CAMP HILL, Pa. — Mike Podgurski, vice president of pharmacy services at Rite Aid Corp., has been named 2015 honorary president of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP).

Mike Podgurski

The honor is awarded each year to an individual in recognition of his or her commitment to supporting the association’s mission and goals, which include protecting public health and promoting NABP initiatives.

Podgurski, a licensed pharmacist with more than 40 years’ experience, was formally recognized at NABP’s annual meeting last month in New ­Orleans.

“Over the course of his career, Mike has made a profound and lasting impact here at Rite Aid and across the retail pharmacy industry,” said Robert Thompson, Rite Aid executive vice president of pharmacy. “We are extremely proud of Mike and we are especially grateful for his many contributions to our company, which have helped us to deliver superior patient care to our pharmacy customers nationwide. Mike is a true servant leader and a champion of community pharmacy, and is most-deserving of this honor.”

The association cited Podgurski’s ongoing commitment to the NABP through his participation on numerous association and industry committees and task forces including NABP’s Task Force on Pharmacy Licensure Standards, its Community Pharmacy Accreditation Program Steering Committee and its Task Force on Pharmacy Automation; the American Pharmacists Association’s Work Group on the Future of Pharmacy; and the Food and Drug Administration’s Risk Communication Advisory Committee.

He was also involved with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Roundtable on Health Information Technology and Prescription Drug Abuse and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Work Group.