College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions Dedicates Sr. Jane M. Durgin Pharmacy Education Center

To honor a St. John’s alumna, educator and administrator for her contributions to the academic life of the University, St. John’s College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions recently renamed the college’s Health Education Resource Center and on-campus Drug Information Center for Sr. Jane M. Durgin, C.I.J.  The College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions dedicated the space on July 7, 2009.

The Sr. Jane M. Durgin Pharmacy Education Center will provide students with information on the practical applications of the material they learn in pharmacy courses. Sr. Jane was influential in establishing clinical pharmacy courses, experiential rotations and programs offered by the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions.

Sr. Jane obtained a B.S. in Pharmacy at St. John’s University in 1952. She then earned an R.N. from Mary Immaculate Hospital in 1961. Sr. Jane returned to St. John’s in 1979 and earned an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Teaching. She also received an M.A. in Pastoral Counseling from Iona College and an M.A. in Theology from Catholic Seminary in Huntington, NY.

During her time at the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, Sr. Jane served in many roles including Director of Clinical Pharmacy Programs, Department Chairperson and Professor. As Professor of Hospital Pharmacy Administration and Assistant Dean for Faculty and Curriculum Development, she also was a consultant to Dean Bartilucci. She worked at St. John’s University until 1994.

Sr. Jane has given presentations in the health field in the United States, Austria and Belgium. In addition, she has published numerous articles and is co-editor, with Zachary Hanan of Pharmacy Practice for Technicians published by Mosby & Damar Publications (1970-2009).

College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions Dean Robert Mangione, R.Ph., Ed.D. said of Sr. Jane, “Sr. Jane has earned the right to be listed among the elite in her field!” “But,” he continued “most of all she was always an inspiration to her students, including me. Without her encouragement and wisdom, I would not have chosen the path I followed.”

Julia Upton, RSM, Ph.D., Provost, St. John’s University addressed Sr. Jane, “Your legacy will live on at St. John’s long after all of us.”

Dr. Andrew J. Bartilucci, Dean Emeritus and Vice President Emeritus, said that “Sr. Jane’s accomplishments are numerous. She is responsible for initiating one of the nation’s earliest hospital-based pharmacy technician training programs. She also established the first Drug Information Center at Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre, NY. To this day Sr. Jane continues to use her skills as a nurse-in-residence at the Notre Dame Spiritual Center in Alfred, Maine. I say thank you for all the students who benefit from the innovations you initiated years ago.”

“I am touched by this honor,” Sr. Jane said when she spoke. “Without the support of Dean Bartilucci I would not have had the freedom to do what I did.”

For more information about the Sr. Jane M. Durgin Pharmacy Education Center, please contact us at (718) 990-6673.