USC School of Pharmacy Interim Dean Glen Stimmel received the 2016 Career Achievement Award from the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) Foundation, the nation’s highest honor in psychiatric pharmacy.
Stimmel, the John Stauffer Dean’s Chair in Pharmaceutical Sciences and professor of Clinical Pharmacy, Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the School of Pharmacy and the Keck School of Medicine, was formally presented with the award at the CPNP Annual Meeting on Tuesday, April 19 in Colorado Springs.
Dr. Stimmel has authored over 230 articles and textbook chapters in the areas of clinical psychopharmacology, expanded scope of practice for pharmacists, and pharmaco-economics of psychotropic drugs. He pioneered efforts in developing psychiatric pharmacy practice, education and residency programs, as well as investigating and securing prescriptive authority for pharmacists in California.
“Through his practice, research, and teaching, Glen Stimmel has had a remarkable impact on the development of psychiatric pharmacy,” said CPNP Foundation President Barbara Wells. “He is an outstanding practitioner, a gifted educator and a productive researcher.”
A USC faculty member since 1974, Stimmel maintains a clinical practice at LAC/USC Geriatrics Primary Care Clinic providing psychopharmacology consultation services and teaches clinical psychopharmacology in the Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine.
When Stimmel started USC’s “psychopharmacy” residency program in 1975, it was among the first of its kind in the nation, noted Larry Ereshefsky, vice president of PAREXEL. “His calling as a leader, educator, clinician and patient advocate have inspired generations of pharmacists and other healthcare providers,” Ereshefsky said. “He is considered one of the first educators to identify the unique specialty practice knowledge and skills necessary to provide care to patients with mental disorders.”
Stimmel has mentored and encouraged countless students, faculty members, colleagues and pharmacists across the country, said USC School of Pharmacy Professor Julie A. Dopheide, who now directs the psychiatric pharmacy residency at USC. “Time and again, Glen has been called upon to lend his considerable talents as a clinician and educator to develop creative solutions for problems whether it is a challenging patient case, a practice hurdle such as lack of access to care, or an academic dilemma.”
M. Lynn Crismon, dean of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Texas at Austin, recalled his first meeting with Stimmel decades ago, when Crismon was still in training. “He had the reputation of being one of the first psychiatric pharmacists. I was struggling with a decision whether to specialize in psychiatric pharmacy or to pursue a more general clinical pharmacy residency,” Crismon said.
“Glen’s words to me were that I needed to decide whether I wanted to know a lot about a very specific area of practice, or whether I wanted to know a little bit about everything. I made the decision to enter psychiatric pharmacy, but I have used Glen’s advice many times over the years in mentoring PharmD students. Each and every time I deliver that advice I think of Glen.”