The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) today announced the selection of recipients of the Professionwide 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.

American Pharmacists Association – Professionwide Awards:

It was announced on November 6, 2018, that Lucinda L. Maine, Ph.D., FAPhA, of Arlington, VA, is the recipient of the 2019 Remington Honor Medal, the highest honor in pharmacy that is bestowed by the American Pharmacists Association. Following are the additional Professionwide Awards:  

• Hugo H. Schaefer Award – Kenneth Michael Hale, RPh, PhD, of Upper Arlington, OH. The award recognizes outstanding voluntary contributions to the organization, the profession, and society. Among his many contributions to the profession, Hale created the Generation Rx Initiative—which provides research and tools to educate people about prescription drug abuse—in partnership with the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists, the Cardinal Health Foundation, The OSU College of Pharmacy, and the APhA Foundation.
• Hubert H. Humphrey Award – Michael A. Moné, BSPharm, JD, of Powell, OH. The award recognizes APhA members who have made major contributions in government and legislative service at the local, state or national level. Moné is being recognized for his regulatory work with boards of pharmacy and the profession to advance the scope and delivery of patient care by pharmacists.
• Good Government Pharmacist-of-the-Year Award – Julie Akers, PharmD, BCACP, of Spokane, WA. The award recognizes an individual pharmacist who actively contributes to the community through his or her involvement in the political process. Akers has served on the Washington State Pharmacy Association Board of Directors since 2008.
• Honorary Membership – Katherine Keough, of Quincy, MA, and Linda Gibson, of Petaluma, CA. Honorary membership in APhA is conferred by the Board of Trustees upon individuals, either within the profession of pharmacy or outside of it, whose activities and achievements have had a significant positive impact on public health, the pharmacy profession, and its practitioners.

Keough’s nominators were struck by her leadership in addressing the opioid crisis and described her “vast knowledge of the pharmacy profession and her passion for advancing pharmacy through advocacy.” Of Gibson, wife of late former APhA President Bob Gibson, her nominators called her “a fierce advocate for pharmacy and the value that pharmacists bring to the table.”

• Honorary President – Dorothy L. Smith, PharmD, of McLean, VA. Honorary President of APhA is elected by APhA’s members to an individual who has made significant contributions to the Association. Smith is President and CEO of the Consumer Health Information Corporation, which has developed over 1,000 patient education programs to bridge the gap between health professionals, patients, and the pharmaceutical industry.
• Gloria Niemeyer Francke Leadership Mentor Award – Milap C. Nahata, PharmD, MS, of Columbus, OH. The award recognizes an individual who has promoted and encouraged pharmacists to attain leadership positions through example, acting as a role model and mentor. Nahata—the Editor-in-Chief of the Annals of Pharmacotherapy since 2006—is an iconic model of what it means to be a leadership mentor in the profession of pharmacy who has mentored, encouraged, influenced, and guided generations of pharmacy leaders.
• H.A.B. Dunning Award – Albertsons. This award recognizes an exemplary contribution to APhA and the practice of pharmacy by a pharmaceutical manufacturer, provider of support products or service, or other entities such as wholesalers, chain corporations, etc. Albertsons is being recognized for its outstanding support of the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists Operation Immunization and partnership with APhA to advance the delivery of pharmacists’ patient care services.
• Distinguished Federal Pharmacist Award – CDR Aimee L. Young, PharmD, BCPS, CPE, U.S. Public Health Service, of Anchorage, AK. The award recognizes pharmacists who distinguish themselves and the profession through outstanding contributions in federal pharmacy practice resulting in significant improvements in the health of the nation and the populations they serve. Young is the first provider in the state of Alaska to obtain the Certified Pain Educator credential and has been instrumental in improving care and access to care at Alaska Native Medical Center.
• Distinguished New Practitioner Award – Cortney M. Mospan, PharmD, BCACP, BCGP, of Wingate, NC. The award recognizes a new practitioner, within his/her first five years of practice, who has demonstrated distinctive achievements in mentorship, service and commitment to the profession of pharmacy. Mospan—who served as Vice Chair and Chair of the APhA New Practitioner Committee—was instrumental in the development of the Community Health Ambassadors program, a community outreach initiative designed specifically for new practitioners.
• Community Pharmacy Residency Excellence in Precepting Award – Edith Mirzaian, PharmD, BCACP, of Los Angeles, CA. The award recognizes a community pharmacy residency director or preceptor who has demonstrated excellence in precepting, mentoring, leadership and community pharmacy residency program administration. Mirzaian’s involvement in the community residency training program at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy has led to its recognition as one of today’s leading training programs in the country.
• Generation Rx Award of Excellence – George Downs, PharmD, of Philadelphia, PA. The award recognizes a pharmacist that has demonstrated a commitment to the mission of substance abuse education. Downs was selected in recognition of his sustained commitment and outstanding contributions to the mission of substance abuse education.

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