MUSC College of Pharmacy 2021 Alumni Award recipients

The MUSC Alumni Association is proud to recognize and honor MUSC College of Pharmacy alumni for their service, dedication and contributions to the field of pharmacy.

The Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Award is given to one or more College of Pharmacy graduates in recognition of their outstanding achievements in the profession of pharmacy and service to the college, profession and community at large. The recipients must be graduates who have demonstrated pride and loyalty toward the College of Pharmacy and who, by their integrity and stature, have brought honor to the college and university and will continue to be role models for all pharmacy practitioners. The 2021 recipients of the Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna Award are Dr. Lori Dickerson ’93 and James Hodges ’71.

Distinguished Alumna Award – Dr. Lori Dickerson ’93

Lori M. Dickerson, Pharm.D., FCCP, is a 1993 graduate of the MUSC College of Pharmacy. She completed her residency in family medicine at MUSC in 1994. She is currently editor of the Prescriber’s Letter and Pharmacist’s Letter and serves as a volunteer clinical professor in the Department of Family Medicine at MUSC.

Dickerson has been a role model and ambassador for not only the College of Pharmacy but for clinical pharmacists in health care. While rising to the rank of tenured professor, she served in several critical leadership roles not often held by a nonphysician, including associate director for the Trident/MUSC Family Medicine Residency Program and the associate chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Family Medicine at MUSC. In recognition of her exceptional skills as a medical educator, Dickerson received numerous awards including multiple Golden Oyster Faculty Teaching Awards, Teacher of the Year, and multiple Faculty Excellence Awards from family medicine residents. She is also the recipient of the Excellence in Family Medicine Education Award from the South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium.

Dickerson has served as a member and officer in numerous professional organizations. She served on several committees and panels for the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), the ACCP Ambulatory Care Practice and Research Network, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Board of Pharmaceutical Specialists, and National Interdisciplinary Primary Care Practice-Based Research Network. She has also participated in committees and groups for the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, notably serving as chair of the pharmacotherapy group.

Dickerson’s community service demonstrates her passion for vulnerable and medically underserved populations. She was a steward of children sexual abuse prevention training for Darkness to Light, an organization that seeks to empower adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse through awareness, education and stigma reduction. She served as a clinical pharmacy consultant for Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic, a clinic in Johns Island, South Carolina that provides free health care to uninsured adults who live or work across the barrier islands or serve downtown Charleston’s hospitality industry. Finally, she is a steward to the College of Pharmacy by keeping the college visible to other alumni, the community, and to academic medicine across the country.

According to her nominator, Dickerson “is a role model for other College of Pharmacy alumni and current students as a clinical pharmacist who positively impacts the professional lives of pharmacists as well as a large number of other health care professionals and disciplines.”

Distinguished Alumnus Award – James Hodges ’71

James Hodges was the first African American to graduate from the MUSC College of Pharmacy in 1971. He will be a Golden Graduate this year. Hodges entered MUSC in 1967, amid racial tensions elevated alongside the recent passage of the Voting Rights Act and Civil Rights Act. He persevered through the program by focusing on his schoolwork.

After graduation, Hodges worked as a pharmacist for several years before opening Cash Discount Drug Store in St. George, South Carolina. Hodges owned and operated his independent pharmacy for more than 30 years before selling it in 2014. Hodges was not only a pillar of his community as a pharmacist, he was also was elected to serve his community on the Dorchester County School District 4 Board, where he continues to serve.

Hodges is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., the South Carolina Pharmacy Association, Springtown United Methodist Church, and the Dorchester County School District 4 Board. He is also a former Rotarian, Paul Harris Fellow and former member of the Klauber Building Committee in St. George.

Over the years, Hodges has actively supported the College of Pharmacy as a preceptor and mentor. He was also the college's first Black History Month speaker in 2017. Hodges is married to Janie M. Hodges. They have been married for 51 years and have five children and 11 grandchildren.

His nominator shared that “We are a stronger College of Pharmacy because of Mr. James Hodges.”

Congratulations to the 2021 MUSC Alumni Association Awards recipients! We are proud of you and are honored to recognize your achievements as MUSC College of Pharmacy alumni.