Dean Ted Matthews received the Bowl of Hygeia Award from the Georgia Pharmacy Association over the weekend at GPhA's annual convention. He was honored for his 44 years of service to Mercer University's College of Pharmacy and to the profession of pharmacy.
Upon his retirement in June, Dr. Matthews will have led the College of Pharmacy for 27 years, matching the tenure of Dr. Oliver Littlejohn, who was dean of the Southern College of Pharmacy when it merged with Mercer in 1959 and served in that capacity until 1984.
Dr. Matthews began his association with Mercer as a student. While earning a degree in chemistry from Clark Atlanta University in 1966, he enrolled in Mercer's Southern School of Pharmacy, graduating in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees (1971 and 1973 respectively) 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. His alma mater in the fall of 2015 awarded him with a Citation of Merit, one of the highest awards given by the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He completed postdoctoral work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Hospital Infectious Disease program.
He joined the faculty of Mercer's School of Pharmacy in 1973. His commitment to teaching excellence earned him the Outstanding Teacher Award. Over the next decade, he held a number of administrative as well as faculty positions, including associate dean for the School of Pharmacy and assistant provost of the University. After serving for a year as interim dean, he was appointed dean of the School of Pharmacy in 1990. Over the years he has received numerous awards from state and national pharmacy and pharmacy education organizations.
Dr. Matthews was instrumental in establishment of the Mercer Health Sciences Center, and in 2012, was named senior vice president for health sciences, in addition to his responsibilities as dean of the College of Pharmacy.
More than 50 years ago, the Bowl of Hygeia Award Program was developed by the A.H. Robins Company to recognize pharmacists across the nation for outstanding service to their communities. Selected annually through state pharmacy associations, each recipient of the Award is recognized for making unique contributions to a strong, healthy community through service and personal leadership.
About the College of Pharmacy
Mercer University's College of Pharmacy is ranked among the top five pharmacy programs at private institutions in the United States, according to the 2016 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 670 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, visit http://pharmacy.mercer.edu.
