Washington, D.C. – The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) announced the Warren E. Weaver/Richard P. Penna award winners in the patient care organization and individual categories. JPS Health Network Clinical Pharmacy Department in Fort Worth, TX has been named the 2023 recipient of the Warren E. Weaver/Richard P. Penna Award in the organization category. For the individual category in 2023, the award goes to Elizabeth Farrington, PharmD, BCPS, BCNSP, BCPPS, FCCP, FCCM, FPPA.
“Recipients of the Warren E. Weaver/Richard P. Penna award join a select group of organizations and individuals that go above and beyond to provide specialized pharmacy knowledge, care, and expertise. The recognition offered by the Weaver/Penna Award highlights those who are furthering the pharmacy profession through certification, and most importantly, prioritizing the health and care of patients.” said 2023 BPS Board of Directors Chair, Ruth E. Nemire, PharmD, EdD, FCCP, FNAP, CRQM.
BPS announced the establishment of the Warren E. Weaver/Richard P. Penna Award as part of the BPS 40th Anniversary celebration in 2016. The award recipient must be an individual or patient care organization who has advanced health quality and/or patient care by promoting the recognition and value of specialized training, knowledge, and skills in pharmacy and the BPS Board Certification of pharmacists. Nominations for the Weaver/Penna Award were solicited separately for patient care organizations and individual persons, and an award is provided to one recipient in each category at the discretion of the BPS Board of Directors.
The Board of Pharmacy Specialties offers congratulations to these deserving recipients of the 2023 Warren E. Weaver/Richard P. Penna Award. To learn more about the award and view previous recipients, visit this page. More information on the namesakes of the award can be found here.
Patient Care Organization Category Award
JPS Health Network is based in Fort Worth, Texas. JPS is a publicly funded organization comprised of an inpatient hospital with 582 beds, an inpatient psychiatric unit, and over 25 clinic locations serving areas around Tarrant County. JPS Health Network is a Level I Trauma Center, comprehensive stroke center, and a ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) receiving center. JPS Health has 17 residency and fellowship opportunities and is the largest hospital-based family medicine residency program in the nation.
JPS Health Network’s Clinical Pharmacy Department is comprised of more than fifty clinical pharmacists in the ambulatory care and inpatient settings in addition to two postgraduate year one (PGY1) pharmacy residents and two postgraduate year two (PGY2) ambulatory care pharmacy residents. BPS Board Certification is required for employment to ensure that the clinical pharmacy team is knowledgeable and up to date within their field of expertise. Currently, JPS Health Network has 37 board-certified pharmacotherapy specialists (BCPS), 12 board-certified ambulatory care pharmacists (BCACP), five board-certified critical care pharmacists (BCCCP), five board-certified infectious diseases pharmacists (BCIDP), and two board-certified psychiatric pharmacists (BCPP) serving in clinical pharmacist positions.
Board-certified pharmacists are present around the clock and provide care in many areas, including, but not limited to, the emergency department, intensive care units, internal medicine teams, infectious diseases, oncology, psychiatry, cardiology, long-term care, and ambulatory care/patient-centered medical home. Pharmacists round with the interprofessional team and are instrumental in providing high quality, effective, and comprehensive medication management throughout the continuum of care.
“They [board-certified pharmacists] have become an integral member of the team and proven to be essential and extremely valuable to both patient care and to the interdisciplinary teams… We rely heavily on their medication expertise and I can undoubtedly say that the care we provide patients is well beyond the standard of care better because of them [board-certified pharmacists],” said Alan Podawiltz, DO, MS, FAPA, Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at JPS Health Network.
The presentation of the BPS Weaver/Penna Award to JPS Health Network will be announced at a later date.
Individual Category Award
The recipient of the Weaver/Penna Award in the individual category is Elizabeth Farrington, PharmD, BCPS, BCNSP, BCPPS, FCCP, FCCM, FPPA of New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, NC.
Dr. Farrington has passion for pharmacist board certification, which has manifested itself through life-long learning and volunteer experiences with BPS and other professional organizations. She was an inaugural member of the BPS Pediatric Pharmacy Specialty Council and completed terms as both vice-chair and chair of the council during her five years of service. She continues her support of board certification through ongoing involvement with the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) as the 2022-2023 president.
Dr. Farrington’s contributions to literature through research, reviews, and book chapters further reflect her devotion to the pediatric and critical care pharmacy specialties. Dr. Farrington is a heavily sought preceptor for pharmacy students and residents because of her passion. She currently holds board certification in pharmacotherapy (BCPS), nutrition support (BCNSP), and pediatric pharmacy (BCPPS). She will celebrate 30 years as a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist in 2023.
Dr. Farrington currently serves as the Pediatric Clinical Pharmacist at New Hanover Regional Medical Center and a Clinical Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Campbell University School of Pharmacy. Dr. Farrington has been recognized for her contributions to the profession by several organizations, including the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), and the Pediatric Pharmacy Association (PPA).
“She constantly advocates for pediatric pharmacy, post-graduate education, board certification, and healthcare quality. Elizabeth is one of the most transformative and inspiring leaders of pediatric pharmacy,” said Michael Chicella, PharmD, BCPPS, FPPA and Titilola Afolabi, PharmD, BCPPS.
“…It was her discussions about the benefits of board certification that led me to take the BCPS examination in 1995. I wager that she has similarly influenced a large number of trainees and colleagues in their decision to become board certified,” said Judith Jacobi, PharmD, BCCCP, FCCP, MCCM.
The presentation of the BPS Weaver/Penna Award to Elizabeth Farrington will be announced at a later date.
About the Board of Pharmacy Specialties
The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) was established in 1976 as an autonomous division of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). The mission of BPS is to improve patient care by positioning BPS Board-Certified Pharmacist Specialists as integral members of multidisciplinary healthcare teams, through recognition and promotion of specialized training, knowledge, and skills for pharmacists in the United States and internationally. Board certification is a recognized credential for determining which pharmacists are qualified to contribute at advanced practice levels given the rigorous standards mandated by BPS board certification and recertification. BPS has currently issued more than 57,600 certifications held by pharmacists across 14 specialties.
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