VPhA Annual: awards, new officers, CE at the beach
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It was a busy few days at the Wyndham Oceanfront! A number of VCU School of Pharmacy alumni received awards during the Virginia Pharmacists Association’s 133rd Annual Convention Aug. 3-6 in Virginia Beach.
SOP alumni recognized during the annual awards program and banquet were:
David Creecy V (B.S. ’77): Virginia Pharmacists Outstanding Pharmacist Award
Jean-Venable “Kelly” Goode (B.S. ’89, Pharm.D. ‘94): Ed D. Spearbeck Virginia Pharmacists Service Award
Jennifer Helmke (Pharm.D. ’10): Pharmacists Mutual Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award
Kerri Musselman (Pharm.D. ’08): Upsher-Smith Excellence in Innovation Award
Cindy Warriner (B.S. ’86): Pfizer Bowl of Hygeia Award
Frankie Williams (B.S. ’77): Cardinal Health Generation Rx Champions Award
Tim Musselman, VPhA executive director, and VPhA President Ron Davis (B.S. ’73) presided during the convention.
At convention’s end, Davis turned his gavel over to 2014-15 president Jay Ziegler (B.S. ’78). Jennifer Morris will succeed Holly Morris (B.S. ’95) as secretary-treasurer.
A VCU School of Pharmacy Alumni and Friends Reception allowed alumni, students and faculty to meet the school’s new dean, Joseph T. DiPiro, and his wife Cecily, who is a consultant pharmacist. Also on hand were visitors from Appalachian College of Pharmacy, Hampton University School of Pharmacy and Shenandoah University’s Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy.
The Academy of New Practitioners sponsored a social, and the newly formed Academy of Student Pharmacists held its first general membership meeting with student director Sarah Barden, a fourth-year Pharm.D. student at VCU.
Continuing education programs helmed by SOP faculty and alums included “Antimicrobial Stewardship in the Community Setting” with Rebeccah Collins (Pharm.D. ’00). Dennis Stanley (B.S. ’74) discussed “Travel Related Disease – Abroad and at Home.” Stanley and Sharon Gatewood (Pharm.D. ’02) also presented a Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery Certificate Program.
“Pharmacogenomics” was presented by Scott Blevins (B.S. ’93), president and COO of GENETWORx. Caroline Juran (B.S. ’95) offered a “Virginia Board of Pharmacy Update.” June Javier (Pharm.D. ’05) discussed “A Pharmacy Technician Career in 2015 vs. 2020.” Mark Johnson (B.S. ’87, Pharm.D. ’93) provided a “New Drug Update.” And SOP assistant professors Dave Dixon and Ben Van Tassell presented an “Update on the New Clinical Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease.”
Associate professor and alumna Gatewood served as a judge for the NASPA/NMA Student Pharmacist Self-Care Championship, which was won by Team VCU: Kristen Morris, Sean McCullough, Ashley Street and Ryan Templeton. The winners earned the right to display the Amy W. Rudenko NASPA/NMA Student Pharmacist Self-Care Championship Cup, which was named last year in honor and memory of the late associate professor. Rudenko died in May 2013.
“She left us way too soon,” said Musselman. “She was with this competition from the start.”
The first John C. Shilan Scholarship was awarded to Megan Elmers, an ambulatory care pharmacist in Harrisonburg. The scholarship was established by the VPhA Foundation in memory of SOP alumnus John Shilan (Pharm.D. ’11), who died in October 2012.
VPhA’s 2015 Midyear has been set for Feb. 21-22 at Hotel Roanoke.
If your name was inadvertently omitted from this report, please e-mail [email protected]. If you are an alum who’s active in your state pharmacy association (outside of Virginia), please let us know!
Categories Alumni news, Faculty news, Preceptors, Student news