2016 TPA Award Recipients

During the TPA Summer Meeting in July 2016, 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 2016 award winners!

JOE H. DELK, DPh

Excellence in Innovation Award

Joe H. Delk, DPh, of Columbia, Tennessee, was recently awarded the 2016 Excellence in Innovation Award, for demonstrating significant innovation in his practice, resulting in improved patient care and 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.

Dr. Delk was recognized for his unique compounding contributions to the development of transdermal and orally administered natural hormone replacement therapy, which began in the late 1970’s.

Dr. Delk completed his pre-pharmacy studies at Austin Peay State University, and post graduate work at Mercer College of Pharmacy in 1959. After graduation, he worked for the Middle Tennessee Woolridge Drug, The Maury County Hospital Pharmacy, and Wilson-Quick Pharmacy consecutively, before opening two retail pharmacies in Columbia, Tennessee.  He reopened another retail pharmacy in late 1983 as “Delk Pharmacy.”

Dr. Delk’s work as a compounding pharmacist, in combined efforts with two gynecologists, is documented in a U.S. Patent, granted on February 13, 1990, for ‘Novel Pharmaceutical Composition Containing Estradiol and Progesterone for Oral Administration.’ The three inventors had worked and researched in combined efforts for nearly a decade, toward achieving an orally administered natural hormone that would not have to be metabolized by the liver, for patented approval.

In the late 1990’s, Dr. Delk continued his work with one of the physicians included on the patent as the compounding pharmacist in the development of a transdermal, or absorbed through the skin, application of the now pervasive in use, natural hormone drop (or lotion.)

After selling Delk Pharmacy in 2001, Dr. Delk opened Rx Compound Centre and has devoted the remainder of his career exclusively to the compounding of non-sterile medications.  He remains dedicated to the improvement of the formulations and delivery systems he utilizes, as it is his quest to constantly improve the bioavailability of the hormones in solutions which he compounds.  Another area of his compounding excellence includes transdermal pain lotions: the registered trademark name ” Ketosaracaine^®” belongs to Rx Compound Centre.

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.

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RONNIE R. FELTS, DPh

Bowl of Hygeia Award for Outstanding Community Service in Pharmacy

Ronnie R. Felts, DPh, of Joelton, Tennessee, was recently awarded the 2016 Bowl of Hygeia Award for his outstanding record of civic leadership and for encouraging pharmacists to take active roles in their communities. 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. 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.  Just two weeks after earning his pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in 1974, Dr. Felts opened Joelton Prescription Shop, where he has been in practice for 42 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 as a P1, P2, P3 and P4 practice preceptor. He teaches students on site the disciplines of pharmacy, patient counseling techniques, business management, and how to manage and operate a community pharmacy Secundum Artem (according to the art of the apothecary). He also serves as a guest lecturer for the Belmont and Lipscomb Community Pharmacy Management programs.

In addition to Dr. Felts’ involvement with Tennessee colleges and schools of pharmacy, his civic service also includes the development of the Community Pharmacy Diabetes Program at Joelton Prescription Shop, with a concentration on diabetic education, treatment, and management of diabetes as a couples’ disease.  He has also initiated a free community Blood Pressure Screening through his pharmacy. In 2015, he received the Cardinal Health Generation Rx Champions Award from TPA for demonstrating excellence in community-based prescription drug abuse prevention.

Dr. Felts has been an advocate for the profession of pharmacy and member of TPA for many years. He currently serves as a Board Member on the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy Dean’s Advisory Council & Alumni Board of Directors. He 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, and as a Pharmacy Consultant and member of the T.B.I. Drug Diversion Task Force for nine years.  In addition, 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 also 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 received the Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE) Preceptor of the Year Award in 2013 from Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy.

In his acceptance speech, Dr. Felts expressed, “I am forever grateful and humbled to be this year’s recipient of the Bowl of Hygeia Award… I opened my own Pharmacy two weeks after graduating from UT.  People have asked me how I’ve been able to be successful, viable and effective in such a highly competitive, sometimes hostile, high tech business climate – there are two reasons, God’s grace and bulldog tenacity.” Dr. Felts also honored his wife of 48 years, Sandra Felts, saying “She supported me through school, she encouraged me every step of the way and has promoted me in every endeavor I undertook, and I would not think of receiving this award without her at my side.”

Together, Dr. Felts and Sandra Felts 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.

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.

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ELISA M. GREENE, PharmD, BCACP

Distinguished Young Pharmacist

Elisa M. Greene, PharmD, BCACP of Nashville, Tennessee, was recently awarded the 2016 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.

Dr. Greene received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in 2010.  After graduating, she completed an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) accredited pharmacy practice residency with an emphasis in ambulatory care and a teaching certificate program at Palm Beach Atlantic University Gregory School of Pharmacy in 2011.

Dr. Greene is currently an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Belmont University College of Pharmacy in Nashville, Tennessee.  She teaches primarily in the Pathophysiology/Therapeutics and Pharmaceutical Care sequences, and the Landmark Clinical Trials and Cross-Cultural Communication electives, in addition to guest lecturing on a variety of ambulatory care related topics. Dr. Greene provides clinical pharmacy services at Siloam Family Health Center, a non-profit clinic offering whole-person care to serve the needs of uninsured patients, many of whom are immigrants or refugees. This practice serves as a site for student pharmacists in their fourth year of course work, completing ambulatory care and missions Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences.

Dr. Greene is also highly active in local, state and international community service efforts.  Since 2011, she has been involved in medical mission work as a preceptor for student pharmacists at local and regional community outreach events, providing immunizations, blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol screenings, and health education at Brentwood High School, Barren Plains Ministry, and St. Ann’s Catholic Church.  In 2014 and 2015, she was the Team Leader for “Immersion Guatemala,” a medical outreach team to coffee plantations in Antigua, Guatemala, where she helped coordinated planning, delivery of services, and team supervision for 15-22 people. She also provided pharmacist services to a surgical team through the Shalom Foundation. Dr. Greene was the Co-Leader for a team of 14 student pharmacists engaged in rural medical clinics in Guatemala City, Guatemala, in 2012, and in the Dominican Republic in 2011.

Dr. Greene is an active member of TPA and currently serves on the TPA Ambulatory Care/Collaborative Practice committee and ad hoc New Practitioner Development Committee.  She is also a member of the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA), American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), where she serves on the Appointments Committee and Ambulatory Care Practice and Research Network.

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NICHOLAS E. “NICK” HAGEMEIER, PharmD, PhD

Cardinal Health Generation Rx Champions Award

Nicholas (Nick) E. Hagemeier, PharmD, PhD, of Johnson City, Tennessee, was recently honored with the 2016 Cardinal Health Generation Rx Champions Award, for demonstrating excellence in community-based prescription drug abuse prevention. This award is sponsored by Cardinal Health Companies and includes a $500.00 donation to the charitable organization of the recipient’s choice.  Dr. Hagemeier has chosen Families Free, a faith-oriented, community based organization operating in the Northeast Tennessee region.  Families Free offers services to women currently or formerly involved in the criminal justice system, along with their families, families impacted by incarceration, and families with children at risk for going into the foster care system.

Dr. Hagemeier is Assistant Professor at East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy (ETSU). He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree, as well as MS and PhD degrees in Pharmacy Practice, from Purdue University.

Dr. Hagemeier is the co-investigator of the $2.2 million National Institutes of Health-funded Diversity-promoting Institutions Drug Abuse Research Program at ETSU and is principal investigator on one of the core projects focused on prescription drug abuse interprofessional communication. He is Research Director of ETSU’s Center for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment, and also serves as Director of the College of Pharmacy’s Community Pharmacy Practice Research Fellowship. His research interests include survey research, practice-based research, and development of interventions that facilitate prescription drug abuse prevention.  He has published 26 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 4 book chapters/sections.

Dr. Hagemeier is an active member of TPA and has served as a Delegate and Alternate Delegate for the TPA Tennessee Society of Pharmacists.  He is also involved in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy where he has served on multiple Council of Faculties and Social and Administrative Sciences Section committees.

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DAVID SHEPARD, PharmD

Barbara McAndrew Herald Award

David Shepard, PharmD, of Dickson, Tennessee, was recently awarded the 2016 Barbara McAndrew Herald Award, by the Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) 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.

Dr. Shepard has dedicated his life to advocacy for patients, his constituents, and the profession of pharmacy. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee-Martin and his Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Tennessee (UT) Health Science Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Shepard began his career in 1974 as a pharmacist at the Nashville Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital.  There he served as one of the first board certified psychiatric clinical pharmacists in the nation. In 1981, while at the VA, Dr. Shepard opened Dickson Apothecary in Dickson, Tennessee, with his wife Martha, who is also a pharmacist. Dr. Shepard continued to work at the VA before leaving to work full-time at Dickson Apothecary.  The Shepard’s opened a total of four stores in the Dickson area, and they are still highly involved in the Dickson Apothecary family of pharmacies.

A well-respected member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, Dr. Shepard has served as the District 69 State Representative since 2000. He served as Vice Chairman of the House Commerce Committee, Vice Chairman of the Senate/House TennCare Oversight Committee, Member of the Senate/House Fiscal Review Committee, and member of the Senate/House Veterans Oversight Committee. He is a member of the House Health and Human Resources Committee, the Professional Occupations Subcommittee, the Health Care Facilities Subcommittee, and the Industrial Impact Subcommittee. He has also served in Dickson as a member of the City Council and as Vice Mayor.

Dr. Shepard is an active and long-time member of TPA, and has received the Association’s 1998 Bowl of Hygeia Community Service Award and 2000 Tom C. Sharp Pharmacist of the Year Award.  He has also served as the President of the Dickson County UT Alumni Association and Member of the UT College of Pharmacy Alumni Board.

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.

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NINA SMOTHERS, DPh, MBA

Tom C. Sharp Pharmacist of the Year

Nina Smothers, DPh, MBA, of Huntingdon, Tennessee, was recently awarded the Tom C. Sharp 2016 Pharmacist of the Year Award by the Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA), 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.

Dr. Smothers graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in 1974, and began her career as a relief pharmacist in community pharmacy before becoming employed by Carroll County General Hospital in Huntingdon in 1975, where she organized their pharmacy department.  In 1998, Dr. Smothers completed an MBA in Health Services Management, and continues to work for the hospital, now Baptist Memorial Hospital – Huntington, as Pharmacy Director and Ancillary Services Manager.

Dr. Smothers has built a lasting and distinguished career within the profession of pharmacy.  In particular, during her service in 2015 as the President of the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy, Dr. Smothers made significant professional contributions to moving the profession of pharmacy forward in the area of patient care.

During Dr. Smothers’ tenure on the Board of Pharmacy, she chaired the Board’s effort to address a complete rules revision of Tennessee’s compounding rules, and in particular, sterile compounding practice. Through this effort, she guided the development of a model Gap Analysis document which is in use today and helps sterile compounding pharmacists to assess and implement continuous quality improvement efforts related to sterile compounding pharmacy practice. This effort has resulted in safer compounding pharmacy practice and improved patient care in Tennessee.

Also, in her role as President of the Board of Pharmacy, Dr. Smothers oversaw the process of the Board’s comprehensive revision of the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy Rules, which will allow more contemporary pharmacy practice, establish rules for collaborative pharmacy practice, and new long-term care rules. The adoption of these rules will authorize pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians to provide the highest level of care possible to their patients through new models of care and a more collaborative, team-based approach.

Additionally, Dr. Smothers has been a long-time member of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA), served as President of the Tennessee Society of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP, a society within the TPA) from 2001-2002, and worked on various committees within TSHP.  She has received the 2002 TSHP Health-System Pharmacist of the Year Award, and Baptist Memorial Hospital – Huntington received the 1996 TSHP Innovative Pharmacy Practice Award.  She has further contributed to her community through her work with Huntingdon Business and Professional Women’s Club.

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.

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CHARLES E. “BUDDY” STEPHENS, DPh

Shelby Rhinehart Public Service Lifetime Achievement Award

Charles E. “Buddy” Stephens, DPh, of Lebanon, Tennessee, was recently honored with the 2016 Shelby Rhinehart Public Service Lifetime Achievement Award by the Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA), in recognition of his work throughout a distinguished career supporting the pharmacy profession.  Dr. Stephens’ high public service standards embody those set by the inaugural recipient, Representative Shelby A. Rhinehart.

Dr. Stephens has served the pharmacy profession in many capacities during his distinguished career. Since graduation from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in 1972, he has practiced as a community pharmacist and currently owns Rx Med, LLC, a long-term care pharmacy in Lebanon, Tennessee. Dr. Stephens has worked as a pharmacist surveyor for the Tennessee Department of Health and Health Care Facilities to protect vulnerable residents in the long-term care arena. He has also served as a member of the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy and was President of the Board in 2013. Dr. Stephens is a long-time member of TPA and served as TPA President in 1997-1998. He has also served as Chair of the TPA Tennessee Society of Long-Term Care Pharmacists (TSLTCP), a Delegate for TSLTCP, and in numerous committees and other leadership positions within the association.  At the national level, he is an active member of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists.

In addition to his professional activities, Dr. Stephens is a valued and politically active member of the Tennessee Pharmacists Political Action Committee. He continues to advocate for expansion of pharmacy practice and is widely considered to be an assertive and knowledgeable leader in the areas of health policy, pharmacy laws and regulations. He is also an active member of his community, serving many community organizations and professional workgroups.

Dr. Stephens is widely recognized by his peers as a pioneer in the long-term care pharmacy practice arena. His efforts have driven innovations and improvements in the profession that have resulted in higher quality patient care and better health outcomes for the individuals he has served.

Created in 2002 to recognize individuals supportive of the pharmacy profession through legislative and service efforts, the Shelby Rhinehart Public Service Lifetime Achievement Award was named in honor of the late pharmacist and Representative Shelby A. Rhinehart, who served 36 years in the Tennessee General Assembly.

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JOSH WHEATLEY

Herman Lubin Sales Representative of the Year

Josh Wheatley of Maryville, Tennessee, was the recipient of the 2016 Herman Lubin Sales Representative of the Year Award, for his outstanding service to pharmacists and the profession of pharmacy. This announcement was made during a ceremony at the 129th Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) Summer Meeting on July 18, 2016, in Point Clear, Alabama. Wheatley, unable to attend the event, will receive the award at the 2017 TPA Winter Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.

Wheatley is a Territory Sales Manager, Retail Independent Sales with Cardinal Health, Inc., and has been with the company since 2007.  He received his BA degree from Maryville College in 2001, majoring in Business/Organizational Management with an Accounting minor.  He serves retail independent and alternate care pharmacies in eastern and middle Tennessee.  Wheatley believes that pharmacists play an essential role in providing high-quality patient care and improving overall health outcomes.  He is passionate about his customers, patient care, and pharmacy operations.

Wheatley and his wife, Laura, live in Maryville, Tennessee, with their two children (Elizabeth and Jude) and serve together at Broadway Baptist Church.  Josh is also a volunteer with the Blount County Community Health Initiative, where he serves on the Substance Abuse Prevention Action Team (SAPAT).

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TENNESSEE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

Partner in Excellence Award

The Tennessee Pharmacists Association has been working collaboratively with the Tennessee Medical Association (TMA) over the past several years on landmark legislation to improve patient safety, quality of patient care and, ultimately, patient outcomes. In 2014 and 2015, TMA worked with TPA and fully supported efforts to enact and define the Collaborative Pharmacy Practice Act.

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