NEW ORLEANS — The National Community Pharmacists Association recognized pharmacy professionals and students with an array of awards at the NCPA 2016 Annual Convention, which started here this weekend and runs to Oct. 19.

Health Mart pharmacist Randy McDonough, co-owner of three independent pharmacies in Iowa, has been named the 2016 Willard B. Simmons Independent Pharmacist of the Year. The award, sponsored by Upsher-Smith Laboratories Inc., recognizes an independent pharmacist for exemplary leadership and commitment to independent pharmacy and to the community.

Towncrest Pharmacy’s Randy McDonough receives the Independent Pharmacist of the Year award from NCPA’s B. Douglas Hoey and Upsher-Smith’s JoAnn Gaio.

“Randy McDonough is a very deserving recipient of the prestigious Willard B. Simmons Independent Pharmacist of the Year award for 2016,” stated NCPA president Brad Arthur. “He is a huge proponent of ensuring that the transformation in the delivery of health care makes room for pharmacies in those efforts to help patients maximize their health outcomes and ultimately reduce costs. He is a visionary who practices what he preaches.”

McDonough is co-owner of Towncrest Pharmacy and Towncrest Compounding in Iowa City and Solon Towncrest Pharmacy in Solon, Iowa. He is also co-founder and co-owner of Innovative Pharmacy Solutions, which is a consulting and clinical documentation software company that enables independent community pharmacies to be more efficient while expanding their scope of practice.

In his pharmacies McDonough oversees the development, implementation and quality assurance of clinical services including medication therapy management (MTM), nursing home consultation, wellness screenings, immunizations, and adherence services. He is also board certified in geriatrics and as a pharmacotherapy specialist. His work in MTM extends to helping implement these services within the Iowa Medicaid Pharmaceutical Case Management Program.

“At Upsher-Smith, we have a great deal of respect for the impact community pharmacists have on their patients,” commented Rusty Field, president of Upsher-Smith. “We are proud to join NCPA in honoring Randy McDonough, whose outstanding efforts in developing and implementing clinical services in a community pharmacy setting make him a truly deserving recipient of this award.”

A team of pharmacy students from the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy won the 13th annual 2016 Good Neighbor Pharmacy NCPA Pruitt-Schutte Student Business Plan Competition. A team from the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy was the runner-up, and a team representing the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy finished as the second runner-up. The decisions came after a live competition this weekend at the NCPA 2016 Annual Convention.

The competition has pharmacy students create a business model for buying an independent pharmacy or developing a new one. The event is supported by Good Neighbor Pharmacy, Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company and the NCPA Foundation. The 2016 competition drew participants from 46 schools and colleges of pharmacy across the United States.

“We commend all the participating teams from the 2016 Good Neighbor Pharmacy NCPA Pruitt-Schutte Student Business Plan Competition, but ultimately one team stood out above the rest and was declared the winner: the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy,” stated NCPA’s Arthur, co-owner of Black Rock Pharmacy and Brighton-Eggert Pharmacy in Buffalo, N.Y. “With half of small businesses failing within their first five years, these teams of pharmacy students received invaluable experience that increases their chances of being successful pharmacy owners. If these well-thought-out business plans are any indication of the future of independent community pharmacies, then the future is in good hands.”

In other honors at the convention, the NCPA Foundation recognized Sharlea Leatherwood, a community pharmacist who shaped the industry through her leadership and advocacy efforts, with the 2016 John W. Dargavel Medal, sponsored by McKesson Corp. Lonny Wilson, CEO of Pharmacy Providers of Oklahoma was presented with the 2016 Calvin J. Anthony Lifetime Achievement Award by NCPA.

Also, James Schiffer, an associate with the law firm Allegaert Berger & Vogel LLP and a former independent pharmacy owner, received this year’s NARD Ownership Award. Sponsored by the NCPA Foundation, the award recognizes an independent pharmacist who embraces the entrepreneurial spirit through promotion and demonstrated excellence in the field of community pharmacy ownership. And in recognition of his commitment to improving medication adherence, Joshua Jones, president of Integrity Pharmacy in Springfield, Mo., was honored with the 2016 NCPA Innovation Center Outstanding Adherence Practitioner Award, sponsored by Mirixa.