NABP Announces 2020 Leaders at the Forefront of Public Health Protection

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy^® (NABP^®) has announced its leaders in the protection of public health for 2020. 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.

This year’s leaders include 2020 Carmen A. Catizone Honorary President recipient Larry L. Pinson, PharmD; 2019-2020 NABP President Jack W. “Jay” Campbell IV, JD, RPh; 2020 Fred T. Mahaffey Award recipient the North Dakota State Board of Pharmacy; 2020 John F. Atkinson Service Award recipient Eric A. Griffin; 2020 Henry Cade Memorial Award recipient Timothy R. Koch, RPh; and 2020 Lester E. Hosto Distinguished Service Award recipient John Clay Kirtley, PharmD.

Biographies for the award winners follow.

2020 Carmen A. Catizone Honorary President: Larry L. Pinson, PharmD

Dr Larry Pinson has been chosen as the 2020 Carmen A. Catizone Honorary President for his exceptional contributions to the protection of the public health and the mission of NABP. He served the Nevada State Board of Pharmacy for more than 23 years, serving as executive secretary from 2005 until his retirement in 2019, and as a Board member from 1995 to 2004. Under Dr Pinson’s direction, the Board twice received the NABP Fred T. Mahaffey Award – in 2005 for its work regarding prescription drug pedigrees and in 2010 for its “inspecting for safety” initiative. As an active member of NABP, Dr Pinson served on several task forces and committees, including the Task Force on Licensing of Pharmacy Benefit Managers, the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws, and the Committee on Law Enforcement/Legislation. He has held an adjunct professorship with Idaho State University since 1989 and serves as a preceptor for pharmacy students at North Dakota State University, Roseman University, Chicago State University, and Creighton University. He practiced clinical pharmacy at St Mary’s Hospital in Reno, NV, for five years, before owning and operating his store, Silverada Pharmacy, for 22 years. Dr Pinson received the Bowl of Hygeia for the state of Nevada in 1984 and was selected “Pharmacist of the Year” by Nevada Pharmacy Alliance in 1999. Dr Pinson earned his doctor of pharmacy degree from the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco, CA.

NABP President’s Award: Jack W. “Jay” Campbell IV, JD, RPh

During his presidency, Mr Campbell led the development of the NABP Passport, the timing of which was significant to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Under Mr Campbell’s leadership, NABP was able to quickly respond to the crisis and roll out the NABP Passport, facilitating state boards of pharmacy to efficiently grant temporary or emergency licensure for nonresident pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, interns, and pharmacy businesses. An active member of NABP, Mr Campbell has made many contributions to the Association, serving as Executive Committee member, treasurer, and president-elect before becoming president. In addition, he made many contributions to District 3 meetings and served as president of District 3 from 2008 to 2017. Mr Campbell has also served on many of the Association’s committees and task forces, including the Committee on Law Enforcement/Legislation, the Committee on Resolutions, and the Task Force to Review and Recommend Revisions to the Controlled Substances Act. In addition, Mr Campbell received NABP’s Lester E. Hosto Distinguished Service Award in 2013. Since 2006, Mr Campbell has served as the executive director of the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy. Mr Campbell also teaches pharmacy law and ethics classes at three North Carolina universities. He earned his bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his juris doctor degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law.

Fred T. Mahaffey Award: North Dakota State Board of Pharmacy

Members of the North Dakota State Board of Pharmacy received the 2020 Fred T. Mahaffey Award for their support of NABP PMP InterConnect^®, including urging the Bureau of Justice Assistance to waive special conditions attached to federal grants for state prescription monitoring programs (PMPs). An early adopter of PMP InterConnect, North Dakota was one of three states to enter into an agreement to participate in the program while it was under development in 2011. The PMP InterConnect Steering Committee, which is chaired by Board Executive Director Mark Hardy, has led several advancements to PMP InterConnect, including enhancements to the program’s application programming interface; the establishment of the PMP Gateway third-party data integration service; development of PMP messaging to assist the states and aid collaboration with other PMP stakeholder groups; revisions to the PMP InterConnect state participant worksheet; outreach and education activities; and the development and launch of PDMPWorks.org, an informational website for prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs). In addition, in December 2018, all approved PDMP users in North Dakota were given access to NarxCare, an advanced analytics and patient support tool.

John F. Atkinson Service Award: Eric A. Griffin

Eric A. Griffin, director of compliance and enforcement for the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy, received the 2020 John F. Atkinson Service Award for exceptional contributions to the protection of public health and the mission of NABP. In his current role, Mr Griffin oversees the daily operations of the Board’s compliance and enforcement division, where he routinely directs major investigations, facilitates public outreach and training, and coordinates multiagency initiatives. Mr Griffin began his law enforcement career at the Delaware County, OH, sheriff’s office, where he held numerous positions, including detective, sergeant, drug task commander, and lieutenant. As a lieutenant, he supervised daily operations of the Detective Bureau, Drug Task Force, and administrative investigations. Mr Griffin has led and participated in a multitude of investigations at the state and federal level, involving homicides, major drug offenders, and health care professionals. He also presented during an NABP webinar titled “Tales From the Front: Board Investigation and Prosecution of Drug Diversion Cases” and was a speaker at the 2019 NABP Interactive Compliance Officer and Legal Counsel Forum.

Henry Cade Memorial Award: Timothy R. Koch, RPh

Timothy R. Koch, senior director of health & wellness practice compliance for Walmart Stores, Inc, received the 2020 Henry Cade Memorial Award for his support of the goals and objectives of NABP and the state boards of pharmacy. Mr Koch began his early career in independent pharmacy, before moving on to chain pharmacy. During the past 21 years, he has served Walmart as a pharmacist, pharmacy manager, district manager, and director of regulatory affairs. Mr Koch has been instrumental in the development, rollout, and enhancement of Walmart’s employer-based pharmacy technician training program and has seen this program through multiple version enhancements since 2008. In addition, he led Walmart’s efforts in achieving American Society of Health-System Pharmacists/Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accreditation of its now accredited pharmacy technician training program. Mr Koch is a former member of the Missouri Board of Pharmacy. As an active member of NABP, Mr Koch served on NABP’s Work Group on Verified Pharmacy Program^®, Task Force on the Definition of a Patient-Pharmacist Relationship, and Overview Task Force on Requirements for Pharmacy Technician Education, Practice Responsibilities, and Competence Assessment. Mr Koch also serves as an adjunct faculty member at St Louis College of Pharmacy, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Harding University, and Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy, and precepts pharmacy students in the areas of health care compliance and state government and regulatory affairs. He holds a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from St Louis College of Pharmacy.

Lester E. Hosto Distinguished Service Award: John Clay Kirtley, PharmD

Receiving the 2020 Lester E. Hosto Distinguished Service Award for his strong commitment to protecting the public health and his significant involvement with NABP is John Clay Kirtley. Dr Kirtley currently serves as executive director of the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy, a position he has held since 2011. Prior to serving as executive director, he served as the assistant director of the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy for seven years. He also serves on ACPE’s Board of Directors – which he was appointed to by NABP in 2014 – and as president of MALTAGON, a professional association of boards of pharmacy across the Southeast United States. Dr Kirtley has served on NABP’s Task Force on the Control and Accountability of Prescription Medications, Task Force on Medication Collection Programs, and Committee on Constitution and Bylaws. In addition, he has been a speaker at numerous NABP Interactive Executive Officer Forums and Annual Meetings. Under Dr Kirtley’s guidance, the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy received NABP’s 2016 Fred T. Mahaffey Award in recognition of its contributions to the regulation of the practice of pharmacy and its efforts to combat prescription drug abuse, which includes sponsorship of the Arkansas Prescription Drug Abuse Summit, an event that provides the opportunity for health care professionals to gain continuing education focused on the abuse of and addiction to prescription drugs. Dr Kirtley received his doctor of pharmacy from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.