Angela Wowczuk, a service assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy, has been awarded the Ethel and Gerry Heebink Award for Distinguished Extended State Service in recognition of her exceptional service to the University, students and community. 

The service award recognizes a faculty or staff member who has provided distinguished service to West Virginia for more than eight years.

Since 2019, she has served as the director and then administrative director for the Rational Drug Therapy Program. Her work integrates clinical pharmacy, public health and statewide health system collaboration, providing improved care for over 825,000 West Virginia residents covered by Medicaid, the Public Employees Insurance Agency and the West Virginia Children’s Health Insurance program.

Wowczuk has contributed extensively to education and public health initiatives across the state. She teaches in the West Virginia Rural Health Association’s HIV Academic Mentoring Program, where she trains general practitioners to manage HIV care for patients who face barriers to access in underserved areas. She also contributed to the national sexual health curriculum as a section leader with the American Academy of HIV medicine and received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and the West Virginia Department of Health to develop statewide treatment guidelines for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. 

Her work has resulted in over 1,800 encounters with physicians, social workers, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and teachers on such topics as ADHD, pain treatment and stigma related to substance abuse.

Under Wowczuk’s leadership, the RDTP delivers critical clinical services statewide. The program conducts approximately 1,700 medication reviews on weekdays and 250 on weekends — evaluating drug safety, effectiveness and appropriate use. 

Wowczuk also leads the Safe and Effective Management of Pain Program, which implements CDC guidelines for prescribing opioids for chronic pain. Since the program began, SEMPP has halved the amount of opioids prescribed to West Virginia patients on PEIA and Medicaid — reducing adverse events, hospitalizations and unnecessary costs. The SEMPP program has proven effective in proactively preventing substance use disorder before it starts.

Woczuck is also an effective steward of resources, growing RDTP contracts funding by almost 50% since 2019. Her work exemplifies impactful, statewide service that has improved health care quality, access and outcomes for the state of West Virginia.

As the 2026 Heebink Extended Service Award recipient, Wowczuk will receive a $3,000 professional development honorarium.

“Dr. Wowczuk exemplifies the purpose of and meaning behind the Heebink Award,” Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Paul Kreider said. “She and her work are stellar examples of the distinguished service we value as West Virginia’s land-grant institution.”

Award recipients will be recognized during a faculty and staff awards reception at Blaney House in April.

Read more about this award and others.