Who are the 50 most influential leaders in pharmacy?
Fifty pharmacist and industry professionals are being recognized by Pharmacy Podacst Network's "Pharmacy 50 Program." The honorees were singled out by thousands of voters in the industry as being among those that are forging a new and better future for pharmacy.
Sitting at the top of this impressive list is Nadia Ahmad, who is a dispensing pharmacist for Walgreens in Middlesboro, Ky. She is cited for exemplary leadership, customer care and for her support for mental health issues, writing a book about being a pharmacist, and even incorporating a successful pet medication aspect of the pharmacy.
The Pharmacy 50 program was launched in 2021 by PPN. According to Todd Eury, CEO and founder of PPN, the program is designed to recognize individuals that have had a significant impact on the thoughts, behaviors and accomplishments of others in pharmacy.
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Honorees come from a variety of practice backgrounds and are elected via a social media campaign that allows people to vote for leaders they know in 14 categories, such as: health system, retail chain, independent community, association management, academia, entrepreneurs and others. Eury says he feels the scope and format of the Pharmacy 50 programs makes it possible both pharmacist and non-pharmacist professionals to be honored. He adds, "I think this makes the Pharmacy 50 program the most inclusive awards program in the industry."
Here's the complete list:
- Nadia Ahmad, Pharm.D.
- Jay Phipps, Pharm.D.
- Amtus Sami Shafiq, Pharm.D.*
- Joy Morrow, Pharm.D., Candidate 2024
- Matt Lewis, B.A.
- Shahida Choudhry, Pharm.D.
- Joseph Friedman, R.Ph.
- Shane Jerominski, Pharm.D.
- Haley McKeefer, Pharm.D., Candidate 2024
- Ben Heiser, Pharm.D., MBA
- Sharon Faust, Pharm.D., MBA
- Patrick Hussey, Pharm.D., MBA
- Darshan Kulkarni, Pharm.D., Esq.
- Aniqa Azad, Pharm.D.
- Brittany Radomski, Pharm.D.
- Shannon Reidt, Pharm.D.
- Easton Bryant, Pharm.D.
- Libby Shelton, Pharm.D., R.Ph.
- Ilisa Bernstein, Pharm.D.
- Nhu Truong, Pharm.D.
- Kenneth O'Shea, Pharm.D.
- Eric Huckins, Pharm.D.
- David Randolph, B.S., Pharm.
- Bled Tanoe, Pharm.D.
- Jill Boyett, Pharm.D.
- Nadia Malik, Pharm.D.
- Tamar Lawful, Pharm.D.
- Courtney B. Smith, Pharm.D.
- Jessica Nouhavandi, Pharm.D.
- Fiona Sartoretto Verna
- Josh Pirestani, B.S.
- Myla Marshall, Pharm.D., R.Ph.
- Jesica Mills, Pharm.D.
- Reuben Saba, Ph.D.
- Sue Ojageer, Pharm.D.
- Olivia Buckoski, Pharm.D.
- Daniel Bundrick, R.Ph.
- Hussam Hamoush, Pharm.D.
- Shaun Jensen, B.S.
- Chris Antypas, Pharm.D.
- Janan Sarwar, Pharm.D.
- Lisa Faast, Pharm.D.
- Robert Kress, B.S. Pharm.
- Sammy Yafai, Pharm.D.,MBA
- Tara Schneider, Pharm.D.
- Lindsay Dymowski Constantino, Pharm.D.
- Behnaz Sarrami, Pharm.D.
- DeArcy Vaughan, Pharm.D., MBA
- Leslie Banuelos, Pharm.D.
- Nancy Banoub, R.Ph. BSc
A complete list of the Pharmacy 50's accomplishments can be found here.
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Michael Hogue, executive vice president and CEO of the American Pharmacist Association had this to say about one of his colleagues and this year's honorees coming in the 19th position, senior vice president IIlisa Bernstein: "The profession is fortunate to have such a strong advocate at work every day fighting for our profession. Ilisa's dynamic, collaborative and inclusive approach to addressing some of the toughest challenges facing our profession in the federal and state regulatory world has a significant impact on pharmacists and pharmacies. I'm delighted she's been recognized in this way."
Eury is excited that this year, Cardinal Health and the Independent Pharmacy Cooperative joined in as program sponsors. He says, "the extra promotional support these two companies provided generated a 300% increase in the number of votes cast." He added that the financial support they provided made it possible for PPN to host a formal Awards Ceremony at their corporate headquarters in Brownsville, Pa. scheduled for Wednesday Jan. 17 at 12:30 pm ET. The event will be streaming live on YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Darren Thieding, chief operating officer at IPC said, "The excellence demonstrated by the winners of the Pharmacy 50 awards should give everyone confidence that pharmacy is poised to succeed in 2024 and beyond. With such great operators, healthcare professionals, and innovators at the helm we can work collectively towards tackling and overcoming the challenge of moving the industry forward. IPC is proud to be a partner in recognizing the excellent work done by these award winners."