Are you an ACA Fellow or Member being recognized, receiving an award, elected to a local or state office, or in the news? Send a photo and the information to linda@acainfo.org so we can share with our members. We are proud of the accomplishments of all our members.
Are you an ACA Fellow or Member being recognized, receiving an award, or in the news? Send a photo and the information to linda@acainfo.org so we can share with our members. We are proud of the accomplishments of all our members.
It was a great day for pharmacy in the state of Alaska when Governor Mike Dunleavy signed HB 145 to Expand Pharmacist Authority at Bernie’s Pharmacy. ACA Member, Terri Hall-Klouda, a steadfast champion of pharmacy in Alaska, commented that she was honored that the governor asked to sign at her pharmacy.
We want to extend a very special congratulations to ACA Fellows Dixie and Neil Leikach for winning the Bowl of Hygeia Award and the MPhA Seidman Distinguished Achievement Award from the Maryland Pharmacists Association. We’re so proud of their achievements!
Congratulations to Emeritus Fellow, John Oftebro (’65), and Linda Garrelts MacLean (’78), being honored with the R. Keith Campbell Lifetime Achievement Award at the Washington State Pharmacy Reunion weekend in October 2022.
Congratulations to ACA Members elected to the
2022-2023 Tennessee Pharmacy Association Board of Directors
ACA Fellow
PRESIDENT
Jay Phipps, PharmD, FACVP, FACA
Phipps Pharmacy, Inc.
Pharmacy Gladiator | CEO
______________________________________________________________________________________________
ACA Student Pharmacist Member
PRESIDENT, TENNESSEE SOCIETY OF STUDENT PHARMACISTS (TSSP)
Maya Patel, PharmD Candidate
Belmont University College of Pharmacy
Congratulations to ACA Fellow, Ryan Oftebro and the staff at Kelley-Ross Pharmacy Group that was visited by Senator Maria Cantwell, Congresswoman Kim Schrier and State Representative My-Linh Thai to participate in a roundtable to discuss the Senator’s PBM Transparency Act that she has co-sponsored with Senator Charles Grassley. This is a critically important bill that would bring transparency and put a stop to unfair and deceptive business practices carried out by PBMs, which harm patients and small pharmacies. The event was at our new location inside Gay City: Seattle’s LGBTQ Center. Jenny Arnold, PharmD, BCPS from the Washington State Pharmacy Association led the discussion and we were joined by pharmacy and patient advocates who helped articulate the need for PBM reform. We have been fighting for this reform for a long time and its very gratifying to see this gaining traction! Thank you Kristine Crawford, Clinton Knight, Erica Sessle and Rod Shutt for your impactful contributions! Special thanks to Matt and Bekah Telew (She/They) for helping host! LEARN MORE
RIO GRANDE, PR, February 25, 2022: The American College of Apothecaries presented the 2021 ACA Member of the Year Award to Vinnie Dam, PharmD, FACA, FACVP, of Los Angeles, California.
The award, established in 2013, recognizes an ACA Member for exceptional accomplishment and effort in serving his or her community and promoting community pharmacy through mentoring, entrepreneurship, and education, as well as support of the ACA. The presentation was made during the Opening Session at the College’s 2022 Annual Conference and Expo hosted at the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar.
This year’s receipient of the ACA Member of the Year Award, Vinnie Dam, PharmD, FACA, FACVP, truly embodies the ACA entrepreneurial spirit and attitude:
“Entrepreneurship allows for freedom and flexibility in creating and shaping a company. While entrepreneurs face operational challenges on a daily basis, it’s what makes me excited to come to work. I always liked puzzles growing up, and I feel that being an entrepreneur requires constant utilization of one’s critical thinking skills. If you don’t mind hard work and long hours, and if you’re an innovative thinker who is up for the challenges of the unknown, I highly recommend becoming an entrepreneur.”
In 2017, Vinnie applied his love for animals and compounding medications to an entrepreneurial path. A co-founder of MixLab, a customer-driven veterinary compounding pharmacy, Vinnie currently serves as the Chief Pharmacy Officer.
Vinnie earned his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2003 and received a PharmD in Pharmacy Practice and MS in Regulatory Science from the University of Southern California in 2007. As a dual ACA and ACVP Fellow, Vinnie has served the organization through serving on committees and encouraging his staff pharmacists to pursue Fellowship in ACA and ACVP.
ACA 2021 Member of the Year Marisol Lopez with Executive Vice President Quentin Srnka
Much of the medical community, including the World Health Organization, warns that during the COVID-19 pandemic erroneous or incomplete information regarding vaccines for the deadly virus has pervaded the public’s purview, and, consequently contributed to much of the population declining or pausing to get vaccinated. A documentary addresses this public perception by tracing the origins of vaccinations, explaining the science behind it and presenting compelling testimonials. Vaccination from the Misinformation Virus will be aired nationally beginning in July on PBS TV and other outlets.
A new Vice-President and four directors have been named to the American College of Apothecaries (ACA) Board of Directors. The ACA Board of Directors is made up of ACA Fellows representing 8 geographical regions of the United States and Canada and Executive Officers.
Elections for board Vice-President and Regional Directors for regions 2, 3, 4, and 8 were conducted in November among the Fellows and Pharmacist Members. Regional Directors will serve three-year terms commencing in 2021. Board officers will be installed at the ACA | ACVP | PPHI Virtual Annual Conference and Expo, February 25-27, 2021
“During these challenging times, we are honored and grateful for the willingness of our newly elected and re-elected board members to serve the College,” said ACA CEO | Executive Vice-President Susan Bartlemay. “Their commitment to independent pharmacy and dedication to our organization is crucial to the success of ACA.”
Suzanne Keyes, PharmD, FACA, IFMCP – Vice President
Suzanne graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University College of Pharmacy in 1996 and returned to academia in 1999 enrolling in the non-traditional Doctor of Pharmacy pathway offered through the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy. In 2004, she graduated with her Doctor of Pharmacy, the highest degree offered to pharmacists.
Suzanne has had 20 years’ experience in varied pharmacy settings; retail management for a chain drugstore, nursing home consultant, hospital pharmacist and her current position as the lead functional medicine pharmacist in her compounding pharmacy in Western Oklahoma. Suzanne’s passion to get to the underlying cause of disease is what drove her to pursue advanced education and become the seventh pharmacist in the world to become a certified practitioner through the Institute for Functional Medicine. Suzanne is a Fellow of the American College of Apothecaries and she has been an ACA Regional Director since 2017.
Suzanne has been honored with invitations to speak about functional medicine at the former International Association of Compounding Pharmacists (now Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding) and the National Association of Community Pharmacists (NCPA). In the last few years, Dr. Keyes’ has been interviewed and her practice highlighted online by both Dr. Blair Thielemier (Pharmapreneur Academy; Elevate Pharmacy Summit) and Dr. Alex Barker (The Happy PharmD). In 2016, Dr. Keyes was selected by Ortho Molecular Products as the 2016 “Spotlight Pharmacist of the Year”.
Kimberly Ferguson, RPh, FACA – Region 2 (District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia)
Kim Ferguson is the owner of Kim’s Pharmacy in Waynesville, NC and Metcalf Compounding Pharmacy in Brevard, NC. Kim graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a BS in pharmacy in 1990 and worked at various settings across Western North Carolina before founding Kim’s Pharmacy in 2008 and purchasing Metcalf Compounding Pharmacy in 2017. In addition to her duties at both pharmacies, Kim is also a preceptor for UNC and the pharmacist member of Haywood County Health and Human Services where she serves as Vice Chairperson.
In addition to membership in the Independent Pharmacy Network of North Carolina Association Of Pharmacists and National Community Pharmacy Association (NCPA), she has served as Region 2 Director of American College of Apothecaries. Kim has been a Fellow of ACA since 2017.
Robert Harshbarger, III, PharmD, FACA – Region 3 (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin)
Robert completed his undergraduate studies at East Tennessee State University where he graduated with degrees in both Biology and Chemistry. He then attended Mercer University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences in 2011 and graduated with his Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Robert started his career as a staff pharmacist for Custom Compounding Centers of America (CCCA). He currently serves as CEO and lead formulating chemist of Premier Pharmacy Inc in Kingsport, Tennessee. He has successfully assisted both CCCA and Premier Pharmacy in becoming PCAB accredited as well as assisting both pharmacies through the NABP VPP process. As a member of his local chamber of commerce’s government relations committee, he serves as a liaison between the local pharmacy community and Tennessee elected officials on the local, state and federal level.
As a second generation pharmacist, Robert has seen the profession of pharmacy change immensely over time, especially within the last 5 years. He has been fortunate enough to practice in a compounding only and hybrid pharmacy setting as well as cash only and insurance based business models. Robert relies on his discernment and personal experiences as well as the experiences of others to ensure he defends his pharmacy clinically and ethically. Over the past 10 years, he has worked diligently towards ensuring that the art and science of compounding is defended in the same manner. This is Robert’s first term on the ACA Board of Directors.
Nicholas R. Smock, PharmD, MBA, FACA – Region 4 (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota)
Nick Smock received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Missouri in 1983, his Masters of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1990, and his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2002. He serves as the President and CEO of the Pharmacy Buying Association (PBA), a pharmacy member co-op, since 1998 and previously served as Vice President, COO, CFO and Director of Contracts. Nick spent several years as a practicing pharmacist prior to joining PBA/TrueCare. Nick has served as an ACA Regional Director since 2017.
Ben Smith, RPh, FACA – Region 8 (Canada)
Ben Smith is the owner of a dozen pharmacies scattered throughout small towns in central Ontario. He graduated from pharmacy school at the University of Toronto in 1966 and purchased his first pharmacy in 1979 in a small community in Ontario. He attributes his achievements to an old-fashioned recipe of hard work, long hours, ongoing continuing education, generously giving back to the communities his pharmacies serve, being as accessible as possible to patients, and cultivating strong personal relationships with local physicians. Ben served the ACA as President in 2013 and Chairman in 2014. He has served on the ACA Admission Committee for many years and on numerous ACA committees. He is also a member of the Ontario Pharmacists Association and the Canadian Pharmaceutical Association. Ben has served several terms on the ACA Board, most recently since 2017.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The leaders of 18 pharmacy organizations today issued the following statement following the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the first Emergency Use Authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We heartily welcome the decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize the emergency use of the first COVID-19 vaccine, following the recommendation of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC).
“This is a historic moment in the nation’s effort to end the pandemic. The pharmacy profession is ready to do its part as qualified, active participants in administering these vaccines in accordance with guidance issued by the FDA, CDC, HHS and state and local health departments, as well as increasing access for the American public to these important disease prevention tools.
“We are confident that FDA has taken extraordinary care to ensure that the vaccine is safe and effective. The American people should have great confidence in the vaccine. The vast majority of pharmacists have indicated in recent surveys that they intend to be vaccinated themselves and plan to recommend the vaccine to their patients. More than 360,000 pharmacists, student pharmacists and pharmacy technicians nationwide are trained to administer vaccines.
“Pharmacists are the most accessible health care providers in the nation, with 90% of Americans living within 5 miles of pharmacy. Across the nation they stand ready, in all patient care settings, to administer the vaccine and counsel patients through this critical moment in our nation’s history. As trusted health professionals dedicated to serving the health care needs of our communities, we stand ready to serve.”
Supporting organizations
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy
Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
American College of Apothecaries
American College of Clinical Pharmacy
American Pharmacists Association
American Society of Consultant Pharmacists
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists
Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association
National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
National Association of Chain Drug Stores
National Association of Specialty Pharmacy
National Community Pharmacists Association
National Pharmaceutical Association
Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists
Pharmacy Quality Alliance
“This is wonderful news for our patients, pharmacists, and pharmacies. It is great to have a unanimous decision from the Supreme Court validating rights for states to regulate PBMs. This is a big win for pharmacy and we need to work with states to implement laws which will improve our ability to continue to care for our patients,” said Susie Bartlemay, Executive Vice-President of the American College of Apothecaries, American College of Veterinary Pharmacists, and the American College of Apothecaries Research and Education Foundation.
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its landmark ruling in Rutledge v. Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), determining whether community pharmacies are protected from abusive payment practices.
The unanimous (8 to 0) decision ruled in favor of the interests of patients and community pharmacies, who have been fighting for years to regulate pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the controversial middlemen that manage prescription drug benefits for health insurers, Medicare Part D drug plans, and large employers. With this ruling, states will have greater authority to protect their local businesses and their patients from PBM overreach.
“This is a historic victory for independent pharmacies and their patients. And it confirms the rights of states to enact reasonable regulations in the name of fair competition and public health,” said National Community Pharmacists Association CEO B. Douglas Hoey, pharmacist, MBA.
“This is a great day for pharmacists and their patients,” said Scott J. Knoer, executive vice president and CEO of the American Pharmacists Association. “For years, PBMs have threatened the sacrosanct relationship between pharmacists and their patients and have never been forced to answer to any authority for their actions. This opinion redresses that imbalance and returns the power to protect the interests of patients to the states and other local authorities, where it belongs.”
“We’re excited to see a unanimous decision from the Court on this case – it’s truly a best case scenario for patients, pharmacists, and pharmacies,” said Rebecca Snead, RPh, NASPA executive vice president and CEO. “Now, it’s time to get to work to make sure states have appropriate PBM regulations in place, and continue to work with our members of Congress to do the same for the federal programs.”
“Today, Arkansas pharmacists join their colleagues across the country to celebrate a triumphant victory years in the making,” said Arkansas Pharmacists Association CEO John Vinson. “The Supreme Court’s ruling means that states can finally protect our patients who receive their pharmacy benefits through their employers. This win should increase drug pricing transparency, increase pharmacy access for patients, improve freedom of choice, and improve the healthcare for our citizens both during and after the pandemic.”
At issue was the extent to which the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), which regulates private employee benefit plans, preempts the states from regulating the amount that PBMs pay pharmacies to dispense prescription drugs that are covered by an employer-sponsored health plan.
Background:
In 2015, Arkansas passed a law prohibiting PBMs from reimbursing local pharmacies at a lower rate than what the pharmacies pay to fill prescriptions. Before the bill was enacted, PBMs were found to reimburse pharmacies at less than a pharmacy’s cost to acquire a drug. This and other pressures have contributed to more than 16 percent of rural independent pharmacies across the country closing their doors in recent years. In Arkansas, nearly 13 percent of the independent pharmacies closed between 2006 and 2014 alone. The PBM lobby, PCMA, challenged the law in court, which is when the pharmacy groups joined efforts to ensure the 2015 law stands. NCPA, APA, APhA, NASPA, and all state pharmacy associations jointly commissioned an amicus brief to support Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge’s appeal to allow the implementation of the 2015 legislation that prohibited PBMs from paying pharmacies below cost and allowed pharmacies to refuse to dispense below cost prescriptions.
MOORESTOWN, N.J., November 16, 2020 — Tabula Rasa HealthCare (Nasdaq: TRHC), a healthcare technology company advancing the field of medication safety, announces today a strategic alliance with the American College of Apothecaries (ACA). ACA, a national pharmacy organization dedicated to the advancement of professional practice in independent community pharmacy through entrepreneurship, will provide its members the ability to license TRHC’s medication safety software, MedWise™ and the opportunity to become MedWise Certified Advisors™ through TRHC.
“Partnering with Tabula Rasa HealthCare provides our members with access to innovative technologies, like MedWise, that will help them improve medication safety in patients who have a high burden of disease and complex medication regimens.” said ACA Executive Vice President/CEO Susan Bartlemay, RPh, FACA, FAPhA. “Our collaboration with TRHC furthers ACA’s commitment to providing exemplary pharmacy resources to community pharmacists.”
TRHC’s MedWise software provides science-based, actionable clinical intelligence to pharmacists, including a patient’s MedWise Risk Score™ (MRS). The MRS calculation uses active medication ingredients of a patient’s complete medication list, including over-the-counter supplements to predict the risk of medication problems and adverse drug events (ADEs). A published study, involving nearly 2,000 patients, found that a lower MRS correlated with fewer adverse drug events, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and lower medical costs.
“As a former President of ACA, I understand how vital innovation and new technologies are in keeping community pharmacists at the top of their profession,” states TRHC Chairman and CEO Calvin H. Knowlton, PhD. “ Offering ACA members a way to identify high risk patients, and the opportunity to become certified MedWise Advisor™ is just the beginning of how our partnership will help improve medication safety in patients who are at risk for adverse drug events, due to their complex medication regimens.”
About Tabula Rasa HealthCare
Tabula Rasa HealthCare (TRHC) provides medication safety solutions empowering healthcare professionals to optimize medication regimens and reduce medication-related risk, specifically targeting adverse drug events. Utilizing its proprietary medication decision science technology, MedWise™, TRHC improves patient outcomes, reduces hospitalizations, and lowers healthcare costs. Additionally, TRHC offers an extensive clinical telepharmacy network across the U.S. Our suite of solutions are trusted by health plans and pharmacies nationwide to help drive value-based payment results. For more information, visit TRHC.com
About the American College of Apothecaries
For 80 years, the American College of Apothecaries (acainfo.org) has been dedicated to the advancement of professional practice in independent community pharmacy through education, entrepreneurship, and mentoring. The Fellows and members of ACA are committed to best practices in pharmacy and quality healthcare for their communities.
ACA offers a way for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, marketers, and students to connect with other pharmacy professionals to discuss areas of mutual interest and strengthen individual practice. This effort is supported through webinars, on-demand continuing education (CE), compounding classes, conferences and other events. ACA’s educational programming is available to all pharmacy professions, including non-members.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements that we believe to be reasonable as of today’s date, including statements regarding Medication Risk Mitigation technology. Such statements are identified by use of the words “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “predicts,” “projects,” “should,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release. Actual results might differ materially from those explicit or implicit in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: the need to innovate and provide useful products and services; risks related to changing healthcare and other applicable regulations; increasing consolidation in the healthcare industry; managing our growth effectively; our ability to adequately protect our intellectual property; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in our filings with the SEC, including those factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on March 2, 2020, and in subsequent reports filed with or furnished to the SEC, copies of which are available free of charge within the Investor Relations section of the TRHC website ir.trhc.com or upon request from our Investor Relations Department. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was made. TRHC assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law, to reflect events or circumstances occurring after today’s date.
ACA Fellows and Members have exclusive access to a 20% discount to the MedWise™ Decision Support Program. Click below to take advantage of this opportunity, and to elevate your pharmacy workflow through one-of-a-kind, science-based decision support tools.
Want more information? Have Questions?
Join us at an exclusive live Product Theatre and discover how MedWise™ can help your pharmacy ensure medication safety, efficacy, and adherence. Click the links below to register now.
Wednesday, Nov 18th (12pm ET / 11am CT/ 10am MT / 9am PT))
https://cognify.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMtfuqtpzkvGtWKtQI7djjhB96POAY-X85X
Tuesday, Nov 24th (8pm ET / 7pm CT / 6pm MT / 5pm PT)
https://cognify.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEtcumprjguGNRpvznmgGCflvu3je7-T25o
Thursday, Dec 3rd (3pm ET / 2pm CT / 1pm MT / 12pm PT).
https://cognify.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwqfuqhqjMsGtHRj9KyQ3fM66WFH67HFWRm
On Pharmacy Technician Day we celebrate the important role that pharmacy technicians play in assuring patient health and safety and as an integral part of the pharmacy team. Thank you for your hard work and for all that you contribute—on the front lines and behind the scenes—to improve the pharmacy community.
Meet a few of our ACA, ACVP, and PPHI Pharmacy Technician Members below.
Changing life circumstances brought me to work at my very first pharmacy as a clerk and then technician. I decided very quickly that I wanted to know more and challenged myself to get my CPhT by the next testing date which was in 48 days. It was one of the hardest things I had to do but it left me eager to learn more! Soon my pharmacist realized my passion was perhaps too big for inside the pharmacy, so he sent me out to market a few days a week which led to new position as the Director of Marketing for Allenhill Pharmacy and Medical Supply. I attended marketing training and eventually was asked to up speak myself at a conference for the American College of Veterinary Pharmacists!
Since leaving Allenhill, I went on to become the Director of Marketing and Sales for a large pharmacy program and spoke at several national conferences regarding marketing your compounding business. I was then hired by the American College of Apothecaries and the American College of Veterinary Pharmacists where I oversaw the complete renovation of and directed the compounding training programs. I also assisted in running their Veterinary Compounding Conference. I moved on from there to work as a Director of Compounding for a local pharmacy and then became a Cleanroom Product Consultant for MSD, McKesson. In 2020 I joined Integrated Medical Systems – IMS, serving as the Pharmacy Regulatory Specialist to assist clients in tailored product selection and overall compliance.
There are no limitations to what you can do with your career as a pharmacy technician. Find your passion and see where it takes you.
I started working in pharmacy at the young age of 15. It was a community pharmacy in Encino, California, that had a video department and large gift department in addition to the pharmacy. I will never forget the relationship the pharmacist had with our patients and the difference the services we offered made in their lives. I was always interested in math and science, and I was blessed to work under such an amazing pharmacist. He was definitely an influence in my decision to pursue pharmacy as a career. He shared everything there was to know about pharmacy and before I knew it, I was counting pills, typing prescriptions, and interacting with doctors and patients.
After graduating high school (at 16 years old), I moved to Northern California to start college with a focus on pre-pharmacy. Unfortunately, life got in the way, and I had to take some time away from school to work full time. I applied for a position at the local pharmacy in Eureka, California, but what I found was that since I had moved, the Board of Pharmacy had implemented the registration process for pharmacy technicians. I had experience “teching” but now I needed to fulfill the requirements in order to get registered. After achieving that, I moved on and was one of the first groups of technicians in the country to be certified by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. I became a test question writer for the Certification Exam and tutored other fellow technicians who wanted become certified like me.
In 1996, I was introduced to compounding and fell in love. As someone who loves to cook, it felt very natural, and I instantly saw how we could help hospice patients, children with autism, and even dogs and cats. It was so rewarding, and I loved everything I was doing, but I wanted more. My boss was a CPhA member, and as I was researching to see if the Association would benefit me, I started looking at our Local Association and was instrumental in reviving it, oftentimes gathering fifty pharmacists and technicians for CE dinners and association meetings. I continued my advocacy in CPhA serving as Academy of Pharmacy Technicians (APT) Chair, APT Board of Trustees member, and on numerous other committees. Protecting and advancing the profession is a passion of mine, and I am so proud to say I am a pharmacy technician. While I never returned to complete my pharmacy degree, I did go back to get an MBA and an MS. Because of my love for compounding, I have moved on from working in the pharmacy to helping other community pharmacies add compounding to their practice and showing them how they can help patients through customized medications. I am active at the state and national level and most recently was elected to the Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding Board of Directors, a national alliance that protects the compounding profession.
The pharmacy world has changed a lot in twenty-five years, and technicians are a vital part of that world. We have continued to gain responsibility year after year, and I am excited for the future. I encourage not just technicians but everyone in pharmacy to get involved. It takes a village, and we need everyone’s help to continue to advance and protect the pharmacy profession. I am PROUD to be a Pharmacy Technician and encourage you to get involved. Be proud and remember your voice matters!
Becoming a pharmacy technician was one of the best decisions I have made. At the time I was going to school and viewed a pharmacy technician position as an interesting job to learn more and make a little extra money for tuition. Fortunately in school I was going straight for the money, History and French Literature.
As a new technician I learned an incredible amount from our two founding pharmacists, Salvador DeLaCruz and Sandra Sheppard. As much as I learned about pharmacy, I also learned about life. Salvador and Sandra taught the importance of hard work and taking care of our patients. They also taught me a lot about the art and science of compounding.
That was over 20 years ago and although many things have changed, the importance of hard work and taking care of our patients have not. Although I still have my active pharmacy technician license, I am now privileged to work with a team of over 100 talented pharmacy professionals at MedQuest Pharmacy in North Salt Lake, UT.
My role as CEO has changed to be a mixture between the head cheerleader and the water boy in order to make sure our team has the resources and support to be successful. We have a culture of everyone being focused on quality and compliance, regardless of their position. We have also expanded that focus to include advocacy and have had the privilege of meeting with many of our elected representatives here in Utah and in Washington, DC to build awareness about the importance of compounding and allow them to see it up close.
As a lifelong learner, I continued my formal education and training and look fondly upon the days of listen to Salvador and Sandra share life lessons. I also feel very privileged to learn from our licensed pharmacy technicians, pharmacists, support staff and other professionals on a daily basis. The greatest reward is to see the feedback from our patients and the significant difference we make in their lives.
Women Pharmacist Day, October 12, 2020, is a wonderful opportunity to recognize those women who have made – and continue to make – contributions to pharmacy practice and our patients’ lives.
I decided that I wanted to become a pharmacist when I was in high school in the 1970s. I thought that this would be a good, flexible career for a woman, especially if I wanted to have a family. I was going to be the hometown girl working in the only pharmacy in my small hometown of New Palestine, Indiana. I never would have imagined the pathways that opened for me when I graduated from Purdue University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
While I was at Purdue, I learned about a relatively new specialty —nuclear pharmacy. I was totally fascinated by it. I did a summer internship in it and worked for a year as a nuclear pharmacist. As in many cases, “the grass is always greener on the other side” and it turned out to be a very demanding career. Although I did enjoy the work, it was not a good fit for my plans of being married and raising a family.
I then went back to my original plan of working in a retail pharmacy. I am a “people” person and liked the interaction with customers. The job did turn into very long hours and it interfered with other interests. One of my Kappa Epsilon Fraternity sisters recruited me into the hospital pharmacy setting. Hospital pharmacy opened a lot of doors for me. There were a variety of options that I could do in a hospital – working in the outpatient pharmacy, working on the units, working in the central pharmacy, and homecare, but the area that really called to me was compounding. It was a huge lab with different gadgets and tools that I had never used or seen anywhere else. The pharmacist was always working with the clinical pharmacists and medical staff to come up with unique treatment options for patients. We were connected with the Indiana University School of Medicine and Riley Hospital for Children, so compounding was not only a specialized area, but a necessity because of our unique patient populations.
When the compounding pharmacist retired, I eagerly applied for the position and I have been the compounding pharmacist for the entire health-system since 1993. I absolutely love what I do, despite some of the administrative drama in hospitals, and it has opened more doors for me. After 15 years, I went back online, to get my PharmD through the University of Florida. To graduate, I had to do a project and I chose a project to counsel patients and/or their caregivers about their compounded medications and helped them to find pharmacies to compound them after discharge. I published my study in the International Journal for Pharmaceutical Compounding (IJPC) which was a new publication at the time and was asked to be a feature author for hospital topics. Wow! I didn’t see that one coming. I loved writing in high school and college, but never expected to use those skills to become a professional writer as well as a pharmacist.
My published articles have opened other doors too. I have been invited to give presentations all over the world. I am also now giving live continuing education presentations, as well as developing written CEs. I have traveled to places that I never would have thought possible. I have been asked to be a contributing author for pharmacy and medical textbooks. I even wrote and published my own book, Compounding Guide for Ophthalmic Preparations.
Because of my commitment to compounding and my growing reputation as an expert compounding pharmacist, I have been able to get involved in a lot of unique opportunities. During this time, I also went back to school again to get my Masters from the University of Florida in Pharmaceutical Policies and Outcomes. I served one and a half cycles on the USP Expert Committee on Compounding. I am currently serving on an advisory committee for the Indiana State Board of Pharmacy to help revise and write the compounding regulations for the state of Indiana. I have also been selected to serve on the FDA PCAC committee for the next three years.
I am and have always been actively involved in my pharmacy fraternity, Kappa Epsilon. I became an officer at the local level and eventually became the President of the state alumni chapter. I eventually became involved nationally and served on the Grand Council. The “behind-the-scenes” bug had bitten me. As a member and eventually a full fellow of ASHP, I have served on several national committees and presented at the annual and Mid-year meetings. When I joined IACP, I soon ran for to become a member of the Board of Directors, serving 2 terms. Later, I was asked to join ACA as a full fellow and found myself again running to serve on the Board of Directors. Any organization that I have joined, I just don’t want to pay my dues and sit back – I WANT TO BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED.
My activities and involvement have also gotten me through the darkest time of my life – losing my son, Daniel, to suicide in 2018. I was running for Vice President of ACA at the time and I almost quit everything. You never recover from losing a child, especially under unnatural circumstances, and for a while I was a little lost, but now I have a different perspective on life. I want to continue to be involved in all of my interests, enjoy life, spend time with my friends, colleagues and family, and do everything to the best of my ability. You never know what tomorrow will bring. I am looking forward to serving all of you as your ACA President in 2021!
Linda F McElhiney, PharmD, RPh, MSP, FACA, FAPC, FASHP, DPLA
Team Lead Compounding Pharmacist
Indiana University Health
Vice-President, Board of Directors
American College of Apothecaries
Women Pharmacist Day, October 12, 2019 — Memories of 50 Years as a Woman Pharmacist…..
