Gene Hotchkiss Retires from KU School of Pharmacy

After more than 34 years of mentoring young pharmacy students, Senior Associate Dean Gene Hotchkiss has announced his retirement from the KU School of Pharmacy.

Gene graduated from the KU School of Pharmacy in 1969, before working at an independent pharmacy in Topeka. He joined the KU School of Pharmacy as a faculty member in 1986 and has been there ever since.

Gene has always displayed a passion for community pharmacy. In fact, he played a key role in forming the KU NCPA Student Chapter and Currus’ own Entrepreneurial Opportunities Group (EOG) in 1998.

Since then, the EOG and the chapter have worked side by side providing scholarships and opportunities for students to learn about independent pharmacy. Gene’s assistance with the chapter and the EOG has helped provide more than $300,000 in scholarships to almost 300 students in its 22-year history.

Because of Gene’s years of service in guiding pharmacy students, Currus established the “Gene Hotchkiss Kansas Independent Pharmacy Mentoring Award” in 2013 in his name. The award is given each year to a recipient who shows a dedication to mentoring pharmacy students as Gene has done during his career.

The KU School of Pharmacy also announced today that a scholarship has been created in Gene’s honor.

Currus thanks Gene for his contributions to independent pharmacy in Kansas, as well as his many years of support and friendship.