It’s not often that a bad stomach leads to a great career.

But a few years ago, when Daniel Malcom was continually nauseated and unable to eat, it was a pharmacist who not only helped relive his discomfort but who also inspired him to pursue pharmacy as a career.

Daniel Malcom, Pharm. D, an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Clinical & Administrative Sciences at the Sullivan University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, has been named a winner of the American Association of Colleges (AACP) of Pharmacy Council of Facilities Emerging Teaching Scholar Award. The award recognizes excellence of academic pharmacy faculty engaged in and/or supporting scholarly teaching and the scholarship of teaching and learning.

“Daniel is an excellent faculty member who works to fulfill the teaching, service, and scholarship missions of the College,” said Dr. Cindy Stowe, dean of the Sullivan University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. “I’m excited that his efforts are being recognized nationally by his peers. We couldn’t be prouder of Daniel.”

Dr. Malcom said he is honored to be selected for the AACP award.

“I’ve devoted my career to educating student pharmacists and advancing the quality of education we provide,” he said. “I strongly believe in the vital role of innovation, not just in the clinical area with improved therapies and treatments, but with the way we teach and assess the quality of that teaching.”

It was as a young, stressed-out college student working 20 hours a week with stomach ailments that helped lead him Dr. Malcom to study pharmacy.

“I developed the beginnings of a stomach ulcer due to stress from my coursework and working outside of school,” he said. “I ignored it and ended up unable to eat and nauseated all of the time.”

Ultimately, Dr. Malcom asked a pharmacist at a community pharmacy what to do about his ailments.

“She said it sounded like heartburn and reflux, and suggested I try an over-the-counter acid suppressive medication to see if it helped, then to see a physician if my symptoms didn’t improve,” he said. “It only took a minute or two of her time, but that interaction and advice helped my symptoms resolve and showed me the direct impact that pharmacists can have on patients and their well-being.”

A native of Georgia, Dr. Malcom received his undergraduate and PharmD degrees from The University of Georgia and completed two years of post-graduate residency at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, TN. He has been on the Sullivan University faculty since 2010.

“I came here for a visit and really liked the city and what it had to offer,” he said. “Sullivan’s three-year program positions it quite well from a career standpoint compared to other programs.”

Dr. Malcom teaches courses in his specialty area of critical care, including classes on acid-base disorders and fluids and electrolytes.

“I also teach some classes and subject areas related to special interest areas for me, such as patient safety and dermatology,” he said. “It’s really quite a hodgepodge but reflective of my diverse interest areas.”

Dr. Malcom said his own curiosity drives much of what he teaches his students.

“I think they can tell that I genuinely take an interest in their success and challenging their assumptions about the world,” he said. “I really enjoy the engagement with students and seeing them grow and develop over the course of the program. I recall my own experiences as a student and specific mentors who helped me with difficult decisions.”

“Daniel’s passion for the scholarship of teaching and learning has spurred him to work diligently to improve the scholarship of teaching and learning at Sullivan University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences,” Dr. Stowe said. “He makes others around him better. The results of these efforts are improved instruction in the classroom and experiential setting and curricular outcomes of our students.”