Six Munson pharmacy employees earn DHN West awards, advance to DHA competition
FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas — Defense Health Network West selected six Munson Army Health Center civilian pharmacy employees as top performers in the region in its annual pharmacy award competition.
The six employees will advance to the Defense Health Agency-level competition. DHA will announce the winners during the Joint Federal Pharmacy Seminar, Nov. 1-3, 2026, in National Harbor, Maryland.
The Munson awardees are:
- Jarrod Miller, Pharm.D., Outpatient Pharmacist of the Year
- Jason Brozek, Pharm.D., J.D., Supervisory Pharmacist of the Year
- Christina Puppolo, CPhT, Supervisory Pharmacy Technician of the Year
- Jessica Leradahl, CPhT, Outstanding Pharmacy Technician of the Year
- Vielka Asbury, Support Pharmacy Technician of the Year
- Carolyn Remmenga, General Administrative Support Staff of the Year
The award program recognizes civilian pharmacy employees whose dedication, expertise and exemplary performance advance the Defense Health Agency’s mission, vision and goals, while strengthening operational efficiency, fostering organizational pride and enhancing employee morale.
Lt. Col. Heather Barton, Munson’s deputy commander for nursing and patient services said their selection recognizes a pharmacy team that consistently delivers high-quality care to beneficiaries.
“This is the best military pharmacy team I have worked with in my career,” Barton said. “They consistently earn patient-satisfaction scores in the high 90s on the Defense Health Agency’s Joint Outpatient Experience Survey and receive excellent feedback through Interactive Customer Evaluation comments. I appreciate this team immensely, and it is great to see them recognized for their commitment to our beneficiaries.”
Munson’s pharmacy serves more than 20,000 Military Health System beneficiaries. The team supports outpatient care at Munson and the medical mission at the Fort Leavenworth Military Corrections Complex.
Puppolo supervises and supports pharmacy technicians while also processing, filling and dispensing prescriptions. She said the pharmacy regularly fills more than 1,000 prescriptions per day.
“Everybody who was recognized definitely deserves it,” Puppolo said. “We have a really awesome team.”
Leradahl manages inventory and dispensing for regulated medications. She also fills prescriptions, assists with beneficiaries at the pharmacy window and supports pharmacy services for the military corrections complex.
“It’s lovely to be recognized at the DHN level,” Leradahl said. “We’re small, but mighty, so it’s nice to be represented on that stage. We definitely have one of the best pharmacies in the enterprise.”
Remmenga answers beneficiary calls and helps resolve questions about prescription status, prior authorizations, medication availability and pickup instructions. She handles 120 to 140 calls on a typical day and as many as 220 calls on busy days.
“It was an extreme surprise, because I didn’t know anyone had submitted anything, but it is very nice to be chosen,” Remmenga said. “I love the compliments I get from customers on the phone during the day.”
Munson is one of nine military treatment facilities in Defense Health Network West.
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