The Unsung Heroes of Health Care

With this fall edition, we take great pride in recognizing the unsung heroes of health care—the pharmacists who provide top-quality, caring, and cost-effective services to their communities. It’s our third year of the Next-generation Pharmacist™ awards program, in partnership with Parata Systems, which tells the stories of the pharmacists across the country who embody the best of the profession. With their actions and professional commitment to excellence, they have moved the discipline further into the future with both innovative leadership and an entrepreneurial spirit. Apanel of distinguished judges reviewed some 375 nominations from 41 states in 10 distinct categories to choose the 3 finalists in each category—all are profiled here in a special section.

What does it take to be a leader in pharmacy? In my opinion, it means thinking outside the box and always looking at the impact on the greater good when seeking a solution. A “can-do” spirit and coming up with commonsense answers are the hallmarks of these pharmacists who can and do make a difference. It’s all about personal achievement and motivation, and not waiting for someone else or an institution or the government to supply the answers. Novel ideas, useful solutions that can be used as a model for others, and a high level of service to their patients and the community in which they reside make these finalists unique. Yet they could also be your local pharmacist, as each of them reveals the face of pharmacy in a variety of settings. As you read their profiles, it will become evident that no matter what the setting, these pharmacists are self-made individuals who took charge of the health care needs in their communities. Like other individuals who make contributions to specific causes, our finalists gave generously of their time, resources, and skills to move the needle forward in some way—taking personal responsibility for the success of their programs and projects from start to finish. That’s called ownership and best-of-class results.

The Pharmacy Times team is committed to bringing similar success to our readers by providing the best articles and departments that offer the best-in-class information and trends on important clinical and professional topics. This issue is devoted to the theme of oncology, and our cover story, “targeted therapies in cancer: New drugs, New dosing” brings the very latest information on the stunning changes occurring in the world of cancer therapies as new drugs enter the market and targeting tumors at a cellular level becomes the stuff of reality. Take note, too, that our sister publication, the International Journal of Targeted Therapies in Cancer (www.onclive.com/publications/targeted-therapies), focuses exclusively on this rapidly changing health care trend.

Along with our innovative finalists from the Next-generation Pharmacist™ awards, we join in the commitment to innovation, entrepreneurship, and success—all to make a difference for our families, our communities, and our nation.

Thank you for reading!