Haesuk Park, Ph.D., an associate professor of pharmaceutical outcomes and policy, was selected as the University of Florida College of Pharmacy’s Doctoral Dissertation Mentoring Award winner for 2022. The award recognizes excellence, innovation and effectiveness in mentoring doctoral students throughout their dissertation project.
Since joining the college in 2013, Park has chaired nine dissertation supervisory committees and served on 12 other dissertation supervisory committees. She has shown a thoughtful, comprehensive and compassionate approach to mentorship. Her style has been informed by participation in the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute Mentorship Academy early in her career, and she has applied the skills and tactics learned in the academy toward mentorship excellence.
Park’s former students appreciate her encouragement and desire for them to “find their own passion” by developing research interest areas. She guides them in knowledge, in developing critical thinking skills, and in understanding necessary methodologic skills for success. Her students all present at national and international meetings during their doctoral training and have multiple publications resulting from their doctoral research.
“It is very rewarding to watch my students grow through the work we accomplish together, and to see them become independent scholars and achieve success in their careers,” Park said. “This award means a lot to me, and I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to inspire and help my graduate students. I’ve passed along my knowledge, experience and expertise, knowing they will do the same for subsequent generations.”
Park joined the UF College of Pharmacy in 2013. She graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and earned her bachelor’s and master’s of pharmacy at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, South Korea.