Paying tribute to alumni: Burnham, Rudenko and Wood
To see a photo album from the alumni awards reception, please click here.
2013 award-winning pharmacy alumni are Amy Rudenko (left),
Jerry Wood and Bronwyn Burnham. / Photo by Clem Britt
Kudos to the School of Pharmacy’s many deserving alumni! Three of them were recognized as MCV Alumni Association award winners during Reunion Weekend 2013.
The Hodges-Kay Service Award was presented to Bronwyn McDaniels Burnham (B.S. ’89) during the MCVAA Annual Meeting at Omni Richmond Hotel. Later that evening, Amy Whitaker Rudenko (Pharm.D. ’98) received the Distinguished Pharmacy Alumnus Award, and the Hon. Jerry Wood (B.S. ’62) received the Pharmacy Alumnus Service Award during the Pharmacy Alumni Awards Reception in the MCV Alumni House.
Kenneth Kolb (Pharm.D. ’82), president-elect of the 2012-13 MCVAA board of trustees, presented the awards to Rudenko and Wood and recognized Burnham.
The Hodges-Kay Service Award is presented in recognition of service to the MCV Alumni Association and participation in the activities of the association, school and/or university. 2013 Hodges-Kay recipient Bronwyn Burnham, who has been working with the alumni association and School of Pharmacy for more than 10 years, currently serves as vice president of the MCVAA’s Pharmacy Division. A resident of Rockville, Burnham has worked in community pharmacy practice since graduating. She credits her employer, CVS/Caremark, for allowing her the flexibility to volunteer not only at the university but with other community organizations such as St. Joseph’s Villa, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra League and the Jackson Davis Elementary School board. She has served on the Virginia Pharmacists Association board of directors and was president in 2008-09. In 2009, Burnham received the School of Pharmacy’s Pharmacy Alumnus Service Award.
John Beckner, a 1978 alumnus and regional pharmacy manager for Martin’s in Richmond, met Burnham when she was a student working at Standard Drug Co. “I’ve followed her career,” he said, “and she has always been the consummate professional. Regardless of what she had going on personally or with her job, she found time to be actively involved with the state pharmacy association.
“She has a great sense of humor, is very positive and is a great role model for students. I’m really happy to see her getting this award.”
Dennis Stanley, who graduated from the school in 1974 and is wellness manager for Martin’s Short Pump, also worked at Standard Drug when Burnham was a student technician. “It was pretty obvious that she had some ‘go’ about her!” he said. “She always dealt with patients very well but was very direct and straightforward.
“If patients were doing something that wasn’t good for their health, she would tell them sternly … but in a way that left them thinking it was her fault.
“It was evident that she was going to be a leader, whatever she did.”
Previous MCVAA Hodges-Kay Service Award winners are Ralph Ware Jr. (B.S. ’42), 1995; Lindsay Butler (B.S. ’22), 1997; Bertha Rolfe (B.S. ’47), 1998; Marianne Rollings (B.S. ’63), 2002; and Henry Addington (B.S. ’51), 2006.
The Distinguished Pharmacy Alumnus Award goes to an alum deemed worthy of recognition for contributions to the profession and/or community. Amy Rudenko, who lives in Richmond, is an associate professor in the School of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science; her focus is community pharmacy practice.
After earning her degree, Rudenko completed a community pharmacy practice residency at VCU in 1999. Before joining the VCU School of Pharmacy faculty, she served as a clinical assistant professor of pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has worked as a relief pharmacist for CVS and currently is assisting several Kmart pharmacies in developing patient care activities in the areas of diabetes care, health screenings and immunization services. She is a Board Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist.
Within the school and university, Rudenko is a current trustee-at-large and past vice president of the MCVAA Pharmacy Division. She received the School of Pharmacy’s Alumnus Service Award in 2008 and serves as advisor for the school’s Virginia Academy of Student Pharmacists. She received VPhA’s Pharmacists Mutual Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award in 2004.
School of Pharmacy Dean Victor Yanchick calls Rudenko “a force of positive energy for the profession of pharmacy. … During her tenure at VCU, Amy has gained a reputation as an expert on medication therapy management in big box settings.”
Yanchick said Rudenko has made an impact on a generation of pharmacists as a teacher, practitioner and leader. “Her research has impacted the effective use of OTCs in community pharmacy settings and has made significant strides in the documentation of medication therapy management outcomes.”
The Pharmacy Alumnus Service Award is presented to a graduate considered worthy of recognition for loyalty and service. Jerry Wood’s 43-year career as a pharmacist began at Goolricks Pharmacy in Fredericksburg. He also worked at Lewis Pharmacy in Culpeper and Rhodes Drug Store in Warrenton before becoming president of Fauquier Pharmacy in Warrenton. From 1993 until his retirement in 2005, Wood served as a family pharmacist for Rite Aid in Warrenton.
Representing the 31st District to the Virginia House of Delegates between 1991 and 1993, Wood served on the General Laws, Labor and Commerce, and Nominations and Confirmations committees. Previous recognition includes the Bowl of Hygeia Award, Fauquier Distributive Education Employer of the Year, Fauquier Democratic Committee Distinguished Service Award, Virginia/D.C. Boys & Girls Club Board Member of the Year and Mary Charles Ashby Volunteer Award.
His professional and community involvement ranges from the Virginia Board of Pharmacy and Warrenton Rotary Club to the Fauquier Mental Health Society and Friends of the Rappahannock River. He co-founded the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fauquier.
Amy Gable Thorpe of Warrenton, a friend and fellow volunteer in Fauquier County, describes Wood as a lifelong volunteer. “He will tell you that serving the medical needs of his patients and being there for them and their families was important to him. He started a 24-hour emergency service before it was fashionable. He volunteered as the pharmacist for the Virginia Baptist Home in Culpeper and the Fauquier Free Clinic for many years.”
Lynn Oliver, supervisor for the Fauquier Senior Center, noted that Wood has been addressing the center’s residents five to six times a year for the past two decades. “He keeps the seniors up with current events, everything from stink bugs to West Nile virus. … Jerry is a great pharmacist. He knows his stuff.”
To see the names of previous Distinguished Pharmacy Alumnus Award (1981-2011) and Pharmacy Alumnus Service Award (1989-2011) winners, click here.
The fourth MCVAA award presented annually is the Outstanding Alumnus Award. Previous School of Pharmacy recipients are R. Reginald Rooke (B.S. ’21), 1976; Sen. Edward E. Willey (B.S. ’30), 1983; E. Claiborne Robins Sr. (B.S. ’33), 1986; and John Hasty (B.S. ’56), 2000.
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