Pharmacy Professorship Established to Honor Popular Professor
Alumni, colleagues and friends have established a professorship in community pharmacy practice in honor of Henry A. Palmer (photo, right), a popular teacher, scholar and mentor in the School of Pharmacy for more than 40 years.
The Henry A. Palmer Professorship was created in recognition of Palmer’s scholarship in community pharmacy and patient care. His teachings prepared many generations of pharmacy students for their vital day-to-day role in pharmacies across the nation.
More than $756,000 was raised to establish the professorship. A group of alumni volunteers is continuing the campaign in an effort to raise the minimum $1.5 million needed to elevate the endowed professorship to a chair in Palmer’s honor.
Palmer began his career in the School of Pharmacy in 1958 as a graduate teaching assistant while he completed his master’s degree (1960) and Ph.D. (1965). He was named assistant dean in 1979, clinical professor in 1981 and associate dean in 1985. After retiring from teaching in 2000, Palmer continued to serve as clinical professor emeritus and director of the school’s continuing education program for a number of years.
Palmer attended a reception in his honor and to celebrate the professorship shortly before his death in May 2009.
“I never would have imagined such an honor would be bestowed on me,” Palmer said in a recent interview. “More important than personal honor is what this chair means to the School of Pharmacy and how it will impact on pharmacy practice. I’m happy to know there is going to be an exclusive focus on community pharmacy practice and patient care in the future with a dedicated professorship or chair.”
Doctoral candidate Michael H. Li ’10 (photo, top), president of the Pharmacy Student Government, notes that today, long after his retirement, Palmer’s legacy benefits students and faculty members.
“For me, Dr. Palmer is an example of what it means to make a positive impact. His teachings and values have been passed down from class to class, influencing students he did not directly teach,” says Li. “Those who had Dr. Palmer as a teacher and advisor speak about how he was deeply invested in their education and future. This focused and personal attention led to pharmacists who now spend extra time with patients and students to make sure that every opportunity contains a human aspect with a center of investment and care. This care-oriented attention continues to be exemplified and passed down among each pharmacy class, and is truly something that cannot be learned within the classroom.”