Chessman selected for Women Pharmacist of the Year Award

They are pharmacists, they are moms, they are 45,000 strong, and they picked Kathy Chessman for the Women Pharmacist of the Year Award.

Pharmacists Moms Group, the driving force behind Women’s Pharmacists Day (WPD), pulled together a coalition of industry sponsors to recognize some of the nation’s top women pharmacists in categories like health systems, independent, non-traditional, and community pharmacy.

Kathy Chessman, department chair and professor of clinical pharmacy and outcomes sciences at MUSC College of Pharmacy, was tapped for this year’s top award in the health-systems category.

“Over the last 35 years, Dr. Chessman has been a pillar of the MUSC pharmacy residency program, and her strong mentorship of residents makes this residency one of the best in the country,” said Philip Hall, dean of MUSC College of Pharmacy. “In the College of Pharmacy, Dr. Chessman has provided strong mentorship to students since joining the faculty.  She embraces mentoring students to achieve their goals whether in the classroom, the hospital, or in life.”

Founded in 2017, Pharmacists Moms Group was created to provide women pharmacists the opportunity to network, collaborate and offer genuine feedback in a closed-door, trusted setting. The organization has grown to more than 45,000 members and 60,000 followers on its social media platforms.

The Women Pharmacist of the Year Award was established in 2019. The award is based on patient care, mentoring other women pharmacists, leadership in program development, community service, and other criteria.

As the award winner, Chessman was featured in a Pharmacists Moms video, has been invited to serve on the 2024 WPD Steering Committee, and was given a $250 prize for a charity of her choice.

Chessman earned her bachelor’s in biology from Presbyterian College before earning both bachelor’s and Pharm.D. degrees from MUSC. She completed a residency in pediatric pharmacotherapy and nutrition at LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee. She is board certified in nutrition support pharmacy, and she was named fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy in 2004.

The MUSC College of Pharmacy 2013 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year, Chessman is routinely cited by students as one of the best professors they’ve had, and she has been instrumental in making the PGY2 pediatric residency at MUSC one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences in post-doc pharmacy education.