FHU Alumna Kate Cozart Named Tennessee Health-System Pharmacist of the Year

Freed-Hardeman University congratulates alumna Kate (Greene) Cozart, a clinical pharmacist practitioner at VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, for being named the Health-System Pharmacist of the Year by the Tennessee Pharmacists Association.

Cozart shared her feelings of pride and gratitude for being chosen for this prestigious honor. “I’m only 10 years into my career and feel like I’m just getting started,” she said. “I was surprised, but also incredibly proud that my efforts to improve healthcare for all patients, clinicians and trainees is something that is recognized by my peers.”

Having attended FHU from 2004-2009, Cozart earned both her Bachelor of Science in chemistry and her Master of Education in curriculum and instruction. She later pursued her Doctor of Pharmacy at Union University. In 2015 she started her career at TVHS, and she currently serves as a primary care clinical pharmacist practitioner at the TVHS Clarksville VA Clinic, specializing in helping veterans manage chronic diseases.

The Tennessee Pharmacists Association states that it selected Cozart for this honor based on her impacts on pharmaceutical education, leadership and support of resiliency and wellness.

Thinking back on her time at Freed-Hardeman, Cozart credits professors Dr. Jerry Thornthwaite, Dr. Joe Delay, Dr. LeAnn Self-Davis and Dr. Rolland Pack for having had an especially positive impact on her during her formative years. “They encouraged me to think outside the box and instilled a belief in myself that I very much needed,” she said.

She also believes that FHU well prepared her for the life and career that she has now established. “I learned a ton academically that prepared me to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy as an unplanned second career,” she shared. “I learned that I have a deep passion for teaching, which is why I continue to train students and residents now. And I also learned that regrets aren’t negative when you use those moments to lead you down a positive path forward and reinvent yourself as someone you are proud to be.”