Brian Erstad, Announced as 2026 Chair-Elect for the Board of Pharmacy Specialties
Brian Erstad, PharmD, interim dean and professor of pharmacy practice and science at the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, has been announced as chair-elect for the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS). Erstad began his term on January 1 this year and will serve for one year before becoming chair in 2027.
Established in 1976, BPS is an autonomous division of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). The mission of BPS is to improve patient care by positioning its Board-Certified Pharmacists as integral members of multidisciplinary healthcare teams, through recognition and promotion of specialized training, knowledge, and skills for pharmacists in the United States and internationally. BPS recognizes more than 63,400 pharmacist certifications across 16 specialties.
“I have had board certification in pharmacotherapy (BCPS) since 1993. I have served on three councils for BPS: Council on Nuclear Pharmacy, Council on Pharmacotherapy, and the Council on Critical Care Pharmacy (first Chair of new Council),” shared Erstad. “I look forward to continuing my involvement in BPS as chair-elect this year, followed by my service as chair next year.”
Erstad is a past president of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, previously served on the Board of Directors of ASHP, and was a recipient of the BPS Warren E. Weaver/Richard P. Penna Award. He has served on numerous committees and task forces for other organizations, including the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the U.S. Pharmacopeia, Society of Critical Care Medicine, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Surgeons, and the American Thoracic Society. In 2025, Erstad received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
"BPS congratulates Brian Erstad for his appointment as the 2026 Chair-Elect to the BPS Board of Directors, bringing his dedication to pharmacy and leadership to this important role,” said Brian E. Lawson, PharmD, ICE-CCP, executive director of BPS. “From serving on three BPS Specialty Councils to his appointment to the BPS Board of Directors in January 2024, Brian brings his passion for moving pharmacy forward to every opportunity. As we celebrate 50 years of BPS in 2026, we are especially grateful for the dedicated volunteer leaders like Brian who contribute to the mission and vision of BPS."
Erstad joined the College of Pharmacy faculty in 1988 and went on to lead the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science for more than a decade, serving in that role until 2024, before becoming interim dean in July 2025. In addition to more than 350 peer‐reviewed publications and 60 book chapters, he is the editor of the renowned textbook “Critical Care Pharmacotherapy”. He is an international expert who has made major contributions and held leadership roles in numerous professional organizations.