UA Pharmacy dean J. Lyle Bootman wins top honor

Jan. 23, 2008

Tucson, AZ--J. Lyle Bootman, PhD, ScD, dean of The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, has been awarded the 2008 Remington Honor Medal, widely considered the profession’s highest honor.

Administered by American Pharmacists Association, the award will be presented to Dr. Bootman during the APhA’s annual meeting and exposition in San Diego March 16.

Dr. Bootman was selected to receive the award because of his lifetime of achievement in pharmacy. His studies on “Drug-related Morbidity and Mortality” in the mid-1990s were a wake-up call to health-care providers to better understand the high cost of medication-related errors and to appreciate the role of pharmacists in reducing harm by managing patients’ pharmaceutical care.

Dr. Bootman is one of only eight pharmacists to be admitted to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science and was the first pharmacist to serve on its Board of Health Care Services. In 2006, he served as co-chair of the Institute of Medicine Committee that produced the influential report “Preventing Medication Errors.”

He is the founder and executive director of The University of Arizona Center for Health Outcomes and PharmacoEconomic Research, one of the first such centers in the world. He has been dean of the UA College of Pharmacy since 1990, following three years as acting dean. He also is a professor of medicine and public health at UA. From 1999 to 2000, Dr. Bootman was president of the APhA.

Dr. Bootman holds a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from UA and a master of science and PhD in pharmacy administration from the University of Minnesota. He was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

About the Remington Honor Medal
Named for eminent community pharmacist, manufacturer and educator Joseph P. Remington, the award was established in 1918 to recognize distinguished service and/or outstanding achievement on behalf of American pharmacy during the preceding year, culminating in the past year, or for a sustained period of time. APhA’s awards program is pharmacy’s most comprehensive recognition program.

About the American Pharmacists Association
The American Pharmacists Association, founded in 1852 as the American Pharmaceutical Association, represents more than 63,000 practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and others interested in advancing the profession. APhA, dedicated to helping all pharmacists improve medication use and advance patient care, is the first-established and largest association of pharmacists in the United States.

About The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy
The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy is a world leader in educating highly skilled, ethical and compassionate pharmacists and innovative pharmaceutical scientists. The college is ranked No. 4 nationally in America's Best Graduate Schools published by U.S. News and World Report. The ranking appeared first in the 2006 edition and has been repeated in subsequent editions.

# # #

Contact: Ginny Geib, (520) 626-3389