Robert Rapp, Pharm.D., has been chosen by the Parker Medal Selection Committee as the 2008 recipient of the College’s Paul F. Parker Medal for Distinguished Service to the Profession of Pharmacy. Dr. Rapp is currently Professor of Pharmacy and Professor of Surgery in the Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine, respectively, at the University of Kentucky.
Paul Parker was one of clinical pharmacy’s most influential proponents. 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 development of decentralized pharmacy services, which placed pharmacists in the hospital’s clinical areas, as well as 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 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. Rapp’s many contributions to clinical pharmacy. “Beginning his clinical pharmacy career in 1970, he has a sustained and visible record of contributions in clinical practice, clinical pharmacy education, and translational research . . . Bob was publishing work in major medical journals that had an impact on patients in the early 1970s. He could be viewed as one of the first ‘translational’ scientists in pharmacy—and he continues to make contributions today.” Dr. Rapp began his faculty career at the University of Kentucky in 1970 and quickly rose to the rank of full professor. He served as Director of the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science in the college of pharmacy from 1989 to 1998 and is currently Associate Director for Clinical Leadership at the university medical center, a position he has held since 1999.
Bob has been active in clinical pharmacy for over three decades. He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed papers, served on the editorial boards of five journals (including Pharmacotherapy), and delivered innumerable presentations on pharmacotherapy to audiences throughout the world. As his nominators, Ken Roberts, Jimmi Hatton, and John Armistead, point out in their letter of nomination, Dr. Rapp “has made a significant impact on the profession of pharmacy through his practice, clinical teaching, mentoring, scholarship, and administration.” Dr. Joseph DiPiro, Executive Dean of the South Carolina College of Pharmacy and a past ACCP President, wrote in his letter of support, “Bob has always been a teacher by his very nature. He loves the chance to teach something new to people. He will teach anyone, students, residents, pharmacists, even senior faculty members. In addition to being a teacher, he is considered a mentor by many who have been at the University of Kentucky.”
Robert Blouin, Pharm.D., Dean and Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina, noted in his letter to the Parker Medal Committee, “I have know Dr. Rapp for over 30 years. A considerable portion of that time was spent while I was at the University of Kentucky and had the unique privilege of observing Dr. Rapp and Mr. Parker working together to advance the mission of pharmacy practice. . . . Paul Parker and Bob Rapp had many things in common. Their passion for pharmacy and love for Kentucky were the most obvious. But, the quality that always impressed me the most was their understanding of what it truly meant to be a pioneer, a pioneer at a time when our profession was significantly risk averse. . . . They were able to create environments that made others around them better. . . . What is special about Bob Rapp is that he has been touching the lives of Pharm.D. students and residents in this manner throughout his professional career. The impact on our profession has been enormous.”
Dr. Rapp has an extensive record of professional accomplishments and awards, including Parenteral Drug Association Research Awards in 1972 and 1976, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Research and Education Foundation Research Award in 1975, the Kentucky Society of Hospital Pharmacists Pharmacist of the Year Award in 1976, the University of Texas Robert G. Leonard Lecture Award in 1988, the Paul F. Parker Award for excellence in residency training in 2002, and an ASHP Best Practice Award with University of Kentucky colleagues in 2004. Bob is a founding member of ACCP and was elected as a Fellow of the College in 1989.
The 2008 Paul F. Parker Medal will be presented during the Opening General Session at the 2008 Annual Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, on Sunday morning, October 19. Dr. Rapp will be in attendance 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 2008 committee were Jerry L. Bauman (Chair), John A. Bosso, George E. Dukes, Janet P. Engle, William A. Miller, Milap Nahata, J. Robert Powell, Cynthia Raehl, Robert E. Smith, and Thomas R. Temple.