Hanna Phan Receives Cystic Fibrosis Foundation 2025 Kontos Care Champion Award

Media Contact: Lindsay Groth, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications, [email protected]

[Ann Arbor, Michigan] – Hanna Phan, PharmD, FCCP, FPPA, Clinical Professor at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, was awarded the 2025 Mary M. Kontos Care Champion Award in recognition of her commitment to improving the lives of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) and their families.

The award, presented by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in Seattle on October 24, 2025, at its North American Conference, recognizes the contributions of nonphysician members of a care team who demonstrate a passion for excellence, a commitment to patient care and advocacy, and a leadership role in the CF community. The award honors the late Mary Margaret Kontos, a pediatric nurse practitioner and CF nurse coordinator who exemplified these characteristics. 

Dr. Phan is a Clinical Pharmacist Specialist and Associate Director of the Pediatric Pulmonary Center Training Program with the University of Michigan Medicine Division of Pediatric Pulmonology. She was nominated for the award jointly by the pediatric CF care team at Michigan Medicine and her former team at the University of Arizona’s pediatric and adult CF centers, where she previously practiced for 12 years. 

In the award presentation, she was recognized as an “accomplished pharmacist, author, and educator with exceptional teaching abilities” and for “mentoring the next generation of pharmacists in cystic fibrosis care.” The award also recognizes her pioneering efforts to establish a pharmacist-patient-centered model of care. 

At Michigan Medicine, Phan implemented a system of providing video visits for pediatric CF patients in advance of those scheduled at the clinic. Additionally, follow-up visits are offered for new medication, education and initiation, or during pulmonary exacerbation treatment. During virtual visits, a pharmacy specialist reviews the patient’s complex medication regimen, evaluates lab results, screens for possible side effects, assesses the therapy effectiveness, and addresses challenges related to medication access and resources. Information gathered and any issues that surface are shared with the care team, helping families and clinicians optimize collaborative care.

“Hanna is so deserving of this honor,” said Vicki Ellingrod, Dean of the College of Pharmacy. “Her contributions to enhancing care have been game-changing for cystic fibrosis patients and families, and we are delighted to see her work recognized.” 

Dr. Phan says she has been “in shock and awe” since learning of the award. “I’m the second pharmacist who has been awarded this nationally. I feel very fortunate and grateful to the CF community,” she says. Dr. Phan describes working with a CF care team and patients as “the pinnacle of interdisciplinary care for people with chronic illness. I’ve been very fortunate to learn from and be a part of that model, and, in particular, learn from patients and families. I always feel like we provide care, but patients and families also provide us with a lot of knowledge and wisdom, and I appreciate that partnership.”

The most meaningful acknowledgment for Phan was a comment from a patient’s family cited in the award presentation. A parent said of Dr. Phan, she “was calm in the middle of what felt like a really big storm,” adding, “I am thankful for her expertise, communication skills, enthusiasm and commitment to helping my daughter through the worst time of her life.”

Also recognized with a 2025 Kontos Award was Lynne M. Fries, adult CF program coordinator at the Cystic Fibrosis Center of Western New York.

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About the College

The University of Michigan College of Pharmacy has been leading at pharmacy’s edge for 150 years. The first and oldest pharmacy school at a state university, the College — currently ranked #2 in the nation — has and continues to shape education in the field. Its faculty are internationally recognized and are innovators in drug discovery, development and delivery, precision pharmacotherapy, outcomes research, and clinical practice. More than 5,000 alumni are enhancing patient care and outcomes from the bench to the bedside, in boardrooms and communities, government agencies, and within healthcare companies.