Tracy Leonard, R.Ph., an instructional assistant professor in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmacy Education and Practice, is the 2026 recipient of the Florida Pharmacy Association, or FPA, Jean Lamberti Mentorship Award.
Established in 1998 to honor pharmacists who have taken the time to share their knowledge and experience with pharmacist candidates, the award is named in honor of long-time FPA member Jean Lamberti for her efforts working with pharmacy students.
Leonard will receive the award during the FPA Annual Meeting and Convention, held July 16-18 in Orlando. She called the honor “an exciting surprise.”
“I love my job so much because of the students. They are so inspiring,” Leonard said. “My husband and I have one child, and she’s 30 and lives in Washington, D.C., now, so these students are like my children. We’ve enjoyed meals with students and were even invited to a student’s wedding. My favorite part of the job is just being there for the students when they need somebody. How lucky am I to win an award for that?”
Since joining college faculty in 2021, Leonard has guided hundreds of UF pharmacy students through skills labs and internal medicine clinic rotations as an instructor and preceptor. In addition to helping students understand a pharmacist’s role in wellness visits and chronic care management during their advanced pharmacy practice experiences, or APPEs, Leonard leads by example by joining students in the community for service projects.
“I feel like it’s important for me to model this type of work for the students, because that’s the way they’re going to learn: by getting out there, seeing it, doing it and having an example to guide them,” Leonard said.
For Leonard, mentorship isn’t a skill that can be gleaned from motivational books or inspiring YouTube videos — it’s a daily practice grounded in active listening and open-heartedness.
“I have no special technique. I just make myself available, start conversations and learn what each student needs from me,” Leonard said. “Many people don’t realize the struggles that some of our students have faced or the obstacles they have overcome to reach this point. I let students know that they can talk to me about whatever they want, and I’ll just listen. If they want, I’ll share my journey, my hobbies and my silly stories with them. They keep me young at heart.”