Menighan takes helm at APhA
CEO transition comes at time of ‘generational
change,’ new exec says.
Thomas E. Menighan, BPharm, MBA, a West Virginia native who
previously served both as APhA president and a member of its staff,
today became the Association’s Executive Vice President and Chief
Executive Officer (CEO). The 26th pharmacist to serve in this or similar
capacities in APhA history, Menighan’s name is added to a list
that includes William Procter, Jr., Joseph P. Remington, Robert P.
Fischelis, William S. Apple, and Menighan’s predecessor, John A.
Gans.
To provide a mechanism for rapid, frequent communication with APhA
members, Menighan today launched a blog, APhA CEO
Blog. Postings made two to three times a week will cover Tom’s
travels, his thoughts on activities of the association, the profession,
and the health care community.
Menighan received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1974 from
West Virginia University School of Pharmacy and a Masters in Business
Administration (MBA) in 1990 from Averett College. Prior to rejoining
APhA, Menighan was President of SynTegra Solutions Inc., in Germantown,
MD. The company provides supply chain and chargeback auditing and
consulting in risk management, 340B systems, anti-counterfeiting, and
the technology of medication information. Menighan founded SymRx, Inc.,
and developed CornerDrugstore.com.
The CEO transition comes at an opportune moment for the profession,
the new exec believes, one that provides a chance for generational
change. Pharmacy’s star is rising as a result of health care
reform and a number of other forces now at work, Menighan noted in a
recent interview
with pharmacist.com. “We will play a greater role in health
care—a much more relevant role in health care—and there will
be a more formal structure for that,” he said. “This is
likely to lead to more requirements being placed on pharmacy practice,
and I want APhA to lead an effort that makes sure these new hurdles are
reasonable and necessary. We want to ensure that pharmacists have the
tools needed to expand these roles and prosper as providers of patient
care. A lot of folks over the past 20 years have set the stage; now we
have to take advantage of our opportunities.”
In his first editorial as APhA exec, Menighan expresses these
thoughts in the July
issue of Pharmacy Today: “Our profession is a storied
one, and we have survived by adapting to changing environments. We are
doing so once again, as trends converge to create opportunities as well
as threats for pharmacy. I know now that the humility embodied in many
of us as pharmacists must not keep us from advocating the value of our
services and their importance as an essential component in improved
patient care. I pledge to transform my sense of awe into untiring
efforts directed toward giving you the needed tools for improving
medication use and advancing patient care.”
Web links:
L. Michael Posey, BPharm (mposey)
Posted July 1, 2009, 9:45 am EDT
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