May 28, 2015
Dr. Klein, Clinical Associate Professor of Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacist, U-M Health System, received the College of Pharmacy's 2015 Teaching Excellence Award.

Kristin Klein, PharmD, FPPAG, has received the 2015 Teaching Excellence Award. The College’s Teaching Excellence Award recognizes exceptional teaching in the PharmD and PhD programs. Selection criteria for the award include: clear and logical presentation of material, fair and appropriate evaluations of student performance, ability to motivate students, responsiveness to students’ needs, and innovation in teaching methods or content.

Dr. Klein is a Clinical Associate Professor at the U-M College of Pharmacy, and is the pediatric infectious diseases clinical pharmacist specialist at the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS). She received her BS in pharmacy from Southwestern Oklahoma State University and her PharmD from the University of Oklahoma. She then completed a specialty residency in pediatric pharmacotherapy at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Following her residency, Professor Klein joined the faculty of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where she practiced in a neonatal intensive care unit until she joined the faculty at U-M.

Dr. Klein spent four years serving on the University of Michigan Hospital and Health Center’s pharmacy residency advisory committee, including two years as the committee’s co-chair.  She was previously the co-chair of the admissions committee, and is currently the co-advisor of the APhA-ASP chapter and the coordinator of the residency teaching certificate program for UMHHC. Dr. Klein created and coordinated an elective course on immunizations and currently is the coordinator of the Pediatrics elective course offered to third-year students. She also teaches in therapeutics and leads a pediatric infectious diseases rotation, as well as co-coordinates immunizations training for all P2 students.  

“Interacting with students is what I enjoy most about my job as a faculty member.  I find it exhilarating when I see a student finally understand a complicated concept, or overcome a personal challenge,” says Dr. Klein. “I find training and mentoring future practitioners extremely gratifying.  It is important for a pharmacist to be able to apply critical thinking and life-long learning skills during his/her daily activities, regardless of where those activities take place (e.g. community, clinical, or research setting).”

Dr. Klein’s students have the highest praise for her enthusiasm and ability to provide enriching educational experiences. After completing her rotation with Dr. Klein, one student said, “a strength of this practice experience is that we work together as a team every day. It is useful to develop skills for interacting with attending physicians, residents, and medical students. I felt that I was able to learn about the medication and the pharmacist’s role, but also the medical perspective. I think it was also a strength that I was able to meet with Dr. Klein to discuss patients as well as do topic discussions. The topic discussions helped me to understand disease states and treatments more completely. I also appreciated the weekly feedback. It is a great advantage to see where you're improving and what else needs to be focused on, on a weekly basis. I was better able to see my progression and discern where I needed to go based on the feedback from my preceptor.”

The College of Pharmacy wishes to congratulate Dr. Klein on this well-deserved honor. Her dedication, passion, and insight continue to inspire those around her.