Alumni Award Recipients

Dennis Peña
Zia Award, 2011

In pursuing his career as a pharmacist, Dennis Pena has gone well beyond just dispensing prescriptions to help cure patients’ ills, he’s dispensed his wisdom, leadership, and vision in order to shape his state and his profession. The result of his life’s work is a much healthier community for all of us. Well . . . that and a beautiful U.S. postage stamp . . . but more on that in a minute.

Dennis hails from tiny Bosque, New Mexico but grew up in Santa Rita. He attended the UNM College of Pharmacy, where he exercised his talent for leadership serving on Student Senate and as President of the student chapter of the American Pharmaceutical Association. He also pursued his talent – and lifelong passion -- for music by playing in the UNM band.

After graduating and serving as a pharmacist for the Air Force stationed in Germany, Dennis returned to New Mexico and opened his own pharmacy in Nob Hill. At the same time he supervised two other community pharmacies and practiced at UNM Hospitals.

It was around this time that Dennis tried his hand at postage stamp design. He met with success. His design commemorating the 120th anniversary of the American Pharmaceutical Association became a U.S. Postal Service eight-cent stamp.

Dennis is a caring, tremendously principled person with the highest level of integrity. He’s known for his focus on what is right and fair. Fortunately for all of us, Dennis took that focus and used it to shape important legislation in our state. He was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives and served for six years. In that time he sponsored 42 laws, all but one of which remain on the books today. His legislative record focuses on initiatives to improve medical care and the medical profession. Bills that Dennis sponsored include mandatory continuing education for all health care professionals in New Mexico, protecting parking for the handicapped, and requiring immunizations for New Mexico’s children, for which he received a citation for meritorious contribution to the state from the New Mexico Immunization Coalition and First Lady Barbara Richardson.

Beyond his work in the legislature, Dennis has served as the president of two state pharmacy associations and has continued to be actively involved with the UNM College of Pharmacy. His long, dedicated service leads one close associate to call Dennis “a statewide treasure.”

The oath that all pharmacists take starts with the following: “I vow to devote my professional life to the service of all humankind through the profession of pharmacy.” There is no better model for upholding that oath than Dennis Peña. The State of New Mexico and all New Mexicans are lucky to have had Dennis on their side working to make the Land of Enchantment a better place to live. Dennis, UNM is proud that you are one of our own and honored that you have given so much of yourself to help the University and state. We honor you today with UNM’s 2011 Zia Award. Congratulations, Dennis!