Marie A. Chisholm-Burns, Pharm.D., PhD, MPH, MBA, FCCP, FASHP, FAST, FNAP, FACHE, has been chosen by the Parker Medal Selection Committee as the 2026 recipient of the College’s Paul F. Parker Medal for Distinguished Service to the Profession of Pharmacy. Chisholm-Burns serves as executive vice president and provost at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), where she holds the J.S. Reinschmidt Endowed Professorship in the School of Medicine and an additional appointment as professor in the Oregon State University College of Pharmacy.

Paul Parker was one of clinical pharmacy’s most influential proponents. Before his death in 1998, Parker spent 24 years as director of pharmacy at the Chandler Medical Center/University of Kentucky in Lexington. His innovations included developing decentralized pharmacy services, placing pharmacists in the hospital’s clinical areas, and developing the nation’s first pharmacist-staffed drug information center. 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 included many of today’s leaders in clinical pharmacy who continue to pass along his wisdom and vision to their trainees and colleagues. 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 patient populations, further the professional role of pharmacists, or expand the recognition of pharmacists as health professionals.

The Parker Medal Selection Committee selected Chisholm-Burns as the 2026 medalist in recognition of her longstanding commitment to the pharmacy profession, demonstrated through sustained, practice-changing innovation; scholarship that has advanced the evidence base for clinical pharmacy; and visionary leadership that has expanded the profession’s impact on patients, health systems, and health policy.

Chisholm-Burns’ innovative work in medication access is exemplified by the Medication Access Program, an interdisciplinary model she created that, since 1999, has led to improved medication access, adherence, and outcomes for solid organ transplant recipients. The program has helped more than 1200 patients receive over $134 million in prescription medications while demonstrating the impact of pharmacist-led, outcomes-driven care.

Chisholm-Burns’ scholarship has helped shape the evidence base for clinical pharmacy, with more than 400 publications spanning peer-reviewed manuscripts, books, book chapters, and abstracts. Her research has influenced health outcomes, health care access, medication assistance, medication adherence, solid organ transplantation, and academic pharmacy. Dr Leigh Ann Ross, dean and Bell Endowed Chair at Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy, highlighted one of Chisholm-Burns’ enduring contributions:

Among her most influential contributions is the landmark systematic review and meta-analysis documenting the measurable value of pharmacists as members of health care teams—work that continues to inform efforts to expand team-based care models and optimize medication-related outcomes.

Chisholm-Burns’ influence on the profession extends beyond her research and clinical innovations. She has demonstrated leadership that has advanced pharmacy education, expanded access, and strengthened the profession. Dr Barbara Wells, dean emeritus and professor emeritus at the University of Mississippi Department of Pharmacy Practice, describes Chisholm-Burns as a “change agent.” Reflecting on her leadership at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy, Wells noted that Chisholm-Burns had helped “increase the accessibility and affordability of pharmacy education” by “minimizing tuition increases and increasing scholarship support.” Dr Shereef Elnahal, president at OHSU, further recognized her leadership, writing that she is “well known for her leadership on issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging in academic pharmacy and beyond.”

Chisholm-Burns currently serves as treasurer and commissioner of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Board of Commissioners and is a member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Board of Directors, the State of Oregon Racial Justice Council Education Committee, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry Board of Trustees, and the National Academies of Practice. Her many honors include Woman Pharmacist of the Year (health system pharmacy), the Outstanding Dean Award (American Pharmacists Association), the Daniel B. Smith Practice Excellence Award (American Pharmacists Association), the ACCP Russell R. Miller Award, and the ACCP Excellence in Advancement of DEIA Award. She was awarded fellowship in ACCP in 2001. Chisholm-Burns will be recognized as the 2026 Parker Medalist during the ACCP Annual Meeting opening session on Saturday morning, October 17, in Salt Lake City.

The Parker Medal Selection Committee is composed of leaders from member organizations of the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners, together with past presidents of ACCP. Members of the 2026 selection committee were Curtis Haas (chair), Anne L. Burns, Lawrence J. Cohen, Jimmi Hatton Kolpek, Brian A. Hemstreet, Sandra Leal, Suzanne Amato Nesbit, Jenelle Sobotka, Todd D. Sorensen, and Linda S. Tyler.