Sara Jane White

Sara White was an accomplished and influential leader in the profession of pharmacy. Born in a small town in northeast Oregon, Sara received a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy and subsequently a Master of Science Degree from the Ohio State University and completed a pharmacy residency in Administration at the Ohio State University Hospitals and Clinics. From 1972 until 1992, Sara served as the Associate Director of Pharmacy at the University of Kansas Medical Center and Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy. In 1992, Sara was appointed as Director of Pharmacy and Clinical Nutrition at Stanford University Hospital and Clinics. She served in this role until her retirement in 2003.

Throughout her distinguished career Sara was a frequent and highly sought-after invited speaker on pharmacy leadership and related topics at local, state and national pharmacy association meetings, colleges of pharmacy and other professional development programs. She developed and implemented many innovation pharmacy services and served the pharmacy profession in many elected and appointed leadership positions including Board of Directors, Chair of the House of Delegates and President of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

Sara received numerous awards for her professional accomplishments and service including hospital pharmacy’s highest award, the Harvey A.K. Whitney Lecture Award, the Webb Lecture Award, the ASHP Distinguished Leadership Award and an honorary ASHP Membership. Additionally, she received the Clifton J. Latiolais Award from the Ohio State College of Pharmacy, the Kansas Hospital Pharmacist of the Year Award, the Harold N. Godwin Lecture Award, the Lambda Kappa Sigma Vanguard Leadership Award and the Jack L. Beal Postbaccalaureate Award. In October of 2023, Sara received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from her alma mater, the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy.

Following her retirement from Stanford University Hospitals and Clinics, Sara focused her professional efforts on ensuring that health system pharmacy had a pipeline of competent and enthusiastic leaders for hospitals and health systems across the U.S. As the scholar in residence at ASHP in 2004, Sara researched the state of leadership in pharmacy and identified the critical need to develop and nurture future leaders. Her influential work led to changes in pharmacy education and postgraduate training that have helped produce new generations of leaders. Sara continued to build on this work as a faculty member of the ASHP Foundation’s Pharmacy Leadership Academy and the Visiting Leaders Program and as the Chair of the ASHP Women in Pharmacy Leadership Steering Committee. Sara also edited a series of books published by ASHP on many leadership topics such as Letters to Young Pharmacists, Rising Stars: Advice on Creating and Advancing Your Career in a Challenging Profession that included writings from accomplished practitioners and leaders.

Sara’s greatest legacy is her mentorship of countless pharmacy residents, student pharmacists and aspiring pharmacy leaders. In particular, Sara worked tirelessly to inspire and encourage women to pursue leadership positions in pharmacy. She regularly hosted networking sessions for young pharmacists and Sara had the innate ability to calmly listen, reflect and most importantly guide her colleagues and mentees to resolve problems they encountered. “Sara had an innate ability to help leaders reach their highest potential by giving pragmatic advice and genuinely taking an interest in their success. She would give her time and listen patiently to whatever I wanted to talk about in our weekly calls, often sharing her own experience on the topic and offering some insights and ideas to apply. Over the years I expanded my leadership repertoire because of her mentorship and investment in me.”

ASHP Past President and close friend of Sara’s, Becky Finley noted, “Sara was not only a respected teacher, mentor and leader she was a dear friend and confidant to so many of us over the past 4 to 5 decades. She was always there to celebrate my successes and help me navigate through many challenges. While attending national pharmacy meetings, Sara in her signature red jacket, was constantly sought after by generations of pharmacists who had interacted with her during their careers and I loved watching how much she enjoyed these encounters.”

In addition, to her devotion to the pharmacy profession, Sara was also an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction, saw most major motion pictures immediately after their release, and enjoyed visiting art exhibitions and museums. She traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and all over the world visiting every continent. During her years in California, Sara developed a sincere appreciation for California red wines to accompany her love of a good T-bone steak.

Sara is survived by more than 100 grateful former pharmacy residents, hundreds of successful and indebted mentees, and countless friends who treasured her and mourn this loss. Donations in Sara’s memory may be made to the Sara J White Leadership Fund of the ASHP Foundation (memory of Sara White or https://apps.ashp.org/foundation/?fundid=12).