August 29, 2024

After more than 25 years of dedicated service to the College of Pharmacy, Assistant Dean Dr. Paul Walker will retire effective September 4, 2024.   

 

Dr. Walker joined the College as a preceptor in 1996 and was hired as a Clinical Associate Professor and Assistant Director of Pharmacy in 1999. Shortly after, Walker began to oversee the College’s Experiential Education and Community Engagement efforts – providing meaningful professional development opportunities for students, and strengthening the College’s commitment to service within our community.

 

“It has been a great honor to serve the College in so many ways,” Walker reflected. “I have had the good fortune to impact and mentor many students here while at the same time learning from so many of my peers and engaging in really meaningful work.”

 

In his clinical work, Dr. Walker provided pharmaceutical care to children – implementing pharmacist-managed therapeutic drug monitoring services, pediatric pain management and nutrition support services.  His work has been instrumental in demonstrating the value that pharmacists bring to a care team.

 

Not only active within the classroom and in clinical settings, Dr. Walker has been involved in a number of organizations including the Michigan Pharmacists Association and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). When reflecting on his more-than-40-year career, his impact on the profession through ASHP brings Dr. Walker the most pride. A member since his days as a student, Dr. Walker had the honor of serving as president of the organization from 2022 to 2023.

 

“My presidential year was especially meaningful to me because I was able to emphasize the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in our profession,” Walker explained. “That was my platform that year, and my efforts helped put some important initiatives into play, including scholarships for students enrolled in colleges of pharmacy at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and grants to support research focused on DEI and social determinants of health (SDoH).”

 

Among the gamut of awards donning Dr. Walker’s shelves, he was awarded the 2022 Pharmacist of the Year award by the Michigan Pharmacists Association and the 2021 Award of Excellence in Experiential Education by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).

 

“Dr. Walker has provided tremendous leadership in providing our students with top notch experiential opportunities to develop professionally and serve their communities and has been an important mentor to so many,” remarked Dean Vicki Ellingrod. “We appreciate the immense impact he has made on our students, faculty, staff and College community.”

 

Quick to practice humility, Dr. Walker said it’s the people that he will miss most, especially his Experiential Education team and their important contributions to the education of students.

 

“The day-to-day interactions with peers and staff at the College, colleagues in my professional organizations and collaborators across the country have made my experience so great,” said Walker. “That’s what I will miss the most.”

 

As his days at the College near an end, Walker adds, “With my role being separated and expanded into two offices, I am thrilled to see how our community engagement efforts will continue to flourish. I am so proud of our college’s commitment to put a greater emphasis on serving our community and supporting our preceptors. And I am excited to see how our experiential education program will grow to the next level.” 

 

Dr. Hanna Phan and Dr. Amy Thompson will succeed Dr. Walker as Director of Experiential Education and Director of Community Engagement, respectively. 

 

Upon retirement, Dr. Walker plans to continue his association with a number of pharmacy organizations – continuing his decades-long commitment to healthcare excellence.  

 

Congratulations, Dr. Walker, and thank you for your years of service to the College of Pharmacy!