Meet the TPA President: Don Branam

In July 2015, Don Branam, PharmD, BCPS, of Jacksboro, Tennessee, was installed as the 2015-2016 President of TPA at its 128th Annual Convention and Expo in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

What makes Don Branam
‘tick’? Click here!

Don is the Clinical Coordinator at LaFollette Medical Center and a relief pharmacist at Terry’s Pharmacy, also in LaFollette, Tennessee. He received his PharmD degree from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy and his BS degree from Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Kentucky. He completed his residency at the VA Medical Center in Memphis and was a pharmacist intern and pharmacist at St. Francis Hospital in Germantown, Tennessee.

Besides being a leader in TPA, Don is a Past President of TPA’s Tennessee Society of Health-System Pharmacists, as well as a member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, and the Society for Science-Based Medicine.

Don received the 2006 TSHP Pharmacist of the Year Award from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy; the 2012 Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) Preceptor of the Year Award; the 2001 Tom C. Sharp, Sr. Leadership Award; and the McNiel Class of 2001 Outstanding Student Award.

Don and his wife, Valerie, live in Jacksboro, Tennessee, with their two daughters, Olivia, 12, and Rachel, 9.

TPA members may contact Don at 423-907-1491 or donbranamrx@aol.com.

We asked Don to answer five questions, to help TPA members get to know their President. Here’s what he had to say:

1.	What is your pharmacy background?
	Prior to starting pharmacy school, I was a technician for several years and, in 1994, I was among the first group of technicians to become certified in Tennessee. I worked for Terry’s Pharmacy until 1997, when I enrolled at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy. After graduating in 2001, I completed a PGY1 residency at the VA Medical Center in Memphis. After that, my family and I moved home, and I began working at LaFollette Medical Center.

2.	What are your goals for this upcoming year?
	I want to travel a bit and work on getting our message out, both to members and non-members. I want to increase our membership. In 2016, there will be a big push from the national pharmacy organizations in support of the Provider Status legislation, and I want to ensure that Tennessee is leading the grassroots efforts.

3.	How has TPA influenced you to be a leader?
	TPA is the voice of pharmacy in Tennessee. Whenever I’ve realized that something about pharmacy practice must change, I’ve looked to TPA. That has meant that I had to get involved, and in so doing, I’ve developed a passion for the association.

4.	Who are some of your most influential mentors?
	There have been so many! During college, I worked part-time at a small clinic with a pharmacist named Tom Walker. He had encyclopedic knowledge of drug therapy, and whenever the clinicians would ask him questions, it seemed he knew everything. I remember thinking that was just about the coolest thing I’d ever seen. Years before I started pharmacy school, Tom taught me basic pharmacology, and he was the first to encourage me to become a pharmacist. Terry Ratcliff had a profound and lasting impact on me. It’s certain that I would not be a pharmacist today were it not for him. At the VA, Richard Brown and Ron Braden were my heroes. Every day, I strive to be like them.
5.	What do you like to do outside of pharmacy?
	My family keeps me pretty busy! Beyond that, I’m a lifelong fan of an author named Stephen R. Donaldson, and for almost 12 years, I’ve helped to moderate a website for his fans. I’ve traveled all over the U.S. attending gatherings of members of this website, and I’ve met wonderful people from all over the world. I love to read, and when I travel, I love to listen to audiobooks. Also, I’m an avid music fan, especially classic rock. Recently, my oldest daughter and I made a trip to Greensboro, NC., to see Rush, and we had a blast!