Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy and AMCP Foundation Hold Annual Awards Dinner to Honor Professionals Who Have Made Lasting Contributions

SAN DIEGO, March 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy and AMCP Foundation last night recognized a group of thought leaders for their significant contributions to the profession of managed care pharmacy. Eight awards were presented at the gala Annual Awards Dinner held on March 27 as part of the AMCP Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy Annual Meeting in San Diego, California.

"Recipients of these awards are the pillars of our profession," says AMCP CEO Susan A. Cantrell, RPh, CAE. "The Awards Dinner gives us a chance to honor these individuals for the work they have done to advance the practice of managed care pharmacy and ensure AMCP remains a vibrant and influential organization. Award recipients are role models for their peers and the rising generation of managed care pharmacy professionals."

Managed care pharmacy's highest honor is the AMCP Foundation's Steven G. Avey Award, which recognizes sustained, exemplary and distinguished service to the profession of managed care pharmacy. The 2019 award goes to its namesake Steven G. Avey, MS, RPh, FAMCP, Vice President of Enterprise Specialty Clinical Solutions at Medimpact.

Over his long career, Avey has served in many leadership and advocacy roles that have helped shape the managed care pharmacy profession from its inception. He was AMCP President in 1998 and hired as the AMCP Foundation Executive Director in 2000. During his five-year tenure at the Foundation, Avey was instrumental in establishing the Format for Formulary Submissions, which has become the industry standard for managed care organizations to request information and evaluate pharmaceuticals for formulary placement, coverage and reimbursement decisions. 

Under Avey's leadership, the Foundation also started the National Pharmacy and Therapeutics Competition, which gives student pharmacists an immersive experience in the skills necessary for effective formulary review and management. He also launched the Best Poster Competition to recognize outstanding research conducted by student pharmacists, residents and fellows. In the fall of 2005, the Foundation changed the name of its prestigious Life-Time Achievement Award to recognize Avey for his sustained contributions in improving the assessment process of new medications for formulary inclusion.

Other awards presented in 2019 are:

Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy (JMCP) Award of Excellence: The award this year went to an the article "Development of Quality Indicators to Assess Oral Anticoagulant Management in Community Pharmacies for Patients with Atrial Fibrillation", in the April 2018 issue of JMCP. Authors are Mylène Chartrand, Line Guénette, Denis Brouillette, Stéphane Côté, Roger Huot, Jérôme Landry, Josée Martineau, Sylvie Perreault, Brian White-Guay, David Williamson, Élisabeth Martin, Marie-Mireille Gagnon, Lyne Lalonde

Experiential Education Preceptor Award: Recipient Maher Abdel-Sattar, PharmD, MS, is an Assistant Director within the Global Health Economics and Outcomes Research team at Xcenda, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AmerisourceBergen. Abdel-Sattar has served as a preceptor to dozens of student pharmacists in Xcenda's Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) rotations and has served as lead APPE Coordinator.

Managed Care Pharmacy Residency Director/Preceptor Award: Recipient Annie Schuster, PharmD, is Clinical Program Senior Director at Cigna. Schuster is the Residency Program Director for the Post Graduate Year 1 managed care pharmacy residency program, and has helped promote past residents into key roles within the organization. She is the incoming Chair of the AMCP Professional Practice Committee.

New Practitioner Award: Recipient Joshua Brown, PharmD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor and the Associate Graduate Program Director at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes & Policy. Since his recent graduation, Brown has published roughly 50 manuscripts and has received grants from multiple sources, including the FDA and the National Institutes of Health.

Grassroots Advocacy Award: Recipient Manjula Jayabalan, PharmD, MBA, is a Clinical Pharmacist Account Manager at Magellan Rx Management. Jayablan has been a key member of the AMCP Legislative Regulatory Action Committee, as well as her home state Tennessee Pharmacist Association. Jayablan help revive AMCP's critical grassroots group known as State Advocacy Coordinators program.

Individual Contribution Award: Recipient Christina J. Barrington, PharmD, is Vice President of Pharmacy Programs for Priority Health. Barrington was instrumental in the 2009 start-up of the Midwest AMCP chapter, where she served as President from 2009 to 2011, and again from 2017 to 2018.

Spirit of Volunteerism Award: Recipient Kimberly Lenz, PharmD, is Clinical Pharmacy Manager for the Office of Clinical Affairs at the University of Massachusetts Medical School's Commonwealth Medicine Division. Lenz has been a driving force on the AMCP Professional Practice Committee, and was one of the leaders in the development of AMCP's Pain Tool Kit.

Distinguished Service Award: Recipient Margaret Byun, PharmD, MS, is Assistant Director-Finance and Administration for the Department of Ambulatory Care Pharmacy at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy. Byun has introduced countless students to the principles of managed care pharmacy, and more than 40 student pharmacist teams from her college have participated in the AMCP Foundation's Annual Pharmacy & Therapeutics Competition.

Fellows of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy: Recipients are:

Ami Gopalan, PharmD, MBA, Vice President of Clinical Services and Strategy for Precision for Value. Gopalan developed an innovative way to demonstrate the value of clinical utilization management policies to commercial clients.

Dana Davis McCormick, Director of Pharmacy Sales and Account Management for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. McCormick served as 2014-2015 AMCP President, and currently serves on the Past President and Founder's Committee.

Carly Rodriguez, PharmD, Pharmacy Director, Clinical Innovation at Moda Health. Rodriquez currently serves as President of the Northwest AMCP Affiliate, as well as Chair of the AMCP Organizational Affairs Committee, and as an AMCP Diplomat to the University of Washington.

About AMCP
The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) is the nation's leading professional association dedicated to increasing patient access to affordable medicines, improving health outcomes and ensuring the wise use of health care dollars. Through evidence- and value-based strategies and practices, the Academy's 8,000 pharmacists, physicians, nurses and other practitioners manage medication therapies for the 270 million Americans served by health plans, pharmacy benefit management firms, emerging care models and government. www.amcp.org. 

About the AMCP Foundation
Established in 1990, the 501(c)3 nonprofit AMCP Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP). It exists to advance collective knowledge and insights on major issues associated with the practice of pharmacy in managed health care settings. By facilitating innovative research initiatives and providing educational opportunities to learn about managed care pharmacy, the AMCP Foundation invests in the future of managed care. Visit www.amcpfoundation.org.

SOURCE Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy

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