Gift from Alumna to Fund Pharmacy Community Efforts

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Margaret McGlynn, president of the vaccine division of Merck & Co., is a second-generation graduate of the University at Buffalo following her late father's lead and honoring his memory with a start-up gift to establish the Edward J. Hempling Community Pharmacy Education Fund in UB's School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Her father, Edward J. Hempling, B.S. '50, who passed away in December 2005, owned and operated Hempling's Pharmacy in South Buffalo from 1960-85. He used to help his customers by educating them about the medications they were taking and about how to improve their health.

McGlynn, who received a bachelor's degree from UB's pharmacy school in 1982 and an MBA from the UB School of Management in 1983, said that her father cared more about people -- often extending credit or charity to those who couldn't pay -- than profit.

Her $2,000 initial gift will fund student volunteer efforts for community health initiatives such as wellness and blood-pressure clinics. McGlynn said it's the kind of support that her father offered to the community and that she would like to see that tradition carried on by students.

Her father inspired her to "make a difference in the lives of others." That motivated her to make this latest gift, and it's the message she plans to share with the Class of 2006 of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences during the commencement address that she will deliver at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall on the UB North (Amherst) Campus.

McGlynn has spent her entire career at Merck & Co., a leading research-driven pharmaceutical products and services company, having joined the company in 1983. She was promoted to her current position in 2005 and is responsible for global leadership of the company's vaccine business. Previously she was president of the U.S. Hospital and Specialty Division at Merck.

"I have been fortunate," she said. "An internship at Merck helped me discover a place where I believed I could make a difference for tens of thousands or millions of people. Over the course of my career, I like to think I have used the opportunity in a way that would make my parents -- and my children -- proud. I've been able to help bring to market important new medicines and vaccines to help people live healthier, longer lives."

"As a very successful role model, Margie is providing motivation for our graduates," said Wayne K. Anderson, dean of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. "She also is giving back to provide support for our students in recognition of her father's role in community pharmacy, where he had a strong focus on patient care. Her legacy as an achiever and a supporter of UB is something I value."

A Western New York native, McGlynn long has felt "privileged to have had a quality education at UB" that enabled her "to contribute to the practice of pharmacy and outreach to the community." She is a member of the pharmacy school's Dean's National Industrial Advisory Council and she gave $30,000 each to the schools of pharmacy and management during the Campaign for UB.

Ranked among the top pharmacy schools in the United States and considered one of the most prestigious, the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences was founded in 1886. It is the second-oldest component of the University at Buffalo and the only pharmacy school in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, the largest and most comprehensive campus in the State University of New York.