NABP Honors Leaders at the Forefront of Public Health Protection at Association’s 112th Annual Meeting

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy^® (NABP^®) honored leaders in the protection of public health at the Association’s 112^th Annual Meeting, held May 14-17, 2016, in San Diego, CA. 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 2016 Honorary President Ronald F. Guse, BScPharm; 2015-2016 NABP President Edward G. McGinley, MBA, RPh, DPh; the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy, recipient of the 2016 Fred T. Mahaffey Award; the 2016 John F. Atkinson Service Award recipient Frederick M. Collings; the 2016 Henry Cade Memorial Award winner Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies – Global (ASOP); and the 2016 Lester E. Hosto Distinguished Service Award recipient Stanley Weisser, RPh.

Biographies for the award winners follow.

2016 Honorary President: Ronald F. Guse, BScPharm

Ronald Guse has been named 2016 Honorary President for his commitment to protecting public health and his involvement with NABP. In addition to hosting many District 5 meetings since 1984, Mr Guse has shown ongoing commitment to NABP by participating as a member on the 2011-2012 Task Force on Internet Pharmacy Practice and by serving as a member of the .Pharmacy Executive Board and the .Pharmacy TLD Regulator Advisory Committee of the Association’s .Pharmacy Top-Level Domain (TLD) Program.

Mr Guse started as an assistant registrar in 1984 and then served as the registrar of the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba from 1999 until his recent retirement in April 2016; in this position he developed effective provincial pharmacy inspection/audit procedures and community and hospital standards of practice. Under his leadership, the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba (then called the Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association) received the 2004 Fred T. Mahaffey Award for its outstanding efforts in public health protection; the College is the only non-United States jurisdiction to receive this award from NABP. Mr Guse received his bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.

NABP President’s Award: Edward G. McGinley, MBA, RPh, DPh

Under the leadership of Edward McGinley, NABP furthered efforts to fight prescription drug abuse. For example, Mr McGinley encouraged pharmacists to take the pledge to educate their patients and communities about how to prevent misuse and abuse of prescription drugs and raised awareness about such efforts among pharmacy stakeholders at numerous professional meetings in 2016. In addition, Mr McGinley continued support of the Association’s efforts to raise public awareness about rogue drug outlet dangers and how the .Pharmacy TLD Program helps consumers locate safe online pharmacies. With Mr McGinley’s guidance, the Association continued to develop relationships with international pharmacy practice regulators to support the process of evaluating .pharmacy applications from countries other than the US. Mr McGinley served one-year terms as the Association’s president, president-elect, and treasurer, and three years as an Executive Committee member representing District 2. Mr McGinley earned his bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from Temple University College of Pharmacy, earned a master of business administration from Temple University Fox School of Business, and received an honorary doctor of pharmacy license from the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy.

Fred T. Mahaffey Award: Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy

For their contributions to the regulation of the practice of pharmacy and their efforts to combat prescription drug abuse, the members of the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy received the 2016 Fred T. Mahaffey Award. The Board has partnered with several organizations, such as consumer groups and law enforcement agencies, to develop a multifaceted campaign to address prescription drug abuse in Arkansas. Such efforts include a public service announcement featuring the state governor urging the use of over 100 take-back receptacles around the state. Each year, the Board also sponsors the Arkansas Prescription Drug Abuse Summit, an event that provides the opportunity for health care professionals to gain continuing education (CE) during a day-long conference focused on the abuse of and addiction to prescription drugs. The summit is funded through government and noncommercial interests, resulting in free registration and accredited CE offerings. In 2015, the Board’s partnerships with the Arkansas National Guard and several law enforcement agencies resulted in more than 37,000 pounds of drugs being removed from homes and destroyed responsibly to prevent abuse and misuse.

John F. Atkinson Service Award: Frederick M. Collings

Frederick Collings received the 2016 John F. Atkinson Service Award for his dedication to protecting the public health and his extensive involvement in antidiversion efforts such as prescription monitoring programs (PMPs). Mr Collings is currently the chief investigator for the Idaho State Board of Pharmacy, a position he has held since 2000, when he began as sole investigator for the Board. He has been instrumental in helping the Board identify impaired professionals in addition to cases of controlled substance (CS) diversion, and he is also a strong advocate for physicians to use the state PMPs if they prescribe CS. Prior to joining the Board staff, Mr Collings was a diversion investigator for Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Salt Lake City, UT. He has since contributed his expertise to DEA’s Tactical Diversion Squad in Idaho, as well as to several other state regulatory boards, such as the Idaho State Board of Dentistry and Idaho State Board of Medicine. In those collaborations he improved information sharing and communication, increased efficiency, and provided a more comprehensive review to those under investigation. Mr Collings received his bachelor of science degree in criminal justice from Weber State University in Ogden, UT.

Henry Cade Memorial Award: Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies – Global (ASOP)

Receiving the 2016 Henry Cade Memorial Award is the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies – Global (ASOP) for its strong commitment to supporting NABP’s mission to protect the public health by regulating online pharmacy and educating consumers about the dangers of buying medicine online. Most notably, ASOP has been a key contributor to NABP’s .Pharmacy TLD Program by participating in the 2015 satellite/Internet media tour that educated consumers on the dangers of illegal online drug sellers and explained how the program could help them find safe sites. Also promoting this information, ASOP co-authored a blog with NABP that appeared on the US Pharmacopeial Convention’s Quality Matters website. ASOP facilitates NABP participation in meetings with international regulators, which focus on Internet pharmacy and introduce .pharmacy as a solution. ASOP was instrumental in involving NABP in a panel discussion at the 54^thinternational public meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers in Dublin, Ireland, in 2015. Representatives of ASOP also serve on the .Pharmacy Registrant/Supporter Advisory Committee. ASOP is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization dedicated to improving patient safety on the Internet globally.

Lester E. Hosto Distinguished Service Award: Stanley Weisser, RPh

Receiving the 2016 Lester E. Hosto Distinguished Service Award is Stanley Weisser for his strong commitment to protecting the public health and his successful advancement of higher standards and stronger oversight for sterile compounding pharmacies. Mr Weisser has been a licensed pharmacist since 1963 and a member of the California State Board of Pharmacy since 2007. From 2010 to 2015 he served as Board president, during which time he promoted enhanced security of the drug supply chain through the state’s electronic pedigree requirements. Recently as chair of the Senate Bill 493 Implementation Committee, Mr Weisser led efforts to specify requirements for advanced practice pharmacist licensure in California, as well as efforts to develop three state protocols and two additional regulations to implement expanded care requirements. He has also been a strong advocate of patient-centered labels to help patients and caretakers understand medication therapy. Mr Weisser served as chief executive officer and president of Network Pharmaceuticals, Inc, until his retirement in 2000. Mr Weisser received his bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy in 1963.

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