UTHSC alumnus William Edward Evans, PharmD, is the recipient of the 2012 Remington Honor Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the American Pharmacists’Association (APhA).
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) alumnus William Edward Evans, PharmD, is the recipient of the 2012 Remington Honor Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the American Pharmacists’ Association (APhA). Director and CEO of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Dr. Evans was selected in recognition of his research with anticancer agents and pharmacogenomics, as well as his work with the advancement of St. Jude.
The Remington Honor Medal — named for eminent community pharmacist, manufacturer and educator Joseph P. Remington — was established in 1918 to recognize distinguished service on behalf of American pharmacy during the preceding years, culminating in the past year, or during a long period of outstanding activity or fruitful achievement. The award was bestowed on Dr. Evans during the APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans, from March 9 to12. APhA’s awards series is pharmacy’s most comprehensive recognition program.
In nominating Evans, a colleague stated, “Dr. Evans is a cutting-edge scientist who has made a difference in the lives of children throughout the world. His career and contributions to the profession of pharmacy cannot be matched. It is a staggering honor within itself to, as a pharmacist, become the CEO of the leading children’s research hospital in the world. He is an outstanding teacher, as well as a scientist of note. He has the ability to reduce very complex issues into terms that can be understood by the lay public. The ability to communicate effectively with leading scientists, students, politicians, educators, colleagues and the public is a true gift. Clearly, Dr. Evans’ contribution to pharmacy and to children’s research and health is incredible.”
A professor at the University of Tennessee Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine, Dr. Evans earned his BSPharm and PharmD from UTHSC. His research is on the pharmacodynamics and pharmacogenomics of anticancer agents in children, exploring mechanisms underlying differences in drug effects among children. Under his leadership, St. Jude has expanded its research in drug discovery, cancer survivorship, cancer genomics, and personalized medicine via pharmacogenomics. During his tenure, St. Jude has been ranked the #1 Children’s Cancer Hospital by U.S. News & World Report, #1 in The Scientist magazine’s best places to work in academia survey, and listed among the Fortune 100 Best Places to Work.
Another colleague noted, “Dr. Evans has had a remarkably long and productive career. In addition to his demanding duties as Director and CEO of St. Jude, he continues to be involved as the principal investigator in several NCI grants supported-research projects. He also finds time to provide leadership in several community activities like the Rhodes College Board of Trustees and the Methodist Le Bonheur Health Care Board of Directors.”
An elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), Dr. Evans is also an elected member of the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences. He serves on the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and has held elected offices as president of the ACCP, chair of AAAS’s Pharmaceutical Sciences Section and president of APhA-Academy of Pharmaceutical Research and Science. Dr. Evans has received three consecutive NCI MERIT Awards from the National Institutes of Health for his research of antileukemic agents in children. His national and international research includes the Rawls Palmer Progress in Medicine Award from the American Society Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics; the Therapeutic Frontiers Lecture Award from ACCP; the Volwiler Research Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy; and the Research Achievement Award and the Tyler Prize from APhA.
The American Pharmacists Association, founded in 1852 as the American Pharmaceutical Association, is a 501 (c)(6) organization, representing more than 62,000 practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and others interested in advancing the profession. APhA, dedicated to helping all pharmacists improve medication use and advance patient care, is the first-established and largest association of pharmacists in the United States.