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.
2024 Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement Recipients
Marilyn Osterhaus
Marilyn Osterhaus, ’80 BSPh, is a community pharmacist who previously co-owned Osterhaus Pharmacy in Maquoketa, Iowa. She is an adjunct faculty member at the UI College of Pharmacy and Drake University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences and serves as a preceptor for Community Care Pharmacy Practice residents and Doctor of Pharmacy students. Osterhaus is also an emeritus member of the former UI College of Pharmacy Alumni Board.
Osterhaus’ practice centered on post-mastectomy patients, specialty compounding, over-the-counter medication use, and encouraging the pharmacy practice advancement in the community setting. She is active in local, state, and national pharmacy associations. Her various leadership roles have included being a board member and honorary president of the Iowa Pharmacy Association (IPA) and Dubuque Area Pharmacists Association president. She is a recipient of the UI College of Pharmacy Distinguished Alumni Award, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Crystal APPLE Award for Excellence in Experiential Education, and the 2019 IPA Bowl of Hygeia.
Osterhaus is extremely engaged in her local community, serving on numerous boards and committees, including the Jackson County Prevention Coalition, the Jackson County Historical Preservation Commission, and the Maquoketa Art Experience. Her past service includes the boards of the Gannon Mental Health Center, Jackson County Housing Authority, Maquoketa Area YMCA, and the Maquoketa Area Foundation.
Osterhaus is married to fellow pharmacist Matthew Osterhaus. They have four children: Andy, Maria, Jack, and Laura, and 11 grandchildren.
Matthew C. Osterhaus
Matthew Osterhaus, ’80 BSPh, is a community pharmacist who previously co-owned Osterhaus Pharmacy in Maquoketa, Iowa. He is an adjunct faculty member at the UI College of Pharmacy and Drake University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences and serves as a preceptor for Community Care Pharmacy Practice residents and Doctor of Pharmacy students. Osterhaus is also an emeritus member of the UI College of Pharmacy Executive Leadership Board.
Osterhaus was a founding investor of Outcomes and has been instrumental in furthering community-based research in Iowa. He has served on several state boards, committees, and commissions, including the Iowa Board of Pharmacy Examiners. Currently, Osterhaus is president of CPESN Iowa and national luminary of CPESN USA (Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network).
An active member of local, state, and national pharmacy associations, Osterhaus has held a variety of leadership positions, including president of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and the Iowa Pharmacy Association. His focus has been enhancing patient interaction of pharmacists by using technicians and technology, expanding community pharmacy residencies, leadership development, and the attainment of provider status for pharmacists. Osterhaus is a recipient of the UI College of Pharmacy Distinguished Alumni Award, APhA-APPM Distinguished Achievement Award in Community and Ambulatory Practice, and the APhA Good Government Pharmacist of the Year.
Osterhaus is highly involved in community development and currently serves on multiple area boards, including the Maquoketa Industrial Development Assistance Services and the Maquoketa Area YMCA Endowment Committee.
He is married to fellow pharmacist Marilyn Osterhaus, and they have four children: Andy, Maria, Jack, and Laura, and 11 grandchildren.
Previous Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement Recipients*
2023 Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement Recipient
Susan Winckler, ’92 BSPh, JD
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.