, Johnson focuses on growing student outreach and guiding prospective students through the enrollment process, ensuring they have the resources and support needed to succeed in the pharmacy program. Johnson has a degree in English from UMKC and a master’s in English Language and Literature from Missouri State. She is based at the Springfield satellite campus.
Alumna Returns as Faculty Member
Lindsey Griggs (Pharm.D. ’22) joined the School of Pharmacy as a clinical assistant professor in the Pharmacy Practice and Administration Division in Columbia. Griggs started her position in August.
After graduating from UMKC, Griggs completed a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice residency at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, and then returned to the Kansas City area to pursue a PGY-2 residency in infectious diseases at the Kansas City VA.
Griggs is based in Lewis Hall on the MU campus, and her practice site is located at the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in Columbia.
Staff and Faculty Milestone Anniversaries
The following staff and faculty members are celebrating milestone anniversaries at the School of Pharmacy. The school thanks them for their years of dedication and service.
Professor and Alumna Named MPA President
One of the School of Pharmacy’s own is now the acting president of the Missouri Pharmacy Association (MPA). Kendall Guthrie (Pharm.D. ’13), a clinical associate professor, was installed in her new position during the MPA’s annual meeting in August.
“I feel honored to serve as MPA president,” Guthrie said. “MPA has been a critical part of my professional journey and development, and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to lead, support and protect the future of pharmacy in Missouri.”
Guthrie has served on the MPA’s Board of Directors since 2018 and has been a member of both the Continuing Education Committee and the Legislative Committee. Her presidential platform centers around two critical areas – professional identity and legislative reform.
Guthrie believes the professional identity of pharmacists is rooted in their steadfast commitment to health and wellness – ensuring patients receive safe and effective treatments, identifying socioeconomic barriers that can impact therapeutic outcomes and often being the most accessible healthcare professionals to their patients.
She also acknowledges the challenges facing the pharmacy profession. Numerous factors have led to the closure of a record number of community pharmacies. In her new position, Guthrie is deeply committed to responding to these challenges in an impactful way.
“I hope to drive meaningful progress toward expanding and protecting pharmacy practice,” she said. “At the end of my term, I hope to leave the profession in a better place than when I started.”
Guthrie is a staunch supporter of Missouri House Bills 982 and 840 and Senate Bills 45 and 512, which Guthrie believes would implement crucial reforms aimed at curbing the power of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), if passed. In her opinion, PBMs are a large contributor to rising prescription drug costs and the closure of independent pharmacies. Senate Bill 45 would help keep these pharmacies open, Guthrie said, ensuring continuity of care and improving therapeutic outcomes, especially for those in rural areas.
Alumna and professor Kendall Guthrie is the new president of the Missouri Pharmacy Association.
"I hope to drive meaningful progress toward expanding and protecting pharmacy practice. At the end of my term, I hope to leave the profession in a better place than when I started."
KENDALL GUTHRIE, (PHARM.D.’13)
2024 faculty award recognition
Living the Values Award
Molly Tugushi earned the School of Pharmacy’s 2024 Living the Values Award. The award is given annually to a staff member who exemplifies excellence in UMKC’s core values – learning, diversity, integrity, accountability, respect and collaboration.
Tugushi is an office support associate on the Columbia campus. Despite being located in Columbia, her impact extends to all the School of Pharmacy locations. Her coworkers note that she regularly demonstrates a keen ability to identify challenges within programs and proactively suggests effective strategies for improvement. Tugushi collaborates with faculty and staff across all three campuses to build community and promote consistency within the school. According to her colleagues, Tugushi is not only reliable and quick to embrace new tasks, but she also approaches every responsibility with enthusiasm, striving to deliver high-quality results. The School of Pharmacy thanks her for her many contributions to its success.
2025 Preceptor of the Year Award Recognition
- Haley Hurst, APPE Preceptor of the Year, Hannibal Free Clinic in Hannibal, Missouri
- Alec Schwartze, IPPE Preceptor of the Year, Auburn Pharmacy in Smithville, Missouri
- Nicole Moreno, Faculty Preceptor of the Year, Mercy Hospital in Springfield, Missouri
- Trevor Isringhausen, NEW Preceptor of the Year, Flow’s Pharmacy in Columbia, Missouri
DPPA faculty and staff proudly show off their "Roo Blue" during a retreat on the Kansas City campus.