Milap Nahata awarded Remington Honor Medal for lifetime contributions to pharmacy

Milap C. Nahata, PharmD, MS, FAPhA, FASHP, FCCP, FPPA, professor emeritus at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, is the recipient of the 2024 Remington Honor Medal, the preeminent award for the profession and the highest honor bestowed by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA).  

The Remington Honor Medal was named for eminent community pharmacist, manufacturer and educator Joseph P. Remington and was established in 1918 to recognize distinguished service on behalf of American pharmacy during the preceding years that culminate in the past year or during a long period of outstanding activity or fruitful achievement.  

Dr. Nahata’s storied career as an educator, researcher, pharmacy practitioner, volunteer leader and mentor has spanned nearly 50 years. The Remington Honor Medal comes on the heels of Dr. Nahata receiving the 2023 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Harvey A.K. Whitney Lecture Award – the organization’s highest honor. 

Dr. Nahata was nominated for the Remington Honor Medal by Ohio State College of Pharmacy Dean Deanna Kroetz and Dr. Bella Mehta, professor and chair of the college’s Division of Pharmacy Practice and Science. 

“Dr. Nahata is a pioneer in pediatric pharmacy whose visionary leadership has led to practice transformation, an extraordinary scholarship record and impactful education and training of students, Fellows, residents and faculty practitioners locally and globally,” Dr. Mehta said. “His lifetime record of achievements are built on integrity, curiosity, humility and servant leadership. We are fortunate to have had him as part of our Ohio State family for nearly 50 years. Dr. Nahata exemplifies the very definition of ‘distinguished service on behalf of American pharmacy’ through his lifetime of service to the profession.”

Some of Dr. Nahata’s accomplishments include publishing over 650 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. One of these studies was crucial to get azithromycin, an antibiotic, approved for pediatric use. Among his five books, Pediatric Drug Formulations is considered one of the most widely used resources in health-system practice, and Pediatric Pharmacotherapy was the first textbook in the field. 

In addition to teaching and research, Dr. Nahata is the editor-in-chief of the Annals of Pharmacotherapy. He is also the founding director of the Institute of Therapeutic Innovations and Outcomes (ITIO), an Ohio State initiative that houses the Medication Management Program (MMP), which has provided telehealth medication therapy management services to more than 100,000 patients annually. 

He previously served as chair of the College of Pharmacy’s Division of Pharmacy Practice and Science and as associate director of the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center Department of Pharmacy from 1998-2013. During that time, Division became recognized for its innovative pharmacy practices and residencies in ambulatory and community pharmacy, vibrant education and research programs, and strong partnerships with other health sciences, practice settings, and the community.

Among his numerous other accomplishments, Dr. Nahata has served as a mentor to countless student pharmacists, colleagues and nearly 40 postdoctoral Fellows. He has received seven outstanding teaching awards from the College of Pharmacy, a university teaching award from Ohio State and distinguished educator awards from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). He also received the highest award given by ACCP, the Paul Parker Medal for Distinguished Service to the Profession of Pharmacy, and AACP’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Lifelong Commitment and Dedication to the Advancement of Pharmacy Education. He has received awards for sustained and outstanding contributions to the literature or research achievement awards from ACCP, APhA, ASHP and American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.

Dr. Nahata is the only pharmacist to have received both the Sumner Yaffe Lifetime Achievement Award in Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics and the Richard Helms Award for Sustained Contributions to Pediatric Pharmacy Practice from the Pediatric Pharmacy Association (PPA). He is also the only pharmacist from the state of Ohio to be elected as a member of the Institute of Medicine, now the National Academy of Medicine. This is a highly prestigious recognition given for outstanding contributions to health care and service to the profession. He has served as the president of both AACP and ACCP, and on the committees of various national and international organizations.