NABP Honors Leaders at the Forefront of Public Health Protection at Association’s 111th Annual Meeting

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy^® (NABP^®) honored leaders in the protection of public health at the Association’s 111^th Annual Meeting, held May 16-19, 2015, in New Orleans, LA. 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 2015 Honorary President Michael A. Podgurski, RPh; 2014-2015 NABP President Joseph L. Adams, RPh; the Virginia Board of Pharmacy, recipient of the 2015 Fred T. Mahaffey Award; the 2015 John F. Atkinson Service Award recipient Michael A. Moné, JD, RPh, FAPhA; the 2015 Henry Cade Memorial Award winner Robert P. Giacalone, JD, RPh; and the 2015 Lester E. Hosto Distinguished Service Award recipient Joseph T. Rannazzisi, JD, RPh.

Biographies for the award winners follow:

2015 Honorary President: Michael A. Podgurski, RPh

Michael Podgurski has been named 2015 honorary president for his commitment to protecting public health and his involvement with NABP. Mr Podgurski has shown ongoing commitment to NABP by participating as a member on numerous NABP committees and task forces, including the 2013 Task Force of Pharmacy Licensure Standards, the 2012 Task Force on Virtual Manufacturers and Wholesale Distributors, the 2010-2011 Community Pharmacy Accreditation Program Steering Committee, and the Committee on Law Enforcement/Legislation. Mr Podgurski is the vice president of pharmacy services for Rite Aid, a position he has held since 2007. He first joined Rite Aid in 1987 through the acquisition of SupeRx and has held several director and managerial roles for the company, including vice president of pharmacy operations, vice president of pharmacy services administration, and vice president of third-party administration. He is also a past member and officer of the Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy where he served for 15 years, and has been a mentor to many state board members on the importance of collaboration and professional networking at NABP and American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy District Meetings and NABP Annual Meetings. Mr Podgurski earned his bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from West Virginia University.

NABP President’s Award: Joseph L. Adams, RPh

Under the leadership of Joseph L. Adams, NABP launched the .Pharmacy Top-Level Domain Program and oversaw the development of the Multistate Pharmacy Inspection Blueprint. With Mr Adams’ guidance, the Association also focused on efforts to protect public health, particularly in addressing serious issues such as prescription drug abuse. In addition, Mr Adams continued support of existing NABP programs and services, in particular, efforts such as NABP PMP InterConnect^®, CPE Monitor^®, and the Verified Pharmacy Program™ (VPP™). For example, the Association worked with relevant stakeholders to develop a second consensus document on the prescribing and dispensing of controlled substances, and continued efforts to educate the public through the AWAR_XE^® Prescription Drug Safety Program. Mr Adams served one-year terms as the Association’s president, president-elect, and treasurer, and three years as an Executive Committee member representing District 6. Mr Adams earned a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy.

Fred T. Mahaffey Award: Virginia Board of Pharmacy

For their contributions to the regulation of the practice of pharmacy and their efforts to ensure that compounding is performed in a safe and compliant manner, the Virginia Board of Pharmacy received the 2015 Fred T. Mahaffey Award. The Virginia Board of Pharmacy provided technical assistance to Virginia legislators for amending the Code of Virginia to strengthen the Board’s oversight of compounding and increase public safety. In July 2013, the Board was one of the first states to increase inspection standards for nonresident pharmacies. The Board worked closely with NABP during the initial phase and process development of VPP; 120 VPP inspections of pharmacies seeking or renewing licensure in Virginia were performed within an 89-day time frame with assistance from Virginia. In addition, the Virginia Board convened two multidisciplinary compounding task forces to address concerns with oversight and facilitate an increased awareness of compounding standards. Among the results was the development of a Board-adopted guidance document that currently contains 38 frequently asked questions for complying with United States Pharmacopeia compounding standards.

John F. Atkinson Service Award: Michael A. Moné, JD, BSPharm, FAPhA

Michael A. Moné received the 2015 John F. Atkinson Service Award for his dedication to protecting the public health and his extensive involvement with NABP. Mr Moné is currently the vice president of regulatory affairs and associate general counsel – regulatory for Cardinal Health, and is also a member of the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy. Furthermore, Mr Moné was the executive director of the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy from 1996 to 2004 and was a member of the NABP Executive Committee from 2002 to 2004. In addition to serving on the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination^® Review Committee since 1998, Mr Moné has served as chair of both the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws and the Committee on Law Enforcement/Legislation, and was also a member of multiple NABP committees and task forces. Mr Moné received his bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy and his juris doctor degree from the University of Florida College of Law.

Henry Cade Memorial Award: Robert P. Giacalone, JD, RPh

For his strong commitment to supporting NABP’s mission to protect the public health, Robert Giacalone received the Henry Cade Memorial Award. Mr Giacalone played an instrumental role in initiating the “Red Flags” video that premiered at the NABP 110^th Annual Meeting. His involvement in the video supported state efforts to help pharmacists identify the warning signs of prescription drug abuse and diversion when dispensing controlled substance prescriptions. Currently, Mr Giacalone is the senior vice president of regulatory affairs and chief regulatory counsel at Cardinal Health. In this position, he has worked with federal and state drug agencies and other domestic and foreign health care regulatory bodies. He served two terms on the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy and was appointed to the State Medical Board of Ohio in 2013. Mr Giacalone has served on several NABP committees and task forces, including the 2005-2006 Committee on Resolutions, 2002-2003 Task Force on Privacy, and the 2000-2001 Committee on Constitution and Bylaws. Mr Giacalone received his bachelor of pharmacy degree from the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy, and his juris doctor degree with honors from DePaul University College of Law.

Lester E. Hosto Distinguished Service Award: Joseph T. Rannazzisi, JD, RPh,

Receiving the 2015 Lester E. Hosto Distinguished Service Award is Joseph T. Rannazzisi, JD, RPh, for his strong commitment to protecting the public health and his involvement with NABP. Mr Rannazzisi was appointed to his current position as deputy assistant administrator, Office of Diversion Control, United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in January 2006. As deputy assistant administrator, Mr Rannazzisi is responsible for overseeing and coordinating major pharmaceutical and chemical diversion investigations; the drafting and promulgating of regulations; establishing drug production quotas; and conducting liaisons with the pharmaceutical industry, international governments, state governments, other federal agencies, and local law enforcement agencies. He began his career with DEA in 1986 and he has served in roles ranging from diversion investigator, to clandestine laboratory coordinator, to deputy chief. Mr Rannazzisi has been a valuable resource to NABP over the years, including his participation in the Stakeholders Coalition. Mr Rannazzisi received his bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from Butler University and his juris doctor degree from the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University.

NABP is the independent, international, and impartial Association that assists its member boards and jurisdictions for the purpose of protecting the public health.