Barbara G. Wells
Barbara G. Wells, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPP, has been chosen by the Parker Medal Selection Committee as the 2012 recipient of the College’s Paul F. Parker Medal for Distinguished Service to the Profession of Pharmacy. Dr. Wells is professor and dean emeritus at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, and executive director emeritus of the school’s Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, in Oxford, Mississippi.
Paul Parker was one of clinical pharmacy’s most influential proponents. Before his death in 1998, Dr. Parker spent 24 years as director of pharmacy at the Chandler Medical Center/University of Kentucky in Lexington. His innovations include developing decentralized pharmacy services, placing pharmacists in the hospital’s clinical areas, and developing the nation’s first pharmacist-staffed drug information center. Dr. Parker’s vision for pharmacy practice was passed along to the more than 150 residents and fellows who trained in the Kentucky program during his tenure. These disciples include many of today’s leaders in clinical pharmacy who continue to pass on his wisdom and vision to their trainees. The Paul F. Parker Medal recognizes an individual who has made outstanding and sustained contributions to the profession that improve patient or service outcomes, create innovative practices, affect populations of patients, further the professional role of pharmacists, or expand the recognition of pharmacists as health professionals.
In making its selection, the Parker Medal Selection Committee commented on Dr. Wells’ many contributions to clinical pharmacy and the pharmacy profession, noting that she has served as “an inspiring pharmacy practitioner, educator, mentor, administrator, advocate, and leader.” The committee went on to say, “Her sustained and capable servant leadership within a host of major pharmacy organizations . . . is testimony to her amazing skill and commitment to shaping the pharmacy profession.” Dr. Wells’ career has encompassed numerous leadership roles in pharmacy practice, education, and pharmacy associations. She served as chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Samford University and dean at Idaho State University College of Pharmacy and the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. Dr. Wells was elected as the 2002–2003 president of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) and 2004–2005 president of ACCP.
She has received several awards, including the 2010 American Pharmacists Association’s (APhA) Gloria Niemeyer Francke Leadership Mentor Award, the APhA Clinical Pharmacotherapeutic Award, the AACP Robert C. Chalmers Distinguished Educator Award, and the ACCP Education Award. Dr. Wells has been elected as a Fellow of ACCP, ASHP, and ASCP and, in 2004, was inducted as a member of the Academy of Pharmacy Practice of the National Academies of Practice.
Dr. Wells’ nominator, Stephanie Phelps, wrote in her letter of nomination,
I believe Barbara’s greatest legacy will be her commitment to developing leaders within our profession. Her heart for the personal and professional development of those she trained and worked with is always evident. She has been an important role model for hundreds, and perhaps thousands or pharmacists and student pharmacists over her career. She has mentored numerous men and women who belong to different generations and who have been at various points in their professional careers.
Joseph DiPiro, Pharm.D., executive dean of the South Carolina College of Pharmacy, wrote in his letter of support,
Two words that have characterized Dr. Wells for many years are “mentorship” and “leadership.” Dr. Wells is a mentor to many people in pharmacy education, senior as well as junior, and has always been very vocal about the need to promote mentorship in our academy. She is one of the best examples I have seen of a caring mentor. Dr. Wells exemplifies the important qualities of leadership and has often spoken on this topic. While serving as President of AACP and ACCP she made a strong part of her agenda to develop leaders within the organizations.
University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy Associate Dean and Department Chair Leigh Ann Ross, who worked closely with Dr. Wells at the University of Mississippi, added,
I watched Dean Wells as she invested time in each and every member of our faculty, especially those in leadership positions. She mentors, advises, and encourages all to develop the skills they need to be successful. Her door was always open and she was always ready to provide good counsel. Of particular note, she has served as a positive role model for women in pharmacy academics and in clinical practice. She was one of the first women to serve as a department chair in a school of pharmacy in the U.S., and was the third woman appointed dean in a College of Pharmacy in the continental U.S. I am confident that the emphasis she places on mentorship and her own personal experience in developing future leaders within our profession is part of her legacy that will impact pharmacy for years to come.
The 2012 Paul F. Parker Medal will be presented during the Opening General Session at the 2012 Annual Meeting in Hollywood, Florida, on Sunday morning, October 21. Dr. Wells will attend to accept the medal and deliver a brief acceptance address. The Parker Medal Selection Committee is composed of representatives from member organizations of the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners, together with past presidents of ACCP. Members of the 2012 committee are John Bosso (chair), Jeffrey Baldwin, Bradley Boucher, Harold Godwin, Thomas Hardin, Dennis Helling, Lynnae Mahaney, Robert Smith, Shelly Spiro, and Barbara Zarowitz.