The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) announced today that Melissa Skelton Duke, PharmD, MS, BCPS, FAPhA, was elected as the 2020-2021 Speaker-elect of the APhA House of Delegates. After serving as Speaker-elect, Dr. Duke will serve as Speaker of the House and Trustee from 2021-2023.

Dr. Duke earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of New Mexico, and a Master of Science degree in Pharmacy Administration from the University of Utah.

As a former Speaker of the APhA-ASP House of Delegates, Dr. Duke has remained committed to serving the profession of pharmacy throughout her career and has been honored to serve on three APhA Policy Committees, two APhA Policy Review Committees, one APhA New Business Review Committee, and as a volunteer leader for the APhA Institute on Substance Use Disorders.

Believing in the critical role that state-level pharmacy leadership plays in practice advancement and innovation, she is also an active member of her state association and has served in a variety of state-level leadership roles, including President of the Utah Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Dr. Duke has practice and leadership experience in health-system, specialty, ambulatory, and population health pharmacy services. In her current role as the Executive Director of Population Health Pharmacy Solutions at Banner Health, she is responsible for designing and delivering innovative pharmacy programs in primary care, oncology, transplant, and other specialty areas.

She has experience building pharmacist-provided services through fee-for-service and contracted service payment models. Dr. Duke collaborates with payers, employers, and health plans to align benefits, build member engagement strategies, and deploy technology solutions that improve patient experience and health outcomes. Her passion is improving access to pharmacist-provided care, creating demand for pharmacy services, and generating opportunities for pharmacists as essential healthcare providers.

As Speaker-elect, Dr. Duke will serve as an Officer in the APhA House of Delegates and assist current APhA Speaker of the House of Delegates Joey Mattingly, PharmD, MBA, PhD in the direction of the APhA Policy Process. The Speaker-elect serves a one-year term in that capacity before taking over as Speaker of the House and Trustee for two years. Dr. Duke will assume the position of Speaker at the end of the 2021 House of Delegates in Los Angeles, CA.