SOP’s Stuart Receives Consultant Pharmacy’s Highest Honor

Bruce Stuart, PhD, receives ASCP’s George F. Archambault Award in recognition of his contributions to consultant and senior care pharmacy.

By Malissa Carroll
September 23, 2013

Bruce Stuart, PhD, professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research (PHSR) and director of the Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, has received the George F. Archambault Award from the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP). Stuart is the first economist to receive this award, which is the highest honor bestowed by ASCP. He joins a distinguished list of past recipients, including the late Peter P. Lamy, PhD, ScD, a former University of Maryland faculty member and leading scholar in the field of geriatric pharmacy, who received the award in 1983.

“The School of Pharmacy is fortunate to have such esteemed faculty as Dr. Stuart, who work diligently to improve health outcomes for all people,” says Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, FAAPS, FCP, dean and professor of the School of Pharmacy. “Receiving the prestigious Archambault Award from ASCP signifies the impact Dr. Stuart has had on the field of geriatric pharmacy over the course of his career, both as an educator and as a researcher. We are proud of his accomplishments and know that he will continue to make enormous contributions to the field of consultant pharmacy and to health care for the elderly.”

“As a department, we are honored that Dr. Stuart has been chosen as this year’s recipient of the ASC.

P’s George F. Archambault Award,” adds Ilene Zuckerman, PharmD, PhD, professor and chair of PHSR. “Through his research on Medicare Part D, Dr. Stuart has brought national attention to the importance of medication therapy management across a wide range of health care settings. He now joins an esteemed list of past awardees whose work has made a lasting impact on the field of consultant pharmacy, including the School’s own Dr. Peter Lamy, who joined our faculty in 1963 and established the first-of-its-kind Center for the Study of Pharmacy and Therapeutics for the Elderly.”

The George F. Archambault Award is presented each year to an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of consultant and senior care pharmacy. Individuals are nominated for this award, with the recipient being selected by a vote of past award winners. Nicole Brandt, PharmD, CGP, BCPP, FASCP, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science and director of clinical and educational programs for the Peter Lamy Center on Drug Therapy and Aging, nominated Stuart for this year’s award.

“Dr. Stuart has been a mentor in my professional development throughout the years, and I could not think of a more deserving person to receive this prestigious award,” says Brandt. “His background in health economics, analytical design, as well as his amazing understanding of the payer system is critical to the pharmacy profession. Not only has he made a tremendous impact on the profession through his many publications and presentations, but also through his numerous advocacy efforts to improve senior care pharmacy.”

Stuart began his career in health services research as an economic analyst, later accepting a position as director of the Health Research Division at the Michigan Medicaid Program. Following his government career, he entered academia as an instructor of health economics, finance, and research methods at the University of Massachusetts and the Pennsylvania State University. In 1997, he joined the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and has now directed more than 50 grants and contracts for a wide range of sponsors, including the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, the National Institute on Aging, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, as well as state governments, foundations, and private firms.

“Words cannot express how truly surprised and honored I felt when I was told that I was chosen to receive this year’s George F. Archambault Award,” says Stuart. “It is a particularly special award to me in that I share it with Dr. Lamy, the namesake of the Center for which I now serve as director. I hope that receiving this award will allow me to bring more remembrance of Dr. Lamy’s work and how important he and the School of Pharmacy have been to the development of consultant pharmacy, as well as geriatric pharmacy.”

Among Stuart’s recently completed projects are a study that evaluated eligibility criteria for medication therapy management services offered by Medicare Part D plans, a national study of prescription utilization patterns of Medicare beneficiaries with eight common chronic diseases, a study examining the effectiveness of influenza vaccinations among Medicare beneficiaries, a study examining the relationship between health behaviors and future Medicare spending, and a contract with the CMS to profile medication regimens of Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes using Medicare Part D data. In 2007, Stuart was appointed to the Congressional Medicare Payment Advisory Commission for a five-year term that recently concluded in 2012.

“In receiving the 2013 George F. Archambault Award, ASCP acknowledges Dr. Bruce Stuart’s significant contributions to the profession of pharmacy,” says Sean Jeffery, PharmD, CGP, FASCP, president of ASCP. “As a distinguished researcher, Dr. Stuart’s work has informed and guided healthcare policy that impacts and benefits the lives of older adults throughout the spectrum of care.”

Stuart will receive his award in November at the ASCP’s national meeting in Seattle, Wash.

Related News Stories

More Stories About: Bruce Stuart Center Consultant Pharmacy Drug Therapy and Aging George Archambault Award Peter Lamy PHSR