Two faculty members from the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences (CPHS) were recently recognized for their excellent work this academic year. Dr. Mike Jiroutek was awarded the Excellence in Research Award and Dr. Lillian MacNell was awarded the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence.
The CPHS Excellence in Research Award was created to recognize a faculty member who has shown a distinguished record in academic research. This recognition can be either for depth and breadth of scholarship or for a recent unique contribution to science or scholarship.
Dr. Jiroutek, AKA “Dr. J,” is the only statistician at CPHS, as well as an associate professor of Clinical Research. He educates and collaborates with many students and faculty across the University. Appropriate research design and data analyses are critical to any research, so his insights and contributions have been invaluable to many researchers across campus. He has mentored 100 students in the Master of Science in Clinical Research program, which resulted in 66 scholarly works. Dr. Jiroutek also mentors Pharmacy Practice residents and multiple faculty members across several disciplines within CPHS.
“I’m grateful to the students, residents and faculty with whom I’ve collaborated for asking interesting questions and involving me in their research,” Dr. Jiroutek said. “Without the opportunity to be part of those research teams, I wouldn’t have been in a position to receive this award.”
In the area of education-related service, Dr. MacNell, assistant professor of Public Health, is a valuable contributor to the Public Health program, the college, the University. She provided curricular leadership as the department worked to earn accreditation with the Council on Education for Public Health. She also worked tirelessly to develop the curricular framework for a proposed Bachelor of Science in Public Health. Dr. MacNell has been an important part of the Faculty Development Committee and the Interprofessional Education (IPE) Committee, and has helped manage a wide-range of IPE activities. She is a respected academic leader on issues of environmental justice and food justice, truly embodying the ethics and values of the Public Health department.
Dr. Michael L. Adams, dean of the college, stated, “Dr. MacNell is a reliable, hardworking, effective and inspiring educational leader. Students enjoy her classes, colleagues enjoy collaborating with her and her intellect and work ethic have helped to transform the Public Health program’s approach to many aspects of teaching and learning.”
“Providing a supportive and engaging educational environment is the most important part of my job,” Dr. MacNell shared. “I’m so happy to receive this award because it lets me know that I’m doing what I need to be doing to help our students have the best possible experience in our program and at Campbell.”