2010 Distinguished Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

In June 2009, Paul W. Abramowitz, PharmRes’79, PharmD’79, became the 11th University of Michigan-affiliated pharmacist to receive the prestigious Harvey A.K. Whitney Lecture Award. A noted health-system director, educator, and leader in advancing health-system pharmacy, Abramowitz currently serves as interim hospital associate director for professional services and chief pharmacy officer at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He is also professor and assistant dean at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy. Over his 30-year career, Abramowitz has served as director of pharmacy at four, university-based hospitals and clinics.

The Whitney Lecture Award selection committee cited his strong commitment to the development of pharmacy leaders. As proof, the committee noted that he has mentored over 100 pharmacy residents and graduate students, and inspired countless more pharmacy students as a committed teacher and administrator. In a 2008 multimedia presentation honoring the 80th anniversary of the U-M pharmacy residency program, Abramowitz had this to say about his Michigan pharmacy training:

“My education and residency at Michigan taught me drug therapy problem solving, the importance of putting the patient first, and the true value of interdisciplinary care. This was at a time when these things were not generally touted in the literature or much spoken about. But they were principles that were practiced at Michigan and instilled, by example, into the practice model taught to residents. The education I received at Michigan introduced me to implementing new patient care programs and services, and got me comfortable with change management. The lessons I learned at Michigan were things I never stopped using, never stopped building upon.”

Abramowitz continues to be involved in all aspects of health-system pharmacy, from education to administration, research to publishing. His contributions to pharmacy literature are extensive, encompassing redesigning pharmacy services, improving pharmaceutical care for patients, and reducing costs. Abramowitz was honored with the prestigious John W. Webb Lecture Award in 2000; was the U-M College of Pharmacy commencement speaker in 1994; received the ASHP Award for Achievement in the Professional Practice of Pharmacy in 1985; and has chaired numerous pharmacy boards and committees.

He has served on the Health System Liaison Board of the Iowa Pharmacy Association, the ASHP Board of Directors and House of Delegates, is a former ASHP president, and currently serves as the organization’s treasurer. Appointed to the Iowa Board of Pharmacy in 2000 by Gov. Thomas Vilsack, Abramowitz was chairman of the board as well as chairman of the board of directors of the Iowa Statewide Poison Control Center. He is a past member of the Iowa Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Task Force, Children’s Hospital of Iowa Advisory Committee, the Health Information Security and Privacy Collaboration Steering Committee of the Iowa Foundation for Medical Security, and the P&T Committee of the Wellmark Health Plan (Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Iowa.