The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) today announced the election of Theresa Tolle, BPharm, FAPhA of Sebastian, FL, as 2021–2022 APhA President-elect. Tolle will succeed Sandra Leal, of Tucson, AZ, to the office of APhA President on March 21, 2022, at the conclusion of the 2022 APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition in San Antonio, Texas. 

Also elected to serve a three-year term on APhA’s Board of Trustees, beginning in March 2021 are Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner of Pasadena, MD, and Andrew Gentles of Washington, DC. Gregory J Higby of Madison, WI, was elected as the 2021-2022 Honorary President. All officers will be installed at the 168th APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition in Los Angeles, CA, March 12–15, 2021.

Theresa Tolle, BPharm, FAPhA, is owner of Bay Street Pharmacy in Sebastian, Florida since 1999. Prior to owning an independent pharmacy, she had practice experience in chain, long term care (consultant) pharmacy and hospital. Her pharmacy focuses on patient services such as counseling, MTM, compounding, durable medical equipment, immunizations and pharmacogenomics testing. Her professional activities have spanned local, state and national pharmacy associations including serving as President of Florida Pharmacy Association in 2003, Treasurer of the Florida Pharmacy Political Committee since 2009, APhA-APPM Community & Ambulatory Chair 1995-96, PAC Region 2 Board of Governors 2009-12, Speaker-Elect/Speaker of the House 2014-17 and current Trustee. Other APhA service includes appointments including House of Delegates Policy Committee Chair in 2010-11, AMCP Model Audit Guidelines Task Group, 2010-11 and Center for Pharmacy Practice Accreditation (CPPA) Oversight Committee 2012-13. Additional professional involvement includes Lead Luminary of CPESN Florida since 2017, membership and committee work with NCPA, Cardinal Health National Advisory Board and Health First Health Plans P&T Committee. Activities outside the profession include Sebastian Chamber of Commerce Past Board Chair & LGA Chair, American Cancer Society Treasure Coast Council, and Sebastian River Medical Center Trustee. Tolle graduated from University of Florida in 1988. She has won several professional awards including 2019 Outstanding Alumnus for University of Florida College of Pharmacy, 2018 NCPA Preceptor of the Year, FPA Bowl of Hygeia in 2012, APhA Fellow in 2011, APhA Good Government Pharmacist of the Year in 2004 and Cardinal Health’s Ken Wurster Community Leadership Award in 2011.

Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner, PharmD, FAPhA, FNAP, Professor, Associate Dean for Clinical Services and Practice Transformation and Executive Director of the Center for Innovative Pharmacy Solutions at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. A current APhA Board of Trustee and Vice-President of the Forum of the Americas. An APhA Fellow who served on many APhA committees and taskforces. Currently, a Fellow in Population Health at the University of Maryland Health System working in interprofessional value based integrated networks. She has developed and implemented many nationally recognized programs, pharmacy services in the UMMS Quality Care Network and Maryland P3 Program- a pharmacist-directed MTM and disease management program- site of Ten City Challenge- I partnership with the Maryland Pharmacists Association, government and business organizations. Past director of the Community Pharmacy Residency Program and current preceptor. Her work includes collaborations with the CDC and other government agencies. Past President of the Maryland Pharmacists Association and APhA Foundation Board. Recipient of the 2019 Creativity in Practice and Education Award from the National Academy of Practice, 2015 APhA Foundation Pinnacle Award for Individual Career Achievement, 2014 Maryland Innovator of the Year, 2013 University of Maryland Entrepreneur of the Year, the 2013 American Pharmacists Association Daniel B. Smith award, the 2010 Group Pinnacle Award; 2007 APhA Community Pharmacy Residency Excellence in Precepting Award; Distinguished Achievement in Pharmacotherapeutic Practice Award in 2006; Bowl of Hygeia 2005 and 1999 Innovative Pharmacy Practice Award by MPhA. She has dedicated her career to advance pharmacy practice and the development of innovative and sustainable patient care programs.

LCDR Andrew Gentles, PharmD, BCPS AQ-ID, is a United States Public Health Service Officer at the FDA where he is a Senior Regulatory Program Coordinator within the Division of Antiviral Products and Medical Countermeasures Ebola Therapeutics Regulatory Team Lead. In this role he oversees the FDA's portfolio of investigational drugs to treat emerging infectious disease outbreaks such as the 2018 Ebola Virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. LCDR Gentles is an ASHP Residency trained, BCPS credentialed pharmacist with added qualifications in infectious disease. With over 10 years of public health and clinical pharmacy experience including the Indian Health Service, he is a proud District of Columbia (DC) resident where he continues to practice in an underserved community clinic as a credentialed healthcare provider. He is also a passionate pharmacist leader with a forward thinking mindset. Having served as the 1st USPHS Officer to become President of the DC State Pharmacy Association, he successfully spearheaded an advocacy initiative that resulted in the passage of regulations for Collaborative Practice Agreements between Physicians and Pharmacists. As a result, this historic legislative victory now advances the District’s pharmacy profession for 2,000 licensed pharmacists and stands to increase access and quality of care for 600,000 residents in DC. The recipient of the prestigious 2019 National 40 under 40 Health Leaders Award and RADM George Lythcott Award for public health impact, LCDR Gentles’ wealth of experience and dedication has provided him with a progressive and collaborative mindset to address the challenges and opportunities facing our pharmacy profession today.

Gregory J Higby, PhD, RPh, earned a BS in Pharmacy degree from the University of Michigan in 1977. After 9 months in practice as a pharmacist, he returned to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, receiving an MS in Pharmacy (1980) and a PhD in Pharmacy (1984). He did his graduate work in the history of pharmacy under Glenn Sonnedecker. From 1984 to 1986, he served as a research associate at the UW, teaching the then required history of pharmacy course (Pharmacy 401) and serving as the Assistant Director of the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy. In 1986, he became the Associate Director of the Institute, which is American pharmacy's historical society, founded at the UW-Madison in 1941. In 1987, he became Acting Director of the Institute, and full-time Executive Director in 1988. In this capacity, he served as Editor of Pharmacy in History, the quarterly journal of the Institute. Greg retired as Executive Director of the AIHP at the end of 2018 and assumed his new position as Fischelis Scholar. In this new part-time role, Greg curates the Institute’s collection of reference materials, books, and artifacts. He also continues to teach the pharmacy history course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy as well as serving as Senior Curator at the School.