The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) today announced the selection of recipients of the APhA Academy of Pharmacy Practice & Management Awards, APhA Academy of Pharmaceutical Research & Science Awards, and APhA Academy of Student Pharmacist Awards as part of the 2019 APhA Awards and Honors Program. Honorees will be officially recognized at the APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition in Seattle, March 22–25, 2019. The APhA Awards and Honors Program is the most comprehensive recognition program in the profession of pharmacy.

APhA Academy of Pharmacy Practice & Management (APhA–APPM) Awards:

• Daniel B. Smith Practice Excellence Award – Betty J. Dong, PharmD, FAPhA, FACCP, FASHP, AAHIVP, of San Francisco, CA. The award recognizes a pharmacy practitioner, in any practice setting, who has distinguished himself/herself and the profession through outstanding performance and achievements. Dong has been a true trailblazer in clinical pharmacy throughout her career at the University of California, San Francisco School of Pharmacy, defining clinical and teaching roles of the pharmacist within innovative multidisciplinary teams. A world expert in HIV, Dong serves as a role model to many pharmacy and medical students and residents by sharing her experiences and knowledge through superb teaching and on-the-mark clinical guidance around drug therapy.

• APhA Pharmacy Management Excellence Award – Brian Hille, BSPharm, RPh, of Boise, ID. The award recognizes an individual who has developed and/or implemented an innovative, original pharmacy program or service which is significant to their area of practice. Hille, the Vice President of Patient, Specialty and Wellness Services at Albertsons Companies, pioneers new and innovative ways for pharmacists to expand their scope of practice and offer more accessible and affordable care options for patients.   
• Distinguished Achievement Award in Pharmacy Management – Krystalyn Weaver, PharmD, of Arlington, VA. The award recognizes an APhA member, in any practice setting, who has distinguished himself/herself and the profession through outstanding performance in the area of pharmacy management. Weaver, who is Vice President of Policy at the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA), is regarded as a thought leader and subject matter expert on many state-level policy issues. Weaver has led national stakeholder workgroups in developing consensus-based policy recommendations for state-level issues. In addition to authoring articles, Weaver is a sought-after speaker delivering countless presentations through the country each year.
• Distinguished Achievement Award in Pharmacy Practice – Kimberly C. McKeirnan, PharmD, BCACP, of Spokane, WA. McKeirnan has gained national attention for her work to increase access to vaccinations by creating a technician vaccine administration training program and expanding clinical services that could be provided in a community pharmacy. She works diligently to inspire other pharmacists, and future pharmacists, to expand patient care services that can benefit the community.
• Distinguished Achievement Award in Service – Andrew S. Bzowyckyj, PharmD, BCPS, CDE, of Kansas City, MO. The award recognizes an individual who has made significant or sustained contributions in the area of service to their community, their state or at the national level. Bzowyckyj’s extensive service to the pharmacy profession ranges from publications to community outreach, practice advancement, presentations and leadership activities. He serves as a role model to other pharmacists, student pharmacists and health care professionals when providing patient care and advocating for patient’s health and well-being. 
• William H. Briner Distinguished Achievement Award in Nuclear Pharmacy Practice – Richard M. Fejka, MS, RPh, BCNP, FAPhA, CAPT (Ret.), U.S. Public Health Service, of Gaithersburg, MD. The award recognizes an APhA–APPM member who has made significant or sustained contributions to the practice of nuclear pharmacy. Fejka is widely known as a trusted professional and expert in the close-knit community of nuclear pharmacists that includes nuclear medicine physicians, medical physicists, engineers and others working to discover and develop novel nuclear compounds for clinical use. He has made numerous contributions in his service to the profession, medicine and country.

APhA Academy of Pharmaceutical Research & Science (APhA–APRS) Awards:

• Ebert Prize – Christopher P. Calderon, PhD, of Denver, CO. The award recognizes the author(s) of the best report of original investigation of a medicinal substance published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (JPharmSci). Calderon was selected in recognition of his paper, “A deep convolutional neural network analysis of flow imaging microscopy data to classify subvisible particles in protein formulations,” published in the April 2018 online issue.
• Clinical Research Paper Award – William R. Doucette, PhD, of Iowa City, IA. The award promotes and encourages high-quality clinical research or practice-based research in the clinical sciences by recognizing an original research article in this area which has been published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (JAPhA). Doucette was selected in recognition of his paper, “Pharmacy performance while providing continuous medication monitoring,” which was published in the November–December 2017 online issue.
• Research Achievement Award in the Pharmaceutical Sciences – Jon C. Schommer, PhD, of Minneapolis, MN. The award recognizes and encourages outstanding, meritorious achievement in any of the pharmaceutical sciences. Schommer, of the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, is a true scholar, research scientist and passionate pharmacist in the areas of economic, social and administrative sciences. Schommer has moved pharmacy forward through teaching and research in the domain of medication optimization that translated research findings to patients, practice and communities.
• Wiederholt Prize for Best Published Papers Award for Economic, Social, and Administrative Sciences – Karen Suchanek Hudmon, DrPH, of Indianapolis, IN. The award recognizes the best paper published in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (JAPhA), that describes original investigation in economic, social or administrative sciences related to pharmacy. Hudmon was selected in recognition of her paper, “Outcomes of a randomized trial evaluating two approaches for promoting pharmacy-based referrals to the tobacco quitline,” published in the July–August 2018 online issue.

APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA–ASP):

• Linwood F. Tice Friend of APhA–ASP Award – Tery Baskin, of Little Rock, AR. The award recognizes an individual whose long-term services and contributions have benefited APhA–ASP and, thereby, student pharmacists in general. Nominators for Baskin, who is President and CEO at RxResults, described him as embodying the spirit of the creator of APhA–ASP, Linwood F. Tice, and as being among the most impactful leaders shaping and molding the experiences of student pharmacists and new practitioners across our country.
• Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award – Deanna Tran, PharmD, BCACP, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. The award recognizes advisors of APhA–ASP Chapters who have promoted, with distinction, the welfare of student pharmacists through various patient care project, community outreach, leadership development and professional opportunities. Her nominators described Tran as dedicated, selfless, and passionate about advancing the mission of APhA–ASP on the local, state, and national levels.
• Outstanding Dean Award – Roger L. Davis, PharmD, Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences. The award recognizes school or college of pharmacy Deans who have made significant contributions to APhA–ASP chapters and who have promoted, with distinction, the welfare of student pharmacists through various community service, leadership and professional activities. Nominators for Davis, the college’s only dean since its opening, wrote that he is truly special to each student pharmacist, taking every first-year student out to lunch to get to know them and having an open-door policy for students.
• Good Government Student Pharmacist-of-the-Year Award – Michael T. Harvey, Drake University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences (CPHS). The award recognizes a student pharmacist who has successfully organized student pharmacist grassroots activity within their chapter and actively promoted the value of advocating for the profession. Harvey’s professional activities and honors include serving as President of the CPHS APhA–ASP chapter, Drake student representative on the Iowa Pharmacy Association Board of Trustees, and legislative intern with Iowa state Rep. John Forbes (D-40), BSPharm.

For further information on the award winners, go to the APhA Awards and Honors Program on www.pharmacist.com.