About the Award
The Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement is presented annually to one or more individuals who have made extraordinary achievements in the pharmacy profession. This medal is a pinnacle award given by the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, for a recipient who has advanced the practice of pharmacy in profound ways or made significant strides in discovery.
The award is named for both Robert and Ann Osterhaus, of Maquoketa, Iowa. Robert Osterhaus helped transform pharmacy practice and patient care in Iowa and in our nation. His business, Osterhaus Pharmacy, is a leading community rotation site for the UI College of Pharmacy and has earned national recognition for its patient-centered approach and emphasis on the pharmacist's role in health care.
Osterhaus has received many state, national, and international awards, including the American Pharmacists Association Remington Medal, the highest recognition given in the profession of pharmacy. He also served four terms in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003, contributing his perspective as a health care professional and shaping legislative initiatives like the HAWK-I insurance plan for children from low-income families.
In May 2012, Osterhaus received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Iowa.
2023 Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement Recipient
Susan Winckler
Susan Winckler, '92BSPH, JD, has 30 years of experience in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and health-care community, and has worked with members of regulated industry across the FDA’s portfolio. She is currently chief executive officer (CEO) of the Reagan-Udall Foundation, a nonprofit organization created by Congress to advance the FDA’s mission.
Prior to accepting the foundation post in 2020, Winckler served as president of Leavitt Partners Solutions, a health-care strategy firm founded by Gov. Michael O. Leavitt, former secretary of the United States (U.S.) Department of Health and Human Services. She directly advised C-suite executives on public policy/regulation (drug, device, biologic, and food companies), business strategy, investments, and more in the health-care sector. A pharmacist and attorney by training, she was previously CEO of the Food and Drug Law Institute, speaking about, writing, and convening discussions of food and drug law issues.
As chief of staff for the FDA (2007-2009), Winckler managed the Commissioner’s Office, served both Republican and Democratic commissioners as their senior-most staff adviser, analyzed complex policy challenges, and represented the FDA with government entities and external stakeholders. Her earlier career service included more than a decade at the American Pharmacists Association driving the policy, regulatory, and communications agenda.
Winckler received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the UI College of Pharmacy in 2001.
Previous Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement Recipients*
2022 Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement Recipient
Miekeleen Hart, '79 BSPh
2021 Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement Recipients
Tom Ho, '70 PhD
Randy Juhl, '72 BSPh, '74 MS, '76 PhD
2019 Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement Recipients
Lyle Bighley, '63 MS, '66 PhD
Dennis Helling, BS Pharm, PharmD, ScD (Hon)
2018 Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement Recipient
Jordan L. Cohen, BSPh, PhD
2017 Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement Recipient
Jannet Carmichael, '75 BSPh, PharmD
2016 Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement Recipient
Patrick Keefe, ’69 BSPh, MBA
2015 Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement Recipient
Victor Yanchick, ’62 BSPh, ’66 MS, PhD
2014 Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement Recipient
TJ Johnsrud, ’66 BSPh
2013 Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement Recipient
David Maher, ’64 BSPh
2012 Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement Recipients
Robert Osterhaus, ’52 BSPh, ’12 DSc
Max Eggleston, ’47 BSP
Thomas Temple, BSPh, ’77 MS
*No ceremony was held in 2020.