Shara L. Zatopek (1951-2025)

College Community Mourns Passing of Alumna, Supporter, and Former Faculty Member and Administrator

April 30 — The University of Houston College of Pharmacy community is mourning the passing of alumna, Mading Society member and pharmacy leader Shara L. Zatopek, B.S. ('74), M.A., who served as a faculty membermember and administrator for 30 years before retiring in 2016. Zatopek passed April 23 at the age of 74.

During her pharmacy career, Zatopek worked in health-system and community pharmacy, including pharmacist and pharmacy manager positions in chain and independent operations.

At the college, Zatopek held assistant and associate dean positions over such areas as operations, academic/student affairs and admissions and taught in numerous courses in the professional program curriculum, including pharmacy practice, skills, law and management, as well as more than 100 sessions of pharmacy continuing education. Zatopek also served in numerous "unofficial" roles over the years, including college development officer, alumni relations representative, and historian.

She also served many years on the college Dean's Executive Council, Dean's Advisory Council, and countless committees and task forces, including the steering committees that developed the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and the TX-PHARM nontraditional Pharm.D. program.

Zatopek was one of five UHCOP alumni to serve as national president of the Phi Lambda Sigma (PLS) Pharmacy Leadership Society. Her other external leadership positions included:

• Member of the Texas Pharmacy Association board of directors, as well as terms as speaker and vice speaker of its house of delegates
• Member of the Texas Pharmacy Foundation board of trustees, including several years as a coordinator of its annual silent auction
• Board member, chair and president of the Houston Area Pharmacy Association (nee Harris County Pharmacy Association)
• Board member and president of the UH Pharmacy Alumni Association. She also served as an appointee to several task forces under the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. 

Over the course of her career, Zatopek received recognition for her service to the profession from several organizations. Among these were:

• 1991 Outstanding Pharmacist Service Award and 1995 National Advisor of the Year from the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists
• 1994 National Faculty Leadership Award from Phi Lambda Sigma
• 1994 National Achievement Award from Merck
• 1994 National Brown Bag Award from 3M
• 1995 Pharmacist of the Year Award from the Harris County Pharmacy Association (now Houston Area Pharmacy Association)
• 1997 Pharmacist-Educator of the Year Award from the Texas Pharmacy Association.

She was recognized among the college's "50 Outstanding Alumni" during the UHCOP 50th anniversary celebrations, received the UH Outstanding Faculty Service Award in 1995, and the 1996 Faculty Leadership Award from the PLS UHCOP Upsilon Chapter. Upon her retirement from the college in 2016, Zatopek also was recognized with the UHCOP Meritorious Achievement Award.

Her love for and loyalty to the profession, college and students also impacted her generosity. A charter member of the college's Mading Society of benefactors as well as a member of the university's In Tempore Society for planned giving, Zatopek established three endowed scholarships for UHCOP students: the Leland Zatopek Endowment; the Red, White & Blue Endowment; and the Shara L. Zatopek Endowment. In addition, Zatopek contributed to countless other UHCOP endowment or annual scholarship campaigns, professional travel fund, and the annual golf scholarship fund.

The Zatopek family welcomes memorial gifts to any of the three endowed scholarships established by Zatopek. To make an online gift or for information on giving options, visit the college giving page.

A memorial service for Zatopek will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 4, at Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home in Houston.