Marissa Salvo, Associate Clinical Professor of Pharmacy Practice, received the Vanguard Leadership Award this past July during the 2023 Lambda Kappa Sigma Convention in Norfolk, VA. This award recognizes an alumni member who has made sustained exemplary contributions in their area of professional practice, and/or in professional associations, regulatory boards, and in the community, emphasizing service to others, innovations, and entrepreneurial spirit. Lambda Kappa Sigma (LKS) is a professional fraternity that provides lifelong opportunities for women in pharmacy through professional excellence and personal growth.

“This recognition has a very special place in my heart because LKS was the first professional pharmacy organization I joined as a student pharmacist at the University of Rhode Island, and the one I was most involved with throughout pharmacy school and early in my career,” says Salvo. “To be nominated and selected by my sisters for this award is truly an honor.”

Salvo was nominated by the LKS Alpha Beta UConn collegiate chapter and LKS sister, Christine Perry, for her extensive contributions to multiple pharmacy organizations, including her leadership within the Connecticut Pharmacists Association (CPA), currently serving as the Immediate Past President and for 7 years, as chair of the CPA Membership Committee. She has served on multiple national committees with the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), APhA Foundation, LKS, and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and remains actively involved.

In her current role at UConn, she precepts a primary care experience for students and residents at her clinical practice site at UConn Health, chairs the School of Pharmacy’s Curriculum and Curricular Assessment Committee, and teaches within the pharmacy communications course and endocrine module, while engaging in various scholarship endeavors.

“Dr. Salvo is a pharmacist dedicated to advancing pharmacy practice and guiding the future generation,” says Miranda Morman, UConn Pharm.D. candidate and current LKS member. “She has demonstrated a passion for the profession and helping others throughout her career. Anyone with the pleasure of working with Dr. Salvo or having her as a professor or residency preceptor can attest to her enthusiasm in all she does.”