Distinguished New Practitioner Award
2026 Distinguished New Practitioner Award recipient
Myriam Shaw Ojeda, PharmD
Myriam Shaw Ojeda, PharmD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy and Director of Pharmacy Extension and Public Health Initiatives with the Ohio Pharmacists Association. She leads statewide public health efforts that include an award-winning rural vaccine education toolkit, nicotine use disorder training for students and practitioners, and pharmacist-led maternal health programs. She mentors student pharmacists across Ohio while serving in local and national volunteer roles. She began her leadership journey as APhA ASP chapter president at Cedarville University School of Pharmacy and now builds training and collaborative clinical programs that meet Ohio’s public health needs.
About
The Distinguished New Practitioner
Award was established in 2010 to recognize an individual new practitioner who has
demonstrated distinctive achievements in mentorship, service, and commitment to the
profession of pharmacy.
Nominate a colleague by
Dec. 1
Evaluation Criteria
The nominee must be an APhA member pharmacist within his/her first five years after graduation. Nominees must
be a New Practitioner in good standing at the time of nomination and are eligible to receive the award as an
Active Pharmacist Member during the subsequent APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition. Self-nominations are
allowed for this award. Applications will be evaluated based upon the following criteria (listed
alphabetically, not in rank order):
- APhA-related activities (e.g. leadership, committees, editorial advisory board member, speaker,
publication contributor/reviewer, etc.)
- Community service
- Contributions to the development of student pharmacists (e.g. serving as a New Practitioner mentor
and/or assisting in APhA-ASP related activities as a preceptor, etc.)
- Impact on the profession through singular or multiple achievements (e.g., innovation, pharmacy practice,
research, scholarly activities, etc.)
- Participation in other professional activities
Nomination process
The nominator is responsible for submitting a complete award nomination.
The nomination is to include the following items:
A letter from the nominator describing the most important achievements of the nominee and explaining why the
nominee meets the criteria for the award
One letter of recommendation is required (letters from student pharmacists are accepted); a maximum of two
letters accepted
A current curriculum or detailed résumé
Individuals may self nominate as well.
Selection process
The selection is made by the APhA New Practitioner Advisory Committee and approved by the APhA Board of
Trustees.
Nature of award
The Distinguished New Practitioner Award will be presented at the APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition and
consists of a laminated plaque, a $500 honorarium, and a complimentary New Practitioner APhA Annual Meeting
& Exposition registration.
Past recipients
2025 Major Cody R. Morcom
2015 Gretchen K. Garofoli
2013 Ashley Stubblefield Crumby
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