Fred M. Eckel Pharmacy Leadership Award

Fred M. Eckel, ScD(Hon), MS, RPh - 2011

Fred Eckel is a faculty member Emeritus in the Division of Pharmacy Practice and Experiential Education at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. He joined the School in 1966 and established the UNC pharmacy residency program at UNC Hospital the following year. Since its establishment, the residency program has trained more than 400 residents, who have been practicing pharmacy around the world in settings such as acute care, ambulatory care, academia, and administration.

Eckel graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy in 1961 and completed his MS in Hospital Pharmacy and residency at The Ohio State University in 1963. He has spoken on pharmacy topics in all fifty states and on five continents. He has been recognized for his leadership through numerous offices and awards in pharmacy organizations at the state and national level including ASHP President and the Harvey A.K. Whitney Award. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Pharmacy Times, and Executive Director Emeritus of the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists, and President of Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International.

Alison Apple, DPh, MS

Alison is the system director of pharmacy at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and Director of pharmacy at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. She holds a faculty position as associate professor at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in both the PharmD program as well as the graduate program in Health Outcomes and Policy Research She also holds assistant professor appointments at both the University of Mississippi College of Pharmacy and Union University College of Pharmacy.

Alison obtained a BS in pharmacy at the University of Rhode Island and in 1984 an MS in pharmacy here at the University of North Carolina, School of Pharmacy, where she also completed her residency program at UNC Hospitals.

Alison has been the recipient of many grants and has numerous publications and presentations.Her list of professional engagements with State, National, and International organizations is impressive. Most recently she has served in the capacity of Vice-Chair, Chair, and past chair on the ASHP Council on Credentialing. In 2006 she was the recipient of the Tennessee Pharmacist Association Innovative Pharmacy Practice Award.

Pamela U. Joyner, EdD, MS Pharm, FASHP

Pamela U. Joyner is Executive Associate Dean for Professional Education and Clinical Professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She provides leadership for all professional initiatives including accreditation, the curriculum, experiential education, continuing education, the academy, and the center for innovation in pharmacy simulation. Prior to her appointment as executive associate dean for professional education, Joyner served as the associate dean for professional education from 1998-2010. 
Joyner received both a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and a Master of Science in Hospital Pharmacy from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She also earned a Doctor of Education degree from NC State University in Raleigh. For much of her early career, she practiced at the Wake Area Health Education Center at Wake Medical Center in Raleigh, spending more than fifteen years there first as coordinator and then as director of pharmacy education. In February 1996, she joined the School as the director of external professional programs and implemented the School's off-campus External Doctor of Pharmacy Program. 
Joyner has been actively involved in state and national professional organizations including the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, American Pharmacists Association, and the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists. She was recognized as a fellow of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists in 1991 and was selected to participate in the 2007–2008 AACP Academic Leadership Fellows Program.

Betty Dennis, PharmD, MS

In 1975, Dr. Dennis began her career with UNC Healthcare as a faculty member at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and Clinical Specialist in Medicine at UNC Hospitals. Since 2011, she has served as Coordinator of the UNCH Medication Assistance Program.

Betty received her Bachelors, Masters and Doctor of Pharmacy Degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also completed a two-year ASHP Residency at NC Memorial Hospital with a focus in Adult Medicine. After completing her residency in 1974, she was offered a 1 year post graduate position in clinical research & pharmacokinetics with Dr. Tom Foster at the University of Kentucky. She also served during that year as Supervisor of Medicine Services at the AB Chandler Medical Center in Lexington.

Betty’s interests have focused on advancing collaborative practice, promoting medication safety, and advocating for pharmacy & public health initiatives to improve access to health care. Through her leadership, our Ambulatory Care Residency was created in 1995 and the first UNC Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner clinic was established with Internal Medicine in 2001.

During her 39 year career at UNC, Betty has served in numerous roles including Director of Continuing Education and Associate Director of Pharmacy AHEC with the UNC School of Pharmacy; Director of Pharmacy of the UNC Student Health Services; Senior Clinical Specialist in Ambulatory Care; and Certified Diabetes Educator and Clinical Pharmacist Practitioner in the UNCH Internal Medicine Clinic. She has served as a Preceptor for students and residents throughout her career.

Dr. Dennis has been elected to state and national positions of leadership and has served as Chair of numerous committees. In 1991 she was the first (and only) woman elected as President of the NC Pharmaceutical Association which had been established for over 100 years. She was the 2nd woman elected to the NC Board of Pharmacy for which she has served as President. She is a current member and past Chair of the Investigational Review Board for Family Health International and was a founding member of the NC Cancer Pain Coalition that advocated for enhanced interdisciplinary education to improve therapeutic outcomes with pain management.

Betty has been recognized for her leadership in clinical practice and education with awards including ASHP Fellowship, NCAP Health-System Clinical Pharmacist of the Year Award, Bowl of Hygeia Community Service Award, UNC-CH Pharmacy Alumni Award for Distinguished Service, and Best Instructor Awards.

Yousif Asiri, MS, PhD

Dr. Yousif Abdu Asiri is a 1991 graduate of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and UNC Hospitals Residency program. He is currently serving in the capacity of Vice - Rector for Planning and Development at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where he is also a Professor of Clinical Pharmacy. Dr. Asiri has also previously served as Dean for the College of Pharmacy at King Saud University. 
It was at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Eshelman School of Pharmacy and The University of North Carolina Hospitals where he earned his Master of Science Degree in Hospital Pharmacy and completed a Residency in Hospital Pharmacy. After UNC, he went on to earn his Ph.D. in Clinical Pharmacy at the University of the Pacific, School of Pharmacy at Stockton, California. 
Dr. Asiri describes himself as being a pharmacist by choice, commitment and concern. He has been an active member numerous committees at King Saud University within their College of Pharmacy, within the University, and outside of the University. He is also involved in several health related governmental organizations. Dr. Asiri is an editor for several pharmaceutical and medical journals nationally and internationally. He is a frequent speaker at pharmacy meetings and is considered a pharmacy futurist.

Craig Kirkwood 

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Steve Caiola

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Stephen Eckel

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J. Heyward Hull, PharmD, MS

Heyward Hull graduated from UNC-CH I 1963 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy. After practicing in the community for nearly a decade, he enrolled in the combined clinical pharmacy residency and hospital pharmacy administration masters degree program under the tutelage of Fred Eckel. Upon graduation from the masters residency program, he embarked upon a remarkable career spanning 50 years and several  institutions. After spending 7 years as a Clinical Pharmacist at NC Memorial Hospital and completing his PharmD, he joined Burroughs Wellcome as a Clinical Research Scientist. Over 17 years, he grew through the ranks to eventually be the Director of Cardiovascular Medicine and a Senior Clinical Research Scientist. He then made a transition to Quintiles, a Clinical Research Organization in RTP, where he served as Senior Director, Executive Director, and eventually, Group Vice President of Therapeutic Areas. He then joined Igacen, a partner research organization, to head Development and Regulatory Affairs, for 6 years. As if that was not illustrious enough of a career, Dr. Hull returned to his roots, joining the faculty at the UNC Eshleman School of Pharmacy in 2006, within the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics. He became a Full Professor, and now holds the title of Professor Emeritus, since his official retirement in 2016. Over the course of this expansive and far reaching career, Dr. Hull has translated his training experiences into successes throughout the clinical, administrative, industry, research, and academic sectors.

Deborah M. Montague

Debbie  served as an integral member of our UNC Pharmacy Team for over 30 years. After completing her Pharmacy degree, Debbie completed residency training along with her Masters degree at North Carolina Memorial hospital (now known as the UNC Medical Center), then joined our clinical pharmacy team as one of it’s founding members. Over her years at UNC, she established and led our world-class PGY2 Cardiology program, served as a clinical team leader, and mentored and influenced generations of pharmacists as they passed through our department

J. Herbert Patterson

James C. McAllister, III

Robert Dupuis

Bob Dupuis is a clinical professor of pharmacy in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. His responsibilities include teaching and coordinating coursework in integrative pharmacotherapy, clinical pharmacology, nephrology and transplant pharmacotherapeutics. Dupuis is also director of the DPET Fellowship program, and advises and works with graduate, PharmD students and fellows on their research endeavors.

Bob graduated from SUNY Buffalo in 1982. Shortly after his training concluded, he joined UNC in 1985 as a clinical specialist in transplant and instructor at UNC ESOP, and over the past nearly 30 years, he has contributed in substantial ways to the education of students, residents and fellows, while achieving at the highest levels as a clinician, researcher, and scholar. He served as the RPD for the PGY2 SOT program for 8 years at the hospital. With over 100 publications and presentations to his credit, he has been a national thought leader in the area of solid organ transplant.

Through it all, Bob has remained a humble servant leader, a mentor to many, and an undoubted role model for this profession.