By Michael D. Hogue, PharmD, FAPhA, FNAP, FFIP
Chief Executive Officer and CEO, American Pharmacists Association
Some leaders leave behind ideas that continue to shape the way we think, act, and lead long after their term of service has ended. For me, that is the enduring legacy of R. David Cobb, PharmD, former president of APhA who passed away last week.
As I recently reflected on David's service to APhA and reread a Leadership Forum article he wrote—with the very title I used in this blog—I was struck by how contemporary his message feels nearly 4 decades later. In that article, David argued that pharmacy could not succeed as a collection of separate organizations, interests, or constituencies. Instead, he believed the profession's future depended upon strengthening the bonds that connected us. His conclusion was simple and powerful: "We're all in this together."
That conviction was not merely a slogan. It was a philosophy of leadership. And it persists today.
David understood that meaningful progress rarely comes from one organization acting alone. It comes when people who care deeply about a profession find common purpose. He recognized that pharmacists practicing in communities, hospitals, clinics, academia, government, industry, and every other setting are united by something larger than their differences. He saw strength in connection. He saw opportunity in collaboration. Most importantly, he saw unity as a prerequisite for advancing patient care and the profession itself.
As I read his words today, I cannot help but see a direct connection to APhA's current strategic direction.
One of the central commitments in our strategic plan is to convene the profession around crucial conversations. We live in a time when health care is evolving rapidly. Pharmacists are practicing in increasingly diverse environments. New technologies, new care models, and new patient expectations are reshaping the profession. Navigating those changes successfully requires us to listen to one another, learn from one another, and build understanding across perspectives. Our profession has needed our national and state organizations to come together more boldly and united for decades; yet I can’t think of a time more important than the present for that to happen.
That is exactly what David was advocating decades ago.
He believed the profession was strongest when organizations worked together rather than in parallel. He believed communication mattered. He believed relationships mattered. And he understood that bringing people to the same table was often the first step toward meaningful progress.
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention a few of the major accomplishments of David’s leadership that still are reflected in our work today, some 36 years since he finished his term as chairman of APhA. David was at the helm of APhA at a time of great change, including the fundamental bylaws changes that resulted in the title of the chief executive of APhA being changed from “executive director” to “executive vice president,” and the chairman of the board title being changed to “president.” He also served as a strong advocate of strengthening the relationship between APhA and state pharmacy associations. David believed, as do our current leaders, that being a part of this profession means being a member of both your state pharmacy association and APhA—it should never be an either/or scenario.
David Cobb understood that pharmacy is stronger when the state associations and APhA are bound together inextricably to further the profession. Fundamentally he wrote about APhA’s responsibility to strengthen the state associations, and for the states to strengthen APhA. David, we thank you for this reminder, and we admit we still have work to do.
As we continue the work of leading APhA and serving the profession, I believe one of the best ways we can honor David's contributions is not simply to remember what he did, it is to embrace what he taught.
The profession's greatest achievements occur when we recognize that our shared purpose is more important than our differences.
And when we do, we are reminded of a timeless truth that David expressed so well years ago and that still resonates today:
We are all in this together. For all of pharmacy.
A lifetime of service to pharmacy and APhA
R. David Cobb, PharmD, FAPhA, was a pharmacist, educator, and dedicated leader whose service to APhA and the profession included:
- Earning his BS in pharmacy in 1968 and PharmD in 1973 from the University of Kentucky, where he spent much of his career on the faculty of the College of Pharmacy.
- Serving as an APhA Trustee from 1985 to 1991, chairman of the APhA Board and interim president in 1989, and APhA president in 1990 following the change in the title of APhA’s top elected leader. He also served as an APhA delegate.
- Serving as a trustee of the American Pharmaceutical Association Foundation from 1990 to 1993 and being named a Fellow of APhA in 2005.