AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY CALENDAR x - Aetna

[Pages:16]00.12.904.1 (12/04)

?2005 Aetna Inc.

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY CALENDAR

2005

x ONE GOAL. To improve lives. AFRICAN AMERICANS IN PHARMACY

Each day, pharmacists work to improve overall health and well-being. Whether it's the local pharmacist in a community drugstore, the pharmacist who provides comfort to animals, or the one who discovers new drug therapies that can sustain lives, it is the pharmacist who is at the heart of healing.

In this 24th edition of the Aetna 2005 African American History Calendar, you will meet some of the most accomplished and respected African American pharmaceutical professionals. Discover the diversity of a profession that offers a multitude of practice settings, including military, academia, industry, retail, government and community. Experience the goals, dreams and hopes of these individuals, who have dedicated their lives to finding the perfect prescription for caring.

In addition to the printed version, enjoy the online version of the 2005 calendar, which features more extensive profiles and details about the pharmaceutical professions. Find it at

diversity/aahcalendar/2005/index.html.

In the Service of Humanity

Pharmacists are compassionate and caring people who provide counsel, guidance and expertise to patients, caregivers and health care professionals regarding drug therapies. As drug therapy experts, pharmacists consistently strive to look for meaningful ways to impact the health and quality of life of the patients we serve and the communities in which we live.

of-health perspective, financial perspective and value to their overall being. We want to provide actionable information to physicians that can help them make a difference in sustaining and improving the health of the patients they serve. We are in a unique position to accomplish this through pharmacy integration with medical, dental, and disability literature and data.

In the service of humanity, pharmacists contribute their expertise within a multitude of practice environments. Our knowledge of emerging medical technologies, current and new medications, and the analysis of medical literature and data provide the platform for pharmacists to serve the public in a very unique way.

Aetna Pharmacy Management provides information and resources to help our members make informed decisions. Our members can balance drug selection, quality and the affordability of drug therapy options. As technology continues to advance and drug selection becomes more vast, we want to position our members to understand the impact of their choices from a quality-

With the advent of consumerism, pharmacists will continue to play a major role in health care. Our profession will continue to evolve as technology and drug therapy continue to advance. It is my hope that through this calendar, you will come to understand the past and current contributions of African Americans in pharmacy and the roles they will play in the future.

May the insights you learn as you journey through the pages of this calendar be a blessing to you.

Teri' Yvette Burnell, Pharm.D. Director, Clinical Pharmacy Programs Aetna Inc.

ONE DREAM. To discover cures.

Teri' Yvette Burnell, Pharm.D.

ONE HOPE. To sustain health.

African American Pharmacists in Health Care

By Ira C. Robinson, Ph.D., R.Ph.

Former Dean and Professor of Pharmacy, Florida A M University College of Pharmacy and Howard University College of Pharmacy

The art of healing through the use of medicines dates back to prehistoric times and stretches through Western civilization. Around 1500 when lists of drug formulas, called pharmacopeias, first appeared, so began the uphill evolution of the pharmaceutical profession. While it was common for physicians to diagnose illnesses, as well as compound and administer simple medicines, the emergence of apothecaries, the wholesale trade and pharmacies in city hospitals provided a necessary means for the separation of direct medical care from drug preparation and dispensing.

Traditionally, pharmacy has been defined as the art and science of preparing, preserving, compounding and dispensing of drugs. From its early beginnings in America, pharmacy evolved from self-treatment with herbal concoctions, poultices and pills to the development of multidisciplinary clinical medicine dispensers. Today's practice is expanded beyond the boundaries of that outdated definition. In addition to preparing and dispensing drugs, pharmacists counsel patients and other health care professionals, design increasingly complex dosage forms, as well as evaluate and monitor patients' multidrug regimens for safety and efficacy.

Historically, African American pharmacists have been involved in all practice settings, including management and staff roles. More African Americans continue to choose the profession, as evidenced by the rapid growth of the number of African American pharmacists from the 1970s to today. Then, there were less than 2,800 African American pharmacists in the United States. Today, African American pharmacists comprise nearly 9 percent ? or almost 19,000 ? of an estimated 208,000 pharmacists in the country.

Higher Education The early training of pharmacists in America was delivered in "schools" operated by local associations and was composed primarily of an apprenticeship. To meet the challenges of providing quality pharmaceutical care services in collaboration with physicians and other practitioners, pharmacists today complete a six-year curriculum to earn a doctor of pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. Some 89 U.S. colleges now offer such programs.

Although Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, is renowned for its training of our earliest African American pharmacists, other historically black colleges of pharmacy have emerged over the past three decades to enroll and graduate the majority of African American pharmacists in the United States. These include Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida; Howard University, Washington, D.C.; Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas; Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana; and Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia.

African American pharmacy students graduate with an abundance of career opportunities in community pharmacies, hospitals, home health care, consulting and managed care. There also are specialty areas such as geriatrics, nuclear pharmacy, oncology, pediatrics and pharmacotherapeutics. Combining the Pharm.D. with advanced degrees greatly expands one's career options even in contemporary practice, as well as in clinical and scientific research, teaching, entrepreneurship, public service, and the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.

Professional Organizations Recognizing the need to form their own alliances to address common challenges, African Americans established a number of pharmaceutical associations. In 1947, Chauncey Cooper of Howard University founded the National Pharmaceutical Association for

African American pharmacists, which was preceded by the National Negro Medical Association of Physicians, Dentists and Pharmacists of 1895.

The National Pharmaceutical Foundation founded in 1972 at Florida A&M University (FAMU) brought together African American pharmacists from all groups and practice settings, as well as faculty, alumni and students from the historically black pharmacy colleges. That same year, the establishment of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association at FAMU provided students with mentoring and enrichment opportunities outside the classroom. In 1978, the African American members of the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists* formed their own group, the Association of Black Hospital Pharmacists.

African Americans also emerged in leadership roles of national pharmacy associations, including Wendell T. Hill, Jr., Pharm.D., who served as president of the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists in 1972; Mary Munson Runge, R.Ph., who served as chairperson and president of the American Pharmaceutical Association** in 1979; Robert D. Gibson, Pharm.D., who served as president of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) in the 1990s; and Henry Cade, M.B.A., who served as the president of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy in 1987. The first African American AACP official was initially elected secretary-treasurer of its Council of Deans in 1973.

African American pharmacists will continue to have an enormous impact on health care in America because of their high sensitivity to patient needs, quality education, proven competence, leadership qualities and dedication to improving access to quality patient care.

* Now known as the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. ** Now known as the American Pharmacists Association.

MANY STORIES. African Americans in pharmacy.

Ira C. Robinson, Ph.D., R.Ph.

References Robinson, Ira C., African American Pharmacists Socioeconomic

Empowerpedia, Robinson Research Resources, Brandon, Fla., 1994. Robinson, Ira C. (Editor), Progress and Problems of Black Pharmacists in

America, 1st Edition, National Pharmaceutical Foundation, Washington, D.C., 1977. Robinson, Ira C., "Black Pharmacists Today: Only 2,800 Are Available," American Druggist, April 1982. Bureau of Health Professions, "The Pharmacist Workforce: A Study of the Supply and Demand for Pharmacists," Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C., December 2000. "Academic Pharmacy's Vital Statistics," American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, Alexandria, Va., February 2004.

Henry Lewis III, Pharm.D., and Marisa A. Lewis, Pharm.D., M.P.H.

Tallahassee, Florida

Chemistry is extremely important in the pharmaceutical field ? especially when it's between two prestigious and ambitious pharmacists who are married to one another.

"Working in the same field gives us the opportunity to have dialogue on issues impacting what we do each day," Dr. Henry Lewis III, professor and director in the College of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences at Florida A&M University (FAMU), said of his wife, Dr. Marisa Lewis. "We see things from a different vantage point. It's been very helpful."

Today, the two accomplished pharmacists spend their days in a university setting leading, training and educating students, and then go home to consult with one another. "I am always looking for fresh ideas, and it's very helpful to get Henry's perspective on things," said Marisa Lewis, who is currently the executive director of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) and an associate professor at FAMU.

After more than 30 years in the pharmaceutical field, Henry Lewis' experiences have been extensive. Since he began teaching and administration at FAMU in 1974, enrollment in the pharmacy program has increased by over 600 percent, the college has added three new Ph.D. programs, graduated 60 percent of the African American Ph.D. recipients in the pharmaceutical sciences, and produced 25 percent of the nation's black pharmacists.

One of Henry Lewis' proudest achievements recently came to fruition ? the completion of a new 126,000-square-foot, $33 million state-of-the-art College of Pharmacy building at

0x1 FAMU. "It's a dream that has been five years in the making,"

Henry Lewis said. "To see the energy of the 1,200 students from more than 33 states in the U.S. as well as foreign countries utilizing this outstanding training facility is exhilarating."

He believes his career path has been led by divine intervention. "Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that all this was within my reach. I believe that success is the intersection of where opportunity meets preparation," he said. Marisa Lewis shares her husband's belief in divine guidance. "Initially, I was unsure if I wanted to practice medicine or pharmacy. I was led to pharmacy, and pharmacy has been wonderful to me."

Like her husband, Marisa Lewis also has spent most of her career in academia. But she believes her previous experiences in retail and hospital pharmacy as well as in corporate America as a medical information specialist have paved the way. "My true love is working with students," she said. "They motivate me."

She takes pride in promoting the profession. In 1999 and 2000 she served as auxiliary spokesperson and spokesperson, respectively, for the American Pharmaceutical Association ? McNeil Consumer Health Care's Partnership for Self-Care and Medicine Cabinet Safety campaigns. In 2004 she was recognized by the National Pharmaceutical Association with its highest honor for her service to the organization.

If Henry Lewis one day becomes a university president, Marisa Lewis plans to be at his side. They got a taste of that leadership responsibility when he served as interim president of FAMU in 2002. "I want to be supportive of him in every way so that we complement one another," she said. "Whatever happens with our careers, we will continue to support each other and mentor students."

"We are in the business of dream making," Henry Lewis said. "I believe that you measure success not by your own personal achievement, but by the achievement of people with whom you have the opportunity to come in contact."

0x1

ONE GOAL: To entor

"I believe that success is the intersection of where opportunity

meets preparation."

Dr. Henry Lewis III

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1

New Year's Day 1863: Abraham Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation.

2

1965: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. calls for nonviolent protests if Alabama blacks are not allowed to register and vote.

3

1624: William Tucker, first African child born in America.

4

1920: Andrew "Rube" Foster organizes first black baseball league, the Negro National League. 1971: The Congressional Black Caucus organized.

5

1943: George Washington Carver, agricultural scientist, dies.

6

1831: The World Anti-Slavery Convention opens in London.

7

1890: William B. Purvis patents fountain pen. 1955: Marian Anderson debuts as first black to perform at Metropolitan Opera.

8

1811: Charles Deslandes leads slave revolt in Louisiana.

9

1866: Fisk University founded in Nashville, Tennessee. 1906: Paul Laurence Dunbar, poet and writer, dies.

10

1864: George Washington Carver, agricultural scientist and inventor, born.

11

1940: Benjamin O. Davis Sr. becomes U.S. Army's first black general.

12

1948: Supreme Court rules blacks have right to study law at state institutions.

13

1990: L. Douglas Wilder inaugurated as first African American governor (Virginia) since Reconstruction.

14

1975: William T. Coleman named secretary of transportation.

15

1929: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a major voice for civil rights in the 20th century, born.

16

1978: NASA names African American astronauts Maj. Frederick D. Gregory, Maj. Guion S. Bluford Jr. and Dr. Ronald E. McNair.

23

1891: Dr. Daniel Hale Williams founds Provident Hospital in Chicago, the first training hospital for black doctors and nurses in the U.S.

17

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday observed 1942: Three-time heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) born.

24

1865: Congress passes 13th Amendment, which, on ratification, abolishes slavery.

18

1856: Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, pioneer heart surgeon, born.

25

1851: Sojourner Truth addresses first Black Women's Rights Convention, Akron, Ohio.

19

1918: John H. Johnson, editor and publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines, born.

26

1954: Dr. Theodore K. Lawless, dermatologist, awarded the Spingarn Medal for research in skin-related diseases.

20

1993: Maya Angelou, a great voice of contemporary literature, delivers On the Pulse of Morning at the presidential inauguration. 2001: Colin Powell sworn in as first black secretary of state.

27

1961: Leontyne Price, world-renowned opera singer, makes her Metropolitan Opera debut.

21

1870: Hiram Revels elected first black U.S. senator, replacing Jefferson Davis for the Mississippi seat.

28

1998: Sarah "Madam C.J." Walker, first black female millionaire, honored on U.S. postage stamp.

22

1949: James Robert Gladden becomes first black certified in orthopedic surgery.

29

1926: Violette Neatly Anderson becomes first black woman lawyer to argue a case before the Supreme Court.

30

1844: Richard Theodore Greener becomes first black to graduate from Harvard.

31

1919: Jackie Robinson, first black to play in major league baseball, born.

January 2005

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY CALENDAR diversity/aahcalendar/2005/index.html

A service-oriented person, Colbert has dedicated his practice of pharmacy and his specialized knowledge to helping others. As an officer in the U.S. Army and a decorated veteran of Operation Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Bosnia, he has practiced pharmacy on four different continents, where he helped care for soldiers. "At the time I joined the Army, I had never been involved in anything more stressful than the Boy Scouts," Colbert recalled. "Being in a position to take care of wounded soldiers was one of the most satisfying things that I have done with my pharmacy training."

Although he specializes in pediatrics, Colbert recognizes that caring for children is not his only job. "When you work with children, by definition, you work with families. I establish that I am there for them as well as for their children," he said. "I am truly in my element when I am teaching families about their children's medication issues. In many ways, I look at myself as the applied chemist on the team. My expertise is in the specific use of these chemicals in young children to promote positive medical outcomes."

Today, Colbert is active in pediatric care associations, including the Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group, the Southern California Pediatric Group and the UCSD Sickle Cell Support Group, which provides education to parents and families about sickle cell disease. He has been selected Pharmacist of the Year in San Diego, and was named a Health Hero by the Combined Health Agencies (CHAD).

James Colbert, Pharm.D.

San Diego, California

Although in pharmacy for 23 years, Colbert is eager to continue his education. "I am a living example of how obtaining an education and taking advantage of the opportunities can truly elevate your standing in society," he said. "We are by definition lifelong learners. The information we need to know seems to increase logarithmically with each passing year."

For Dr. James Colbert, there was no higher calling than to work with children. So began his path to becoming the clinical manager and education coordinator at a California medical center, and his life quest to become a "difference maker."

He took his own inspiration from childhood ? a family pharmacist named Jim McMillan ? and quickly learned that in pharmacy you could make a difference. "Not only was Mr. McMillan able to help people with their medication issues, he also helped with their life issues. He was a `difference maker,' and I wanted to make a difference too," he said.

Colbert looks forward to continuing his community work and inspiring others. "If I were to paraphrase the words of four of my favorite authors and philosophers ? Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert Frost, Albert Einstein and Langston Hughes," he said, "my advice to others would probably go something like this: `Dare to dream and be opportunistic (King), be imaginative (Einstein), understand others and help them understand you (Hughes), but don't spend too much time admiring your successes because there is too much work to do (Frost).'"

ONE GOAL: To repare

"I am a living example of how obtaining an education and taking advantage of the opportunities can truly elevate your standing in society."

0x2

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1

1902: Langston Hughes, poet, born.

2

1915: Biologist Ernest E. Just receives Spingarn Medal for research in fertilization and cell division.

3

1956: Autherine Lucy enrolls as the first black student at the University of Alabama.

4

1913: Rosa Parks, civil rights pioneer who sparked 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, born.

5

1884: Willis Johnson patents eggbeater. 1934: Hank Aaron, major league home-run champion, born.

6

1993: Arthur Ashe Jr., tennis player, humanitarian and activist, dies.

7

1883: Ragtime pianist and composer Eubie Blake born.

13

1970: Joseph L. Searles becomes first African American member of New York Stock Exchange.

14

Valentine's Day 1817: Frederick Douglass, "the Great Emancipator," born.

8

1968: Three South Carolina State students killed during segregation protest in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

15

1961: U.N. sessions disrupted by U.S. and African nationalists over assassination of Congo Premier Patrice Lumumba.

9

Ash Wednesday 1964: Arthur Ashe Jr. becomes first black on U.S. Davis Cup team.

16

1874: Frederick Douglass elected president of Freedman's Bank and Trust.

10

1927: Leontyne Price, internationally acclaimed opera singer, born. 1992: Alex Haley, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, dies.

17

1938: Mary Frances Berry, first woman to serve as chancellor of a major research university (University of Colorado), born.

11

1990: Nelson Mandela of South Africa is released from prison after 27 years.

12

Lincoln's Birthday 1909: NAACP founded in New York City. 1927: Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy founded.

18

1931: Toni Morrison, winner of 1988 Pulitzer Prize for her novel Beloved, born.

19

1919: First Pan-African Congress, organized by W.E.B. DuBois, held in Paris.

20

1895: Frederick Douglass, leading voice in the abolitionist movement, dies.

27

1897: Marian Anderson, world-renowned opera singer and civil rights activist, born.

21

Presidents' Day 1965: Malcolm X assassinated in New York.

28

1984: Michael Jackson, musician and entertainer, wins eight Grammy Awards.

22

Washington's Birthday 1989: Col. Frederick D. Gregory becomes first African American to command a space shuttle mission.

23

1868: W.E.B. DuBois, scholar, activist and author of The Souls of Black Folk, born.

24

1864: Rebecca Lee Crumpler becomes first black woman to receive a medical degree (New England Female Medical College).

25

1853: First black YMCA organized in Washington, D.C.

26

1965: Civil rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson dies after being shot by state police in Marion, Alabama.

February 2005

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY CALENDAR diversity/aahcalendar/2005/index.html

Sybil Richard, R.Ph., M.H.A., Esq.

Tallahassee, Florida

When it comes to the pharmaceutical field, Sybil Richard is all about policy. As Florida's Bureau Chief of Medicaid Pharmacy Services, she oversees the entire Florida Medicaid pharmacy budget, yet she knows there is much more to health care policy than crunching numbers.

Today, Richard works on Medicaid budgets and reimbursements, as well as with individual cases and physicians on coverage policies and clinical issues. "When I took this job, I considered myself financially challenged," Richard said. "Now I balance a $2.2 billion budget and have a staff of 20."

"Growing up in New Orleans, I was always interested in health care. I was intrigued by the community pharmacist standing high up on a box," Richard said. "Pharmacists are the last point of contact before individuals take their health into their own hands. I enjoyed having influence at that point of care."

After graduating with a pharmacy degree from Xavier University, Richard worked in a retail community pharmacy before enrolling at Indiana University to pursue a dual degree in health administration and law. "I wanted to be in a position to help people get answers," she said. Her role model, younger sister Christie, also is a pharmacist.

Richard had her first opportunity to work in health care policy with the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, which represent the views and policy positions of chain community pharmacies. She was part of a team that reviewed laws and rules, analyzed impacts and helped communicate messages about the value and role of community retail pharmacy.

Because Medicaid by definition exists to serve the lowincome population, Richard has firsthand experience with health care disparities among different populations. She hopes to continue to expand her knowledge of broader health care issues, and to play an integral role in the future of the Medicaid and Medicare programs. "Florida is one of the largest Medicaid states, but we are also one of the most innovative states in the country," Richard said. "I am really proud to be a part of that."

Richard also enjoys her role as a mentor to pharmacy students. "The profession has grown so much, and there are many career options for pharmacists," she said. "I tell students to know their hearts and do what feels right. There are a lot of dream killers, so they have to be committed to following their dreams."

As far as her own dreams, Richard aspires to one day be at the helm of health and human services for the country. She realizes it's a big job that requires a much broader focus on health care issues, which is why she's devoted to expanding her own knowledge. Now, she's serving on the federal commission for the State Prescription Assistance Transition Program, which is helping to develop transitions to Medicare for people on Medicaid.

"I enjoy being part of the creative process that shapes health care policy," she said. "Before I come to work each day I think how what I accomplish will impact today and what I can do to take it forward."

0x3

ONE GOAL: To hape

"I enjoy being part of the creative process that shapes health care policy."

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1

1914: Ralph Ellison, author, born.

2

1867: Congress enacts charter to establish Howard University.

3

1865: Freedmen's Bureau established by federal government to aid newly freed slaves.

4

1965: Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics honored as NBA most valuable player for fourth time in five years.

5

1770: Crispus Attucks becomes one of the first casualties of the American Revolution.

6

1857: Supreme Court issues Dred Scott decision.

7

1965: Supreme Court upholds key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

13

1773: Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable, black pioneer and explorer, founded Chicago.

14

1956: Montgomery bus boycott ends when municipal bus service is desegregated.

8

1951: The National Pharmaceutical Association incorporated under the laws of the state of Delaware. 1977: Henry L. Marsh III becomes first African American elected mayor of Richmond, Virginia.

15

1947: John Lee, first black commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy, assigned to duty.

9

1841: Amistad mutineers freed by Supreme Court.

16

1827: Freedom's Journal, the first U.S. black newspaper, is founded. 1846: Rebecca Cole, second black female physician in the U.S., born.

10

1869: Robert Tanner Freeman becomes first black to receive a degree in dentistry. 1913: Harriet Tubman, abolitionist and Civil War nurse, dies.

11

1959: Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun opens at Barrymore Theater, New York, the first play by a black woman to premiere on Broadway.

12

1932: Andrew Young, former U.N. ambassador and former mayor of Atlanta, born.

17

St. Patrick's Day 1885: William F. Cosgrove patents automatic stop plug for gas and oil pipes. 1890: Charles B. Brooks patents street sweeper.

18

1822: The Phoenix Society, a literary and educational group, founded by blacks in New York City.

19

1971: The Rev. Leon Sullivan elected to board of directors of General Motors.

20

Palm Sunday 1883: Jan E. Matzeliger patents shoemaking machine.

21

1965: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. leads march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, for voting rights.

22

1898: J.W. Smith patents lawn sprinkler.

23

1873: Slavery abolished in Puerto Rico.

24

1907: Nurse and aviator Janet Harmon Bragg born.

25

Good Friday 1931: Ida B. Wells-Barnett, journalist, anti-lynching activist and founding member of the NAACP, dies.

26

1872: Thomas J. Martin patents fire extinguisher. 1911: William H. Lewis becomes U.S. assistant attorney general.

27

Easter 1924: Jazz singer Sarah Vaughan, "The Divine One," born. 1930: Of the 116,000 blacks in professional positions, more than two-thirds were teachers or ministers.

28

1870: Jonathan S. Wright becomes first black state supreme court justice in South Carolina.

29

1918: Pearl Bailey, singer and actor, born.

30

1870: Fifteenth Amendment ratified, guaranteeing voting rights to blacks.

31

1988: Toni Morrison wins Pulitzer Prize for Beloved.

March 2005

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY CALENDAR diversity/aahcalendar/2005/index.html

Sylester Flowers, R.Ph.

Pleasanton, California

A practicing pharmacist for 46 years, Sylester Flowers has seen the profession become increasingly specialized and complex over the years, with multichain drugstores slowly edging out the neighborhood pharmacies. He misses those days when pharmacists owned their own stores and were respected community figures.

As a poor child growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Flowers dreamed of improving his economic class and saw pharmacy as a chance to become a professional. "I thought there was something charming about the profession because the old-fashioned pharmacist had a soda fountain in his store," Flowers said. After graduating from Howard University's School of Pharmacy, getting licensed to practice in three states and years of saving, Flowers opened his first pharmacy, eventually owning at one point six community pharmacies. Today he operates a single state-of-the-art facility serving an ethnically diverse low-income community.

"The pharmacist is the most accessible person of the health care team. You don't need an appointment to see a pharmacist. We have the opportunity to take care of the underserved within their environments," he said.

While remaining a community advocate, Flowers looked for business opportunities. In 1967, he formed Ramsell Corporation, which manages several companies, including the Public Health Services Bureau, a pharmacy benefits management (PBM) company that serves the medically indigent with HIV/AIDS in Washington state and California.

Devoted to improving this country's HIV/AIDS drug programs, he donates his time and money to groundbreaking research in health administration technology. "My driving ambition is to centralize the AIDS assistance programs in the United States so that the level of funding is not based on the policies of individual states but on a centralized federally sponsored program for every eligible patient," he said.

To help move his ideas forward, Flowers has invested in a team of IT scientists who are working at making the program more accessible. "There are no shortcuts to experience. This field is highly specialized, and no other company in the U.S. has our level of experience. Technology gives us the tools to efficiently centralize the program and use our nation's health care resources wisely and efficiently." Now in its beta stage after two years, he hopes to have the full application ready before his 70th birthday in June.

He credits his drive to succeed to a motivational upbringing. "My mother would not allow my brother or me to use being African American as an excuse," he said. "There is nothing like the opportunity that America provides. I was a kid who grew up in the projects, worked for an education and now has a successful company. Through my mother's mentoring, I learned that anything is possible if you prepare yourself well."

Flowers continues to prepare himself well for the future. "I have retained my competence as a scientist by continually learning, reading, and attending conferences and seminars. My challenge each day is to stay motivated and continue to keep the wheels turning, because you never know when the wheels will stop."

ONE GOAL: To ocus

"My driving ambition is to centralize the AIDS assistance programs in the United States."

0x4

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1

1950: Blood research pioneer Charles R. Drew dies. 1989: Bill White elected president of the National Baseball League.

2

1984: Georgetown coach John Thompson becomes first African American coach to win the NCAA basketball tournament.

3

Daylight Saving Time Begins 1826: Poet-orator James Madison Bell, author of the Emancipation Day poem "The Day and the War," born. 1990: Sarah Vaughan, jazz singer known as "The Divine One," dies.

10

1943: Arthur Ashe, first black to win the U.S. Open and men's singles title at Wimbledon, born. 1947: Brooklyn Dodger Jackie Robinson becomes first black to play major league baseball.

4

1968: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.

11

1899: Percy Julian, developer of physostigmine and synthetic cortisone, born. 1966: Emmett Ashford becomes first black umpire in the major leagues.

5

1951: Washington, D.C., Municipal Court of Appeals outlaws segregation in restaurants.

12

1983: Harold Washington becomes first African American elected mayor of Chicago.

6

1909: Matthew A. Henson reaches North Pole, 45 minutes before Robert E. Peary.

13

1950: Historian Carter G. Woodson, author of The Miseducation of the Negro, dies. 1997: Tiger Woods wins Masters Golf Tournament.

7

1915: Jazz and blues legend Billie Holiday born. 1959: Lorraine Hansberry becomes first black playwright to win New York Drama Critics Award (for A Raisin in the Sun).

8

1974: Atlanta Braves slugger Hank Aaron hits 715th career home run, surpassing Babe Ruth as the game's all-time home-run leader.

9

1898: Paul Robeson, actor, singer, activist, born.

14

1775: First abolitionist society in U.S. founded in Philadelphia.

15

1964: Sidney Poitier becomes first black to win Academy Award for Best Actor for Lilies of the Field.

16

1862: Slavery abolished in the District of Columbia.

17

1983: Alice Walker wins Pulitzer Prize for fiction for The Color Purple. 1990: Ralph David Abernathy, civil rights leader, dies.

18

1995: Margo Jefferson receives Pulitzer Prize for criticism.

19

1972: Stationed in Germany, Major Gen. Frederic E. Davidson becomes first African American to lead an Army division.

24

1944: United Negro College Fund incorporated.

25

1918: Ella Fitzgerald, "First Lady of Song," born.

26

1888: Sarah Boone patents ironing board.

20

1894: Dr. Lloyd A. Hall, pioneering food chemist, born.

21

1966: Pfc. Milton L. Olive III awarded posthumously the Medal of Honor for valor in Vietnam.

22

1922: Jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus born.

27

Administrative Professionals Day 1968: Dr. Vincent Porter becomes first black certified in plastic surgery.

28

1839: Cinque leads Amistad mutiny off the coast of Long Island, New York.

29

1899: Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, jazz musician and composer, born.

23

Passover Begins (sundown) 1856: Granville T. Woods, inventor of the steam boiler and automobile air brakes, born. 1872: Charlotte E. Ray is first black woman admitted to the District of Columbia Bar.

30

1952: Dr. Louis T. Wright honored by American Cancer Society for his contributions to cancer research.

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AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY CALENDAR diversity/aahcalendar/2005/index.html

When she first entered the field 32 years ago, Augustus faced her own barriers. As a black woman, she found it very difficult to find a place that would allow her to practice pharmacy. After years of hard work and perseverance, doors began to open for her. Today, she does not see as many barriers within the profession.

In fact, throughout her career, she has witnessed many positive changes in the industry. "When I first started at the college, there were very few women in the 35-student classes," she said. "Now we have classes of more than 100 students that contain more women than men."

According to Augustus, the key to being successful in the veterinary industry is to truly care about those you are serving. "To be involved in this field, you need an interest in patients, the knowledge and confidence to challenge students and clinical staff, and the ability to be responsive to the owners who love and care about their animals," she said.

Although Augustus enjoys the hands-on practice of pharmacy, she has always wanted to teach. After completing her doctorate in pharmacy by taking evening classes for 16 months, she now has the opportunity to provoke student thinking. She's currently instructing 15 hours a semester and looks forward to teaching more medical pharmacology courses.

"I enjoy teaching because I've found that veterinary students are intimidated by drug knowledge. I like finding ways to present the material so that it makes sense," she said.

Marvene Augustus, Pharm.D., R.Ph.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Dr. Marvene Augustus knows that her patients appreciate her love and compassion ? even if they can't thank her in words. As pharmacy manager, instructor and adjunct professor at Louisiana State University's School of Veterinary Medicine, Augustus teaches students how to compound and administer medication to animals, ranging from household cats and dogs to exotic birds and horses.

"Veterinary medicine is different from human medicine because animal doses and dosage forms are so distinct," she said. "Every species has different needs, tastes and dosages."

Augustus always had a profound interest in pharmacy and an even deeper love of animals, but she never imagined that the two would merge into a career. After graduating from pharmacy school and accepting a job at Upjohn's manufacturing company in Michigan, she learned of an opportunity to establish a pharmacy in the school of veterinary medicine at Louisiana State University. "In veterinary medicine once a person gets involved, he or she rarely leaves the profession. This is because there is a lot of job satisfaction. It's both challenging and different," she said.

Even with retirement looming, Augustus has no plans to slow down. From spending time with her two grandchildren and attending church, to fitting in her coveted trips to the Caribbean and family dinners on Sundays, Augustus' life is hectic, yet more fulfilling than ever. "I enjoy not knowing what the next day will be like," Augustus said. "I think it's important to ask: `What are we going to do with today?'"

0x5

ONE GOAL: To each

"To be involved in this field, you need an interest in patients, and the knowledge and confidence to challenge students and clinical staff."

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1

1867: First four students enter Howard University. 1998: Eldridge Cleaver, Black Panther, author, dies.

2

1844: Inventor Elijah McCoy, "the real McCoy," born. 1995: Shirley Jackson assumed chairmanship of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

3

1964: Frederick O'Neal becomes first black president of Actors' Equity Association.

8

Mother's Day 1983: Lena Horne awarded Spingarn Medal for distinguished career in entertainment.

9

1899: John Albert Burr patents lawn mower.

10

1950: Boston Celtics select Chuck Cooper, first black player drafted to play in NBA.

4

1961: Freedom Riders begin protesting segregation of interstate bus travel in the South.

5

1950: Gwendolyn Brooks becomes first black to win a Pulitzer Prize in poetry for "Annie Allen." 1988: Eugene Antonio Marino installed as first U.S. African American Roman Catholic archbishop.

6

1812: Physician, author, explorer Martin R. Delaney, first black officer in Civil War, born. 1991: Smithsonian Institution approves creation of the National African American Museum.

7

1845: Mary Eliza Mahoney, America's first black trained nurse, born. 1878: Joseph R. Winters patents first fire escape ladder.

11

1895: Composer William Grant Still, first black to conduct a major American symphony orchestra, born.

12

1820: The New York African Free School population reaches 500.

13

1872: Matilda Arabella Evans, first black woman to practice medicine in South Carolina, born.

14

1913: Clara Stanton Jones, first black president of the American Library Association, born.

15

1820: Congress declares foreign slave trade an act of piracy, punishable by death.

22

1921: Shuffle Along, a musical featuring a score by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, opens on Broadway.

29

1901: Granville T. Woods patents overhead conducting system for the electric railway. 1973: Tom Bradley becomes first black mayor of Los Angeles.

16

1927: Dr. William Harry Barnes becomes first black certified by a surgical board.

17

1954: Supreme Court declares segregation in public schools unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education.

18

1896: In Plessy v. Ferguson, Supreme Court upholds doctrine of "separate but equal" education and public accommodations.

19

1925: Malcolm X born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska. 1993: University of Virginia professor Rita Dove appointed U.S. Poet Laureate.

20

1961: U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy dispatches U.S. marshals to Montgomery, Alabama, to restore order in the Freedom Rider crisis.

21

Armed Forces Day 1833: Blacks enroll for the first time at Oberlin College, Ohio.

23

1900: Sgt. William H. Carney becomes first black awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

24

1854: Lincoln University (Pa.), first black college, founded.

30

Memorial Day Observed 1947: The National Pharmaceutical Association founded to address the interests and needs of minority pharmacists. 1965: Vivian Malone becomes first black to graduate from the University of Alabama.

31

1870: Congress passes the first Enforcement Act, providing stiff penalties for those who deprive others of civil rights.

25

1926: Jazz trumpeter Miles Dewey Davis born.

26

1961: During Kennedy administration, Marvin Cook named ambassador to Niger Republic, the first black envoy named to an African nation.

27

1919: Sarah "Madam C.J." Walker, cosmetics manufacturer and first black female millionaire, dies. 1942: Dorie Miller, a ship`s steward, awarded Navy Cross for heroism during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

28

1948: National Party wins whites-only elections in South Africa and begins to institute policy of apartheid.

May 2005

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY CALENDAR diversity/aahcalendar/2005/index.html

He then spent two years in Germany as a pharmacist for the United States Army and returned home to practice pharmacy at John Gaston Hospital, where he worked for 12 years. After another 12 years as a pharmacist in a chain drugstore, he was ready to return to his roots ? literally.

Champion opened his first independent pharmacy in 1981, and 10 years later bought his own land and building. The 2,900-square-foot location was designed to include a large herb shop along with a regular pharmacy, an area for receiving and fulfilling Internet orders, a counseling room for patients, and a compounding room.

Charles A. Champion, D.Ph.

Memphis, Tennessee

The next time you have a bad cough, you might be surprised if your pharmacist instructs you to cook a bulb of garlic in apple cider vinegar, add some honey and enjoy the benefits of your homemade cough syrup. But at Champion Pharmacy and Herb Store in Memphis, Tennessee, this remedy is just what the doctor ordered.

Dr. Charles A. Champion, a registered pharmacist and expert herbalist, is recognized for his ability to integrate modern pharmacy with the healing powers of herbs. A pharmacist since the early 1950s, he has witnessed the field's shift from natural remedies to scientifically produced medications, and he believes both methods have merit.

His familiarity with what he calls "folk medicine" began in his childhood, where it was common for families who could not afford health care to rely on natural cures. He studied pharmacognacy at Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana, which focuses on the medicinal properties of plants, animals and minerals. "Having gone to school in New Orleans, I learned about the unique culture there, where it was very typical to know about voodoo and herbs," Champion said.

"I decided to pursue herbal medicine because I wanted to satisfy my clientele, which was asking for herbal supplements such as wild cherry, quinine and golden seal," he said. "At times it was difficult ? I remember going to association meetings and being laughed at by my peers ? but I believe it's such an intricate part of an independent pharmacy."

Today, Champion says that alternative products make up approximately 65 percent of his profit. "The independents are still struggling. However, I don't consider myself in competition with the chain stores because my business is different. People still want the personal attention that we provide, and in some cases they are willing to come from miles away to get it," he said.

Champion's dedication to his practice not only impacts his clients, but also influences his family. His wife, Carolyn Champion, is a pharmacy technician; and his oldest daughter, Chandra Champion, is a certified pharmacist technician. His other two pharmacist daughters are Dr. Charita Champion-Brookins and Dr. Carol "Cookie" Champion.

With an entire family dedicated to scientific endeavors, 74year-old Champion has no plans to retire in the near future. "When you retire you die, so I have a feeling I will always be practicing pharmacy, even when I'm up there," he said.

0x6

ONE GOAL: To are

"People still want the personal attention that we provide, and in some cases they are willing to come from miles away to get it."

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1

1968: Henry Lewis becomes first black musical director of an American symphony orchestra -- New Jersey Symphony.

2

1971: Samuel L. Gravely Jr. becomes first African American admiral in U.S. Navy.

3

1890: L.H. Jones patents corn harvester. 1904: Charles R. Drew, who developed process for preserving blood plasma, born.

4

1967: Bill Cosby receives an Emmy Award for his work in the television series I Spy. 1972: Activist Angela Davis acquitted of all murder and conspiracy charges.

5

1987: Dr. Mae C. Jemison becomes first African American woman astronaut.

12

1963: Medgar W. Evers, civil rights leader, assassinated in Jackson, Mississippi.

19

Father's Day 1865: Blacks in Texas are notified of Emancipation Proclamation, issued in 1863. "Juneteenth" marks the event.

6

1831: First annual People of Color convention held in Philadelphia.

7

1917: Poetess Gwendolyn Brooks, first black to win the Pulitzer Prize (poetry, 1950), born.

8

1953: Supreme Court ruling bans discrimination in Washington, D.C., restaurants.

9

1962: W.W. Braithwaite, poet, anthologist and literary critic, dies in New York City. 1995: Lincoln J. Ragsdale, pioneer fighter pilot of World War II, dies.

10

1854: James Augustine Healy, first black Roman Catholic bishop, is ordained a priest in Notre Dame Cathedral.

13

1967: Thurgood Marshall nominated to Supreme Court by President Lyndon Johnson.

14

Flag Day 1864: Congress rules equal pay for all soldiers. 1927: George Washington Carver patents process of producing paints and stains.

15

1913: Dr. Effie O'Neal Ellis, first black woman to hold an executive position in the American Medical Association, born.

16

1970: Kenneth A. Gibson elected mayor of Newark, New Jersey, first African American mayor of a major Eastern city.

17

1775: Minuteman Peter Salem fights in the Battle of Bunker Hill.

20

1953: Albert W. Dent of Dillard University elected president of the National Health Council.

21

1945: Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. becomes first black to command an Army Air Corps base.

22

1897: William Barry patents postmarking and cancelling machine.

23

1940: Sprinter Wilma Rudolph, winner of three gold medals at 1960 Summer Olympics, born.

24

1964: Carl T. Rowan appointed director of the United States Information Agency.

11

1964: Nelson Mandela sentenced to life imprisonment by South African government.

18

1942: Harvard University medical student Bernard Whitfield Robinson commissioned as the Navy's first black officer.

25

1941: Franklin D. Roosevelt issues executive order establishing Fair Employment Practices Commission.

26

1975: Dr. Samuel Blanton Rosser becomes first African American certified in pediatric surgery.

27

1991: Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall announces his retirement.

28

1864: Fugitive slave laws repealed by Congress. 1911: Samuel J. Battle becomes first black policeman in New York City.

29

1886: Photographer James Van Der Zee born.

30

1921: Charles S. Gilpin awarded Spingarn Medal for his performance in Eugene O'Neill's Emperor Jones.

June 2005

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY CALENDAR diversity/aahcalendar/2005/index.html

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