Next-Generation Pharmacist Winners Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Bea Riemschneider, Editorial Director, (609) 716-7777 briemschneider@pharmacytimes.com

Next-Generation Pharmacist Winners Announced

Pharmacy Timesand Parata Honor Innovative Pharmacy Professionals at Inaugural Awards Event in Philadelphia

PLAINSBORO, NJ (October 28, 2010)—Ten pharmacy professionals were saluted on October 25, 2010 at the 2010 Next-Generation Pharmacist™ Awards. The event was created to honor the future of pharmacy and the professionals who are defining it through their innovative professional practice. Pharmacy Times and Parata partnered to recognize pharmacists from every sector of the practice who are paving the way for the industry’s future.

Mark Aurit, RPh, owner of Gateway Health Mart Pharmacy in Bismarck, ND, was honored as the 2010 Next-Generation Pharmacist, the program’s top honor. Aurit was honored for his uncompromising vision for the profession, reflected in his own pharmacy’s experience and his tremendous dedication to advancing the pharmacy industry through mentoring and industry engagement.

The 2010 Next-Generation Pharmacist Awards also honored winners in 10 categories:

• Entrepreneur of the Year: Mark Aurit, RPh, owner of Gateway Health Mart Pharmacy, Bismarck, ND
• Green Pharmacist of the Year: Whit Moose Jr., BSPharm, Moose Pharmacy, Mount Pleasant, NC
• Civic Leader of the Year: Terry Spears, RPh, owner of Family Health Mart Pharmacy, Vernon, TX
• Technology Innovator of the Year: Tim Davis, PharmD, owner of Beaver Health Mart Pharmacy, Beaver, PA
• Patient Advocate of the Year: Lisa Strucko, PharmD, RPh, Leesburg Pharmacy, Leesburg, VA
• Industry Advocate of the Year: Harry Lattanzio Jr., RPh,president of PRS Pharmacy Services, Latrobe, PA
• Technician of the Year: Deborah Boland, pharmacy lead technician, Kmart Pharmacy, Smyrna, TN
• Rising Star of the Year: Chris Williams, PharmD, pharmacy advocate, Manatee Your Choice Health Plan, Bradenton, FL
• Future Pharmacist (student pharmacist): Adrienne Giddens, University of North Carolina’s Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Charlotte, NC
• Lifetime Achievement: Randy McDonough, PharmD, CGP, BCPS, owner of Towncrest Pharmacy, Iowa City, IA

Winners are profiled in the October 2010 issue of Pharmacy Times, which was unveiled at the dinner event. The 2010 Next-Generation Pharmacist, Mark Aurit, was pictured on the cover, a first for the journal in its 113-year history. Profiles of all the finalists can be found at www.PharmacyTimes.com.

The Next-Generation Pharmacist program attracted nominations of pharmacy’s best and brightest professionals from across the country. The inaugural honorees represent a true cross section of the pharmacy industry, from large chain retail pharmacists to independent and military health clinic practitioners, as well as educational professionals in 17 states. Corporate sponsors of the Next-Generation Pharmacist awards program included Health Mart, Novo Nordisk, Kmart, Rexam, and Americorps Financial.

“We couldn’t be more impressed with the pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and student pharmacists recognized,” said Tom Rhoads, CEO of Parata Systems, who presented the awards with Tighe Blazier, president of Pharmacy Times. “These professionals are setting trends across all aspects of pharmacy, each with their customers and community at heart.”

The event took place at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia concurrently with the National Community Pharmacists Association annual meeting. Pharmacy Times Editorial Board Member Dan Hussar, PhD, Remington Professor of Pharmacy, University of the Sciences, spoke about Pharmacy Times’ commitment to the pharmacy community, “As a leading provider in health care publishing, Pharmacy Times believes strongly in recognizing and celebrating those individuals who raise the standard for what a pharmacist, or any care provider, should be.”

A panel of esteemed judges, chaired by Pharmacy Times Editor-in-Chief, Fred M. Eckel, RPh, MS, reviewed nominations against the highest standards of the pharmacy profession, including customer service and patient care. “The awards offer a first-of-its-kind opportunity for pharmacists to gain much deserved recognition for outstanding contributions to the pharmacy profession as a whole,” said Tighe Blazier, president of Pharmacy Times. “Congratulations to all of the outstanding category winners.”

“We are already getting excited for next year’s program,” said Rhoads. “Pharmacists around the country should begin thinking about how they or someone they know are helping pave the way for the industry’s future. The call for entries will be available shortly for submission in early 2011.”

For information about the Next-Generation Pharmacist program, please visit www.PharmacyTimes.com and www.nextgenerationpharmacist.org.

AboutPharmacy Times

Pharmacy Times is a clinically based, monthly journal providing practical information pharmacists can use in their everyday practice. Each issue contains articles and features covering medication errors, drug interactions, patient education, pharmacy technology, disease state management, patient counseling, product news, pharmacy law, and specialty pharmacy. Pharmacy Times is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of free continuing pharmacy education.

Pharmacy Times is published by Intellisphere, LLC, a leading provider of health care publishing, research, information, and education. Operating within both traditional and digital media channels, Intellisphere serves the needs of health care professionals through an extensive suite of magazines, journals, e-mail databases, Web sites, events, and personal meetings.

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About Parata Systems

Durham, N.C.-based Parata Systems, LLC, was founded in 2001, and offers industry-leading technology that improves consumer safety and convenience at key touch points in the circle of pharmacy care: fill, serve and adhere. Parata Max^® and Mini^® automate prescription dispensing with high-speed and accuracy; and PACMED improves safety with unit- and multi-dose packaging that ensures patients get the right medication at the right time, every time. To learn more, call, click or visit Parata Systems, www.parata.com, info@parata.com, 1-888-PARATA1 (727-2821), and on Facebook and Twitter at “Parata Systems.”