Molly Maloney Honored for Exceptional Service with Pillars of Pride Award

by DENISE WOLFE

Molly Maloney, pharmacy liaison librarian, has been selected to receive the University at Buffalo HR Pillars of Pride Recognition Award, honoring her exceptional service and commitment to supporting faculty and students. She was nominated by Gina Prescott, clinical associate professor in UB’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, for consistently demonstrating high levels of service and collaboration.

Administered by UB Human Resources, the Pillars of Pride Recognition Award recognizes staff members whose work reflects the university’s core values, including excellence, service, inclusion and innovation. 

In her nomination, Prescott described librarians as “the unsung heroes of the institution” and highlighted Maloney’s depth of expertise and willingness to go beyond traditional expectations. Over the past several years, Prescott has integrated Maloney into her academic work, noting that her contributions have enhanced both teaching and research within the School of Pharmacy.

For the past three years, Maloney has taught sessions in Prescott’s course on literature citation management and image sourcing, consistently providing students with what Prescott described as “an outstanding learning experience.” In addition, Maloney regularly meets one-on-one with students working on research projects, guiding them through comprehensive literature searches and research strategies essential for postgraduate training and academic careers. Students frequently request in-person consultations, and Prescott noted that they consistently report feeling more confident and prepared after working with her. 

Prescott said her nomination was driven in large part by Maloney’s extraordinary support of a recent professional project with a demanding deadline. When Prescott sought guidance on synthesizing a large body of references, Maloney spent extensive time walking her through the process and ultimately volunteered to assist directly. The project required reviewing 77 articles over a two-week period near the end of the semester.

“Molly communicated with me almost daily, providing updates and helping resolve challenges,” Prescott wrote, adding that the level of commitment far exceeded expectations. Beyond the immediate project, Prescott credited Maloney with expanding her own understanding of research tools and strategies. 

According to Prescott, when thanked, Maloney simply replied, “This is what I am here for.” Prescott added, “While that may be true, her contributions to this project — and to our students and faculty more broadly — were truly above and beyond.”