SDSU’s Seefeldt named S.D. Pharmacist of the Year

Teresa Seefeldt, an administrator at South Dakota State University who rose through the ranks in the pharmacy college, has been named South Dakota Pharmacist of the Year.

The Hustead Award is presented annually at the South Dakota Pharmacists Association convention, which this year was Sept. 16 in Deadwood.

Since Jan. 10, 2022, Seefeldt has been vice provost for undergraduate education at SDSU. She still holds the rank of associate professor the in the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions. She began teaching in the college in January 2005, eight months after earning her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from State.

The next year, 2006, she was named teacher of the year in the college. She was so honored again in 2020 and 2021. Also in 2021, she was named Van. D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College Teacher of the Year.

Seefeldt’s nominator for the Hustead Award, Jessica Strobl, wrote, “Since Teresa obtained her Doctorate of Pharmacy from South Dakota State in 2004, she has consistently been on the move to elevate herself professionally, and in the meantime she has elevated the profession of pharmacy in ways that few others in the state have ever done.”

Strobl, vice president of professional services at Lewis Drug and a 2004 SDSU pharmacy graduate, added, Seefeldt “has mentored many students in honors projects and undergraduate research. Helping her students be successful academically and in serving the community and profession is very rewarding.”

Embodies qualities of Hustead nominee

Seefeldt, who still helps teach a class in veterinary pharmacology, had been associate dean for academic affairs in the pharmacy college before moving into university administration.

She said she is thankful for the opportunities she has had to impact students’ education and prepare them for a career in an honorable and vital profession.

“I am very honored to receive this prestigious award. It has been a pleasure to work with the South Dakota Pharmacists Association over the years. This recognition means a lot to me,” Seefeldt said.

The Hustead Award winner should demonstrate the dedication, resourcefulness, service and caring that has made pharmacy one of the most respected professions in the country. Strobl wrote, “I am confident that Dr. Teresa Seefeldt embodies this fully.”

Put strong emphasis on research, students

A native of Clark, Seefeldt came to SDSU with the idea of becoming a hospital pharmacist. However, she fell in love with research during her undergraduate studies with professor Xiangming Guan and decided to go into teaching and research.

She became the first SDSU student to receive a doctorate in pharmaceutical sciences. Previously, the degree was a doctorate in biological sciences with an emphasis in pharmaceutical sciences, and only one other SDSU student (Ajay Bommareddy, May 2007) had been awarded that. The South Dakota Board of Regents approved the degree change early enough in 2007 that Seefeldt could take advantage of the new designation.

As a faculty member, she started her own research in 2008 and had graduate students continue the research with her last graduate student finishing in 2018.

As a student, she was a member of the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists and as a faculty member was its adviser from 2007 to 2021. She also advised Kappa Epsilon from 2005 to 2021 and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists from 2009 to 2017.

Other SDSU pharmacy faculty members to receive the Hustead Award are Bernard Hietbrink (1989), Gary Van Riper (1998), Brian Kaatz (2001) and Dave Helgeland (2009).