2015 TPA Award Recipients

During the TPA Annual Convention in July 2015, the following TPA Award Recipients were honored for their excellence and dedication. To these extraordinary individuals— Congratulations! We appreciate your outstanding contributions to patients and the profession!

Please click on the names below to learn more about TPA’s award-winning individuals!

CHARLES “CHAMP” CHAMPION, DPh

Shelby Rhinehart Public Service Lifetime Achievement Award

Charles Champion, DPh, of Memphis, Tennessee, was recently honored with the 2015 Shelby Rhinehart Public Service Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of his work throughout a distinguished career supporting the pharmacy profession. Dr. Champion’s high public service standards embody those set by the inaugural recipient, Representative Shelby A. Rhinehart. He was honored with the award during a ceremony at the 128^th Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) Annual Convention and Exposition on July 16, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Dr. Champion, better known as the herbal pharmacist, is the pharmacist and owner of Champion’s Pharmacy and Herb Store in Memphis, Tennessee.

A graduate of Xavier University College of Pharmacy in New Orleans, Louisiana, Dr. Champion spent two years in Germany as a pharmacist for the United States Army before returning to work in the pharmacy at John Gaston Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, where he spent 12 years. He then worked as a pharmacist at a chain drugstore for an additional 12 years before opening Champion’s Pharmacy and Herb Store pharmacy in 1981.

Dr. Champion has dedicated over 60 years to the profession of pharmacy and to his community, and has set a precedent of excellence in patient care. Recently, a resolution adopted by the Memphis City Council this past spring recognized Dr. Champion for his business acumen and a lifetime of personal and professional service to his community and relief to his fellow man, as well as authorizing the naming of a street to honor him in Memphis. This resolution mentions all the mothers who have sought the wisdom of Dr. Champion for everything from diaper rash to colic, as well as the unique research he has done regarding scripture references about plants, herbs, and flowers resulting in a booklet he published entitled, “Herbs Found in the Bible.” Dr. Champion also manages a successful mail-order herbal product business.

He has received many prestigious awards throughout the years, including the Bowl of Hygeia Award for outstanding community service by a pharmacist and the 1987 Pharmacist of the Year Award from TPA. He also received the Dr. Henry L. Starks Distinguished Service Award; the Outstanding Achievement in Health Profession Award, presented by Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; and the Outstanding Service Award, presented by the National Pharmaceutical Association.

WILLIAM S. “BILL” ELEY

Herman Lubin Sales Representative of the Year

William S. “Bill” Eley, of Montgomery, Alabama, was recently honored with the 2015 Herman Lubin Sales Representative of the Year Award, for his outstanding service to pharmacists and the profession of pharmacy. He was presented with the award during a ceremony at the 128^th Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) Annual Convention and Exposition on July 16, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Eley is the Director of Legislative Affairs for the American Pharmacy Cooperative Inc. (APCI). His responsibilities include assisting the APCI Legislative Affairs Division by identifying and monitoring pharmacy or health-related legislative issues in APCI member states, by working closely with APCI professional government representation, and working with state association executives on state and national issues. Eley brings over 20 years of state and federal legislative and regulatory experience to APCI. Prior to joining APCI in March of 2006, Eley was the Executive Director of the Alabama Pharmacy Association.

Eley and his wife, Linda, have three adult children, sons Lance and Will and daughter Susan Mary, as well as two grandsons. Lance’s wife and mother to both grandsons, Tait, is a pharmacist, and they reside in Montgomery. Eley is a member of the First United Methodist Church in Montgomery.

JAMES C. “JIM” EOFF, PharmD

Barbara McAndrew Herald Award

James C. “Jim” Eoff III, PharmD, of Germantown, Tennessee, was recently awarded the 2015 Barbara McAndrew Herald Award, for actively promoting the profession of pharmacy and the ideals of pharmaceutical care to student pharmacists, the public, the business community, government, and other health care providers. The award was presented to Dr. Eoff during a ceremony at the 128^th Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) Annual Convention and Exposition on July 16, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Dr. Eoff retired in December 2014, after a 45-year career teaching at the University of Tennessee (UT) College of Pharmacy. For the past 27 years, he has served as the Executive Associate Dean, Dean of Student Affairs, and Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at the UT College of Pharmacy, and was named Distinguished Professor in 2013. He received both his bachelor and doctorate degrees in pharmacy from the UT College of Pharmacy. He served on the faculty full time from 1970 to 1978, at which time he purchased Balmoral Pharmacy in Memphis, but he continued to teach the Over the Counter Medication course that he developed and implemented in 1970. He rejoined the College in 1984 and served as interim dean of the College in 1989. He also held the position of Director of the College’s Minority Center of Excellence and has been principal investigator for three Minority Center of Excellence grants, 1992, 2003, and 2010, totaling $6.5 million.

Dr. Eoff was appointed to the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy in 1978 and served as its president in 1982. He is an active member of TPA, having served as president of the TPA Tennessee Society of Independent Pharmacists in 1989 and president of TPA in 1996. TPA honored him as their 1989 recipient of the A. H. Robbins “Bowl of Hygeia” Award for outstanding community service.

Dr. Eoff served as president of the UT College of Pharmacy Alumni Association on two occasions, and in 1987, he was the recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award of the College of Pharmacy. He has also served on the Shelby County UT Alumni Association Board and on the UT National Alumni Board of Governors. He was awarded the UT National Alumni Association’s Outstanding Teacher Award on four separate occasions and received the UT National Alumni Association Distinguished Community Service Award in 1990. He has also received numerous student teaching awards during his career and was co-editor of the American Pharmacists Association’s Complete Pharmacy Review book, for the first 10 editions.

Dr. Eoff and his wife, Ann, have three sons, two daughters, and seven grandchildren. He served as chairman of the Briarcrest Christian School Board of Trustees and on the administrative board of Christ United Methodist Church, where he has taught the Lamplighters Sunday School class for more than 40 years.

The Barbara McAndrew Herald Award was initiated in 2006, to recognize an individual who has actively promoted the profession of pharmacy and the ideals of pharmaceutical care to student pharmacists, the public, the business community, government, and other health care providers. The award is supported by Germantown pharmacist Paula Bailey Hinson and sponsored by the Tennessee Pharmacists Association.

RONNIE R. FELTS, DPh

Cardinal Health Generation Rx Champions Award

Ronnie R. Felts, DPh, of Joelton, Tennessee, was recently awarded the 2015 Cardinal Health Generation Rx Champions Award, for demonstrating excellence in community-based prescription drug abuse prevention. The award was presented to Dr. Felts during a ceremony at the 128^th Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) Annual Convention and Exposition on July 16, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This award is sponsored by Cardinal Health Companies and includes a $500.00 donation to the charitable organization of the recipient’s choice. Dr. Felts has chosen the Wounded Warriors Project.

Dr. Felts is the pharmacist and owner of Joelton Prescription Shop in Joelton, Tennessee. He attended Austin Peay State University, Mercer University, the University of Memphis and the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy, and holds two degrees. He opened Joelton Prescription Shop just two weeks after earning his pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in 1974. Dr. Felts has been in practice for 41 years.

Dr. Felts holds four Associate Professorships in pharmacy practice from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy, East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy and Belmont University College of Pharmacy and serves as a P1, P2, P3 and P4 practice preceptor. He serves as a Pharmacy Consultant and member of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Drug Diversion Task Force, and previously served as a Pharmacy Consultant for the Department of Human Services, division of Adult Protective Services of the State of Tennessee, for three years. Dr. Felts has testified before a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., resulting in its becoming a felony offense to rob a pharmacy or pharmacist of a controlled substance.

Dr. Felts has been an advocate for the profession of pharmacy and member of TPA for many years. He also currently serves as a Board Member on the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy Dean’s Advisory Council and Alumni Board of Directors.  He has previously served as President of the Middle Tennessee Society of Pharmacists.  Dr. Felts and his pharmacy have been featured in two national pharmacy publications: In Drug Topics Magazine, he was featured as one of the “Independent Superstars – The Ones to Watch,” receiving recognition for exceptional pharmacy services and handling a crisis.  Dr. Felts’ pharmacy was featured in the September 2011 issue of America’s Pharmacist as one of six “Super Pharmacies.” He also was featured in the Tennessean and The City Paper by First Tennessee Bank as “One of ‘22’ Successful Businessmen and Entrepreneurs” in 2007, and was interviewed and featured in a National Geographic Television Documentary, Drugs, Inc., in 2013. Dr. Felts also received the IPPE Preceptor of the Year Award in 2013 from Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy.

Dr. Felts’ pharmacy was featured in the September 2011 issue of America’s Pharmacist as one of six “Super Pharmacies.” He was featured in the Tennessean and The City Paper by First Tennessee Bank as “One of ‘22’ Successful Businessmen and Entrepreneurs” in 2007, and was interviewed and featured in a National Geographic Television Documentary, Drugs, Inc., 2013.

Dr. Felts and his wife Sandra have been married for 47 years, and together they have developed a Marriage Enrichment Program, which they have presented at churches and Christian retreat centers in four states. He has also served as Board Member and Chairman of the Board at First Baptist Church in Joelton, Tennessee, and attends First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

REBECCA HARRIS HOPPER, BSPharm, PharmD, BCACP, BCADM, CDE

Tom C. Sharp 2014 Pharmacist of the Year Award

Rebecca Harris Hopper, BSPharm, PharmD, BCACP, BCADM, CDE, of Nashville, Tennessee, was recently awarded the Tom C. Sharp 2014 Pharmacist of the Year Award for her distinguished work in the profession of pharmacy, and excellence in the areas of teaching, patient care, leadership, service delivery and advocacy for the profession. She was presented the award during a ceremony at the 128^th Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) Annual Convention and Exposition on July 16, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Dr. Hopper is the Pharmacist Supervisor at St. Thomas Medical Partners Family Health Center-West, in Nashville, Tennessee. She received a Pre-Pharmacy degree from Austin Peay State University in 1984, her BS Pharmacy degree from the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy in 1987, and her PharmD degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 2000. A Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE), Dr. Hopper achieved Board Certification in Advanced Diabetes Management (BCADM), as well as Board Certification as an Ambulatory Care Pharmacist (BCACP).

In her 25 years as a pharmacist, Dr. Hopper has distinguished herself as an exemplary pharmacist and worked relentlessly to advance the profession of pharmacy. She is an engaged member of TPA and has worked to provide care to patients through several of the innovative patient care programs offered through the Tennessee Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation (TPREF). She was one of the most successful participants in the BlueCross BlueShield Health Foundation grant program, through which she enrolled and provided care to the maximum number of patients allowed by this grant. Through this program, she was able to provide high quality, outcomes-driven care which improved the health and lives of her patients.

Additionally, she has skillfully improved the outcomes for those patients while earning the respect of all her health care team colleagues at St. Thomas Medical Partners Family Health Center-West. As a result, she has built relationships with physicians, prescribers, and patients within her patient centered medical home (PCMH), which has allowed her to demonstrate the true value of pharmacists as providers to the administration and executive leadership within St. Thomas.

Dr. Hopper also volunteered, and worked from the start, in the TPA-led effort for development and passage of the Collaborative Practice Act in 2014. She has also presented testimony to the regulatory board members tasked with developing rules to implement this groundbreaking legislation. She made a compelling case for pharmacist involvement in team-based collaborative care.

Beyond her role as a pharmacist and active member of her state pharmacy association, she has also given talks on medication use at churches and senior citizens’ centers and participated in career days at various schools.

The Tom C. Sharp Pharmacist of the Year Award is sponsored by the Tennessee Pharmacists Association in honor of Tom C. Sharp, Sr., who had served as the Association’s chief executive for 30 years, and also honors the service of his son, Tom C. Sharp, Jr., who served as chief executive for 30 years following his father’s tenure.

W. SHANNON McCOOL, DPh

Excellence in Innovation Award

Shannon McCool, DPh, of Johnson City, Tennessee, was recently awarded the 2015 Excellence in Innovation Award, for demonstrating significant innovation in his practice, resulting in improved patient care and advancement of the profession of pharmacy. He was presented the award during a ceremony at the 128^th Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) Annual Convention and Exposition on July 16, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This is a national award coordinated by the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations and is sponsored by Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc.

Dr. McCool is the Director, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and a founder of RxBio, Inc., an early-stage biotechnology company. Until recently, Dr. McCool served as an assistant professor of pharmacy (unpaid) and continues to serve as a preceptor at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy. He has spent over 30 years intimately involved in the development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products, having worked for Eli Lilly and Company in a number of capacities and having served as head of strategic planning, corporate licensing, and business development for the U.S. operations of Beecham Laboratories (now GlaxoSmithKline). As a consultant, Dr. McCool has assisted major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to develop and commercialize important products, and he has been responsible for forming and managing two biotechnology start-up companies.

Dr. McCool also serves as President and Chief Manager of The Fallon Group, LLC, a proprietary consulting company that specializes in licensing and business development, market opportunity assessments, and commercialization strategies.

Dr. McCool is a member of TPA and a longtime member of the First District Pharmacists Association.   In recent years, he has forged alliances among his private enterprise, the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy, and the University of Tennessee Research Foundation to bring products to market.

Dr. McCool and his wife Sherry T. McCool have one daughter and two grandchildren.

The Excellence in Innovation Award recognizes qualified pharmacists who have demonstrated significant innovation in their practice, method, or service directly or indirectly resulting in improved patient care and/or advancement of the profession of pharmacy. This is a national award coordinated by the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations and is sponsored by Upsher-Smith Laboratories, Inc.

RAEWYN T. SNODDERLY, PharmD

Distinguished Young Pharmacist

Raewyn T. Snodderly, PharmD, of LaFollette, Tennessee, was recently awarded the 2015 Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award, for her involvement in state and national pharmacist associations, community activities and leadership, her unique talent for patient care, individual excellence and outstanding contributions to the profession of pharmacy. The award was presented to Dr. Snodderly during a ceremony at the 128^th Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) Annual Convention and Exposition on July 16, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Dr. Snodderly is the pharmacist-in-charge and co-owner of Terry’s Pharmacy in LaFollette, Tennessee, where she began her career as a pharmacist after earning her PharmD degree from Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy in 2008. One of Dr. Snodderly’s first projects was implementing a vaccination program at Terry’s Pharmacy, which has had resounding success. Additionally, she started conducting diabetes education through a series of free classes known as “Diabetic Sweet Spots,” is participating in a grant program through the Tennessee Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation for diabetes accreditation, and will be providing diabetes education and care to patients who are eligible to enroll in that program.

Dr. Snodderly’s professional involvement includes active memberships in the TPA and the TPA Tennessee Society of Independent Pharmacists (TSIP). She has served several times as a delegate for TSIP in the TPA House of Delegates, served as TSIP Secretary Treasurer (2014-2015), and is currently serving as the TSIP Chair-Elect (2015-2016). Dr. Snodderly is also an active member of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) and currently serves on the NCPA Steering Committee for Payments. Her professional honors and awards include receiving the Samford University Past President Award for Outstanding Service (2008) and the Samford University Deans Award (2008). She has also previously served on the Board of Directors of the Campbell County Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Snodderly lives in LaFollette, Tennessee, with her husband, John, and their two children, and attends the LaFollette United Methodist Church.

The Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award was created in 1987 by Pharmacists Mutual Companies to encourage newer pharmacists to become involved in association activities and civic projects, and to recognize one such pharmacist in each state for individual excellence and outstanding contributions.

GEORGE “MAC” WILHOIT, DPh

Bowl of Hygeia Award

George “Mac” Wilhoit, DPh, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was recently awarded the 2015 Bowl of Hygeia Award for outstanding community service. He was presented the award during a ceremony at the 128^th Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) Annual Convention and Exposition on July 16, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Bowl of Hygeia is sponsored by the American Pharmacists Association Foundation, the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations, and the American Pharmacists Association, with support from Boehringer Ingelheim.

Dr. Wilhoit is the owner of Mac’s Pharmacy, Inc., in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he has practiced pharmacy for over 25 years, as well as Lowe’s Drug in Maryville, Tennessee. He earned his pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in Memphis.

Dr. Wilhoit has actively served his community through his pharmacy and patient outreach. He has been an innovator in implementing new clinical services in his pharmacy practice and continues to be dedicated to improving the health and outcomes of his patients. Specifically, he developed and implemented his own version of a patient medication compliance program, Mac’s Pharmacy Synchronization Solution, to improve adherence in his patient population, before any formal program was available at the national level. He also renovated his pharmacy to provide private consultation rooms to better serve his patients.

Mac’s Pharmacy was one of the first pharmacies to volunteer to participate in the Tennessee Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation BlueCross BlueShield Foundation Diabetes Patient Care project, which resulted in significant improvement in patients served through the program. In addition, Dr. Wilhoit pursued Diabetes Accreditation Standards Practical Application (DASPA) recognition for his pharmacy, making it the first community pharmacy to achieve that recognition in the Knoxville area. Dr. Wilhoit has developed his own educational offering called “Rescue A1C,” now offered through his pharmacy for patients with diabetes. Mac’s Pharmacy was an early adopter and provider of Medication Therapy Management and immunization services for the pharmacy’s patients. Dr. Wilhoit also developed and implemented a free children’s vitamin program for those in his community.

As a result of Dr. Wilhoit’s innovative efforts and practices, Mac’s Pharmacy received the Cardinal Health Award for Leading Change in Community Pharmacy in 2014, and was named one of three finalists in the Cardinal Health Independent Pharmacy Best Practices Competition. In May 2015, the pharmacy was named one of three finalists for the Small Business Excellence Award as part of the Knoxville Pinnacle Awards, an award presented to an East Tennessee small business for demonstrating customer loyalty and operational efficiency in delivery of products and services.

Dr. Wilhoit is actively involved in the pharmacy profession at both the state and national levels. He is a member of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association and served as chair of the Tennessee Society of Independent Pharmacists (TSIP) in 2011-2012. He continues to serve as a TSIP delegate to the TPA House of Delegates. Nationally, he is involved with the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), has been a member of the NCPA Resolutions Committee for several years, and has served as a TPA delegate to the NCPA House. Dr. Wilhoit also supports the development of future pharmacists, as a preceptor for the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy, East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, and South College School of Pharmacy.

In addition to his pharmacy-related contributions, Dr. Wilhoit has a sustained record of community service through his involvement with a variety of local organizations and causes. He has served as an active volunteer with the Knoxville Chapter of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and is the 2015 chair of the Knoxville ADA Step Out Walk campaign. He was also selected as the 2012 ADA Local Champion of the Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes. Dr. Wilhoit has been actively involved in supporting schools in his community and has coached youth basketball and baseball teams. He is a member of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Knoxville and has served as a Eucharistic Minister, usher, and volunteer leader for over 20 years. He is a former member of the Knights of Columbus service organization.

Established in 1958, the Bowl of Hygeia Award recognizes pharmacists who possess outstanding records of civic leadership in their communities and encourages pharmacists to take active roles in the affairs of their respective communities. The award is presented annually by participating state pharmacist associations, including those in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In addition to service through their local, state and national pharmacy associations, award recipients have devoted their time, talent and resources to a wide variety of causes and community service.