By: Erik Pedersen, Content Strategy Director

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BALTIMORE – Notre Dame of Maryland University’s School of Pharmacy hosted its annual Scholarship and Teacher of the Year Awards ceremony in the Knott Science and Innovation Center Lecture Hall on Tuesday, with several students and one standout faculty member recognized by their peers.

Dr. Ka Hong, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences, was honored as the school’s Teacher of the Year, while 13 students were awarded scholarships in recognition of their outstanding academic accomplishments.

Dr. Hong, who has taught in the School of Pharmacy since 2021, becomes the school’s 12th Teacher of the Year honoree. The selection process involves both student nominations and peer evaluation of teaching. Nominees were asked to submit a statement that described their teaching philosophy, and evidence of excellence, achievement, and/or innovation in teaching over the previous year.

“Dr. Hong is an excellent professor. He is organized and interactive, he motivates me to become a better student, he demonstrates interest and enthusiasm for teaching, he motivates students to achieve their full potential, and he is accessible to students outside of class time.” – excerpt from a student nomination (block quote)

The School of Pharmacy presented the 2024 Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience Preceptor of the Year award to Dr. Penelope Murphy, pharmacy manager at Giant Pharmacy in Nottingham, Maryland. Preceptors are nominated by their students, with the winner chosen by the SOP’s Office of Experiential Education.

Student scholarship award recipients were required to meet a required grade-point average standard, along with additional criteria as specified by the scholarship sponsor. Applicants were also required to respond to essay questions developed by the Scholarship and Awards Committee.


CVS Health Foundation Scholarship: awarded to students who have an interest in pursuing community pharmacy practice as a career.

Kingsley Odia
Mahsa Sharifi


CVS Health Foundation Bilingual Scholarship: awarded to a student who has an interest in pursuing community pharmacy practice as a career and is a fluent bilingual speaker.

Jesie May Jumawid


CVS Health Foundation Spanish Proficiency Scholarship: awarded to students who have an interest in pursuing community pharmacy practice as a career and are proficient in Spanish.

Heidy Garcia Castro
Yadiel Ramirez Sanchez


Rosskopf Family Scholarship: awarded to a female student who has achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, and who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to serving the community.

Taofikat Oladejo
Kunjrani Pani
Jahanvi Patel
Jessica Rubelmann


Walgreens Diversity & Inclusion Excellence Award: presented to a student who has embraced diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus

John Jegede


Walgreens Multilingual Scholarship: awarded to a student who is fluent in one or more languages other than English and has an interest in entering community pharmacy when they graduate.

Krystal Ortiz


Alumni Chapter Scholarship: created to recognize students who have embraced the values of the School of Pharmacy, and who have shown a commitment to the School and the potential to continue to do so after graduation.

Mlaika Malik


Foundation Scholarship: awarded to a P2 or P3 student by this year’s graduating class, which was a tradition established with the inaugural Class of 2013. It is a demonstration of the School of Pharmacy’s soon-to-be graduates’ commitment to excellence and to their peers.

Seok Ju Song
 

Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best "Regional Universities North" by U.S. News & World Report.