Max D. Ray, Pharm.D., M.S., LHD, has been chosen by the Parker Medal Selection Committee as the 2010 recipient of the College’s Paul F. Parker Medal for Distinguished Service to the Profession of Pharmacy. Dr. Ray is Dean Emeritus of Pharmacy at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. Now retired, he serves part-time as a faculty member at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy, as Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Health Outcomes and Policy Research Division.
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 the development of decentralized pharmacy services, placing pharmacists in the hospital’s clinical areas, as well as the development of 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 Committee commented on Dr. Ray’s many contributions to clinical pharmacy, noting that he “conceptualized and spearheaded the [1985 invitational ASHP] Hilton Head Conference [on Directions for Clinical Practice in Pharmacy],” a conference in which Paul Parker was a major participant. Dr. Ray’s career has encompassed pharmacy practice, education, and pharmacy association leadership. He served as Chair of the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the Medical University of South Carolina from 1970 until 1975, Director of the Professional Practice Division and Director of the Pharmacy Residency Accreditation Program for ASHP between 1976 and 1985, and Executive Vice President of the California Society of Hospital Pharmacists from 1985 until 1990. Dr. Ray joined the faculty of the College of Pharmacy at Western University of Health Sciences in 1996, and he was appointed Dean of the College in 1999, a post he held until his retirement in 2006. Since 2007, he has served as a consultant to the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).
Dr. Ray has received numerous awards, including the ASHP Harvey Whitney Lecture Award, the Outstanding Alumnus Award from the University of South Carolina, the Pharmacist of the Year Award from both the California Society of Hospital Pharmacist and the South Carolina Society of Hospital Pharmacists, the Northeastern University John Webb Lecture Award, the Albert Jowdy Award from the University of Georgia, and the Walker Scholar Award from Auburn University, as well as a Citation of Honor from the California Board of Pharmacy. Finally, the selection committee observed that Dr. Ray is clearly one of clinical pharmacy’s most dedicated and patient-centered leaders, noting that his perspective has been expressed as “we’re simply going to do what is right for society.”
Dr. Ray’s nominators, Bradley Boucher and Stephanie Phelps, wrote in their letter of nomination,
Having had the distinction of knowing Dr. Parker personally in the twilight of his career and having grown close to Dr. Ray at the end of his esteemed career, one cannot help but readily draw comparisons between these two pharmacy giants. Both were extremely wise and passionate individuals who had insight into and a vision for the advancement of the pharmacy profession.
Similar to Dr. Parker, Dr. Ray’s commitment to develop and mentor the next generation of pharmacists and pharmacy leaders has been evident by his investment in post-doctoral education and accreditation efforts.
Ray Maddox, Pharm.D., Director of Clinical Pharmacy at St. Joseph’s/Candler in Savannah, Georgia, wrote in his letter of support,
Dr. Ray is a man who has devoted his professional life—literally and figuratively—to the growth and building of the stature of clinical pharmacy practice and to the nurturing of those who choose a career in this setting. I highly recommend him for this distinguished professional honor; he is a distinguished gentleman with a distinguished career characterized by “giving.”
University of Iowa College of Pharmacy Dean Don Letendre, a longtime colleague of Dr. Ray who also worked closely with Dr. Parker, added,
It was Max who spearheaded the country’s first true effort to seek consensus on the future direction of clinical pharmacy practice through what has come to be known as the “Hilton Head Conference.” As a member of the Conference Planning Committee, I can tell you that it was Max who first conceived of the idea for such an enclave and that he served as the driving force in bringing the Conference to fruition. Clearly, the impact of that Conference on bringing clinical practice to the fore is still being felt today.
As a long-time friend and protégé of Paul’s, I know firsthand the extremely high regard he had for Max. Given the close personal relationship that existed between Paul and Max, the common interest both men shared in advancing clinical pharmacy practice and postgraduate residency training, and the fact that Max is now in the twilight of a remarkably diverse and highly successful career, it seems only fitting that ACCP would see fit to honor him as this year’s recipient of the Parker Medal.
The 2010 Paul F. Parker Medal will be presented during the Opening General Session at the 2010 Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas, on Sunday morning, October 17. Dr. Ray 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 2010 committee are Robert Talbert (chair), Diane Beck, Jill Boone, Bruce Canaday, Joseph DiPiro, Steven Gray, Kathleen Lake, Jean Nappi, John Pieper, and Mark Woods.