Press Release

Theodore Morton Receives ASHP Foundation 2025 Pharmacy Residency Excellence Preceptor Award

The ASHP Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Pharmacy Residency Excellence Awards. This awards program, supported by donations to the Foundation’s Daniel M. Ashby Fund for Excellence in Pharmacy Residency Training, features three categories that recognize innovative and impactful pharmacy residency preceptors and programs.

This year's recipient of the Pharmacy Residency Excellence Preceptor Award is Theodore (Ted) Morton, PharmD, BCIDP, clinical pharmacy specialist at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Morton's precepting philosophy is two-fold: be the best possible version of yourself and "pass it on." "Because of this two-fold intrinsic motivation, I don't feel like I've ever had a 'job,'" he says.

Katie Suda, PharmD, professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and 2024 recipient of the ASHP Foundation Literature Award for Sustained Contributions, is a former resident who studied under Morton.

"Ted’s legacy is having trained a generation of pharmacists for excellence in pharmacy practice focused on infectious diseases and having advanced the field in innovative residency training programs, literally around the globe.”

• New Preceptor Award
  Emily A. Highsmith, PharmD, BCCCP
  Clinical Pharmacy Specialist – Critical Care and Nutrition Support
  The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
  Houston, Texas

  Emily Highsmith juggles a variety of roles and priorities as a preceptor. From volunteering to take on several demanding precepting positions across multiple residency programs at MD Anderson, to establishing a close relationship with residents and helping them balance their professional responsibilities and personal well-being, Highsmith is fueled by her passion for creating a “safe and productive learning experience for any trainee on rotation with me.”

  Residency program director and 2024 ASHP Foundation Pharmacy Residency Excellence Awardee Brian Dee calls Highsmith “one of our most talented new preceptors.”

  “Emily is that preceptor every RPD dreams of because of her ability to facilitate a consistent, high-level learning experience year after year,” Dee says.

• Post Graduate Year One (PGY1) Program Award
  The University of Kansas Health System Post Graduate Year One Pharmacy Residency
  Kansas City, Kansas

  Residency Program Director: Sarah J. Mester, PharmD, MS, BCP
  Director of Pharmacy: Katherine A. Miller, PharmD, MHA, DPLA, FASHP, FKCHP

  The PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Program at the University of Kansas Health System is "intentionally designed and constantly improved to provide exceptional opportunities such as integration into the healthcare team, exposure to pharmacy roles across a pharmacy enterprise, and presentations at local and national conferences,” according to director of pharmacy Miller.

  In 2021, the program implemented a flipped research model that enhances resident engagement and scholarly output, resulting in manuscript submission rates rising from 25% to approximately 75%, and about two-thirds of projects are now resident-initiated rather than research topics developed by preceptors, as in traditional models.

• Post Graduate Year Two (PGY2) Program Award
  Stanford Health Care Post Graduate Year Two Oncology Pharmacy Residency
  Stanford, California

  Residency Program Director: Edna Cheung, PharmD, BCOP
  Director of Pharmacy: Janjri Desai, PharmD, MBA, DPLA

  Residents participating in the PGY2 oncology pharmacy residency program learn about each step in a patient’s journey, from diagnosis to follow-up.

  "This comprehensive approach not only enhances clinical skills but also fosters a deep understanding of the patient journey," says director of pharmacy Desai, noting that residents also participate in a lung cancer support group, where they engage directly with patients and caregivers.

  "This unique opportunity allows residents to empathize with the patient journey and to apply their clinical expertise to bridge the gap between clinical practice and patient education.”

You can read more about our Pharmacy Residency Excellence Awards at ashpfoundation.org/ExcellenceAwards.