Celebrating the Spirited Profession of Pharmacy

In the August issue of Pharmacy Times, we celebrate the pharmacist on a very personal level, recognizing the daily impact he or she has on patients--and, ultimately, the health care system. Pharmacists are often the very first and the very last health care professional to see a person in need. We at Pharmacy Times know that they bring the very spirit that makes this country so unique to their practice--basic common sense, entrepreneurship, and a true sense of service for the community. So it is with great pleasure that we announce the 2011 Next-Generation Pharmacist^TM as well as those pharmacists being honored in 11 distinct segments of the profession in our Next-Generation Pharmacist^TM Awards program.

When we began this unique awards program in 2010 in partnership with Parata Systems, we were gratified to hear the personal stories of how pharmacists were making a real difference (see the videos of the inaugural NGP winners at www.pharmacytimes.com/next-gen-video). And again this year, a host of talented and innovative pharmacy professionals were nominated for these awards with 41 states and Guam represented. These pharmacists define the present and future of the industry.

With awards such as Civic Leader, where our award winner raises money for World War II veterans, and Industry Advocate, where the award winner singlehandedly impacts a large 4-county area, to Lifetime Achievement, where our awarded pharmacist spends time in civic leadership and passes his passion for pharmacy to his sons and students--these are people with a true dedication to making an impact on a local level and changing lives for the better.

The Next-Generation Pharmacist^TM Awards program is a real grassroots reflection of the profession and clearly demonstrates the huge influence pharmacists have in diverse practice settings nationwide. We announced the category finalists in our July issue. Now we are proud to announce the category winners in this issue. All of them--including pharmacists, technicians, and students--will be honored at a gala dinner in Boston on August 29, when they will be recognized by the industry and their peers at this special event. All of us at Pharmacy Times couldn't be more proud to showcase the incredible accomplishments of these individual pharmacists--and share their stories with you.

The August issue focuses on Oncology, and we bring you a host of valuable information on the latest research in this area, as well as counseling advice on working with patients with cancer. With the robust drug pipeline in this field, it'ss important for pharmacists to keep up-to-date on new drugs and treatments as they interact with physicians and patients to achieve optimal outcomes. Our feature, "Cancer and Cultural Complexity: Adjusting Attitudes" on page 53 will also provide you with current study results and insights into modern culture as cancer pervades our society. As a reminder to all iPad users, this issue will also be available on our app, featuring exclusive multimedia content.

Thank you for reading!

Mike Hennessy