To submit an accolade, email Ryan Phillips, Development Coordinator. Photos to accompany accolades are welcomed and encouraged!

Christopher McCurdy, PhD, 98

Christopher McCurdy, BS Pharm, PhD, FAAPS ‘98 is the recent recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS).  McCurdy, who is the Associate Dean for Faculty Development, The Frank A. Duckworth Eminent Scholar Chair, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, and Director of the CTSI Translational Drug Development Core at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, has served AAPS in various capacities for 22 years.  Most notably, he was the President of the organization from 2016-2019. Said McCurdy, “This is one of the most meaningful recognitions I have ever received.” Along with the AAPS award, McCurdy recently was named Associate Editor of the American Chemical Society’s Pharmacology & Translational Science Journal.

A broadly trained medicinal chemist, behavioral pharmacologist, and pharmacist whose research focuses on the design, synthesis, and development of drugs to treat pain and drug abuse, McCurdy is an internationally recognized expert on Kratom, which is under investigation for opioid withdrawal syndrome.

Other alumni accolades include:

Dan Redden, BS Pharm ‘71 will complete his 52nd year of general and consultant practice in January 2026.

Dan Redden, BS Pharm ‘71

Sonny Ross, BS Pharm ’73 (left), received the 2025 GPhA President’s Award from his son, Ben Ross, PharmD ’08, immediate Past President of the Georgia Pharmacy Association, at this summer’s GPhA Convention.

Sonny Ross, BS Pharm ’73, and Ben Ross, PharmD ’08

Jim Brown, BS Pharm ‘75 received a plaque from the Georgia Pharmacy Association to celebrate his accomplishment of being a licensed pharmacist for 50 years. Jim retired from practice after working for 49 years as a retail pharmacist. He has lived and practiced in Savannah since graduating from UGA in 1975.

Paul Hammond, BS Pharm ‘75 is the volunteer coordinator at the Golden Isles Veterans Village, a community of 29 tiny homes for honorably discharged veterans who are homeless or on the verge of homelessness in Brunswick, GA.

Paul Hammond, BS Pharm ‘75

Mark West, BS Pharm ’78 and daughter Lindsay West, PharmD  recently celebrated the 105th anniversary of their pharmacy, West Drug Company in Sandersville, GA.  The pharmacy was established by their father/grandfather in 1920

Class Accolades – West Drug Company

Willie Lee, BS Pharm ’88 was named Pharmacist of the Year by the South Carolina Pharmacy Association. Lee’s Pharmacy, Lee’s Inlet Apothecary, is located in Murrells Inlet, SC.

Cass Nelson-Dooley, MS ’04 is CEO of Health First Consulting, LLC, a medical communications company with the mission to improve human health using the written word. In 2019, she authored Heal Your Oral Microbiome: Improve Your Health by Fixing Your Mouth-Gut Microbiome Connection. This book was the first to focus exclusively on the oral microbiome. It highlights the role of the mouth in systemic illnesses and gives practical steps to heal and balance a person’s microbes for overall well-being.

Christy Forehand, PharmD ’10 was named Clinical Pharmacy Manager at Piedmont Augusta.

Meredith B. Lopez, PharmD ‘14 was named Director of Ambulatory Pharmacy and Medication Management for the Physician Enterprise at Piedmont Healthcare. She recently was voted as President-Elect for GSHP.

Maggie Segovia, PharmD ‘20 co-authored ASHP Guidelines on the Evaluation of Off-Label Medication Use in the Inpatient Setting, which was published in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy in July 2025.

Araven Thompson, BS Pharm ‘20, PharmD ‘24 recently completed a PGY1 residency and has started a full-time position as an Emergency Medicine Pharmacist at HCA Florida Blake Hospital in Bradenton, Florida.

Alley Minton, PharmD ’24 recently joined Archbold Medical Center in Thomasville, GA as an Anticoagulation Clinical Pharmacist. She completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Residency earlier this year and is excited to put her training to work in this new role.