Both John and Claudia Swenson attended WSU and feel that in many ways it set the course for their professional and personal lives. They met through a College of Pharmacy professor, Dr. Leslie Benet, and Claudia got her engagement ring on February 14, 1968, between classes on the 2nd floor of College Hall thanks to Dean White. In 2018 John and Claudia celebrated 50 years of marriage. John studied pharmacy and embarked on a career that has lasted almost 50 years. After a brief stint in the Navy, he planned to be a retail pharmacist. However, several clinical interactions at San Francisco Children’s Hospital and at Mary’s Help Hospital in Daly City changed his mind. He was an early leader in clinical pharmacy, publishing the first total parenteral nutrition protocol in the US at University of Washington Hospital. He then moved to Valley Medical Center where he set up an excellent clinical program, first as a clinical pharmacist as then as the Pharmacy Director. Claudia transferred from the WSU College of Pharmacy to the University of California Medical Center, School of Pharmacy, after they were married, in 1968 where she completed her PharmD in 1971. Claudia’s passion has always been clinical pharmacy. She served as a hospital and clinic based pharmacy clinical coordinator for almost 20 years establishing inpatient services (antibiotic review team, dosing protocols for aminoglycosides/heparin) and outpatient services (anticoagulation clinics, home infusion therapies).
Distributions from this Fund shall be used to award an annual scholarship to a pharmacy student(s) interested in patient- centered inpatient or outpatient pharmacy care, i.e. “clinical pharmacy”. Priority for this scholarship shall be given to 2nd, 3rd or 4th year pharmacy student(s) who are either (1) the first member of their immediate family to receive a 4 year college degree or (2) is the daughter, son or spouse of an active duty, retired or deceased member of the American Military or an Honorably Discharged member of the American Military.