Brentwood resident, teacher to pharmacists, honored

Brentwood resident Laura M. Challen has been honored by a statewide organization of pharmacists, according to a press release.

Challen, a Doctor of Pharmacy, clinical pharmacist at the Mercy JFK Clinic at Mercy Hospital, has been named Preceptor of the Year by the Missouri Society of Health-System Pharmacists (MSHP).

MSHP presents the award annually to a health-system pharmacist in recognition of their outstanding service to the profession as a preceptor to pharmacy students. Preceptors like Challen supervise students in clinical health care settings, giving them the chance to gain practical experience with patients. Challen was honored for her efforts to create meaningful and innovative patient care learning experiences for her students.

Challen began precepting in 2012 at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Center for Outpatient Health. Since then, she has worked with 68 students from St. Louis College of Pharmacy during their ambulatory care rotations.

Year after year, Challen has received perfect evaluations from her students, who continue to be motivated by her willingness to bring them into the conversation and collaborate with them while crafting appropriate care plans for patients.

She is one of 1,100 preceptors who partner with St. Louis College of Pharmacy to provide hands-on learning experiences for students through introductory and advanced pharmacy practice experiences in more than 750 locations across the country and around the world.