Issue date: 3/14/08 Section: News

J. Lyle Bootman

The American Pharmacists Association has chosen J. Lyle Bootman, dean of the UA College of Pharmacy, to receive the Remington Honor Medal, the pharmaceutical field's top national award.

The organization will present the honor to Bootman on Sunday at an association exposition.

Bootman has been an established figure in the medical field for 30 years, often eager to study previously unexplored subjects in pharmacy.

He has received wide recognition in the past 20 years for his examination into the economics of pharmacy, a field previously unobserved by those in the pharmaceutical industry.

"From the minute I met him, I knew he was outstanding," said Richard Wiedhopf, assistant dean for finance and facilities for the College of Pharmacy. "There are just those moments when you know."

Despite the national esteem of the award, Bootman said he considers it an honor shared by the college's students, staff and faculty, rather than an individual achievement.

"I'm honestly very honored and humbled," he said. "But this is really a tribute to everyone here at the college."

Bootman's continued dedication, as well as the effort of his colleagues, has made the college the nation's standard for pharmaceutical institutions, said Jack Cole, a dean emeritus and pharmaceutical sciences professor.

"If the success of the college and its reputation is any measure, (Bootman) has to be considered one of the best deans in the country," he said. "I have worked with him for years and find him to be as dedicated to his work as anybody I have met in my career."

The Remington Honor Medal is not the first national recognition Bootman has received in his career.

He is one of only eight pharmacists to be admitted to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science, a prestigious national organization that often counsels Congress and the White House on national health issues.

He was also the first pharmacist to serve on the Board of Health Care Services, Bootman said.

"The many honors the dean gets have a trickle-down effect," said Jay Gandolfi, associate dean for research and graduate studies. "All these awards result from the very solid base that the dean has established with his faculty and staff."

Bootman, a UA graduate, was first hired by the College of Pharmacy in 1978 as a junior professor before becoming the department head in 1983.

Bootman rose to the position of dean in 1990, he said.

Despite holding numerous individual and department awards, Bootman insists that his work is far from over.

As the college continues to grow and expand its influence over Arizona, he will continue to study the problems that result from pharmaceutical drugs and how to minimize the harm while maximizing the effectiveness, Bootman said.

"We are implementing innovative programs all over," he said. "We've looked at how often medical errors occur and how we can reform health care."

Aside from carrying an ongoing dedication to his work, Bootman also holds an enthusiasm for his responsibilities at the college, a passion that has become contagious among the college's staff, Wiedhopf said.

"He got people passionate about not only pharmacy, but also the distribution of drugs and other economical issues," Wiedhopf said. "This is someone who has kept us all enthused to come to work every day."

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