FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 17, 2017
Media Contacts:
Chad Clinton
Associate Director, Public Relations
American Pharmacists Association
(202) 429-7558
WASHINGTON, DC – The Mississippi Pharmacists Association (MPhA) has selected David French, PharmD, as the recipient of the 2017 Bowl of Hygeia Award for outstanding community service. French was presented the award at the 146th Annual Convention and Trade Show on Tuesday, June 13, 2017. 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.
French has contributed to his community since graduating from the Northeast Louisiana University in 1976. He is a current member of the Mississippi Pharmacists Association and an independent community pharmacy owner. French has been the local nursing home consultant pharmacist for 20 years, and has served as a volunteer for a local medical mission clinic. He is a member of the Lions Club and Morton Chamber of Commerce, and was elected to the Scott County School Board, serving for more than 20 years. On his days off from the pharmacy, he is often at School Board meetings, education seminars, or other school functions. French is also a member of the Mississippi Independent Pharmacies Association. and sponsors and coaches for various youth sporting teams. Perhaps his greatest legacy within the community has been his ability to inspire others to follow in his footsteps. He has taught others the importance of giving back to the community.
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.