NABP Honors Leaders at the Forefront of Public Health Protection at Association’s 114th Annual Meeting

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®) honored leaders in the protection of public health at the Association’s 114^th Annual Meeting, held May 5-8, 2018, in Denver, CO. 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 2018 Honorary President Ray Joubert, BSP, RPEBC; 2017-2018 NABP President Jeanne D. Waggener, RPh, DPh; 2018 Fred T. Mahaffey Award recipients: the Idaho State Board of Pharmacy and the Michigan Board of Pharmacy and Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs; 2018 John F. Atkinson Service Award recipient Ronnie Higgins, RPh; and 2018 Lester E. Hosto Distinguished Service Award recipient Malcolm J. Broussard, RPh.

Biographies for the award winners follow.

2018 Honorary President: Ray Joubert, BSP, RPEBC

Ray Joubert has been named 2018 Honorary President for his commitment to protecting the public health and his involvement with NABP. In addition to hosting District 5 meetings, Mr Joubert has shown his ongoing commitment to the Association by participating as a panelist at various NABP Interactive Executive Officer Forum sessions in 2014, 2016, and 2017. Mr Joubert has been the registrar of the Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals (SCPP) since 1985 and is currently serving as associate registrar. He is also a lecturer at the University of Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, where he teaches pharmacy law and ethics courses. Prior to his current roles, Mr Joubert served as assistant registrar and inspector for SCPP (formerly known as Saskatchewan Pharmaceutical Association). In 2017, he helped implement the Community Pharmacy Professionals Advancing Safety in Saskatchewan program, which includes safety-related tools for anonymous reporting of medication incidents. Mr Joubert earned his bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from the University of Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy.

NABP President’s Award: Jeanne D. Waggener, RPh, DPh

During her presidency, Jeanne Waggener’s initiative was to lead an awareness campaign to educate about the role of the state boards of pharmacy. To support this, a consumer campaign has been developed to encourage patients to talk to pharmacists about opioids and safe medication use, and a social media campaign has been created to reach out to pharmacists, pharmacy students, and other stakeholders to promote the educational efforts of state boards of pharmacy. Print and electronic publications, presentations, and videos are also a part of the ongoing plan to promote board of pharmacy efforts. Ms Waggener also carried on the work of past NABP presidents to further improve the Association’s programs and services and their benefits to member boards. Under Ms Waggener’s leadership, NABP continued efforts to fight prescription drug abuse and to educate patients on safely purchasing medications online. She represented NABP during the National Conference of Pharmaceutical Organizations, and along with 10 other pharmacy associations released a statement in support of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis and requested the opportunity for dialogue with the White House. Ms Waggener served one-year terms as the Association’s president, president-elect, and treasurer, and three years as an Executive Committee member representing District 6. Ms Waggener earned her bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from the University of Texas at Austin and received an honorary doctor of pharmacy license from the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy.

Fred T. Mahaffey Award: Idaho State Board of Pharmacy

Members of the Idaho State Board of Pharmacy received the 2018 Fred T. Mahaffey Award for their efforts to introduce new regulatory models by rewriting the Board’s Practice Act and rules. The Board worked closely with the Idaho Legislature to enact the changes. Specifically, the Board transitioned its practice rules to a standard of care model used by medical and nursing professions, expanded the scope of practice for pharmacists to independently prescribe medications, and expanded the roles of pharmacy technicians to allow trained and certified technicians to administer vaccines.

Fred T. Mahaffey Award: Michigan Board of Pharmacy and Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

The 2018 Fred T. Mahaffey Award was received by the members of the Michigan Board of Pharmacy and Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) for their contributions to the regulation of the practice of pharmacy and their efforts to develop procedures for the profession that advance public health and safety. The Michigan Board and LARA worked closely with NABP to strengthen the Board’s oversight of compounding and offer training on inspecting sterile compounding pharmacies. The Michigan Board and LARA also implemented the use of NABP’s e-Profile Connect and adopted uniform pharmacy regulations that align with the Model State Pharmacy Act and Model Rules of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

John F. Atkinson Service Award: Ronnie Higgins, RPh

Ronnie Higgins received the 2018 John F. Atkinson Service Award for his dedication to protecting the public health and his extensive involvement in assisting NABP and its member states with inspection and accreditation services. As a consultant for NABP since 2007, Mr Higgins has served as a surveyor and inspected pharmacies for compliance with United States Pharmacopeia Chapter <795> and <797> standards. He has been instrumental in recruiting and training new surveyors on safe sterile and nonsterile compounding practices. While serving as a special agent of the Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency (GDNA), Mr Higgins is commended for his role in assisting the Georgia State Board of Pharmacy to initiate the participation of the state’s prescription drug monitoring program in NABP PMP InterConnect®. Mr Higgins is the deputy director of the GDNA, where he has served for 14 years. He began his career at M.E. Cole Drug, Co, Inc, in Griffin, GA, as president and pharmacist-in-charge and graduated from the Middle Georgia Police Academy in 2005. Mr Higgins earned his bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from the University of Georgia in Athens.

Lester E. Hosto Distinguished Service Award: Malcolm J. Broussard, RPh

Receiving the 2018 Lester E. Hosto Distinguished Service Award is Malcolm Broussard for his strong commitment to protecting the public health and his involvement with NABP. Mr Broussard has had an active and influential career as a pharmacist and pharmacy association executive leader, and his contributions to NABP’s services and programs are indispensable. Mr Broussard is the executive director of the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy, a position he has held since 1999, and served one-year terms as NABP’s chairperson, president, president-elect, and treasurer, and three years as an Executive Committee member representing District 6. Through his leadership and support, NABP successfully developed and implemented several new services and programs to support the boards of pharmacy in regulating pharmacy practice and protecting the public health. Mr Broussard has also been a pioneer in developing the Association’s relationship with international pharmacy regulators through his participation in the International Pharmaceutical Federation. Under his guidance, NABP worked to create new opportunities for its members to learn more about global pharmacy issues. Mr Broussard earned his bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from Xavier University of Louisiana, College of Pharmacy.

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