The Vermont Society of Health System Pharmacists (VtHSP) has named University of Vermont Research Assistant Professor of Medicine Amanda Kennedy, Pharm.D., the 2011 Pharmacist of the Year. This annual award to a pharmacist is based on peer nominations and was presented to Kennedy at the Society’s annual continuing education meeting, titled “Clinical Pearls,” on May 25.  In addition to receiving the award, Kennedy delivered a presentation on “Primary Care Prescribing in Vermont: A Research Update” at the meeting.

Kennedy, who is a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist, joined the UVM faculty in 2003 and serves as co-director of the Vermont Academic Detailing Program in UVM’s Office of Primary Care. She received a Doctor of Pharmacy degree magna cum laude from the Bouve College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts and completed a pharmacy practice residency at Fletcher Allen Health Care, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in the division of general internal medicine at the UVM College of Medicine. Her research interests include health services research, patient and medication safety, and academic detailing or “university-based educational outreach.” Among her recent activities is a redesign of the paper prescription form in order to reduce prescribing errors. She has also investigated the nature of error reporting systems in primary care. Through her work with the Vermont Academic Detailing Program, Kennedy is proposing new delivery models for educating primary care providers in rural communities. She also serves as a faculty member in UVM’s Center for Clinical and Translational Research.