Sarah A. Sanders
2019

President-Elect
AMA Foundation Board

“My Purdue College of Pharmacy education provided me with, beyond the technical knowledge of the pharmacy profession, the skills of critical thinking, problem solving, team & consensus building, and communicating effectively. Those abilities, married to my innate desire to serve and help others, opened many doors and provided many opportunities.”
Education
  • BS 1978, PharmD 1980 Pharmacy, Purdue University
Career Highlights
  • Developed an Elective Course in Geriatric Pharmacy at Butler University College of Pharmacy in the early 1980s before it was the thing to do
  • Helped establish the Open Door Health Clinic for the underserved community in Muncie, IN and served as its first Board of Directors President
  • Served as the 2014-15 President of the American Medical Association Alliance
  • Received Purdue College of Pharmacy Women’s Leadership Award in 2018
  • Elected the first pharmacist and first African American woman to serve as President of the American Medical Association Foundation

Dr. Sarah Sanders, BS, PharmD, MS is a pioneer and path-setter who has had a multifaceted career in volunteer leadership. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy and her PharmD from Purdue University in 1978 and 1980. Dr. Sanders also received a Masters of Arts in Gerontology from Ball State University. Dr. Sanders is the first African American female to receive the PharmD degree at Purdue and also the first African American full-time faculty member at the Butler University College of Pharmacy.

Dr. Sanders has served on the Board of Directors of the American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation for the past seven years and is currently President-Elect. She served as the President of the American Medical Association Alliance, the largest organization representing the family of medicine in the US, as well as, Past-President of the Indiana Medical Association Alliance. She currently serves on Purdue’s Strategic Research Advisory Council.

Dr. Sanders has served in a leadership capacity on many nonprofit boards and committees. While in Muncie, Indiana she served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for both the Open Door Community Services, Inc. and the Open Door Community Health Services, Inc. In this capacity she was instrumental in the delivery of healthcare to underrepresented populations in Muncie/Delaware County. She has served on the College of Pharmacy Minority Advocacy Council for over 25 years and is a past chairperson.

Dr. Sanders is an active member of her church. Her husband, Charles and both daughters are Purdue alumni.