Focus On Faculty With Marianne Ivey, PharmD

Associate professor Marianne Ivey, PharmD, has been named chair of the advisory board to the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions. The Winkler Center, located on UC’s Academic Health Center campus, is a medical archive, library and exhibit facility where visitors and researchers can explore the region’s rich medical history and discover the people who have contributed to important advances in medicine, nursing and pharmaceutical sciences. The advisory board oversees fundraising and development for the Winkler Center, which is the key to archiving new collections and outreach.  

Ivey, who in 2011 received the Federation Internationale Pharmaceutique Distinguished Practice award at the organization’s annual Congress, joined the faculty at the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy in 1988. She teaches Introduction to Health Care, Pharmacy Informatics and a Professional Development Seminar series. Her professional focus is in the area of clinical pharmacy service delivery, leadership and health care policy.

Tell us your reaction to being asked to chair the Winkler Center advisory board.
I am very excited to have been asked to chair the Winkler Center Advisory Board. I am following the able leadership of Associate Professor Emeritus of Surgery Jack McDonough, MD, so it is an honor and a challenge.  It is also great to work with the talented Steve Marine, executive director, and Doris Haag, director, who manage the Winkler Center day to day. Finally, since the Winkler Center is part of the UC Libraries it has been great to get to know the new dean of UC Libraries, Xuemao Wang.

What do you enjoy about working with the Winkler Center and its advisory board?
I have a great respect for the work and leadership of the people in health care delivery, research and education that has led to significant achievements. I was "recruited” to the advisory board by Henry Winkler so I am happy to have known him and worked with him on the advisory board during the fundraising and building of the new space in the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library.

What are some of the issues that the advisory board is working on?
The center staff is working on or completed archives and collections of physicians Albert Sabin, Henry Heimlich, Benjamin Felson and others. The center received a grant to digitize Albert Sabin’s work, correspondence etc.  Grants and contributions from family and friends as well as from the community in general have been very important to the center. The center also sponsors the Cecil Striker Lecture, an annual spring lecture and reception open to the community, on a historical aspect of health care in our area. Last year’s theme on Civil War medicine was one of the best attended Striker Lectures and the advisory board is excited about its ideas for 2014.

What are some things we need to know about the Winkler Center?
The archival collections within the Winkler Center are used by scholars worldwide to explore innovative research projects that have led to important new products, therapeutic approaches and services in health care.

Why is the history of the College of Pharmacy and the other colleges of the Academic Health Center important to you?
I think it is very useful for all of us and our students to view correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, equipment and other archival materials to understand the inspiration, dedication and passion that have led to progress that we take for granted. The center partners with faculty through the university to integrate its primary source collections into courses and instruction. It is also wonderful to honor people who are our contemporaries who have made great contributions and the Winkler Center does this through its publications, oral histories, lectures and receptions.  We are working on several oral histories this year that will add great interest and diversity to our collection.

What one item from your everyday work do you think will eventually find a place in the Winkler Center?
I think the emails and tweets of some of our current scientific innovators and health care providers will be the archival material of the future. These electronic communications will replace binders of written correspondence and files. These social communications will be clues to interesting personalities, how ideas get transferred and people partner with each other for progress.