SAN DIEGO — Retail pharmacy executives this week had awards presented in their honor to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation at the NACDS Pharmacy & Technology Conference.
And at the close of the San Diego event on Tuesday evening, NACDS gave its highest honor, the Harold W. Pratt Award, to Joe Conda, senior vice president of strategic planning at H.D. Smith.
The awards to the NACDS Foundation were accompanied by generous contributions from several industry benefactors.
Larry Merlo, NACDS chairman and president and chief operating officer of CVS Caremark Corp., was presented the Fougera Pharmacy Scholarship Award by David Klaum of Fougera. In Merlo’s honor, Fougera has made a contribution of $25,000 to the NACDS Foundation Pharmacy Student Scholarship Program to support the development of future leaders in patient care and recognize pharmacy students with a strong interest in pursuing a career in community pharmacy.
Vic Curtis, vice president of pharmacy for Costco Wholesale Corp., received the IMS Health Pharmacy Partnership Award from James Hunter of IMS Health Inc. A contribution of $10,000 was presented in Curtis’ honor to the foundation. The award honors an individual or group that values the importance of data in fact-based communications and corporate planning.
Hy-Vee Inc. vice president of pharmacy Robert Egeland, who served as chairman of the 2010 Pharmacy & Technology Conference was presented with the Novartis Pharmaceutical Alliance Award by David Gulick of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. This award recognizes leadership, commitment and service to the pharmacy industry. Egeland currently serves on the NACDS Policy Council and Regional Chain Committee. He also serves on the State of Iowa Pseudophedrine Advisory Council and numerous pharmacy school advisory boards. Accompanying the award, a $10,000 contribution was donated by Novartis to the NACDS Foundation in Egeland’s name.
And Mike Howe of UCB Inc. presented the UCB Leadership Award in Pharmacy to three recipients: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials executive director Paul Jarris; Kerr Drug Inc. vice president of pharmacy and government relations Mark Gregory, who also serves as NACDS Policy Council chairman, on behalf of community pharmacy; and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention senior adviser Lisa Koonin.
The UCB award recognizes leadership and actions that have had a significant impact on the profession of pharmacy. A contribution in the amount of $10,000 was presented to the foundation for each award recipient.
"The NACDS Foundation joins our benefactors in honoring these distinguished community pharmacy leaders and educators for their outstanding contributions," commented Edith Rosato, president of the NACDS Foundation. "We are pleased to recognize their achievements in advancing pharmacy care on behalf of patients."
In presenting the Pratt Award to Conda, NACDS recognized the H.D. Smith executive’s 40 years of service to the pharmacy industry, in which he provided leadership and expertise in the health care, specifically pharmacy industries, the association noted.
Conda is responsible for managing H.D. Smith’s strategic development process, translating opportunities into measurable objectives and assisting senior executive leadership with long-term planning. Before joining H. D. Smith, Conda served as an executive consultant with pharmaceutical, consumer packaging and medical technology companies.
The annual Pratt award, named after Walgreens executive Harold W. Pratt, honors individuals whose activities have contributed to the promotion, recognition and improvement of the practice of pharmacy in the chain drug industry.
"We are pleased to honor Joe’s 40 years of dedicated service to the pharmacy industry by bestowing upon him the Harold W. Pratt Award," NACDS president and chief executive Steve Anderson said in a statement. "Joe has spent his time building relationships and building strategy. He has forged relationships among many groups that benefited not only his company, but also the industry. He has helped shape pharmacy into what it has become today, and helped to create the momentum that will continue to enhance pharmacy’s role in healthcare delivery."
