News & Events

Two Professors Named as Fellows, AAAS and ASCP

The University of Washington School of Pharmacy is proud to announce that two of its professors, Drs. Rene Levy and Peggy Odegard have been named as fellows of the Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP), respectively.

Dr. Rene Levy, professor of pharmaceutics and former chair of the pharmaceutics department, is one of five UW faculty members to be named as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Council. He and UW colleagues, Aimee H. Bakken, Toby Bradshaw Jr., Conway B. Leovy and Dennis P. Lettenmaier, are among 471 association members to be recognized for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science and/or its technological applications.

Election as a fellow of AAAS is an honor bestowed upon members by their peers. “I am grateful for this reconnection,” says Levy. “To be chosen as a fellow by a group of my peers it a fulfilling honor indeed.”

Dr. Levy is noted for his contributions in the section of pharmaceutical science, where he is specifically recognized for his distinguished contributions to the treatment of epilepsy, and for fostering the development and rational use of new drugs and therapeutic modalities.

Levy joined the UW faculty in 1970, after earning his doctorate in pharmaceutical chemistry from the University of California, San Francisco. His work has included the Metabolism and Transport Drug Interaction Database presently licensed by UWTechTransfer to pharmaceutical scientists throughout the world. Levy and his colleagues will be recognized at the 2008 AAAS Annual Meeting to be held this coming February in Boston.

Peggy Odegard PharmD, associate professor of pharmacy, has been named as a fellow of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP). ASCP fellowship is a special honor bestowed upon pharmacists who meet the highest standards in senior care pharmacy and have demonstrated an extraordinary level of service and dedication in professional practice activities. A fellow of the Society must fulfill rigorous criteria established by the ASCP Board of Directors and demonstrate dedication and achievement in professional activities, education activities, professional innovation, advocacy, and civic activities.

Odegard is being honored for her commitment to go above and beyond the traditional pharmacy practice by distinguishing herself through extemporary service and contributions to the practice of senior care pharmacy and the community.

Dr. Odegard practices pharmacy in an interprofessional senior care clinic, provides community-based education on aging to older adults, and is a certified diabetes educator (CDE) working primarily with older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Prior to her current position, Dr. Odegard was the clinical pharmacy manager for a 200-bed community hospital and was Assistant Dean for the UW School of Pharmacy’s Professional Programs. As a faculty member at the University of Washington, Dr. Odegard’s primary research and teaching interests are in the areas of diabetes, pulmonary diseases, and drug-induced problems with an emphasis on the care of the older adult. She is a member of the core geriatrics faculty and Director of the Certificate Program in Geriatrics. In development of the Geriatrics curriculum at the UW, Dr. Odegard is an active member of the task force to develop geriatrics training competencies for all doctor of pharmacy students using both the specialized geriatrics training sites and the general medicine and community sites. Her vision for geriatrics care is that all pharmacists will enter practice with the competency to provide the essential pharmaceutical care needed by older adults.

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. AAAS was founded in 1848 and boasts 262 affiliated societies and academies of science. According to material from AAAS, Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal, with an estimated readership of 1 million.

The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP) is the international professional association that provides leadership, education, advocacy, and resources to advance the practice of consultant and senior care pharmacy.