Nearly 7,000 of my closest friends just left Washington. Those who experienced APhA2010 went home re-energized and enthusiastic about our profession! Teachers came to learn, and many learners found themselves teaching. Our job as your association is to find the best and the brightest and to provide a venue for those people to share their knowledge with other professionals who have figured out that the need for lifelong learning is one of the major planks in a fulfilling life.

We have the content of our educational programs audited for content and quality. Our auditors told us this year's body of work was the best they had ever seen. But there's more in this embarrasment of riches we call our Annual Meeting.

We had politics, with a keynote presentation by Mark McClellan, former head at FDA and CMS. At the Political Leadership Breakfast, more than 550 pharmacists and student pharmacists gathered at 7 am to hear from senior staff of the Senate Finance Committee.

We also highlighted the achievements and contributions of dozens of award winners, topped off by a beautiful Remington Honor Medalist speech by Mary Ann Koda-Kimble of the University of California, San Francisco. I was especially moved by her inspirational words about the importance of mentorship and our ability to rise above adversity.

As a follow-up to last year's presentation by Francis Collins, now NIH head, we also heard from geneticist Alan Guttmacher. He shared his thoughts with us about the present and future opportunities for pharmacists to be the professionals to help consumers understand the burgeoning information about pharmacogenomics and the impact our genetic makeup is having on drug therapy.

Our House of Delegates took a significant stand against the sale of tobacco in pharmacies and considered how we should view any community pharmacy accreditation process. As my predecessor John Gans likes to say, we had "red meat" in the House this year!

I also was moved by the orderly and exemplary transition of leadership that occurs each year. Former President Tim Tucker ended his 10-year run on the Board of Trustees, and Ed Hamilton completed his term as President. I can't say enough about these two gentlemen and what their friendship and guidance have meant to me this year. Harold Godwin took the helm as President for 2010–11. His background and work with students and residents shows in his approach to leadership. He is truly a collaborator, and I look forward to a great year with him as my boss.

If you are reading this, you care about pharmacy. If you care about pharmacy, make plans now to attend next year's meeting in Seattle. You have my personal guarantee that you won't be disappointed. If you are on the fence, just talk to someone who comes regularly, like my friends Sami and Ilan from Israel who travel thousands of miles every year to attend our meetings and go home with their brains once again overflowing with ideas and opportunities.

Gotta go. It's time to start planning next year's meeting!