In the past month, the profession of pharmacy has lost two very prominent leaders; Thomas Temple, longtime executive director of the Iowa Pharmacists Association; and Dominique Jordan, president of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and former president of the Swiss Pharmacists Association (pharmaSuisse). I had the good fortune to know both of these gentlemen and I learned lessons from them that I thought would be worth passing on to those who read this blog. This is a tribute to both of their legacies.

Last week the U.S. Senate introduced bipartisan legislation which would provide patients better access to testing and treatment for common infections like respiratory syncytial virus, COVID-19, influenza, and strep throat. The bill would also make permanent authorities for pharmacy-based immunizations that were authorized under emergency action during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the 1989 film Field of Dreams, an Iowa farmer is inspired to pursue a dream. He builds a baseball field on his farm driven by the promise that, “if you build it, they will come.” 

With American Pharmacists Month (APhM) behind us, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate the spotlights that shined on our profession, focusing on our pharmacists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and the incredible work that they do. We saw APhM recognized across social media channels, state proclamations by governors, and even through an on-camera shout out at the TODAY Show on their plaza. This well-deserved recognition goes a long way in sharing with the world the value and importance of pharmacists and pharmacy personnel in all settings.

The kickoff of American Pharmacists Month (APhM) in October is always exciting for me because it falls at the same time as my birthday. My annual birthday present to myself is a flu shot. This year I added a bonus gift of a COVID-19 bivalent booster. It brought me such pride and joy for the pharmacist to jab me with these gifts knowing how our profession rose to the occasion these past few years and how pharmacists continue to be on the front line of care. Those were tears of joy on my face when Joan Kim at Grubb’s Pharmacy in Washington, DC jabbed me!