Recipients of the Distinguished Achievement Awards Deans Award, through their longevity and commitment to their chosen field demonstrate a significant contribution to their industry, as well as noteworthy engagement with the University. Engagement is measured by a variety of factors such as: attendance at URI events, participation in URI committees, active membership in the URI Alumni Association, participation and support of students through experiential learning, scholarship, and employment of URI graduates, and contribution to the sustainability and future of the University.
College of Pharmacy Dean’s Award Recipients
Diana I. Brixner ’82, RPh, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacotherapy, University of Utah College of Pharmacy; and Executive Director, Pharmacotherapy Outcomes Research Center, University of Utah, L.S. Skaggs Health Services Institute
Diana Brixner is well known for her research and outreach on informed decision-making and personalized medicine in the treatment of cancer and other conditions. She is called upon to share her expertise worldwide on the principles of economics and healthcare outcomes. Throughout her career, Brixner has focused on medical topics such as the treatment and outcomes for type 2 diabetes and hepatitis C, pharmacoeconomics, and the use of electronic medical records. She earned her Ph.D. in medical chemistry at the University of Utah.
Dea T. Belazi Pharm.D. ’01, M.P.H.
Founder, President, and CEO, AscellaHealth, LLC
Dea Belazi leads AscellaHealth, which provides pharmacy benefit manager services to nearly 3 million people in the commercial, Medicaid and Medicare markets. He operates the independent consultancy, AlchemiPharma, whose clients include pharmaceutical manufacturers and health plans. The consultancy focuses on many areas including pharmacy benefit strategies, formulary management, contracting, business development strategies, and health economics and outcomes research. Belazi is also the principal and owner of CrowdHealth, a social networking site for consumers to share healthcare experiences. Belazi founded and leads the business development of two other Pharmacy Benefit Managers, PerformRx and FutureScripts, which was acquired in September 2010 by Catamaran.
Graduate School Rising Star Award Recipient
Mohammed S. Al-Sultan, Ph.D. ’03
Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Director of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
After graduating from URI with a doctorate in pharmacoeconomics and pharmacoepidemiology, Mohammed Al-Sultan moved back to his home in Saudi Arabia to work as an assistant professor at King Saud University College of Pharmacy. Today he is the immediate past president of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society, an associate professor, and the director of pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research. He is also a consultant for the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education and a partner in a pharmaceutical consultation group working with local and international pharmaceutical companies.