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Elizabeth Hall-Lipsy Receives the Henry and Phyllis Koffler Prize for Excellence in Public Service / Outreach

July 20, 2026
Elizabeth Hall-Lipsy

Elizabeth Hall-Lipsy, JD, MPH, associate professor of practice and associate dean of faculty and academic affairs at the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, receives the Henry and Phyllis Koffler Prize for Excellence in Public Service / Outreach. 

The Koffler award was established in 2000 through the generosity of Henry and Phyllis Koffler and recognizes outstanding contributions to innovative outreach leadership through impactful scholarship, policy, and community-engaged practices that create meaningful benefits for Arizonans and communities beyond.

“My approach to service is guided by three key principles: first, to demonstrate clear and lasting impact by strengthening the pharmacy workforce in rural and underserved communities; second, to focus my scholarly activity in the places where Arizonans live and receive care so it can make a practical difference; and third, to build and refine outreach programs in ways that continue to sustainably and meaningfully serve rural and underserved communities,” shared Hall-Lipsy.

Hall-Lipsy has dedicated more than seventeen years to the University of Arizona, and during that time has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in advancing rural health education, workforce development, and community-engaged pharmacy practice through her transformative work with the Rural Health Professions Program (RHPP). 

She reimagined the program from a compliance-driven initiative into one of the most robust rural health training pipelines in the nation, now engaging more than one quarter of each graduating cohort. Through her vision, students complete immersive rural experiential training, rigorous coursework in health disparities, and more than 75,000 hours of annual service in rural, border, and tribal communities. Collectively, this work has resulted in over 336,000 hours of direct patient care delivered across underserved regions of Arizona.

Through the beneficial impact of the program, RHPP alumni:

  • Remain in Arizona- approximately 75% of graduates practice in state.
  • Practice in rural pharmacies- 36% of program graduates have practiced in a rural setting after graduation, compared with just 6% of pharmacists generally.
  • Practice in health professions shortage areas (HPSAs) and medically underserved areas (MUAs)- 66% of program graduates practice in an undeserved setting
  • Precept current PharmD students- 28% of program graduates precept current RHPP students on their clinical rotations.

Julia Olson, a PharmD and RHPP graduate, was one of many supporters of Hall-Lipsy. “By mentoring RHPP students like me, Dr. Hall-Lipsy has triggered a cascade of positive benefits in rural communities around the Southwest. Many students have stories like mine: incredible careers created by the opportunities of the RHPP certificate, public presentation opportunities, creating tools that support rural communities, and valuable life experiences that come from experiencing new cultures and communities.”

Hall-Lipsy’s scholarly, educational, and public service efforts are a proud emblem of the University of Arizona’s land-grant mission, having produced more than 350 community reports shared with Native Nations, rural health organizations, and Area Health Education Center (AHEC) partners, directly informing healthcare planning and service delivery across Arizona. Her scholarship bridges pharmacy, law, and public health, with peer-reviewed publications in leading journals and invited presentations to national and international organizations. Hall-Lipsy’s teaching, scholarship, and outreach represent a comprehensive and sustained model of public service that has reshaped pharmacy education while measurably improving health outcomes for Arizona’s most underserved communities.

“Dr. Hall-Lipsy is so deserving of this honor given all she has done for the college, university, and profession of pharmacy,” said Brian Erstad, PharmD, interim dean of the Coit College of Pharmacy. “She continues to strive for excellence in all her efforts.” 

Another graduate, Jacob Schwartz, PharmD, shared his indelible experience in the program, “As a proud graduate of the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, I am one of the first students to have participated in the formal Rural Health Professional Program, which Elizabeth oversaw and advanced. I, and countless other learners, have experienced firsthand the profound impact of the RHPP over the years. Because the RHPP influenced my training and career path, I became a formal preceptor for RHPP students as well as for other learners seeking exposure to rural hospital practice. I later became the primary pharmacy preceptor for all students rotating at the hospital and, under Elizabeth’s mentorship, a faculty mentor for the interdisciplinary Arizona Rural Health Professions Program supported by the Arizona Area Health Education Centers."

"I was overjoyed to learn I’d be receiving this award, and I am so grateful for the support of the nominators and people who have helped build our rural health program," Hall-Lipsy expressed. "Sometimes when you’re busy coordinating a program, you don’t always stop to recognize how impactful it’s become. I love hearing from current students and graduates about how this program has shaped their career interests and trajectories. To have almost a quarter of our graduates acting as current preceptors demonstrates how we can build a network of pharmacists who are delivering care for the populations who need them the most."

Her contributions have been recognized with honors such as the Theodore Tong Distinguished Leadership and Service Award and the Schnellmann Family Faculty Award, along with the Arizona Rural Health Association President’s Award. Hall-Lipsy will receive the Koffler award at the Luminaries Outstanding Faculty Awards this coming September.