Paul Larrat recognized for ‘profound dedication to the well-being of society’
The University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy presented Dean Emeritus Paul Larrat with the Norman A. Campbell Award for Excellence and Ethics in Health Care, honoring his contributions to the pharmacy profession, and his extraordinary impact on health care in the community.
Named for URI College of Pharmacy Professor Emeritus and former Associate Dean Norman Campbell, the award honors those like Larrat who have displayed high ethics and integrity over the course of their pharmacy and health care careers, and have shown “a profound dedication to the well-being of society.”
Larrat served as the college’s dean for 11 years, returning to the ranks of faculty and researcher in December 2023, before retiring from URI two years later. He was at the helm during a decade-long expansion that saw the college triple its research funding, launch the Pharmaceutical Development Institute, help establish the George & Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience, play an instrumental role in the fight against COVID-19, and increase its faculty size by 30% as it expanded its offerings. Research funding to the college increased from $6 million to more than $20 million a year during the last six years of Larrat’s tenure, at points ranking among the top 10 in the country.
Larrat—who focuses his research and teaching efforts on drug use in special populations, health policy, and health economics issues—“helped train generations of pharmacists while advancing thoughtful and ethical approaches to health care practice and to policy,” said current Pharmacy Dean Kerry LaPlante, who succeeded Larrat. “He has demonstrated the leadership, integrity, and commitment to service that defines the Norman A. Campbell Award for Ethics and Excellence in Health Care.”
Throughout his varied and dynamic career, Larrat has shown a deep commitment to professional and community service, LaPlante said. He is past president of the Rhode Island Pharmacists Association, the Rhode Island Pharmacy Foundation, and Cornerstone Adult Services. In 2004, he was named a NASA Fellow and spent several months at Kennedy Space Center in Florida assisting in life sciences research projects focusing on volatile organic compound production during extended space travel. He also served as a congressional health policy fellow in the U.S. Senate, contributing to the development of federal health care and aging policy.
A graduate of the URI College of Pharmacy, Larrat also earned a Ph.D. in epidemiology, a master’s of business administration, and a master of science in pharmacy administration. Before URI, Larrat served as executive vice president of MIM Health Plans, where he was responsible for developing the operations of the pharmacy benefit management company.
“Across academia, industry and public service, Dr. Larrat’s career reflects the values that Dr. Norman Campbell championed, which are ethical leadership, dedication to the profession, a commitment to improving health and well-being of society, and going out of their way for their students,” LaPlante said.
Larrat received the award March 19 during the college’s 41st annual Seminar By the Sea Northeast Regional Conference, an event he founded while serving as continuing education director for the college. “It’s especially meaningful to recognize Dr. Larrat at Seminar by the Sea—an educational program he helped build and shape over 40 years ago,” said Mary-Jane Kanaczet, director of continuing professional development. “Paul understood the power of bringing pharmacists together to learn, reflect, and grow. To now honor him at this conference, where his vision continues to impact generations of practitioners, is truly a full-circle moment.”
It was also especially meaningful for Larrat to receive the award named for Campbell, who died in September 2025 at the age of 89. The two worked together at URI for many years, with Campbell taking on a mentor role to the younger Larrat.
“As you go through life, you have a bunch of people who help you along the way through your career and through your life, but there are only a handful of people who actually change that trajectory of what you do and what you accomplish,” Larrat said in accepting the award presented by Campbell’s daughter, Linda Campbell. “I’ve had maybe five people in that category, and one of them is Norman Campbell. He was my teacher, my mentor, a friend, a colleague. He was my dad sometimes, my brother always. It warms my soul, and I am so proud to be the recipient of Norm’s award. So thank you all so much.”