Pharmacy Times® and Parata Systems Announce the 2020 Next-Generation Pharmacist® Winners

Pharmacy Times®, the leading media resource for pharmacists, in conjunction with Parata Systems, a leading provider of pharmacy automation, recognized the 2020 winners, named at the 11th annual virtual awards gala Wednesday, Oct. 21. Allison Burns, Pharm.D., RPh, president and CEO, EMO Health, received the top honor: The 2020 Next-Generation Pharmacist®. She will be featured on the cover of the October issue of Pharmacy Times®, which will profile her contributions to the industry.

Burns is a Navy veteran who received a diagnosis of avascular necrosis (bone death) within three months of starting her pharmacy residency. She lost her ability to walk and her spot in the residency program. After being overprescribed opioid medications, she reinvented her role as a pharmacist and began to question the role of pharmacists in the opioid epidemic.

Burns established her own nonprofit, EMO Health, which provides innovative solutions to population health challenges regardless of socioeconomic status and focusing on patients suffering from substance use disorders and co-occurring mental illnesses. EMO health uses pharmacists as health care risk managers to optimize medication use and improve patient outcomes. Because of her passion for fighting the opioid epidemic,

Burns was asked recently asked to join Boston Mayor Martin Walsh's task force to address the issue and was named president and CEO of Hope House Addiction Services, the oldest and largest recovery program in Massachusetts.

“While this award ceremony might look different than past years, the accomplishment and honor is still the same,” said Rob Kill, CEO of Parata. “As the pharmacy landscape continues to evolve - especially during this unprecedented time - we are honored to recognize this year’s winners who continue to elevate the profession of pharmacy, putting patients and their communities first. Congratulations to this year’s winners and finalists.”

The 2020 Next-Generation Pharmacist® winners are:

Civic Leader: Victoria Reinhartz, Pharm.D., CPh, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, LECOM School of Pharmacy

Entrepreneur: Chris Antypas, Pharm.D., president, Asti's South Hills Pharmacy

Future Pharmacist: Angelina Raimonde, Pharm.D., B.S., Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, College of Pharmacy Class of 2020

Health System Pharmacist: David Hager, Pharm.D., director, clinical pharmacy services, University of Wisconsin Health

Lifetime Leadership: Karen L. Kier, Ph.D., M.Sc., RPh, BCPS, BCACP, CTTS, FASHP, professor of practice, director of drug and health information, Raabe College of Pharmacy, Ohio Northern University

Patient Care Provider: Randy McDonough, Pharm.D., M.S., BCPS, BCGP, co-owner, Towncrest Pharmacy; professor of practice management and innovation, Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy

Rising Star: Allison Burns, Pharm.D., RPh, president and CEO, EMO Health

Specialty Pharmacist: Kionna Oleru, Pharm.D., manager, clinical operations, BioMatrix Specialty Pharmacy

Technician: Stephanie P. Pomeroy, CPhT, pharmacy technician specialist, UNC Rex Healthcare

Technology Innovator: Drew Mihalyo, Pharm.D., founder, president and COO of Delta Care Rx

“We are so proud of this formidable list of pharmacists our panel of judges has selected as the 2020 class of Next-Generation Pharmacist® winners,” said John Hydrusko, vice president of Pharmacy & Healthcare Communications. “The selected pharmacy professionals will help in shaping the future of the pharmacy landscape and it is our pleasure to be able to honor and recognize them.”

An independent panel of distinguished judges selected winners by evaluating nominations for adherence to professional standards, experience related to each category and advancement of the profession. The three highest-scoring entries in each category were named finalists, and the top-scoring entry was named the category winner. The overall Next-Generation Pharmacist® was chosen from among the winners of the 10 pharmacist categories.

For more information, visit https://nextgenpharmacist.com, and follow Next-Generation Pharmacist® on Twitter and Facebook.

About Pharmacy Times®

Pharmacy Times® is the industry-leading multimedia pharmacy network of community, health-system, oncology and specialty pharmacy platforms, providing practical clinical and professional information that pharmacists can use in their everyday practices when counseling patients and interacting with other health care providers. Each issue and the website contain articles and features covering industry trends, medication errors, drug interactions, patient education, disease state management, patient counseling, product news, pharmacy law and more. Additionally, Pharmacy Times Continuing Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. Pharmacy Times® is a brand of MJH Life Sciences™, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels.

About Parata Systems, LLC

Parata provides pharmacy technology solutions to reduce costs, improve health outcomes and enhance the patient experience by offering the most comprehensive pharmacy automation portfolio with medication adherence packaging, high-speed robotic dispensing technologies and pharmacy workflow solutions. Discover how pharmacies across all practice settings use our solutions to stay out in front at parata.com.