APhA names Phil Burgess its honorary President-of-the-Year

When the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) announced the candidates for its board of trustees and president-elect, it included only one nominee for honorary President-of-the-Year: Philip P. Burgess, MBA, DPh, RPh.

Phil BurgessA Walgreens veteran of 40 years and pharmacy industry consultant since 2009, Burgess has served the pharmacy community in countless positions of leadership through the years. At present he is on the executive committee of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy; is a member of the Illinois State Board of Pharmacy, where he has served for 14 years, with five terms as chair; and is president of the Community Pharmacy Foundation, a position he has occupied since its launch in 2002. He is also a longtime member of Drug Topics’ editorial advisory board.

“I am very humbled by this recognition from APhA,” Burgess told Drug Topics in an e-mail. “The role that pharmacists play every day in improving patient care continues to be increasingly acknowledged. I’m proud to be a pharmacist and excited about the future as our profession continues to evolve and be recognized as an integral part of the healthcare team.”

Other nominees

For President-elect 2017-2018, the nominees are Nicki Hilliard (profiled in the March 2016 issue of Drug Topics), of Little Rock, Ark., and Brad Tice, of Thompsons Station, Tenn. For Board of Trustees 2017-2020, the two pairs of nominees are Gregory Fox of Carmel, Ind./Sandra Leal of Tucson, Ariz.; and Randy McDonough of Iowa City, Iowa/Joe Moose of Concord, N.C.

The APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition takes place in Baltimore, March 4-7, 2016. Attendees will be able to meet the candidates then. Elections will be held from March 4, when ballots will be e-mailed to members, to May 2, 2016.