FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2017
Media Contacts:
Chad Clinton
Associate Director, Public Relations
American Pharmacists Association
(202) 429-7558
WASHINGTON, DC – The New Jersey Pharmacists Association (NJPhA) has selected Thomas F.X. Bender, Jr., RPh, as the recipient of the 2017 Bowl of Hygeia Award for outstanding community service. Bender was presented the award at the 2017 NJPhA 147th Convention on Sunday, October 15. 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.
Bender has contributed to his community since graduating from the Rutgers University College of Pharmacy in 1974. He was an independent pharmacy owner for more than 25 years with six stores. He currently works for Walgreens and is a partner in a pharmacy management consulting firm.
Bender demonstrates his advocacy for patients and pharmacists though his service to the profession. He currently serves as the president of the New Jersey Board of Pharmacy, and previously served as Board vice president and committee member. His committee service includes the MPJE review committee, Rules and Regulations committee, CQI committee, Pharmacist Administered Immunization committee, and chair of the Compounding committee. Bender was a member of the USP Expert committee for Packaging Standards Distribution, moderator of the USP Open Conference on Packaging Standards Distribution, and a participant in the Mean Kinetic Temperature Study. In addition, Bender served on various task forces for NABP including Prescription Drug Abuse, Pharmacist Prescriptive Authority, TOEFL, resolutions, and MPJE committee.
Bender’s state pharmacy affiliations include the NJPhA Board of Trustees, Chairman of Owners' Council of NJPhA, and Chairman and President of Hudson County Pharmaceutical Society (NJPhA region). He is a member of APhA, NCPA, and NABP.
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.