NABP Honors Leaders at the Forefront of Public Health Protection at Association’s 109th Annual Meeting

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy^® (NABP^®) honored leaders in the protection of public health at the Association’s 109^th Annual Meeting, held May 18-21, 2013, in St Louis, MO. Each year, the Association presents awards to individuals who have worked with unwavering dedication to ensure NABP’s continued service to the regulation of pharmacy practice and its efforts to assist the state boards of pharmacy in protecting the public health.

Those honored leaders include 2013 Honorary President Carl W. Aron, RPh; 2012-2013 NABP President Michael A. Burleson, RPh; the Oregon State Board of Pharmacy, recipient of the 2013 Fred T. Mahaffey Award; the 2013 John F. Atkinson Service Award recipient Mike Swanda, RP; the 2013 Henry Cade Memorial Award winner Daniel F. Luce, MBA, RPh, FAPhA; and the 2013 Lester E. Hosto Distinguished Service Award recipient Jack W. “Jay” Campbell IV, JD, RPh.

Biographies for the award winners follow:

2013 Honorary President: Carl W. Aron, RPh

Receiving the 2013 honorary president award is Carl W. Aron, for his exemplary service in protecting the public health and significant involvement with NABP. Mr Aron has shown substantial dedication to ensuring that NABP’s examinations remain valid and effective by serving on multiple examination committees, including the Blue Ribbon Committee of Item Writers, which developed items for the examination from which both the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Licensure Examination^® and the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination^®evolved. Mr Aron has also served on the Advisory Committee on Examinations (ACE), including serving as chairperson of ACE from 2004 to 2005. In addition, he served on the NABP Committee on Law Enforcement/Legislation in 2008, and was chairperson of the NABP Task Force on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and the US Drug Distribution System. A member of the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy since 1971, Mr Aron is currently president. A pharmacist for over 50 years, Mr Aron joined the family business, Aron’s Pharmacy in Monroe, LA, in 1968, and then took ownership in 1971. Since then, he has contributed much to the profession as well as to his patients. Mr Aron earned his bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from the University of Mississippi in 1961.

NABP President’s Award: Michael A. Burleson, RPh 

Under Michael A. Burleson’s leadership, NABP continued outreach to members to help ensure that each board is connected with the appropriate NABP resources to address their unique needs and challenges. With Mr Burleson’s guidance, the Association also focused on efforts to educate stakeholders and decision makers in pharmacy regulation about NABP’s mission and activities. In addition, Mr Burleson also continued support of existing NABP programs and services, in particular newer efforts such as the NABP PMP InterConnect^®, CPE Monitor^®, and the AWARxE^® Consumer Protection Program, as well as NABP’s collaboration on the Center for Pharmacy Practice Accreditation (CPPA). Mr Burleson served one-year terms as the Association’s president, president-elect, and treasurer, and two years as an Executive Committee member representing District 3. Mr Burleson earned his bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy.

Fred T. Mahaffey Award: Oregon State Board of Pharmacy

The Oregon State Board of Pharmacy has demonstrated significant strides in protecting public health by adopting new rules for patient safety in Oregon. The new Division 41 Drug Outlet Conduct Rules (OAR 855-041-0016) contribute significantly to the protection of public health and welfare and further the mission of NABP by defining grounds for discipline for outlets that fail to provide a working environment that protects the health, safety, and welfare of patients. The new Oregon rules for patient safety may serve as a model for other state boards of pharmacy and will bring national attention to this important issue. Significant provisions of OAR 855-041-0016 prohibit advertising or soliciting that may jeopardize patient health, safety, or welfare; prohibit advertising that is false, fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading; prohibit the outlet from incenting or inducing the transfer of a prescription absent professional rationale; and prohibit the introduction of external factors such as productivity quotas or programs such as time limits that interfere with the pharmacist’s ability to provide appropriate professional services.

John F. Atkinson Service Award: Mike Swanda, RP

Mike Swanda served as a pharmacy inspector for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit from 1980 to 2012, covering the western two-thirds of the state. He is respected statewide as a patient-oriented practitioner, and is commended for his fair and instructive approach to enforcement as a strong, consistent advocate for protecting the public health, and for encouraging others in the profession to be better pharmacists. Mr Swanda served in the United States Navy and Naval Reserve as a Pharmacist’s Mate Third Class for six years, was a member of the Nebraska Board from 1974 to 1979, and has been a member of the Nebraska Pharmacists Association for over 50 years, serving as its president from 1969 to 1970. Mr Swanda received the Cora Mae Briggs Outstanding Service to Nebraska Pharmacy Award in 1999, the highest honor as a pharmacist in the state of Nebraska, and was honored in the Cozad Hospital Foundation Healthcare Hall of Fame in 2005. Mr Swanda received his bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from the University of Nebraska College of Pharmacy – Lincoln in 1951.

Henry Cade Memorial Award: Daniel F. Luce, MBA, RPh, FAPhA

Daniel F. Luce is the national director of pharmacy affairs with Walgreen Co, and interfaces with state boards of pharmacy and NABP. He focuses on regulatory initiatives, and works to advance the practice of pharmacy by utilizing new technologies that allow pharmacists to focus on patient care. He served on the NABP Task Force on Telepharmacy and the Implementation of the Medicare Drug Benefit Medication Therapy Management Provisions and the NABP Community Pharmacy Accreditation Program Steering Committee. A founding member of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW), Mr Luce serves as the chair of the PSW Chain Advisory Board. Mr Luce is currently on the board of directors for the CPPA, which oversees the development and implementation of the CPPA pharmacy accreditation program. Mr Luce received his bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and a master of business administration with an emphasis in finance and strategic management from the Keller Graduate School of Management.

Lester E. Hosto Distinguished Service Award: Jack W. “Jay” Campbell IV, JD, RPh

Jack W. “Jay” Campbell IV is an active member of NABP and has served on many of the Association’s task forces and commit¬tees, including the Task Force on Prescription Drug Diversion from Common Carriers and the NABP Task Force to Review and Recommend Revisions to the Controlled Substances Act, in which he served as chairperson. Mr Campbell is the executive director of the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy, a position he has held since 2006. An adjunct assistant professor at Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and Wingate University School of Pharmacy, Mr Campbell shares his expertise and guidance with future pharmacists. He was named the 2009 and 2012 PY3 Instructor of the Year by his third-year pharmacy students at UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. Mr Campbell obtained his bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from UNC in 1993, and his juris doctor degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1997, graduating as the valedictorian of his class at both universities.

NABP is the independent, international, and impartial Association that assists its member boards and jurisdictions in developing, implementing, and enforcing uniform standards for the purpose of protecting the public health.