NCPA Foundation presents awards at NCPA 2019 annual convention

The National Community Pharmacists Association Foundation presented several awards at its annual convention held recently in San Diego.

Iowa pharmacy owner Randy McDonough has received this year’s NARD Ownership Award, which recognizes an independent community pharmacist who embraces entrepreneurial spirit through promotion and demonstrated excellence in the field of community pharmacy ownership. The award is inspired by the NARD name, which was for a century the name associated with independent pharmacy.

McDonough is co-owner of Towncrest, Solon Towncrest, and Towncrest Compounding pharmacies. He is also co-founder/co-owner of Innovative Pharmacy Solutions and Thrive Pharmacy Transformations. McDonough oversees Towncrest Pharmacy’s clinical services including MTM services, nursing home consulting, wellness screenings, immunizations, and adherence services. He is board certified in geriatrics and as a pharmacotherapy specialist.

His areas of interest include community-based outcomes research, pharmaceutical education, geriatrics, disease state management, student development, and the development of patient care initiatives in the community pharmacy setting.

Ghada Abukuwaik, of Curemed Pharmacy in Clifton, N.J., was honored with the 2019 NCPA Innovation Center Outstanding Adherence Practitioner Award in recognition of her commitment to improving medication adherence. The award is sponsored by RxSafe.

“Though critical to outcomes and to containing costs, medication adherence can be a highly personal matter,” said NCPA President Bill Osborn. “Ghada Abukuwaik and the team at Curemed Pharmacy are taking a multifaceted approach to improving adherence and patient health, leaving no stone unturned. I am proud to recognize Ghada for such successful, inspiring work in engaging patients and helping them manage their medications.”

Abukuwaik and Curemed Pharmacy began providing medication synchronization services in 2015, a program now described as core to the pharmacy’s practice; 424 patients are currently enrolled in the med sync program and their adherence measure rates are well above 80%, the industry standard; 53% of patients are utilizing blister and bubble packs, with the pharmacy aiming to provide 100% compliance packaging to med sync patients in the next two years. Beginning in December 2018, the pharmacy began offering annual consulting and educational home visits to med sync patients, reaching 73% of patients on the initial round of visits.

“It’s my distinct honor and privilege to join the NCPA Innovation Center in recognizing Ghada Abukuwaik as recipient of the 2019 Outstanding Adherence Practitioner Award,” said RxSafe president and CEO, William Holmes. “Ghada exemplifies how independent community pharmacists can use technology to have a huge impact on improving patient health and safety, and enable millions of Americans to live independently and productively for years to come.”

The NCPA Foundation also honored Katie Westgerdes of the Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy as 2019 Outstanding Faculty Liaison of the Year. Westgerdes is the faculty laision for the the NCPA Student Chapter at ONU and is the pharmacy manager at the university’s on-campus independent pharmacy, Healthwise Pharmacy. She is a 2013 graduate of ONU and throughout college actively participated in ONU’s NCPA Student Chapter. She became a faculty member and then faculty liaison in the winter of 2018.

Living in a medically underserved location of Ada, Ohio, Westgerdes saw a need and opportunity to help open the ONU on-campus pharmacy for use by members of the campus community and the surrounding area. With the strong business skills gained by starting a pharmacy, Westgerdes was instrumental in helping ONU’s student business plan team to receive second runner up at NCPA’s 2018 Student Business Plan Competition and a first place finish at the Ohio Pharmacists Association’s Business Plan Competition.

Finally, Sharon Sherrer received the 2019 National Preceptor of the Year Award.

With 40 years of experience as a practicing pharmacist, Sherrer has extensive experience in many aspects of the profession. She has worked in both chain and community pharmacy, clinical and consulting, as well as hospital and research. Most recently, she implemented a PGY1 Community Pharmacy residency program at her independent pharmacy. Over the past 20 years, Sherrer has had ownership in four pharmacies and is currently a partner in Poole’s Pharmacy in Marietta, Ga. with her husband John and son Thomas.

Sherrer is a 1979 graduate of the University of Georgia’s School of Pharmacy and a 1984 graduate of Mercer University’s Southern School of Pharmacy where she received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Sherrer has served as a preceptor for student pharmacists since 1985. Throughout her career she has consistently served in pharmacy initiatives and organizations locally, statewide, and on the national level.

She served as president of the Georgia Pharmacy Association from 2007-2008 and in 2014 was named honorary president of NCPA. She was honored with the Albert E. Rosica, Jr. Award by the Research and Education Foundation of the American College of Apothecaries in 2015 for outstanding contributions to pharmacy education. In 2018, Sherrer was awarded the Bowl of Hygeia, which recognizes pharmacists who possess outstanding records of civic leadership in their communities.