(L-R): Dr. Kelly Kraft ’94 and A.C. Baugher Professor of Chemistry Emeritus, Dr. Charles D. Schaeffer Jr.
Elizabethtown College’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Department presented alumna Kelly Kraft ’94, Ph.D. with the Oscar F. Stambaugh Outstanding Alumni Award. Kraft was recognized during Etown’s annual Homecoming and Family Weekend celebration.
“I was fortunate to have found Elizabethtown College,” Kraft said during the award ceremony. “It is where I learned how to learn.”
The Stambaugh Award is presented to a graduate of Etown in recognition of distinguished professional contributions in chemistry or medicine. It is given in honor of Professor Oscar F. Stambaugh for his many years of service and leadership at the College.
Kraft also presented her research, “Drug Delivery by Oral Inhalation: Applications in Pulmonary and Systemic Diseases” at a seminar on Friday, Oct. 13 to the Etown campus community.
Kraft, who received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Etown and her Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry from the University of Georgia, is the Executive Director of Pharmaceutical Research at MannKind Corporation. Kraft started at the company in 2003 as a scientist in the chemistry department, and her current work focuses on oral and inhaled drug delivery.
In her role at MannKind Corporation, Kraft oversees all aspects of basic research during early clinical phase development of MannKind’s drug product pipeline. Recently, she and her team were instrumental in the early development efforts for two FDA-approved drugs.
Kraft served as the Vice President of Pharmaceutical Research and Development at Receptor Life Sciences from 2019-23. In the role, she directed the pharmaceutical development of oral and inhaled cannabinoid drug products and was responsible for nonclinical and clinical studies. The work led to three open investigational new drug applications with the FDA.
