UT Tyler Fisch College of Pharmacy Receives NACDS Foundation Innovation Award

June 24, 2024 | Elizabeth Wingfield

The University of Texas at Tyler Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy received a 2024 Innovation Award from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation. The national award recognized six schools and colleges of pharmacy for their efforts in developing the next generation of pharmacists.

We are deeply honored to receive the NACDS Foundation Innovation Award,” said Dr. Amy Schwartz, Fisch College of Pharmacy dean. “We are excited for how the award will support our efforts to advance pharmacy education, promote student engagement with the community and address some of the mental health challenges in East Texas.”

Through the award, the NACDS Foundation supports the college's initiative for trained pharmacy interns to provide mental health screenings for men. The 2021 Health Status of Northeast Texas described suicide rates for men as being higher than those of women. Other studies demonstrate that men pursue mental health care less frequently than women. The goal is to reduce mental health disparities in the East Texas community.

“The NACDS Foundation is very pleased to give this Innovation Award to The University of Texas at Tyler Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy,” said Dr. Sara E. Roszak, NACDS Foundation President. “The community will greatly benefit from the mental health screenings that it supports.”

The NACDS Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to advancing population health initiatives and improving patient care through pharmacy education and research.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 10,000 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.