Feb. 16, 2011 | The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Pharmacy received a $1 million gift from a graduate and her husband to establish an endowed chair in pediatric pharmacy.

The gift will create the Jeff and Kathy Lewis Sanders Endowed Chair in Pediatrics within the UAMS College of Pharmacy. It will support the program’s efforts in education, research and faculty development.

Jeff and Kathy Lewis Sanders, native Arkansans who now live in Texas, gave the gift to ensure the best possible pharmacy care for children and families for future generations.

“I spent 30 years working as a pharmacist in a neonatal intensive care unit in a hospital in Texas,” said Kathy Lewis Sanders, a 1970 graduate of the UAMS College of Pharmacy. “I know and understand the importance of the work done there, and want to give back in a way that will make a difference in people’s lives.”

Stephanie F. Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., dean of the College of Pharmacy, said the gift is exceptional because it comes from a UAMS graduate who spent a career in the field.

“We are very grateful to not only have received this gift, but to have had it given it by people who understand the role pediatric pharmacy practice and programs play within the profession,” Gardner said. “We’re honored to have Jeff and Kathy Lewis Sanders’ legacy a part of the UAMS College of Pharmacy.”

Jeff Sanders said the educational benefits of the gift are what make it special.

“Any success we’ve had is due to education,” he said. “We want to share that with the UAMS College of Pharmacy and the children and families whose lives it will impact.”