ASHP to Recognize 2019 Zellmer Lecture Award Recipient

Erin Fox, PharmD, BCPS, FASHP will be presenting the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) tenth annual William A. Zellmer Lecture on September 10, 2019, as recipient of the 2019 Zellmer Lecture Award.¹

The nationally recognized expert takes the ASHP stage for the presentation and award ceremony during the organization’s annual Policy Week activities, where approximately 100 member leaders are expected to collaborate on the development of professional policies that improve patient care and advance pharmacy practice.¹

Fox frequently presents at state and national pharmacy and healthcare meetings, according to ASHP. Her work often focuses on the impact of rising drug costs and ongoing shortages of critical medications, and she consults with many hospitals, health systems, provider organizations, and patient advocacy groups on strategies for managing issues related to drug shortages.¹

As a panelist for a Pharmacy Times Peer Exchange video series on drug shortages, published in early 2019, Fox was vocal about this topic and the need for more communication around the issue.²

“Folks like CMS are there at the table along with FDA, and so right now we actually have, in many places in pharmacy, regulations contradicting each other. And so we’ve had the opportunity to have those discussions. Results from that task force won’t be available until the end of 2019, but I think it’s good that FDA and (then-)Commissioner Scott Gottlieb have gotten a larger table of folks to think about this problem,” she said.²

The 2019 Zellmer Lecture Award is not the first ASHP recognition for Fox. She was the 2017 co-recipient for the organization’s Award of Excellence, for her efforts of bringing awareness to the continuous issue of increasing drug prices; and she was given the 2012 ASHP Award of Excellence in recognition for her work on drug shortages.¹

Fox is Senior Director of Drug Information and Support Services at University of Utah Health and leads The University of Utah Drug Information Service, which provides content for the ASHP Drug Shortages Resource Center. This resource center is essential for practitioners, as it provides updates about any medications that are in short supply along with product availability, recommendations for managing current inventory, and, when available, alternative therapies.¹

Fox also was a key contributor to the ASHP Guidelines for Managing Drug Product Shortages, works closely with the staff of the FDA Drug Shortages Program, and regularly advises congressional staff on potential policy options to address rising drug prices and drug shortages.¹

References

• Erin Fox Honored with ASHP’s 2019 Zellmer Lecture Award [news release]. Bethesda, MD; August 20, 2019: ASHP website. https://www.ashp.org/news/2019/08/20/fox-zellmer-lecture-award. Accessed August 20, 2019.
• Shortage Effects on Clinical Trials and Future Hopes. Pharmacy Times. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/peer-exchange/understanding-drug-shortages/shortage-effects-on-clinical-trials-and-future-hopes. Published January 7, 2019. Accessed August 20, 2019.