The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy is proud to announce the recipients of its 2026 College of Pharmacy Awards, recognizing individuals and organizations whose leadership, service and contributions continue to advance the college, the pharmacy profession and pharmaceutical research.
This year's honorees represent the many ways members of the Texas Pharmacy community make an impact: from investing in the next generation of pharmacists and advancing patient care to translating scientific discovery into real-world solutions.
The 2026 recipients are Marissa Schlaifer, M.S., recipient of the Advancing College of Pharmacy Award; Magnolia Pharmacy, recipient of the Advancing Pharmacy Practice Award; and John J. Koleng, Ph.D., R.Ph., recipient of the Advancing Pharmacy Research Award.
The honorees will be recognized at the College of Pharmacy's annual Dose of Distinction celebration on November 6, 2026.
Marissa Schlaifer, M.S.
Advancing College of Pharmacy Award
For Marissa Schlaifer, a lifelong connection to Texas Pharmacy is defined by gratitude and a commitment to paying forward the opportunities, relationships and support she found here.
Marissa earned both her B.S. in Pharmacy and M.S. in Pharmacy Administration from The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy and has remained deeply engaged with the college throughout her career. She has served on the College of Pharmacy Advisory Council, as president of the College of Pharmacy Alumni Association and, most recently, as co-chair of the college's capital campaign. She was previously recognized with the William J. Sheffield Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2010.
Today, Marissa serves as Vice President, Policy, for the Optum businesses, with responsibility for public policy related to Optum Rx, Optum Health and Optum Insight. Her career has spanned healthcare policy, managed care and pharmacy practice, including roles with the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), CVS Health, H-E-B Grocery Company and PacifiCare of Texas. She has also volunteered as a pharmacist at the Arlington Free Clinic since 2006.
Receiving the Advancing College of Pharmacy Award is especially meaningful to Marissa as she concludes her service as capital campaign co-chair. "I have always felt a deep sense of gratitude for what the college gave me—as a student, a pharmacist and a professional—and the campaign offered a very special opportunity to give back," Marissa said.
That connection began as a student and has continued through decades of service. Marissa recalls faculty members who recognized her potential and opened doors to new opportunities, including Marv Shepherd, who encouraged her to continue into the Pharmacy Administration graduate program. To this day, she keeps a photo on her desk of former Dean Jim Doluisio giving her a pep talk after she ran for Student APhA Speaker of the House.
Today, she finds that same sense of connection through supporting students, including members of the college's AMCP Student Chapter.
"The College of Pharmacy helped set me on the path to everything that has happened in my career," Marissa said, "and that is a connection I will always treasure."
Magnolia Pharmacy
Advancing Pharmacy Practice Award
For more than two decades, Magnolia Pharmacy has demonstrated what community pharmacy can achieve when personalized care, clinical expertise and strong patient relationships come together.
Founded in Magnolia, Texas, in 2002 by Texas Pharmacy alumnus Steve Hoffart, Pharm.D., Magnolia Pharmacy has grown from a small independent startup into a team of 40 serving patients throughout the greater Houston area and beyond. As an independent compounding and specialty pharmacy, Magnolia provides personalized compounding, hormone therapy and integrative medicine services while bringing clinical interventions and direct patient care into the community pharmacy setting.
Steve, who earned both his B.S. in Pharmacy in 1994 and Pharm.D. in 2000 from Texas Pharmacy, has focused his career on expanding what pharmacists can contribute to patient care. Today, medical providers and practitioners throughout the region regularly turn to the Magnolia Pharmacy team for clinical input—a level of collaboration that reflects the expanded role pharmacists can play in patient care. "Bringing real clinical interventions into a local community pharmacy, working directly with patients and earning a seat at the table with other practitioners is the accomplishment I'm proudest of," Steve said.
That commitment to advancing pharmacy practice also extends to the profession's future. Magnolia Pharmacy serves as a preceptor site for five pharmacy schools and operates a PGY1 residency program, while its pharmacy technicians are trained and empowered to practice at the top of their roles. Steve was named PCCA Pharmacist of the Year in 2022 and currently serves as chairman of the Board of American Pharmacies.
For Steve, receiving the Advancing Pharmacy Practice Award is recognition not simply of one pharmacist, but of the entire Magnolia Pharmacy team and its commitment to demonstrating what pharmacists can accomplish. "This award tells us that vision is worth pursuing," Steve said, "and it belongs to every member of our team."
John J. Koleng, Ph.D., R.Ph.
Advancing Pharmacy Research Award
For John J. Koleng, Ph.D., R.Ph., advancing pharmacy research means taking promising ideas beyond the laboratory and moving them closer to the patients who may ultimately benefit.
"Advancing pharmacy research means turning ideas into realities—realities that can be life-changing for patients and their caregivers," John said. "That is the purpose behind the science."
A two-time Texas Pharmacy graduate, John earned his B.S. in Pharmacy in 1994 and Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics in 2002. His doctoral research in rapid-release drug delivery systems helped set the course for a career spanning pharmaceutical science, product development and manufacturing. More than two decades later, he remains closely connected to the college as Special Advisor to the Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery (MPDD) graduate program and a member of both the Dean's Advisory Council and Industrial Advisory Board.
As a registered pharmacist and prolific inventor, John is named on 28 U.S. patents and numerous pending applications covering a range of drug delivery technologies. Across more than 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry, he has helped life-science companies move technologies from concept toward commercialization, including advancing inhaled products into clinical studies. He has co-founded consulting and drug development companies and has continued to collaborate with Texas Pharmacy researchers on work spanning pulmonary drug delivery, infectious disease therapies and pediatric formulations.
John credits his time as a Texas Pharmacy graduate student, and particularly the mentorship of Jim McGinity, Ph.D., and Bill Williams, Ph.D., with preparing him to bridge academia and industry throughout his career. An undergraduate internship at Röhm Pharma in 1992, made possible by McGinity, became a pivotal experience that solidified his interest in drug product research and ultimately led him to graduate school.
For John, the Advancing Pharmacy Research Award brings that journey full circle while affirming the value of collaboration between academic researchers and industry. "The mentorship and opportunities the college affords are truly special," John said. "My hope is that students recognize the significance of that gift, take full advantage of it and pay it forward wherever they can."
Congratulations once again to Marissa, Magnolia Pharmacy and John, our 2026 College of Pharmacy Award recipients!