Sue Purcell, ’74 BSPh, and William C. Stagner, ’73 BSPh, ’77 MS, ’79 PhD, will be recognized as the UI College of Pharmacy's Distinguished Alumni Award winners during the Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement Symposium and Alumni Awards Ceremony on October 5.
Sue Purcell
Sue Purcell, ’74 BSPh, is a co-founder of Miller-Purcell, an ambulatory pharmacy management corporation. She is currently the director of ambulatory pharmacy for Mercy Medical Center in Dubuque and manager of Mercy CareMor, a long term care pharmacy providing consulting and dispensing services to 1,500 patients.
Purcell has been active in Iowa Pharmacy Association leadership, having served on the Board of Trustees, the Legislative and Professional Affairs Committees, chaired the Public Affairs Committee, and served as Speaker of the House of Delegates. She is also a past president of the association, and currently serves as its treasurer.
Purcell served on the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee for the Iowa Medicaid Preferred Drug List from 2003 until 2011, and is a past chair. She was among the first to receive designation as a Certified Consultant Pharmacist from the Commission for Certification in Geriatric Pharmacy (now known as a Board Certified Geriatric Pharmacist, or BCGP).
An adjunct faculty member and preceptor for University of Iowa College of Pharmacy students, Purcell guides student learning experiences outside the classroom. She also served as co-chair of the college’s 1885 Society.
William Stagner
William C. Stagner, ’73 BSPh, ’77 MS, ’79 PhD, is a professor emeritus in the Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He has authored or co-authored 95 peer-reviewed abstracts and research articles, 15 book chapters, and two textbooks.
Stagner has also spent 26 years in the pharmaceutical industry with scientific and technical responsibility for 24 New Drug Applications. As senior vice president and general manager at Cardinal Health, he founded the Pharmaceutics Division at Research Triangle Park, North Carolina (formerly Magellan Laboratories) and was responsible for the profitability of sites in the U.S. and Europe. He served as the site manager for the Somerset, New Jersey facility.
During his tenure at Glaxo Dermatology Research and Development, Stagner served as group director, responsible for discovery, product development, and regulatory affairs. Under his leadership, the unit was recognized by the Scott-Levin Survey as having the “Best US Dermatology Research and Development Program.” He also established the Glaxo Pharmaceutics Department, where he was director for nine years.
Stagner earned his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, Master of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences under the mentorship of J. Keith Guillory, professor emeritus in the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy.
The Honorary Alumni Award winners will be recognized during the Osterhaus Medal for Lifetime Achievement Symposium and Alumni Awards Ceremony on October 5.