Ohio Pharmacists Association announces 2022 awards and honors
The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy is proud to congratulate our faculty and alumni who were recently named recipients of the Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA) 2022 awards and honors. Honorees were recognized at the OPA 144th Annual Conference in Columbus.
Jennifer Rodis, PharmD, BCPS, FAPhA, professor of clinical pharmacy and associate dean for Outreach and Engagement of the Ohio State College of Pharmacy takes office as OPA’s vice president. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Ohio Northern University College of Pharmacy and previously served OPA as executive committee member-at-large and chair/co-chair of the Public and Professional Relations Committee. She is an active volunteer in her community and has participated in COVID-19 vaccine clinics during the pandemic.
Stuart Beatty, RPh, PharmD, BCACP, FAPhA, received the Beal Award. This award is presented annually to honor a pharmacist who has made continued, outstanding contributions to the advancement of the pharmacy profession.
Dr. Beatty is an associate professor of clinical pharmacy for the College of Pharmacy, director of strategy and practice transformation at OPA and president of Strategic Pharmacy Initiatives, LLC. Dr. Beatty has more than 15 years of experience serving patients, teaching students, authoring papers, conducting research and delivering presentations in the areas of ambulatory care pharmacy practice and management and pharmacist provider status initiatives. He was the first pharmacist to practice within the Ohio State General Internal Medicine clinics where he helped establish pharmacy services, provided education to medical residents and student pharmacists and has trained more than 20 pharmacy residents. In addition, he works with health-systems, physician practices, health plans and fellow pharmacists to expand the role of the pharmacist as an accessible and trusted health care professional that can improve the health of their patients.
Dr. Beatty earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree with honors at Ohio Northern University and completed an ambulatory care/community practice residency at the College of Pharmacy. He is a previous recipient of the OPA Upsher-Smith Excellence in Innovation Award and the OPA UNDER 40 Award for his leadership, excellence and vision and in the practice of pharmacy.
Marialice Bennett, RPh, FAPhA, received the Keys Award for her long-standing commitment to OPA. Bennett is professor emerita of clinical practice and science and former residency director for the Ambulatory and Community Care Residency Programs at the Ohio State College of Pharmacy. Her influence on and service to OPA has spanned her entire career. She has given educational presentations to pharmacists and student pharmacists on various topics including the role of the pharmacist, wellness and diabetes. Bennett has served as a member of the Ohio Pharmacists Foundation the past five years. Among her many contributions there, she spearheaded efforts to establish, fund and recruit for the OPA Executive Fellowship in Leadership and Association Management. Throughout her career, she conveyed the importance of pharmacy associations, engaging over 100 pharmacy residents and innumerable student pharmacists.
Doug Cornelius, RPh, received the Good Government Award for major contributions to the public through government and/or legislative service/education at the local, state, or national level.
Cornelius currently serves as the director of pharmacy operations for The Kroger Co. He has been instrumental in advocating for community pharmacy to various healthcare providers through his involvement with the Federal Pharmacy Partner program, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and the Ohio Governor's office. Although focused on managing Kroger Health's involvement, he has helped community pharmacists and organizations engage and educate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the White House and the Ohio Department of Health on the value of pharmacy in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Cornelius stated that Kroger Health has provided over 6.7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine across the country and over 880,000 by Ohio pharmacies.
Karen Kier, RPh, MS, PhD, received the Pharmacist Public Relations Award. This award recognizes a member pharmacist of OPA who has made major contributions to the public through continuous service to the community in public relations activities for the profession of pharmacy. Dr. Kier has provided the local community with a reliable source of health information, authoring a weekly newspaper column in the Ada Herald since the summer of 2020 on everyday health topics. The column has been picked up by the Bluffton Icon, the Ada Icon, and the Findlay Courier. Topics range from cough and cold concerns, to allergies, OTC non-prescription products, herbal remedies, and, predominantly, the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy is a notable problem in her region, and Dr. Kier’s columns have addressed many misleading messages on social media platforms. Her columns have caused many organizations in the community to invite her to speak at local chapter meetings, organization events, and to civic organizations. Kier serves as the director of the Drug and Health Information Center at the Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy.
Kier received her Bachelor of Science in pharmacy from Ohio Northern University and her master’s and doctorate from The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. She completed an ASHP-accredited residency at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, and an advanced specialty residency in drug information practice at University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Andrea Kowalski, PharmD, received the UNDER 40 Award in recognition of her leadership, excellence and vision in the practice of pharmacy. A graduate of The Ohio State University, Dr. Kowalski currently serves as the director of clinical services for Shrivers Pharmacy. She has gone above and beyond during the past year to coordinate efforts with OPA for provider status through the Molina Pilot Project. Dr. Kowalski has also organized COVID-19 vaccine clinics and provided information to pharmacists and patients. She serves her patients by being a provider for RegenCOV, giving patients in rural areas access to much-needed therapy.
Emlah Tubuo, PharmD, RPh, took office as an OPA Trustee representing District 9. Tubuo is the owner of Powell Pharmacy and founder of Emlah Naturals in Powell, Ohio, where her goal is to take a more personal approach to her patients’ health. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the Ohio State College of Pharmacy and is a member of OPA’s Practice Advancement & Innovation Committee. She serves on the Alumni Board of Governors for the College of Pharmacy. Tubuo’s commitment to patient care has earned her numerous awards including OPA’s Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award in 2018 and the Top Women in Health Wellness and Beauty Commitment to Care Award in 2020.
Jangus Whitner, PharmD, MPH, received the UNDER 40 Award for his leadership, excellence and vision in the practice of pharmacy and the Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award, which recognizes a pharmacist who has graduated in the last 10 years and has made significant contributions to the profession of pharmacy.
Dr. Whitner earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from The University of Toledo College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Franklin University. Dr. Whitner completed a PGY2 ambulatory care residency program in 2018 from the Ohio State College of Pharmacy. He serves as the director of pharmacy services and a board-certified ambulatory care pharmacist at PrimaryOne Health, as well as an Apexus Certified 340B expert. He is viewed as one of the foremost 340B experts in the country, speaking on the topic at both state and federal meetings.
Dana Wilkerson, PharmD, BCACP, is a recipient of an UNDER 40 Award in recognition of her leadership, excellence and vision in the practice of pharmacy. Dr. Wilkerson is the specialty pharmacy manager at Nationwide Children’s Hospital where she has an impact on patient care and the role of the pharmacist in pediatric specialty pharmacy. She is a passionate pharmacy leader dedicated to expanding community-based pharmacy practice and advancing the profession through leadership, advocacy and mentorship.
Dr. Wilkerson is actively involved in state and national pharmacy organizations. She currently serves as vice chair of the OPA Member Services and Development Committee, and she was previously chair of the New Practitioner eXperience (NPX) where she advocated and worked to increase engagement for new practitioners in Ohio. In addition, she serves on the Business Development Section Advisory Group within the American Society of Health-System (ASHP) Section of Specialty Pharmacy Practitioners. Dr. Wilkerson has also served as an Ohio Delegate in the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) House of Delegates and a member of the APhA New Practitioner Network Communications committee.
Dr. Wilkerson earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Pharmacy, and her Master of Science in Health-System Pharmacy Administration from The Ohio State College of Pharmacy. She completed a two-year Community Pharmacy Administration and Leadership residency with the Ohio State College of Pharmacy and The Kroger Co., Columbus Division.