April 27, 2017
"To me, Dr. Sweet exemplifies the highest standards that all professors should be held too and is an asset to the College of Pharmacy.”

Gundy Sweet, PharmD, FASHP, has received the 2017 Teaching Excellence Award. This award recognizes exceptional teaching in the College’s PharmD and PhD programs. Dr. Sweet is a clinical professor of pharmacy, clinical specialist in medication use policy, and the director of curriculum assessment at the College.

“My teaching beliefs are defined by my collective experiences as a teacher, a clinician, and a learner,” explains Dr. Sweet. “Home schooling my autistic son has taught me so much about teaching, in particular, the need for making the purpose of learning clear and for varying the teaching approach depending on the audience and setting. I apply those underlying principles to any teaching setting, and I seek to understand the learners’ perspectives of the experience.”

“Teaching, like dancing, requires two parties working together; the teaching methods must work for me and for students. But a truly effective educator motivates and inspires as well as teaches. Recognizing positive actions and outcomes, no matter how small, motivates students to learn and to work harder.”

“I never assume that my knowledge and experience alone qualify me to teach,” continues Dr. Sweet. “The responsibility for teaching others must be taken seriously. It is essential for teachers to understand the importance of the job they are given and the potential they have to influence the lives of their learners, responsibilities that we must appreciate and respect.”

Dr. Sweets’ students have the highest praise for her teaching style. One student said, “Dr. Sweet is a fantastic professor. Not only are her classes enjoyable and informative, this class shattered my expectations in terms of what I expected to learn. Evidence-based medicine really is a set of incredibly useful tools and I am happy to have learned them from her!” Another student commented that, “Dr. Sweet is always willing to go above and beyond for any student of hers, her empathy and understanding of the difficulties that students face within and outside the classroom has amazed me. I feel that she is an advocate for the students and always strives to give us a comprehensive experience in class with an absolutely fair grading system. To me, she exemplifies the highest standards that all professors should be held too and is an asset to the College of Pharmacy.”

Dr. Sweet earned her PharmD degree at the University of the Pacific College of Pharmacy. She then completed a clinical pharmacy residency at the VA Hospital in San Diego, California, and an advanced residency in drug information at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sweet served as the director of the drug information and medication use policy at Michigan Medicine for 25 years. She is nationally known in the field of drug information and medication use policy, has authored numerous publications, and served on many editorial boards.

As director of curriculum assessment she chairs the curriculum and assessment committee, ensures compliance with accreditation standards, and provides continuous review of the pharmacy curriculum and student outcomes. Dr. Sweet is responsible for teaching the evidence-based medicine thread across the 3-year didactic program. In addition, she has been instrumental in the interprofessional education (IPE) movement on the U-M campus, serving as the course director for the large-scale interprofessional team-based clinical decision making course, implementing other IPE opportunities, and representing the college of pharmacy on the executive and curriculum committees for the U-M Center for Interprofessional Education. Dr. Sweet continues to practice in the field of drug information, formulary management, and medication use policy which allows her to bring real-world experiences into the classroom.