FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 30, 2018
Media Contacts:
Chad Clinton
Associate Director, Public Relations
American Pharmacists Association
(202) 429-7558
WASHINGTON, DC – The North Dakota Pharmacists Association (NDPhA) has selected Robert I. Biberdorf, RPh, MS, as the recipient of the 2018 Bowl of Hygeia Award for outstanding community service. Biberdorf was presented the award at the NDPhA Annual Convention on Sunday, April 22. 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.
Biberdorf has contributed to his community since graduating from the NDSU School of Pharmacy in 1975 and recently retired from Sanford Health as a Health System pharmacist. He is a well-known pharmacy leader in North Dakota and extremely dedicated to the profession of pharmacy. He has a long history of dedication to the patients of North Dakota through exceptional pharmacy practice. He is known for his ability to hire great employees. He has a special ability to help his employees grow and supports them as they advance their skill set. He is fiscally responsible and a true team player. He and his team have grown pharmacy at Sanford Medical Center in Fargo making a huge impact on patient care and outcomes. Areas of pharmacy practice that have grown with the leadership of Biberdorf’s team include; operating room pharmacy, dialysis and transplant pharmacy, oncology pharmacy (150 infusions per day and 900 patient appointments every two weeks), antimicrobial stewardship, cardiology and medical surgical practice, home infusion services, outpatient ambulatory pharmacy services (filling 1500 prescriptions at 10 retail pharmacies each day), clinical research pharmacy and has supported thousands of students in the last 36 years, all while providing 300,000 administrations per month to the hospital patients in Fargo. As the Enterprise Vice President of Pharmacy for Sanford Health, Biberdorf lead 322 pharmacists and 295 pharmacy technicians, while managing a drug spend of over $240 million/year. With this growth, he has always required of his staff and himself to follow this quote "Don't put people in boxes - invest in people."
Biberdorf started his career as the IV and Clinical Supervisor at the VA in Fargo in 1979 and began working for St. Luke's Hospital/MeritCare/Sanford Health in 1983 as a Clinical Pharmacy Manager. He started their residency program. He was promoted to Director of Pharmacy and executive partner of pharmacy services, then to Vice President of Pharmacy, Dialysis and Transplant services in 2010. In 2014 he became the Enterprise Vice President of Pharmacy for Sanford Health, retiring December of 2017. He has held positions as an adjunct professor from 1980 until 2012. Past Chair of the NDSU Pharmacy Senior Awards Committee and Scholarship Recognition Awards Committee until 2015. He is a Past recipient of the NDSU Preceptor of the Year Award, Distinguished Service Award by the UND School of Medicine, Clinical Teacher of the Year, ND Hospital Pharmacist of the Year and received a Commendation and Performance Award at the Veterans Administration Hospital. He is a member of the North Dakota Pharmacists Association, ND Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists, ASHP and Fraternities: Rho Chi Honorary Pharmaceutical Society, Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Eta Sigma. He has also given over 120 professional presentations and was a member of the Pharmacy National Advisory Board from 2011-2017.
Biberdorf has helped plan for past NDPHA pharmacy conventions and supported legislative efforts to expand and advance the profession of pharmacy, and has volunteered his time on many boards throughout the years. He is a member of Hope Lutheran Church and has been serving as an usher for over 20 years.
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.