The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) has announced faculty member Douglas A. Miller, PharmD, FAPhA, as the 2013 recipient of the APhA Gloria Niemeyer Francke Leadership Mentor Award. Miller was selected in recognition for his exceptional mentorship in leadership, as evidenced by the large cadre of former students, trainees and colleagues who have served as leaders within the profession.

The award, named for the pharmacy leader and former APhA staff member Gloria Niemeyer Francke, was established in 1993 to recognize an individual who has promoted and encouraged pharmacists to attain leadership positions through example, acting as a role model and mentor. Miller will be officially recognized during the APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition, March 1- 4 in Los Angeles. The APhA awards and honors program is the most comprehensive recognition program in the profession of pharmacy.

Miller is a professor in Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Wayne State University, where he teaches courses dealing with professional practice and patient care. He earned his BSPharm from the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy and his PharmD from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science. His pharmacy experience includes practice in community, long term care and hospital settings. For more than 20 years, he was part of a team that conceptualized and implemented innovative clinical pharmacy services at Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital.

A colleague nominated Miller, stating, "During the time I spent working with Doug, he repeatedly emphasized to me the importance of becoming and remaining active in professional associations. He taught me the importance of 'giving back' to the profession and contributing to its advancement. He emphasized that there are important issues within the pharmacy profession that can only be resolved with dedication and commitment to professional activities and leadership. There are countless other examples of individuals who have assumed leadership positions within pharmacy under the strong influence of Doug Miller."

Miller served as a member of the Michigan Board of Pharmacy for 11 years including two terms as board chair. He also has served as a member of the APhA Board of Trustees and the boards of the Michigan Pharmacists Association and the Michigan Society of Health-System Pharmacists. He is the recipient of several awards and honors including the Annual Alumni Award of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and the Distinguished Alumni Award of the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, the Pharmacist of the Year Award of the Michigan Pharmacists Association and awards from both ASHP and APhA for outstanding practice in hospital pharmacy. Miller is a Fellow of the American Pharmacists Association and co-editor of the reference text Drug-Induced Diseases: Prevention, Detection and Management.

Another colleague commented, "Doug also was an outstanding role model, serving in professional organizations and strongly encouraging us to become active in the profession and pursue leadership positions. I look back and am in awe of the clinical pharmacy program that Doug helped develop at Henry Ford Hospital in the late 1970s through the 1990s. The program was a national model for clinical practice during those years. Pharmacists were practicing in innovative clinical roles, many were pursuing advanced training, and many were involved in leadership roles within the profession. He helped create a strong environment of learning, excellence, and professionalism. Doug Miller was the strong force behind the development of much of this environment and service."

The American Pharmacists Association, founded in 1852 as the American Pharmaceutical Association, represents more than 62,000 practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and others interested in advancing the profession. APhA, dedicated to helping all pharmacists improve medication use and advance patient care, is the first-established and largest association of pharmacists in the United States.

The Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, one of the founding colleges of Wayne State University, is committed to advancing the health and well-being of society through the preparation of highly skilled health care practitioners, and through research to improve health care practices and treatment from urban to global levels.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.

February 3, 2013