Milap Nahata receives health-system pharmacy’s highest honor
Milap C. Nahata, PharmD, MS, FASHP, FCCP, FAPhA, FPPA, professor emeritus at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, is the recipient of this year's American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Harvey A.K. Whitney Lecture Award – the organization’s highest honor.
Named after the first ASHP president, the Harvey A.K. Whitney Lecture Award was established in 1950 and is given annually to individuals who have ‘high moral character, good citizenship and have elevated professional ideas that have also made significant contributions to the health-system pharmacy field,’ according to the ASHP website.
Only ASHP members and past recipients of the award can nominate award candidates. Dr. Nahata was selected by a majority vote from past honorees.
“I am grateful to receive this tremendous honor carrying the name of an inspirational leader in health-system pharmacy, where I have devoted my career, and to have had the opportunities to work with so many outstanding students, residents, Fellows, colleagues and collaborators at the college and Nationwide Children’s Hospital over the years,” Dr. Nahata said. “I want to express my appreciation to Dean Mann for supporting my nomination for this recognition.”
Throughout his career, Dr. Nahata has worked to shape the field of pediatric pharmacy. Some of his accomplishments include publishing over 600 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. One of these studies was crucial to get azithromycin, an antibiotic, approved for pediatric use. His book “Pediatric Drug Formulations” is considered one of the most widely used resources in health-system practice.
In addition to 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 provides 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.
Among his numerous other accomplishments, Dr. Nahata 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.
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.
Dr. Nahata will formally receive the Harvey A.K. Whitney Lecture Award in June at the ASHP Summer Meetings & Exhibition in Baltimore.