MurphyJohn Elliott Murphy III, BSPharm, Pharm.D., FCCP, FASHP, has been chosen by the Parker Medal Selection Committee as the 2022 recipient of the College’s Paul F. Parker Medal for Distinguished Service to the Profession of Pharmacy.
Awarded the title of Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy in 2019, Murphy currently volunteers on the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Clinical Pharmacy Challenge Item-Reviewer Panel and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Harvey A.K. Whitney Lecture Award Selection Committee. His previous roles include professor and head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science and associate dean for Academic Affairs and Assessment at the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy and associate dean for the college of pharmacy’s Phoenix campus. Murphy also served as ACCP president from 2008 to 2009 and ASHP president from 1997 to 1998.
Paul Parker was one of clinical pharmacy’s most influential proponents. Before his death in 1998, Parker spent 24 years as director of pharmacy at the Chandler Medical Center/University of Kentucky in Lexington. His innovations included developing decentralized pharmacy services, placing pharmacists in the hospital’s clinical areas, and developing the nation’s first pharmacist-staffed drug information center. Parker’s vision for pharmacy practice was passed along to the more than 150 residents and fellows who trained in the Kentucky program during his tenure. These disciples included many of today’s leaders in clinical pharmacy who continue to pass along his wisdom and vision to their trainees and colleagues. The Paul F. Parker Medal recognizes an individual who has made outstanding and sustained contributions to the profession that improve patient or service outcomes, create innovative practices, affect patient populations, further the professional role of pharmacists, or expand the recognition of pharmacists as health professionals.
The Parker Medal Selection Committee chose Murphy as the 2022 medalist on the basis of his lifetime record of contributions toward advancing the professional role of pharmacists and his impactful leadership. After reviewing letters of recommendation for Murphy, the committee took note of several distinguishing comments from the nominators and included them in its report to the ACCP Board of Regents.
Dr. Milap C. Nahata described Murphy as “an exceptional clinical pharmacy leader with the lifetime record of contributions to patient care, pharmacy education and research that has advanced the clinical role of pharmacists and our profession,” adding that he has “admired him for his superb professional contributions as well as his exceptional personal attributes of integrity, creativity, dedication, kindness, and compassion.”
In his letter supporting the nomination, Dr. Barry Carter wrote:
I found Dr. Murphy’s early papers and books extremely important to my research and I frequently referenced his work. The quality and volume of his research, book chapters, books, and presentations in the field of pharmacokinetics have been exceptional. Dr. Murphy has been a key pharmacy leader who has articulated the need for establishing and supporting pharmacokinetics as a critical service for over 40 years…. He has been a leading voice in advocating for requiring and improving the research training in Doctor of Pharmacy and residency programs. He has dedicated his career to establishing, improving, and expanding residency training.
Dr. Brian Erstad wrote:
Dr. Murphy has earned numerous awards and honors over the course of his career. Most recently, he received the 2021 Hall of Fame Award from the Arizona Pharmacy Association. He was also an innovative educator, as demonstrated by his receipt of the 2015 Robert K. Chalmers Distinguished Educator Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), which is AACP’s highest education award…. I can think of no other individual more deserving of this recognition. I can say without question that Dr. Murphy truly exceeds the definition of the type of person who deserves this honor. His contributions to clinical pharmacy have been consistent, numerous and significant over the course of his illustrious career.
In his letter, Dr. James Stevenson shared, “His energy, commitment, and passion to advance clinical pharmacy are evident from the extensive accomplishments documented in his CV.” Dr. Janet Silvester wrote, “John has a legacy of contributions to the profession that are unparalleled,” also noting that “his vision, leadership, and commitment have resulted in a legacy attained by few and respected by many” and stating that “he has been a light for others to follow.”
Finally, Dr. JoLaine Draugalis commented, “John always did what was asked of him for the good of the department, college, university, state pharmacy societies, or national pharmacy organizations.” She concluded, “Dr. Murphy has certainly demonstrated outstanding and meritorious achievement in the clinical pharmacy discipline, but beyond this, he has done so with class and an eye toward mentoring and lifting up others.”
At the time of his nomination, Murphy had written more than 300 publications and delivered 114 peer-reviewed presentations over a 35-year period.
He has received numerous awards, including the Hall of Fame Award from the Arizona Pharmacy Association, the Harvey A.K. Whitney Award from ASHP, the Robert K. Chalmers Distinguished Educator Award from AACP (as noted earlier), and the ACCP Robert M. Elenbaas Service Award. He was awarded fellowship from ACCP in 1989, the American College of Pharmacology in 1991, and ASHP in 2001.
Murphy will be recognized during the 2022 ACCP Global Conference on Clinical Pharmacy. The Parker Medal Selection Committee is composed of representatives from member organizations of the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners, together with past presidents of ACCP. Members of the 2022 selection committee were Terry Seaton (chair), Nancy Alvarez, John Armitstead, Jean-Venable “Kelly” Goode, Thomas Hardin, Judith Jacobi, Jill Kolesar, J. Robert Powell, Steven Scott, and Janet Silvester.