2019 TPA Award Recipients

During the TPA Summer Meeting in June 2019, TPA honored seven individuals and a national pharmacy association for excellence and dedication to pharmacy. Congratulations! We appreciate your outstanding contributions to patients and the profession!

Please click on the names below to learn more about TPA’s 2019 award winners!

REGGIE DILLIARD, DPh

Barbara McAndrew Herald Award

Reginald Dilliard, DPh, of Franklin, Tennessee, was recognized by TPA with the 2019 Barbara McAndrew Herald Award for his work to actively promote the profession of pharmacy and the ideals of pharmacist-provided care to student pharmacists, the public, the business community, government, and other health care providers.

For nearly 40 years, Dr. Dilliard worked in community pharmacy as a staff pharmacist, pharmacy manager and store owner.  He has served as president of the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy and the Tennessee Pharmacists Association.  He has been on the NABP Executive Committee and was recently elected to serve another three-year term.  Dr. Dilliard has chaired and served on multiple committees for the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and the Tennessee Pharmacists Association, such as Disaster Preparedness and PharmPAC.  He was the Police and Fire Liaison in Bartlett, Tennessee, and served three terms on the Bartlett Board of Aldermen.

Dr. Dilliard was recognized as a Distinguished Speaker by the Seldon D. Feurt Symposium and the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy.  Belmont University College of Pharmacy awarded him the External Preceptor of the Year Award, and he received the University of Tennessee Outstanding Leadership Award.  Dr. Dilliard is dedicated to seeing the profession of pharmacy serve the public safely and compassionately with qualified pharmacy professionals.

Dr. Dilliard and his wife, Dr. Jennifer Dilliard, live in Franklin, Tennessee, and have four children, Shelby, Erica, Jackson and Carson.

The Barbara McAndrew Herald Award is supported by Germantown pharmacist Paula Bailey Hinson and sponsored by the Tennessee Pharmacists Association.

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DOUG DUNCAN, DPh

Bowl of Hygeia Award for Outstanding Community Service in Pharmacy

Douglas R. Duncan, DPh, of Dyer, Tennessee, was awarded the 2019 Bowl of Hygeia Award for Outstanding Community Service in Pharmacy in recognition of his exceptional 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. Duncan owned Duncan’s Pharmacy in Dyer, Tennessee, from 1973-2005 and currently works as the relief pharmacist.  He graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in 1968, where he was President of his first-year class, Rho Chi Honor Society member, and recipient of the Rexall Dean’s Award for Outstanding Senior.  After working at Methodist Hospital Pharmacy and Walgreens in Memphis, he served in the U.S. Navy and Medical Service Corps as a hospital pharmacist.  At Union University College of Pharmacy, he served as Clinical Preceptor and has lectured in the Introduction to Pharmacy course for over ten years.  He accompanied the college on a mission trip to Belize as a spiritual and pharmacy leader in 2011.  His positive impact on students and faculty over the years led to Union University’s renaming their Community Practice Award to the Douglas R. Duncan Community Practice Award in 2015.

Dr. Duncan has been President of the American Cancer Society, a Gibson General Hospital Advisory Board member, a Gibson County Chamber of Commerce member, and City of Dyer Alderman.  Dyer named Dr. Duncan as Citizen of the Year in 1996.  Over 30 years ago, Dr. Duncan started an educational program called PAIN (Parents Against Illegal Narcotics) in the Dyer School System, to educate parents and students on the dangers of the illegal use of prescription and street drugs.

Dr. Duncan has been an active member of First Baptist Church in Dyer and is the Chapter Director of FAITH Riders Motorcycle Ministry and Volunteer Missions Coordinator.  Dr. Duncan is a member of Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief and has taken part in many stateside relief efforts.  Dr. Duncan and his wife, Karen, have five children, Paige (Kevin), Brandon (Amy), Drew (Betsy), Kristen (Ryan) and Logan (Emily), and seven grandchildren.

Established in 1958, the Bowl of Hygeia Award recognizes pharmacists who have 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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CHRIS FINCH, PharmD, FCCM, FCCP

Tom C. Sharp Pharmacist of the Year

Christopher K. Finch, PharmD, FCCM, FCCP of Germantown, Tennessee, was recognized by TPA as the 2019 Tom C. Sharp Pharmacist of the Year for his distinguished work in the profession of pharmacy and for excellence in the areas of teaching, patient care, leadership, service delivery, and advocacy for the profession.

In 2000, Dr. Finch graduated with Highest Honors from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy, where he completed an Internal Medicine Residency in 2001.  He taught at Auburn University, Harrison School of Pharmacy, and the University of Alabama, School of Medicine for the next two years.  Dr. Finch started at Methodist University Hospital as a Critical Care Specialist in 2003 and advanced to their current Director of Pharmacy in 2015.  He also served as the Program Director of their PGY-1 Residency Program and Critical Care PGY-2 Residency Program.

Dr. Finch’s service in TPA includes the House of Delegates, Awards Committee, ad hoc Residency Committee and Membership Committee.  He is a past president of Mid-South College of Clinical Pharmacy (MSCCP) and a Fellow of both the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (FCCP) and American College of Critical Care Medicine (FCCM).  In 2013, he was recognized in the Memphis Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40.  Dr. Finch has been invited to speak all over the country, published dozens of research articles, and been involved in numerous research grants.

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

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CHAD GENTRY, PharmD, BCACP, CDE

Excellence in Innovation Award

Chad Gentry, PharmD, BCACP, CDE of Nashville, Tennessee, was recognized by TPA with the 2019 TPA Excellence in Innovation Award.  This national award, coordinated by the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations and sponsored by Upsher-Smith Laboratories, is given annually to a pharmacist who has demonstrated significant innovation in practice, resulting in improved patient care and advancement of the profession of pharmacy.

Dr. Gentry earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Tennessee Memphis in 2008.  After completing his Primary Care Specialty residency at the Holston Medical Group in Kingsport, he continued to gain experience in team-based primary care delivery.  Dr. Gentry helped develop the Mercury Courts Model, which brings students from pharmacy, nursing, social work, and medicine together to coordinate patient care at the Mercury Courts Clinic.  Working with the interprofessional faculty team, this approach has led to more patients being on appropriate medications and better control rates for hypertension and diabetes.  Dr. Gentry is also involved in the Vanderbilt Program for Interprofessional Learning (VPIL), which places interprofessional students together for two years at various clinical settings in Nashville, further nurturing a team-based approach to improving the health of patients and increasing communication across disciplines.  He is the lead pharmacist and key contributor in a Vanderbilt University study that uses text messaging to engage diabetes patients with their treatment program.  Dr. Gentry is the Lead Clinical Pharmacist at Mercury Courts Clinic and holds multiple academic appointments that include Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, and Meharry Medical College.

Dr. Gentry is the Director of Experiential Quality Assurance and an Associate Professor at Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy.  He and his wife, Brooke, are expecting their first child in July.

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Sen. FERRELL HAILE, DPh

Shelby Rhinehart Public Service Lifetime Achievement Award

Ferrell Haile, DPh, of Gallatin, TN, was honored by TPA with the 2019 Shelby Rhinehart Public Service Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of his work and support of the pharmacy profession.

This award was created in 2002 to recognize individual support of the pharmacy profession through legislative and service efforts, in honor of the late pharmacist and Representative Shelby A. Rhinehart, who served 36 years in the Tennessee General Assembly.

Dr. Haile has served patients and pharmacy while building a career around advocacy and profession advancement.  He received his B.S. in pharmacy from the University of Tennessee Memphis.  In addition to being a Tennessee state Senator, Dr. Haile is also a pharmacist and previous owner at Perkins Drugs in Gallatin.  He has advocated for pharmacy, both in practice and as a senator.  He serves on several Senate committees and is First Vice Chairman of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.  A long time TPA member, Dr. Haile was a board member for the Sumner County Health Department and the American Pharmacy Cooperative, Inc.  He was the 2017 Tennessee CASA Association Legislator of the Year and earned the 2015 Tennessee Champion of Commerce Award from the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Dr. Haile owns Haile Farms, a cattle farm in Gallatin, and is a member of the Tennessee Cattleman’s Association.  He is a former Rotary Club president and former board member of Christian Towers and World Christian Broadcasting.  He and his wife, Kay, have four children and seven grandchildren.

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BROOKLYN NELSON, PharmD, BC-ADM

Distinguished Young Pharmacist

Brooklyn Nelson, PharmD, BC-ADM, of Jonesborough, Tennessee, was recognized by TPA as the 2019 Distinguished Young Pharmacist.

Dr. Nelson has diligently worked to advance patient care through her contributions in practice and devotion to her patients as a Mountain States Medical Group Clinical Pharmacist in Johnson City and as an Assistant Professor at ETSU College of Pharmacy. Dr. Nelson received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Purdue University College of Pharmacy in 2013.  Early in her career, she developed an interest in payment models for pharmacists in primary care environments.  Her work in this area demonstrated the available cost savings to healthcare when pharmacy services are better utilized.  Dr. Nelson has worked with major insurance companies and other leaders in healthcare to improve reimbursement for pharmacy services.  Because she is regarded as one of the leaders in payment models in ambulatory care, TennCare invited her to work on their Medication Therapy Management Pilot Program.

Dr. Nelson has been involved in the Tennessee Achieves High School Mentor Program of Washington County, the ETSU Hispanic Health Fair, and the Tennessee Valley Canoe Club.

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.

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WADE RIGGINS

Herman Lubin Sales Representative of the Year

Wade Riggins of Portland, Tennessee, was recognized by TPA as the 2019 Herman Lubin Sales Representative of the Year, for his outstanding service to pharmacists and the profession of pharmacy.

A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin in 1991 in Business Economics, Mr. Riggins has worked as a Sales Consultant (Cardinal Health) and Territory Account Manager (Smith Drug Company and HD Smith Drug Wholesale Company).  His commitment to customer care, honesty, integrity and knowledge of the industry make him an asset to the pharmacy community.  He is passionate about his customers, patient care, and pharmacy operations.

Mr. Riggins and his wife, Stacey, live in Portland and have two daughters, Addison and Jenna Claire.  He serves as a deacon at Long Hollow Baptist Church, is a discipleship leader with the prison ministry Men of Valor, and is President of Agape to the Nations (nonprofit that minsters locally and in Haiti).

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NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF STATE PHARMACY ASSOCIATIONS

TPA Partner in Excellence

Award accepted on behalf of NASPA by Rebecca Snead, RPh, FAPhA, Executive Vice President and CEO

The National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) was recognized by TPA as the 2019 TPA Partner in Excellence.  This award provides visible recognition to an organization, association, or other entity that has worked closely with TPA to improve patient outcomes, promote patient safety, increase the quality of care within the larger healthcare system, and elevate the standards for pharmacist-provided patient care.

With its mission to enhance the success of state pharmacy associations in their efforts to advance the profession of pharmacy, NASPA is the organization working behind the scenes to bring state pharmacy associations together to encourage idea-sharing, collaboration, and coordination of advocacy efforts on behalf of the pharmacy profession.  NASPA also serves as the voice of TPA and state pharmacy associations at the federal level in Washington, DC.

Collaboration and teamwork are important in all phases of pharmacy practice advancement, and NASPA demonstrates this fact by living out its uniting creed, “together we are stronger.”

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