My Thanks to Virginia Commonwealth University, to the School of Pharmacy and to All The

My thanks to Virginia Commonwealth University, to the School of Pharmacy and to all the colleagues, friends and family who have supported me professionally and personally throughout the years. I am deeply honored to receive this award and humbled by your recognition.

It’s funny the memories you have from graduate school. Some of them fade with time, but there are others that have stuck as if they were yesterday. My research involved looking at the effects of scopolamine, and those of you who have suffered from motion sickness and have used this drug may know that it can not only cause short-term memory impairment, but also hallucinations in some patients. After giving one of my clinical subjects this, I remember him pointing to the corner of the room and telling me in no uncertain terms that we needed to move the trampoline over there.

Then there are the memories of working at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX , learning the bioanalytical method for scopolamine that required me using calf brain homogenate for the assay! I grew up on a large dairy farm, but I never thought I’d be visiting slaughter houses in graduate school!

These are just a couple of the memorable moments I had in grad school, but probably gives you a flavor that it was anything but boring.

We learn from each other. And if I have been successful as a teacher and researcher, it is because I have had inspiring teachers. Dr Jurgen Venitz, who is here with us this evening, has been the most influential mentor in my career and one of the most brilliant people I’ve had the opportunity to know. In his unassuming manner, he inspired me to follow my dreams and to never stop learning. My dad is a farmer and typically has worked 14-16 hour days for the majority of his life. He taught me the importance of a strong work ethic ---- that nothing worth having is easy, but more importantly that with diligence and fortitude, nothing is beyond my capacity to learn or do.

This University is a vital institution of higher learning. It offers its students a chance to become part of a vibrant community with dedicated faculty who are truly vested in their futures.

Thank you again for this award. And thank you for giving so generously of your time and resources to continue to help VCU’s students and researchers dream big.