Alumni Awards

Dr. Jagdish Khatter’s journey from a rural farming village in northern India to executive leadership in American pharmacy reflects a life defined by resilience, service and innovation. Inspired by his grandfather, a village pharmacist, he pursued healthcare and ultimately came to the United States, earning his Bachelor of Science in pharmacy in 1986 and his PharmD in 2004 from CU Pharmacy. 

He began his career in retail pharmacy at Walgreens, rising to vice president of innovation and diabetes services, and later led long-term care operations at Pharmcare USA. From a basement operation in Aurora, Colorado, he helped build one of the nation’s largest assisted living pharmacy networks. A pioneer in community-based clinical services, Khatter launched early diabetes management programs, immunization clinics and expanded care into lipid management, infertility and compounding. 

Certified as a geriatric pharmacist and diabetes educator, he has held numerous national leadership roles and served as a clinical preceptor, mentoring generations of pharmacy students, especially those from underserved communities. His community service includes chronic disease education in senior centers, faith organizations, and public health screenings. 

Now, he is focused on advancing affordable, dignified aging and end-of-life care, guided by his philosophy: learn, contribute, achieve. 

Dr. David Tabano is a nationally recognized leader in Health Economics and Outcomes Research, currently serving as Senior Director, Value Evidence Customer Strategy Lead at Genentech. In this role, he leads real-world evidence strategies supporting national payers and pharmacy benefit managers, translating complex HEOR data into clear, actionable value messaging that improves patient access to care. Tabano built his foundation in economics at the CU Denver, where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. His interest in outcomes research deepened through early exposure to real-world data and collaborative research at the CU Pharmacy Center for Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research. He later joined the Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Research, where he gained hands-on experience in clinical informatics and population-level research. 

Recognizing the need for advanced training, Tabano returned to academia and earned his PhD from CU Pharmacy in 2018, focusing his dissertation on the economic impact of breakthrough hepatitis C therapies. His postdoctoral career includes key HEOR and data science leadership roles at Bristol Myers Squibb and Genentech. 

A dedicated mentor and advocate for evidence-based decision-making, Tabano emphasizes curiosity, clarity and resilience as essential tools for advancing both research and healthcare policy. 

Since graduating from the CU Pharmacy in 2016, Dr. Patrick Smith has built a career defined by innovation, integrity and a commitment to the art of pharmacy. He serves as director of innovation and intellectual property strategy at the nation’s largest compounding pharmacy for food-producing animals, where he leads novel formulation development and IP management while working with executives to drive innovation forward. 

Smith began in retail pharmacy, gaining recognition for tackling complex compounding requests for maternal health clinics and pediatric providers lacking access to specialized formulations. His curiosity and problem-solving mindset led him into veterinary pharmacy, an area where pharmacists are rarely consulted but can have major impact. 

His work has resulted in multiple patent-pending formulations, including a widely used water-soluble NSAID for the swine industry and a recently issued patent for a water-soluble aminopenicillin. These advances have transformed medication delivery for large herds and expanded how veterinarians view the role of pharmacy.