C. Michael White, Pharm.D., FCCP, FCP has been voted Teacher of the Year by the Pharm.D. Class of 2019. In that capacity, he will be the keynote speaker at the School of Pharmacy’s graduation banquet in May of this year.
The individual selected for this honor is the person who, in the opinion of the graduating class, has been a truly outstanding teacher throughout the four years of their professional program. This is the fourth time White has been selected for this designation, having previously earned the honor in 2001, 2004, and 2010.
When notified of his selection, White said, “Molding the next generation of caring and competent pharmacists by pushing them to be their best while also supporting them in that process is a challenge I take seriously. As Department Head of Pharmacy Practice since 2011 –and along with Assistant Department Head Kevin Chamberlin’03 (Pharm.D.) — we have been hiring and developing amazing teachers. The same is true in every area of the School of Pharmacy, so the competition for this award has been fierce. It is especially heartwarming that the students identified my contributions as being noteworthy this year.”
A cum laude graduate of the Albany College of Pharmacy, where he earned his Pharm.D. in 1996, White joined the faculty of the UConn School of Pharmacy that year as adjunct Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy. He was named Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice in 1998, became Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice in 2003, and was appointed full Professor of Pharmacy Practice in 2008. He has served as department head since 2011.
A dedicated teacher and mentor, he was named a UConn Teaching Fellow in 2006, the University’s highest teaching honor awarded to tenured faculty.
White’s practice site is at Hartford Hospital where he is a member of the Health Outcomes, Policy, and Evidence Synthesis (HOPES) Collaborative Group. The mission of HOPES is to promote optimal health outcomes by helping clinicians, patients, and decision makers generate, synthesize, and analyze data that supports evidence-based practice.
He is also co-director of the hospital’s Cardiac Outcomes Fellowship through which he mentors Pharmacy Practice Residents, and he has acted as preceptor to more than 300 pharmacy undergraduates from schools as diverse as UConn, SUNY Buffalo, Creighton, Ohio Northern University, and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy.
The author of more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, he is frequently interviewed by members of local and national print and broadcast media on topics as diverse as medical marijuana, drug interactions, prescription drug pricing reform, and the dangers and potential of the natural opioid Kratom.
In noting that Dr. White has been selected Teacher of the Year on four occasions, Dean of the School of Pharmacy James Halpert said, “Mike is the epitome of what a teacher should be. He is a member of a distinguished group of faculty members who have shown remarkable dedication to our students and to the profession of pharmacy.”
Halpert noted that the four most recent recipients of the award have been Dr. Rachel Eyler (2018), Dr. Amy Christine Anderson – posthumously (2017), Dr. Gerry Gianutsos, (2016), and Dr. Eyler (2015) and said, “The UConn School of Pharmacy is fortunate that we have a long line of faculty who, year after year, make lasting impressions on our students. The importance of their influence can’t be underestimated, and our school is a reflection of their talent and dedication.”
