Letters of nomination are invited for the 2009 Paul F. Parker Medal for Distinguished Service to the Profession of Pharmacy. The Parker Medal recognizes an individual who has made outstanding and sustained contributions to improving or expanding the profession of pharmacy in an area of professional service—including, but not limited to, patient care, leadership, administration, finance, technology, information processing, service delivery, models of care, and advocacy. The award is not limited to pharmacists or ACCP members.

Paul Parker is widely regarded as one of the profession’s most influential leaders. Before his death in 1998, Mr. Parker spent 24 years as director of pharmacy at the Chandler Medical Center/University of Kentucky in Lexington. His innovations include the development of decentralized pharmacy services, which placed pharmacists in the hospital’s clinical areas, as well as the development of the nation’s first pharmacist-staffed drug information center. Mr. Parker’s vision for pharmacy practice was passed along to more than 150 residents and fellows who went through 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.

Nominations should be submitted online via the ACCP Nominations Portal at http://www.accp.com/membership/nominations.aspx?mode=view. All nominations must be submitted by February 15, 2009, and must include the nominee’s curriculum vitae, resumé, or biographical sketch, as available, and at least three letters of support that describe the individual’s accomplishments relative to the award criteria, one (at least) of which must be from an individual outside the nominee’s current practice locale. Current members of the Board of Regents, Parker Award Committee, or ACCP staff are ineligible for nomination. More information describing the award and the selection criteria is available at http://www.accp.com/membership/nominations.aspx?mode=view.