Lyle D. Bighley and Dennis Helling have been named the 2019 recipients of the Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement and will be honored at a ceremony during Homecoming festivities in October. The Osterhaus Medal is presented annually to one or more individuals who have made extraordinary achievements in the pharmacy profession and is the premier award given by the College of Pharmacy. It is named after the former owner of Osterhaus Pharmacy in Maquoketa, Iowa, Robert Osterhaus, '52 BSPh, and his wife Ann Osterhaus.
After graduating from the UI College of Pharmacy, Bighley worked as an associate research pharmacist for Parke, Davis and Company and later as a senior analytical chemist for Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing. In 1969, he returned to the University of Iowa as a professor, where he taught for eight years. In 1977, he began working with Marion Laboratories, where he was the director of scientific and chemical affairs and the vice president of research and development and scientific affairs. Bighley retired in 1991 as senior vice president, R&D Planning and Administration for Marion Merrell Dow. Since 1991, Bighley has been an individual investor and pharmaceutical consultant.
In 1990, Bighley received the AFPE Former Fellow Distinguished Service Profile Award. In 1998, he was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus by the UI College of Pharmacy. He is a member of Phi Lambda Upsilon Honorary Chemical Society, Gamma Alpha Honorary Biological Society, and Rho Chi Honorary Pharmaceutical Society. He is also an American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education Henry S. Wellcome Memorial Fellow.
In 2013, Bighley and his wife, Sharon, established the Lyle and Sharon Bighley Professorship in Pharmaceutical Sciences. They currently live in Olathe, Kansas.
Helling was a founding member and president of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). He also served as president of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation. Helling has been actively involved in hospice and palliative care for many years, having served on the Board of Directors of Care Synergy and as vice-chair of the Denver Hospice Board of Directors. He recently served on the APhA Board of Trustees and the Board of Pharmacy Specialties Board of Directors.
Helling graduated from the St. Louis College of Pharmacy (BSPharm) and University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy (PharmD), and completed a clinical/hospital pharmacy residency at Cincinnati General Hospital. He received an Honorary Doctor of Science from Mercer University.
He is the recipient of numerous professional awards, including the inaugural recipient of the ACCP Paul Parker Medal for Distinguished Service to the Profession of Pharmacy, APhA Daniel B. Smith Practice Excellence Award, Colorado Pharmacists Association Bowl of Hygeia Award, and the APhA Distinguished Achievement Award for Specialized Pharmaceutical Services. Helling received Distinguished Alumnus Awards from the St. Louis College of Pharmacy and the University of Cincinnati, and an Honorary Alumnus Award from the University of Iowa. In 2014 his department won the top ASHP Foundation Pharmacy Residency Excellence Award for its PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency and the New Preceptor Award. He has directed over 100 residents, fellows, and graduate students.
At the University of Houston (1988-1992), and the University of Iowa (1973-1988), Helling held numerous faculty and administrative positions. His practice emphasis and research have been focused on documenting the impact pharmacists have on improving patient and economic outcomes. Helling was APhA's Remington Honor Medalist in 2013, the profession’s highest recognition.