School of Pharmacy to Honor Four Alumni

Drs. Tina Dancer, Terri Kirby and Benjie Quintana will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award, while Dr. Kelsey Raymer will receive the Early Career Alumni Award.

“We are incredibly proud to honor these four remarkable alumni whose careers have truly exemplified the mission of our School of Pharmacy,” said Donna Strum, dean of the School of Pharmacy. “Their impactful contributions to healthcare, innovation and community service inspire both current students and fellow alumni.”

Dancer is a senior medical science liaison in the Biopharmaceuticals Medical – Respiratory and Immunology division at AstraZeneca.

She received both her undergraduate and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from the Ole Miss School of Pharmacy and was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

Dancer completed a residency in primary care pharmacy practice at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and began her professional career as an assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Ole Miss.

In her 25-year industry career, Dancer has worked at the senior and executive medical science liaison levels at global biopharmaceutical and start-up companies and served in multiple national lead roles.

She has carried her passion for teaching students from her early faculty days into her role as a senior medical science liaison, having served as an APPE preceptor for students conducting industry rotations and currently serving as a mentor in her organization.

Kirby is a 1982 graduate of the School of Pharmacy. She has been employed by the Mississippi Division of Medicaid’s Office of Pharmacy for nearly 22 years and has served as the pharmacy director since 2016.

Prior to joining Medicaid in 2003, she enjoyed practicing in a wide variety of pharmacy settings over a 21-year span – including independent retail pharmacies, hospitals, a specialized compounding pharmacy and nursing home consulting.

Kirby is thankful for Medicaid’s long-term partnership with the School of Pharmacy. She currently serves as a preceptor to UM pharmacy students.

Quintana received his undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees in pharmacy from the University of Mississippi.

He has cultivated a reputation as a leader in the pharmaceutical industry with a career spanning four decades in pharmaceutics, product development and quality assurance. He is now retired after most recently serving as senior director and head of product development and validation at Pharmaceutics International, Inc.

His extensive experience includes leadership roles at major pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, Warner-Lambert, Parke-Davis and Lundbeck, where he played a pivotal role in manufacturing development, regulatory compliance and the successful commercialization of multiple pharmaceutical products.

Raymer is the assistant director of Pharmacy-Outpatient Services at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. In her role, she provides oversight of the growth, strategy and operations of several outpatient pharmacy service areas, including retail, specialty, ambulatory, 340B and patient financial assistance.

She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Mississippi and went on to complete a health-system pharmacy administration and leadership residency at Froedtert Health. She received her master’s degree in healthcare administration from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Raymer’s professional goals have centered on improving healthcare access and delivery within vulnerable populations and communities by building and advancing pharmacy care models that improve access and affordability.

She is actively involved in professional pharmacy organizations and serves on several national committees. She also serves as a preceptor for students and residents through the School of Pharmacy.

All four alumni will be recognized during the annual Alumni Reunion banquet on April 10.