UIC pharmacy professor to serve on national diversity organization board of directors

Leigh Hellman | Posted on April 23, 2025
The central image is a profile photo of a smiling woman with tight curly hair cropped from the shoulders up. The woman is wearing a red, yellow, green and purple scarf and a red shirt. The background is half red and half gold, and the words “National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) Clara Okorie-Awe” are on the bottom fourth of the image in all-caps white text. Underneath these words is the logo for the UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy.

Clara U. Okorie-Awe, PhD, clinical professor in the department of pharmacy systems outcomes and policy in the UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy, was recently selected to serve on the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) board of directors. She and the other directors were sworn in at the NADOHE annual meeting on March 8.

In addition to her professorship, Awe is the director of the UIC Urban Pharmacy (UPHARM) program, UIC Honors College associate dean for diversity and inclusion and director of the UIC Urban Health Program in the UIC College of Pharmacy.

“I have always lived my life determined to be the voice of courage and hope, advocating globally for humanity and equality at the fundamental level,” Awe stated.

“A quote by Daisaku Ikeda resonates deeply with me: ‘True happiness means forging a strong spirit that is undefeated, no matter how trying our circumstances.’ I am honored to serve and fight the ‘good fight’ on the national landscape.”