PPSI honors Richard Bertin as Distinguished Person of Year Sunday at APhA meeting

Richard J. Bertin, RPh, PhD, RADM, is this year’s recipient of the PPSI/Stan Hartman Special Distinguished Person of the Year award, which will be presented at a breakfast to be held Sunday, March 27, at the Sheraton Seattle hotel, Willow A room, Seattle, Wash., concurrently with the American Pharmacists Association 159th annual meeting.

Dr. Bertin is currently a consultant in private practice, specializing in certification and credentialing topics, and an assessor for the Accreditation Program for Personnel Certification Bodies of the American National Standards Institute. In December 2010, he retired as executive director of the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS). He had held that position since February 1997, when he left the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) after more than 30 years in a variety of clinical and administrative positions.

While in the USPHS, he served as chief pharmacist officer (as an assistant surgeon general at the grade of rear admiral) as well as in the National Institute of Mental Health, the Bureau of Medical Services, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health, the Office of the Surgeon General, and FDA. His responsibilities ranged from clinical pharmacy practice to advising the surgeon general, assistant secretary for health, and other leaders on national pharmacy issues.

He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelor of science in pharmacy. He earned a master’s degree in hospital pharmacy and a PhD in pharmacy administration from the University of Minnesota.

To attend the complimentary breakfast from 6:15 to 8:30 am, which is co-sponsored by Drug Topics, please email PPSI@aol.com.