FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 17, 2017
Media Contacts:
Chad Clinton
Associate Director, Public Relations
American Pharmacists Association
(202) 429-7558
WASHINGTON, DC – The Kentucky Pharmacists Association (KPhA) has selected Melody Ryan, PharmD, MPH, CGP, BCPS, as the recipient of the 2017 Bowl of Hygeia Award for outstanding community service. Ryan was presented the award at the 2017 Ray Wirth Banquet at the 139th KPhA Annual Meeting and Convention on Saturday, June 24. The Bowl of Hygeia is sponsored by the American Pharmacists Association Foundation, the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations, and the American Pharmacists Association, with support from Boehringer Ingelheim.
Ryan has contributed to her community since graduating from the University of Kentucky-College of Pharmacy in 1992. She essentially built the international program at the University of Kentucky-College of Pharmacy and has distinguished herself as an expert, volunteer, and advocate for international learning and practice experiences. Ryan is also a volunteer with "Radio Eye," an organization that takes written words and converts them to audio tapes for visually impaired people.
Ryan’s current affiliations with state, local, national industry, and pharmacy organizations include: the Bluegrass Pharmacists Association, the Kentucky Pharmacists Association, the Kentucky Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and the American Pharmacists Association. She served as President of the APhA Academy of Pharmaceutical Research and Science Clinical Sciences Section from 2014-2016. She also maintains memberships with the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists, and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
Established in 1958, the Bowl of Hygeia Award recognizes pharmacists who possess outstanding records of civic leadership in their communities and encourages pharmacists to take an active role in the affairs of their respective communities. The award is presented annually by participating state pharmacist associations, including those in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In addition to service through their local, state, and national pharmacy associations, award recipients have devoted their time, talent, and resources to a wide variety of causes and community service.
The Bowl of Hygeia is the most widely recognized international symbol for the pharmacy profession and is considered one of the profession’s most prestigious awards. The Bowl of Hygeia has been associated with the pharmacy profession since as early as 1796 when the symbol was used on a coin minted for the Parisian Society of Pharmacy. The bowl represents a medicinal potion and the snake represents healing. Healing through medicine is precisely why the pharmacy profession has adopted the Bowl of Hygeia symbol.
About the American Pharmacists Association Foundation
The APhA Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., is a trusted source of research demonstrating how pharmacists can improve health care. The APhA Foundation’s mission is to improve people’s health through pharmacists’ patient care services. The APhA Foundation is affiliated with the American Pharmacists Association, the national professional society of pharmacists in the U.S. For more information, please visit the APhA Foundation website www.aphafoundation.org. Follow the APhA Foundation on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates.
About the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations
The National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA) promotes leadership, sharing, learning, and policy exchange among pharmacy leaders in all 50 states and Washington, DC, and provides education and advocacy to support pharmacists, patients, and communities working together to improve public health. NASPA was founded in 1927 as the National Council of State Pharmacy Association Executives (NCSPAE). For more information, please visit the NASPA website www.naspa.us.