ATLANTA – The Georgia Pharmacy Association (GPhA) earlier this month presented its Larry L. Braden Meritorious Service Award to Hewitt W. “Ted” Matthews, Ph.D., longtime dean of the College of Pharmacy and Mercer's senior vice president for health sciences, during the organization's annual convention in Amelia Island, Fla.
The Braden Meritorious Service Award recognizes the Georgia pharmacist who, over his or her career, has made extraordinary, invaluable contributions not only to GPhA, but to the practice of pharmacy in the state of Georgia. As the highest honor GPhA bestows on a pharmacist, the award is not presented annually.
In his introduction, GPhA President Bobby Moody described Dr. Matthews as “a force for good, a force for progress in our profession… simply an original in Georgia pharmacy.” Moody acknowledged Dr. Matthews' visionary leadership at Mercer, his mentoring of countless student pharmacists, and his service to GPhA, including chairing the committee that rewrote the Pharmacy Practice Act in Georgia.
Dr. Matthews is a graduate of Mercer's pharmacy school and received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Pharmaceutical Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he was a National Institutes of Health Pre-Doctoral Fellow and a Fellow of the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education. He joined the faculty of the Mercer School of Pharmacy in 1973, was appointed the Hood-Meyer Professor of Pharmacy in 1982, and was named dean of the College of Pharmacy in 1990.
He was appointed senior vice president for health sciences in 2012 and oversees the Mercer Health Sciences Center, composed of the School of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, Georgia Baptist College of Nursing and College of Health Professions. The Mercer Health Sciences Center enrolls more than 2,000 students on Mercer's campuses in Macon, Atlanta, Savannah and Columbus.
About the College of Pharmacy
Mercer University's College of Pharmacy is ranked No. 4 among pharmacy programs at private institutions in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. The College offers doctoral degrees in pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and pharmaceutical sciences (Ph.D.). Founded in 1903 as the independent Southern School of Pharmacy, the school merged with Mercer University in 1959 and in 1981 became the first school in the Southeast to offer the Doctor of Pharmacy degree as its sole professional degree. In 1988, the College launched its graduate program, offering the Ph.D. degree in pharmaceutical sciences. The College is one of four health sciences units within the Mercer Health Sciences Center. With an enrollment today of more than 650 students and a distinguished faculty of basic scientists and clinicians, the College of Pharmacy houses seven centers focusing on research, teaching and learning. The College's motto, “A Tradition of Excellence – A Legacy of Caring,” frames its philosophy of providing excellent academic programs in an environment where every student matters and every person counts. For more information about the College, call (678) 547-6244 or visit pharmacy.mercer.edu.
