Dec. 14, 2011 | Holly Maples, Pharm.D., recently was invested with the Jeff and Kathy Lewis Sanders College of Pharmacy Endowed Chair in Pediatrics that will promote efficient, top-notch pharmacy practice for children and families for future generations.

Maples, associate professor in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Pharmacy, said at the investiture ceremony that the chair will go a long way toward advancing the pediatric pharmacy profession.

“This is a priceless gift from the Sanders family that will honor their commitment and high regard for educating students,” Maples said. “The goal is to continue to build the pediatric pharmacy program by creating more pediatric rotations for pharmacy students and further developing residency training, among other educational initiatives. But ultimately, I want to use this as a platform to improve patient care by promoting a more interdisciplinary approach.”

A gift from Jeff and Kathy Lewis Sanders created the chair in support of the College of Pharmacy’s efforts in education, research and faculty development. The couple said they gave the gift to ensure the best possible pharmacy care for children and families for many years to come.

“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.”

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.”

“We are very grateful not only for this gift from people who understand the role pediatric pharmacy practice and education play within the profession, but for Holly’s commitment to excellence to make the most of this opportunity,” said Stephanie F. Gardner, Pharm.D., Ed.D., dean of the UAMS College of Pharmacy.

Maples earned a doctor of pharmacy degree from Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio and completed a residency in pediatric pharmacy practice at Spectrum Health & DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich. She then came to the UAMS College of Pharmacy in 2001for a Pediatric Pharmacology Fellowship in conjunction with the Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Pharmacology Research Unit.

Maples joined the UAMS College of Pharmacy in 2003 and established a clinical pharmacy practice at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. She serves as co-director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. Her advocacy for proper use of antimicrobials in children resulted in a selection to the Pediatric Committee on Antimicrobial Stewardship steering committee and co-chair of the education subcommittee of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.

In 2006, Maples led the reestablishment of postgraduate pharmacy education and developed a program that prepares general pediatric pharmacy practitioners and offers specialized education in the care and management of pediatric patients with infectious diseases. During this period not only did postgraduate education take root but experiential education of pharmacy students more than doubled to almost 50 students annually.