BUCKHANNON — West Virginia Governor Jim Justice recently honored Dr. Elizabeth Scharman with the 2024 Distinguished Mountaineer Award, recognizing her significant contributions to the state. The award is the highest honor the Governor can bestow upon a non-native West Virginian.

Dr. Scharman, a professor emerita at the West Virginia University (WVU) School of Pharmacy, retired last month after 32 years as executive director of the West Virginia Poison Center. During her tenure, she directed operations such as the West Virginia DHHR Coronavirus Hotline and the Emergency Line. She also provided critical toxicology information during the 2014 Water Crisis and spearheaded poison prevention and toxicology education efforts across the state.

Moreover, Scharman served as the deputy strategic national stockpile coordinator, playing a pivotal role in emergency preparedness planning throughout West Virginia. She holds certifications as a board-certified delegate of the American Board of Applied Toxicology and as a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist.

Her leadership extended to chairing the Kanawha/Putnam Emergency Planning Committee, participating in various committees and editorial boards, and contributing numerous scholarly articles and chapters in pharmacy textbooks. She has received several accolades, including the WVU Health Sciences Women in Science and Health Advanced Career Excellence Award in 2015, the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology’s 2012 Distinguished Service Award, and the WVU School of Pharmacy’s Outstanding Service Award in 2022.

Governor Justice’s framed proclamation states, “Scharman is a caring and giving person, and her dedication and commitment to her career and the great state of West Virginia have set an outstanding example for us all.”