Two College of Pharmacy Alumni Receive National Leadership Awards
| The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) recently recognized two UAMS College of Pharmacy alumni, Brenda McCrady, P.D., COP ’86, and Lenora Newsome, P.D., COP ’80, with awards for leadership.
“Brenda’s dedication and service to the people of Arkansas and contributions to NABP are the reason awards like this exist to honor our exemplary colleagues,” said John Kirtley, Pharm.D., executive director of the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy. “I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this recognition in NABP.”
“Dr. Newsome has been an integral part of the Board of Pharmacy since 1991,” Kirtley said. “Her dedication to our profession and specifically to Boards of Pharmacy is beyond impressive and we are so proud to see her service on the national level as she completes her term as the president of NABP and continues her service now as the NABP chairperson.”
McCrady, the deputy director of the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy since 2011, received the 2024 John F. Atkinson Service Award for “sustained and significant contributions to the mission of NABP and the pharmacy regulation landscape,” the organization said in a statement. Nominees must have provided exemplary service in protecting public health and promoting pharmacy law and compliance. She has served on several NABP taskforces and committees, as well as multiple forums for compliance officers and attorneys.
“It was truly an honor to be selected as the recipient of this year’s award,” McCrady said. “For me, it is such a privilege to have the opportunity through my work, with both the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy and NABP, to give back to the profession that has done so much for me.”
McCrady completed coursework towards pre-pharmacy at the University of Arkansas in 1983, and obtained her pharmacy degree from UAMS in 1986. She practiced in community pharmacy in Arkansas for 25 years prior to joining the state board of pharmacy. She is a member of the Arkansas Pharmacists Association and the American Society for Pharmacy Law.
Newsome, the 2023-2024 NABP president and former president of the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy, received the 2024 NABP President’s Award. As NABP president, she led an initiative focused on providing resources to support the mental health and well-being of pharmacists and pharmacy staff, as well as adding those considerations to NABP accreditation programs. Under her leadership, NABP also advocated for pharmacy workforce well-being and sustainability.
“My term serving as president of such a great organization was quite a humbling experience, as was being the recipient of this award,” Newsome said. “Most importantly, my presidential initiative for mental health and well-being of pharmacists and pharmacy staff has taken root. Organizations and business models across the nation are making changes to address these important challenges that pharmacy is facing today, and it is humbling to see that progress.”
Newsome received her pharmacy degree from UAMS in 1980, and served her residency in Fort Worth, Texas. She then returned to Arkansas and has worked in retail pharmacy for 40 years, including El Dorado, Camden, Fordyce and her hometown of Smackover. In 1991, then-Gov. Bill Clinton appointed her to the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy, where she has been reappointed by every governor since.