Anne and Scott Pace Donate $25,000 to Create Pharmacy Advocacy Scholarship
| Pharmacy owners Anne Pace, Pharm.D., and Scott Pace, Pharm.D., J.D., have created a $25,000 endowment for a new scholarship in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Pharmacy focused on honoring the drive and determination needed to advocate for change in the profession.
”The College of Pharmacy is grateful for Scott and Anne’s commitment to advancing the profession of pharmacy in so many ways,” said Dean Cindy Stowe, Pharm.D. “They give of their time and talent in helping educate future generations of pharmacists. This gift establishes a legacy that extends their reach and impact to build engaging formal relationships with the future of the profession.”
“Scott and Anne are tremendous leaders and advocates for the profession of pharmacy,” Stowe added. “Through their leadership, they understand the lasting impact pharmacists have on the individuals and communities they care about and for. We cannot wait to celebrate the inaugural recipient of this scholarship this fall.”
The Anne Pace, Pharm.D., and Scott Pace, Pharm.D., J.D., Advocacy in Pharmacy Endowed Scholarship is a $1,000 scholarship awarded annually to an outstanding pharmacy student based on their involvement in and enthusiasm for advocacy in the profession. It will be awarded for the first time this fall at the discretion of the College of Pharmacy Scholarship Committee.
The Paces recently took a trip back to Washington, D.C., where Scott Pace spent years advocating for the pharmacy profession.
The Paces said they had been talking for some time about estate planning and end-of-life decisions, which they wanted to make as far ahead as possible. With their long history with the College of Pharmacy, a scholarship seemed like a natural fit.
“Educating and furthering the development of pharmacy students is something that’s very important to both of us,” Anne Pace said. “We want to find students who are kind of like how we were, who see the importance of being involved in advocacy of the profession.”
Pharmacy advocacy helps support pharmacists as patient care providers and medication experts, maintains and refines pharmacy services, and helps shape the future of the profession.
“We both have a lot of advocacy in our blood and in our practices,” Scott Pace said. “So for us, we wanted to give back to a cause that we’re passionate about, which is being strong personal advocates for the advancement of pharmacy.”
The Paces have a history of support and leadership for the pharmacy community.
Anne Pace received her Pharm.D. degree from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, in 2005. In 2007, she joined the UAMS College of Pharmacy faculty and remained there until 2013. While on faculty, she developed a political advocacy elective for pharmacy students and taught pharmacy management. Today she still teaches pharmacy students as a preceptor.
A licensed pharmacist and attorney, Scott Pace earned his Pharm.D. from the College of Pharmacy in 2001. He spent 15 years in pharmacy advocacy, and is a former executive vice president and CEO of the Arkansas Pharmacists Association.
In 2013, the couple purchased Kavanaugh Pharmacy in Little Rock, which they still run today.
With the wide range of opportunities that pharmacy provides, the Paces said that they want to create a legacy of advocacy that benefits patients, providers and the profession long-term.
“For us, advocacy is very all-encompassing,” Anne Pace said. “So, that includes legislative and professional advocacy, but also being an advocate for the profession within the profession, and standing up for patients and improving and expanding what community pharmacy can do.”
“We want to develop people to be advocates, not to develop a person to go do a task,” Scott Pace said. “That’s where passion lies and that’s where change happens. That’s where your personal embodiment and investment really shine — not necessarily investment in money, but investment in time, talents and other resources. We want to build an army of advocates.”
He added that enthusiasm for the profession is as important as the work being done.
“To me, what we would love to have happen with this scholarship is to not recognize the person for the acts that they do, but to recognize the person for the evangelism in pharmacy that they provide, so to speak,” he said.
Going forward, the Paces plan to meet with each scholarship recipient and work on building a personal relationship and helping further their career. They’re already looking forward to it.
“I’m excited to see who the faculty pick [as a recipient],” Scott Pace said. “Networking is what the profession and life is all about for us, so we look forward to sharing in their excitement, because it’ll be our excitement too.”