Courtesy of Xavier University of Louisiana
Xavier alumnus Dan Schneider (‘75) was recently inducted into the national Pharmacy Leadership Society, or Phi Lambda Sigma (PLS). Schneider, RPh, graduated from Xavier University’s College of Pharmacy (COP) in 1975 and practiced pharmacy until 2015. For over 20 years, he has advocated against the drug epidemic. After losing his son in a drug-related shooting in 1999 and lacking answers from police, Schneider conducted his own investigation to solve his son’s case. He spoke about the opioid epidemic in 2001, a decade before it was declared nationally, and his story is told in Netflix’s docuseries, “The Pharmacist,” viewed by over 100 million viewers worldwide. Schneider was inducted into PLS at their senior banquet, which honors Xavier’s College of Pharmacy graduates.
For over two decades, Schneider has raised awareness and educated others regarding the country’s ongoing addiction, opioid, and fentanyl poisoning crisis. He has spoken worldwide at schools, universities, churches and events addressing the drug crisis. Schneider worked to shut down “pill mill doctors” dispensing prescriptions inappropriately and helped develop the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP). He also founded Tunnel of Hope to address the healthcare industry and emphasize that there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
According to PLS, their purpose is to promote the development of leadership qualities, especially among pharmacy students. PLS honors leadership and members are selected by peer recognition– no greater honor can be bestowed upon an individual than to be recognized as a leader by one’s peers. Such recognition instills and enhances self-confidence, encourages the less active students to play a more active role, and promotes more significant effort toward the advancement of pharmacy.
“As a new pharmacist, it was an honor to stand beside someone who has persistently advocated for our community and held strong the commitments of our oath,” shared Dr. Ericka A. Lassair, a 2022 Xavier College of Pharmacy graduate. “Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society designates Honorary Membership to those who have demonstrated dedication, leadership, and service to the profession of pharmacy. As a chapter, we were ecstatic to induct Mr. Schneider into the Society.”
The Alpha Delta Chapter of PLS at Xavier University’s College of Pharmacy was chartered in 1990 with the current advisor, COP Assistant Dean Randall V. Schexnayder (‘80), serving as chapter advisor for the past 32 years — being named “Outstanding Chapter Advisor” by the PLS National Office in 2021. Among the charter inductees was 1948 Xavier graduate Mary Munson Runge, who served as the first African American, female president and CEO of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA).
Schneider epitomizes Xavier’s values through decades of leadership, dedication, and advocacy to create a more just and humane society.
