Bill Drilling

Bill Drilling, ’85 BSPh, is a community pharmacist and owner of Drilling Morningside Pharmacy in Sioux City, Iowa.

Known for his commitment to innovation in pharmacy practice, Drilling has participated in Iowa Department of Public Health statewide initiatives. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Drilling Pharmacy administered more than 20,000 vaccinations. A passionate mentor, Drilling has precepted pharmacy students since 1990 and earned the 2019 UI College of Pharmacy IPPE Preceptor Excellence Award. He currently serves as the Iowa Alumni Leadership Council pharmacy representative, is a past Iowa Pharmacists Association (IPA) trustee, and has served on multiple IPA committees. 

Among Drilling’s numerous accolades are the 2023 IPA Robert G. Gibbs Distinguished Pharmacist Award and the 2025 IPA Bowl of Hygeia Award for outstanding community service in pharmacy.

Helen Eddy

Helen Eddy, ’82 BSPh, MBA, started her career as a sales representative with Eli Lilly, before embarking on a 30-year stint with Hy-Vee, Inc. She began as a retail pharmacist, then transitioned to the chain’s corporate office where she implemented programs related to immunizations, asthma management, and diabetes care. Eddy also led the Hy-Vee Pharmacy Fulfillment Center, bringing efficiencies to the dispensing process and allowing pharmacists to focus on patient-care services. She later became vice president of Health & Wellness. Hy-Vee was instrumental in founding the Healthiest State Initiative in 2011, with Eddy becoming the organization’s first executive director on behalf of Hy-Vee. 

Eddy accepted the Polk County Iowa health director position in 2018. During her tenure, she led the entity’s COVID-19 response and initiatives focused on reducing gun violence, improving immunization rates, and advancing health equity.

Larry Schaaf

Larry Schaaf, ’76 BSPh, ’78 MS, PhD, boasts more than 30 years of translational and clinical oncology drug-development experience, with a focus on clinical pharmacology oncology trials in both academic and industry settings. 

Schaaf began industry work at The Upjohn Company and later Pharmacia (now Pfizer), where he served as a research scientist and director of oncology in clinical pharmacology. His teams helped develop and approve several anticancer drugs.

Schaaf became founding director of the Clinical Treatment Unit and Clinical Trials Processing Laboratory at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center (OSUCCC) in 2014. He used his industry experience to bring together basic researchers, clinical investigators, and clinical/research support staff to move novel compounds from the laboratory through early clinical trials. In 2014, Schaaf was named director of Clinical Pharmacology and Strategic Alliances at the Drug Development Institute within OSUCCC–James.