{"id":120032,"date":"2025-03-05T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=120032"},"modified":"2025-03-05T15:38:35","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T21:38:35","slug":"pharmacy-names-first-ellie-award-winners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/03\/05\/pharmacy-names-first-ellie-award-winners\/","title":{"rendered":"Pharmacy names first ‘Ellie Award’ winners"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The UNMC College of Pharmacy has introduced a new college-wide honor, the Ellie Award. The award is open to any faculty member, staff member or pharmacy student who exhibits the traits of UNMC\u2019s mascot, Ellie the Lab: loyalty, curiosity and compassion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea was spearheaded by Mandi Fishler, the college\u2019s student services coordinator. She was inspired by Ellie the Lab \u2013 and by the people she works with every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The award is open to anyone in the college, regardless of classification or job title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interim Dean Don Klepser, PhD, said he knows there will be no shortage of candidates within the UNMC College of Pharmacy who display loyalty, curiosity and compassion in their work every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Klepser said the establishment of the award is yet another example of the faculty, staff and students within the college being empowered to come forward with good ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll credit for the creation of this award goes to Mandi Fishler,\u201d Dr. Klepser said of the college’s student services coordinator. \u201cIn the college, we have a group of fundamental behaviors that operationalize the culture we want to see. With this award, Mandi really demonstrated two of them: \u2018Keep things fun,\u2019 and \u2018Elevate others.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have so many people in the college who are doing amazing things worthy of recognition,\u201d Dr. Klepser said. \u201cThis award is a fun way to recognize people who demonstrate \u2018Lab Spirit.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phil Covington, EdD, UNMC’s associate vice chancellor for student success, said he is pleased to see Ellie being embraced this way, as an embodiment of the best of what the medical center can and should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe work and learn with amazing people at UNMC every day, and this award from the UNMC College of Pharmacy is a great way to recognize Ellie\u2019s qualities that serve as inspiration for all,\u201d he said. \u201cOur students and others worked hard to get Ellie the Lab approved as our mascot, and it is rewarding to see the continued adoption of the mascot into the fabric of who we are and what we celebrate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Drew
Drew Prescott (at left), PharmD, assistant dean for student affairs in the UNMC College of Pharmacy, presents pharmacy student Dallon Lemon with the Ellie Award.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first winners of the monthly Ellie Award were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n