The Warren E. Weaver/Richard P. Penna Award
The Warren E. Weaver/Richard P. Penna Award is conferred annually by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties to recognize an individual pharmacist who has made outstanding voluntary contributions to the advancement of BPS Board Certification.
From 2017 to 2023, the award recognized individuals and/or organizations. In 2023, BPS established the Beacon Award to recognize organizations only, allowing the Weaver/Penna Award to be solely dedicated to recognizing outstanding individuals supporting pharmacist certification.
BPS Weaver/Penna Award
Applications are open!
Award nominations deadline extended to September 9, 2026.
The nominations form can be found here.
Applications are currently closed.
Stay tuned for announcements on the next call for applications in summer 2026.
Award Timeline
June 22 – Nominations Open
August 24 – Nominations Close
November 2026 – Awards Decision
January 2027 – Award Recipients Announced
AWARD CRITERIA
Nominees must:
- Demonstrate leadership and measurable impact in promoting the recognition and value of specialized training, knowledge, and skills in pharmacy, including how board certification advances healthcare quality and/or patient care
- Demonstrate sustained, meaningful contributions to advancing BPS Board Certification
Contributions may include one or more of the following:
- Professional engagement (e.g., leadership, volunteer service, or advocacy supporting board certification)
- Workplace or system impact (e.g., advancing integration, recognition, or utilization of board-certified pharmacists)
- Education and mentorship (e.g., promoting certification among pharmacists, residents, or students)
- Scholarship and advancement (e.g., research, publications, or national efforts supporting certification and specialty practice)
NOMINATION PROCESS
The nominator is responsible for coordinating and submitting a complete nomination packet, including identifying and securing one to two additional individuals to provide letters of recommendation. Self-nominations are not accepted
Completed official BPS nomination form
- Summary outlining the nominee’s key achievements and alignment with the award criteria
- One to two letters of recommendation (secured by the nominator) addressing the nominee’s accomplishments relative to the award criteria
- The nominee’s current résumé or curriculum vitae (CV)
Nominators are encouraged to review Planning for and creating strong nomination submissions for honors and awards: Alvarez NA, Erstad BL. Planning for and creating strong nomination submissions for honors and awards. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. 2025;65(6):102909. doi:10.1016/j.japh.2025.102909
SELECTION PROCESS
Selection is made by the BPS Board of Directors based on review of the complete nomination packet. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
The BPS Board of Directors selects the recipient in late fall each year, with the award presented the following calendar year.
If a nominee is not selected, the nomination may be resubmitted for consideration the following year with appropriate updates.
The Board reserves the right not to issue an award in any given year.
PRESENTATION OF THE AWARD
BPS Weaver/Penna Award recipients receive an award that will be conferred at a meeting or venue determined by the BPS Board of Directors in coordination with the recipient. Travel expenses will be covered based upon current BPS travel policies as deemed appropriate by the BPS Board of Directors based upon the nature of the presentation.
In addition, BPS maintains a perpetual display at its offices recognizing all past recipients.
About Richard P. Penna and Warren E. Weaver
Warren E. Weaver was a graduate of the University of Maryland, earning a PhD in pharmaceutical chemistry. Following graduation, he worked as a master chemist for the U.S. Navy during World War II.
In 1950, Weaver was hired as associate professor in the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) School of Pharmacy and 6 years later he became the fifth dean of the school. While at MCV and later Virginia Commonwealth University, Weaver implemented one of the first pharmacy experiential education programs in the country. He also initiated the post-baccalaureate PharmD program, which led to the transition from bachelor’s to doctoral degrees for graduating pharmacists.
Weaver was a founding trustee of the Virginia Pharmacists Association Foundation and, on the national level, he served as 1968-69 president of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).
In 1973, Weaver was appointed by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) to the Taskforce on Specialties in Pharmacy, which led to the establishment of the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties—now the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS). Weaver went on to serve BPS from 1975 to 1981 and was elected the first chairman, serving in that role from 1976 to 1979. Weaver passed away in July 2014 at the age of 93.
Richard (Dick) P. Penna received his BS and PharmD degrees from the University of California, San Francisco School of Pharmacy.
During his tenure at the APhA, Penna advocated for pharmacist patient counseling. Penna was a co-developer of APhA’s Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs and he encouraged pharmacist involvement with patients. Penna served as the APhA staff member assigned to the Taskforce on Specialties in Pharmacy in 1973, and he went on to assume responsibility as the first secretary/executive director of BPS in 1975.
In 1985, Penna joined the AACP as associate executive director and was named executive vice president and chief executive officer in 1995. For more than two decades, Penna’s vision had been evident in reshaping pharmacy education. In 2002, Penna received the prestigious APhA Remington Honor Medal, recognizing his distinguished service to the profession of pharmacy. Penna passed away in August 2011 at the age of 75.
William Ellis, BPS Executive Director commented, “The establishment of the Warren E. Weaver/Richard P. Penna Award honors the visionary work accomplished by the first BPS Chairman, Warren Weaver and the organization’s first staff member, Richard Penna. The award will also recognize the current efforts of individuals to improve patient care by promoting the recognition and value of specialized training, knowledge, and skills in pharmacy and specialty board certification of pharmacists.”
Past Weaver/Penna Award Recipients
| 2017 | Stanley M. Shaw, PhD | |
| 2018 | The Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Pharmacy | |
| 2019 | Organization Category | Kaiser Permanente Colorado Pharmacy Department |
| Individual Category | Gourley/Vlasses | |
| 2020 | Organization Category | Alaska Native Medical Center Pharmacy Department |
| Individual Category | Brian L. Erstad, PharmD, MCCM, FCCP, FASHP, BCPS | |
| 2021 | Organization Category | St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Pharmaceutical Department |
| Individual Category | CDR Anna Santoro, PharmD, MA, BCPP, BCGP, NCPS | |
| 2022 | Organization Category | Miami Cancer Institute Pharmacy Program – Baptist Health South Florida |
| Individual Category | James Ponto, MS, RPh, BCNP, FASHP, FAPhA | |
| 2023 | Organization Category | JPS Health Network Clinical Pharmacy Department – Fort Worth, TX |
| Individual Category | Elizabeth Farrington, PharmD, BCPS, BCNSP, BCPPS, FCCP, FCCM, FPPA | |
| 2024 | Roland N. Dickerson, PharmD, BCNSP, FCCP, FASHP, FCCM, FASPEN | |
| 2025 | Charles Edwin “Ed” Webb, BPharm, PharmD, MPH, FCCP | |
| 2026 | Julie Ann Dopheide, PharmD, BCPP, FASHP | |