West-Strum named a fellow of APhA

Donna West-Strum

he American Pharmacists Association Academy of Pharmaceutical Research and Science has named Donna West-Strum a 2014 APhA Fellow.

The designation, which is awarded to only 20 individuals each year, honors APhA members who have demonstrated exemplary service and achievements in their professional area.

“I was thrilled and humbled when I was informed that I was selected,” West-Strum said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime honor.”

West-Strum, chair of the Department of Pharmacy Administration, joined APhA in 1992 while attending pharmacy school at the University of Mississippi. Since then, she has been involved in numerous APhA committees and sections.

She will receive the 2014 award in March at APhA’s annual meeting in Orlando, where she also will be installed as chair of the Economic, Social and Administrative Sciences Section. She has served the section as a postgraduate officer, board member and Wiederholt Prize screening committee member.

In addition to studying medication adherence and patient-care services, West-Strum is a leader in pharmacy quality and quality improvement. To develop new measures to evaluate pharmacy quality, she has co-chaired and served on several working groups at the Pharmacy Quality Alliance.

West-Strum also is an expert in community pharmacy management. She has written several book chapters to help pharmacists learn about inventory management, business communications and pharmacy quality. She also is the editor of the National Community Pharmacists Association’s NCPA Digest.

John Bentley, UM professor of pharmacy administration, nominated West-Strum for the 2014 award.

“[West-Strum] is a noted scholar and scientist, an accomplished teacher and a skilled administrator,” Bentley said. “Furthermore, she actively and enthusiastically demonstrates professional commitment through her participation in many different service roles.”

Bentley said he has been fortunate to have West-Strum as his department chair.

“She is a very unselfish person and genuinely wants to see everyone around her succeed,” he said. “She works very hard to ensure that each individual has the resources he or she needs to be successful. She highly values teaching, research and service and communicates that to the faculty both in words and action.”