College Of Pharmacy Alumnus Jeanette Roberts Receives Outstanding Achievement Award

Award is the Highest Non-Degree Conferred by the University of Minnesota

Mar. 14, 2014

Jeanette Roberts, PhD, has been selected by the University’s Board of Regents to receive the Outstanding Achievement Award. The award is the U’s highest non-degree honor. University President Dr. Eric Kaler will present the award to Roberts on May. 23.

Roberts was recognized for her outstanding achievements as a leader in academic pharmacy and medicinal chemistry.

“Jeanette is an accomplished scientist and proven academic leader, with excellent knowledge of higher education, health-related research and health care,” said Marilyn Speedie, dean of the College of Pharmacy. “She has had an extensive and impactful research career. She has also made a tremendous impact during her tenure as dean in Wisconsin.”

Roberts earned her bachelor’s of science degree in biochemistry from Albright College in Reading, Penn., her doctorate in medicinal chemistry from the University of Minnesota, and her master’s of public health from the University of Utah. She was selected for a J. Robert Oppenheimer Postdoctoral Fellowship at Los Alamos National Laboratory and spent two years there, then joined the University of Utah College of Pharmacy where she served on the faculty for 15 years. Since 2003, she has served as dean of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where her accomplishments include achieving the number five ranking among 129 U.S. pharmacy schools, achieving the 95th percentile for NIH funding, and initiating the student philanthropy program, which helped triple the number of student scholarships and recruit and retain key faculty and staff.

She also currently serves on the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy’s National Board of Advisors.

Her research interests include herbal medicines and other dietary supplements, antioxidants in cancer chemoprevention, and chemoprotection and chemoprevention by manipulating cellular sulfur and selenium levels.

“Jeanette is an extremely accomplished alumna of the College of Pharmacy,” said Speedie. “She is recognized both nationally and internationally for her leadership in pharmacy education.”