Vote for Justin

Dear Arkansas Pharmacist,
I am sending this letter today to introduce myself and to ask for your support and vote in the April 2009 Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy election conducted by the Arkansas Pharmacists Association.
My name is Justin Boyd, and I am a 7th generation Arkansan. I was raised in Van Buren, and I am married to Lori Hill Boyd who is an audiologist who works with hearing impaired children and adults. Lori and I have 2 daughters, Mora and Olivia, who are the lights of our life. Mora, our little blueberry, is almost 3 years and has my inquisitive nature as well as her mother’s caring spirit especially as she watches over little sister, Olivia (who is almost 1 year.) Each day, Lori and I watch our girls and wonder if one will become a pharmacist or audiologist just like us.
My pharmacy career began during college working as a delivery person at Coker Drug in Van Buren and continued during pharmacy school as a pharmacy technician/intern at Baker Drug in North Little Rock. After graduating from UAMS College of Pharmacy, I completed a Family Medicine Pharmacy Residency at the AHEC-Northeast in Jonesboro before going to Washington Regional in Fayetteville where I gained valuable experience with the inpatient setting, including clinical functions, order review, IV admixture, and exposure to automated dispensing cabinetry. While in Fayetteville, I also volunteered as a pharmacist at the Northwest Arkansas Free Health Center which helped to show me how important pharmacists are to the often neglected uninsured and underinsured populations of our state. I later moved to Fort Smith to accept the position of Clinical Pharmacy Coordinator at St. Edward Mercy and now serve there as the Pharmacy Operations Manager.
While my experience within our profession has given me insight into many of the issues that are currently facing our profession, I continue to believe that great opportunities exist for Arkansas pharmacists to help patients with medication and medical equipment needs. Even with these opportunities, challenges continually threaten the ability of Arkansas pharmacists to best meet our patients’ needs. I believe it is vital that the next member of the Board of Pharmacy must understand these challenges as they work to protect the public health and welfare while providing sensible regulations for our profession especially as we face issues such as: electronic prescribing, electronic medical records, compounding / USP 797 updates, continuing education changes, controlled substance diversion by technicians and MTM. Arkansas Pharmacy continues to need strong leaders who understand the obstacles that Arkansas pharmacists face when trying to meet patient needs and implement opportunities in a proper manner.
Most of all, I want you to know that I absolutely understand that the biggest fear of almost any pharmacist, student pharmacist or pharmacy owner is being called before the Board of Pharmacy. While we all have some level of fear regarding the Board, I believe we have an excellent Board of Pharmacy that treats pharmacists fairly, equitably and with respect. I love our profession, and I am excited about the opportunity to serve all of you in this fashion. I promise you today that I will treat you with the same consideration and respect that you deserve as pharmacists while serving as a Board member even if we have differences of opinion on specific issues. Thank you ahead of time for your support in this important Arkansas Pharmacy Board election. I would very much appreciate the opportunity to serve you as a member of the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy, and I invite you to contact me personally with any questions you have regarding this election!
Sincerely,


Justin Boyd, Pharm.D., MBA
8908 Copper Oaks Lane
Fort Smith, AR 72903
electjustinboyd@gmail.com
479-221-5864


The Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy protects public health and welfare by fairly and properly regulating change. My pharmacy experience and credentials make me an ideal candidate for this public service, and they include:
· Arkansas Pharmacists Association (APA) Board of Directors
· Arkansas Association of Health-System Pharmacists (AAHP) President
· Arkansas Pharmacists Association (APA) Organizational Affairs Committee Chair
· Diabetes Clinic Pharmacist at Mercy Northside Clinic
· Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at UAMS College of Pharmacy
· Arkansas Pharmacists Association (APA) / Pharmacists Mutual Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award
· Medicaid DUR Committee member
· American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Arkansas Delegate
· St. Boniface Advisory School Board Member
· Chair, St. Boniface School Technology Committee
· Young Emerging Leaders (YEL) Member
· Chair, Kappa Psi- UAMS, College of Pharmacy Scholarship Development Committee
· MBA from the University of Arkansas, Walton College of Business in Fayetteville
Additionally, as AAHP President, I worked closely with the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy, the AAHP Advisory Board and the Arkansas Department of Health to develop an acceptable alternative solution to maintaining narcotic discrepancy and activity logs for automated dispensing cabinetry.