APhA honors pharmacy institute's Vogt

Drug Store News, June 9, 2003 by James Frederick

WASHINGTON--The American Pharmacists Association Foundation will present its 2003 Pinnacle Award in the individual category this month to Eleanor Vogt, senior fellow for patient safety at the Institute for the Advancement of Community Pharmacy. Vogt, a pharmacist who has forged a 35-year career as an advocate for safe medication use, will be honored at the foundation's Pinnacle Awards dinner at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington June 17.

Vogt was tapped for the award for her e forts to advance patient safety and improve drug therapy outcomes at the institute and elsewhere for more than three decades.

Prior to joining the institute, Vogt was first senior fellow at the National Patient Safety Foundation at the American Medical Association from 1997 to 2000. She also was a co-founder of the Business/Legislative Roundtable for Women in Government, an organization of elected women legislators across the country.

"Dr. Vogt's 35-year career as a pharmacist and educator is characterized by her leadership in catalyzing innovative work in the field of medication use," noted the APhA Foundation in a statement. "Her career is marked by many 'firsts' that served not only to provide new models to reach a variety of consumers, patients and health professionals regarding the safe and effective use of medicine, but also to illustrate the educational role of the pharmacist."

Vogt has served in "a II the major sectors of health care relating to medication use," according to the group. Among her career highlights, she was the University of Wisconsin's first health agent and traveled the state teaching effective medication use. She also made regular appearances in the mid-i 970s on NBC and CBS local affiliate stations in Milwaukee discussing medication-related topics.

In 1980, Vogt was named the first non-physician member of the FDA s Technical Drug Advisory Committee on arthritis and also was the first pharmacist chair of the Regional Southeast Wisconsin Health Planning Agency's Facilities Review Committee from 1978 to 1984.

At the Institute for the Advancement of Community Pharmacy, Vogt works with executive director Laura Cranston to promote safer prescription use and pharmacy practice.

The institute was founded by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association in 1998 with funding from a five-year, $27.5 million grant from Knoll Pharmaceutical Co., which now is owned by Abbott Laboratories. The funds were provided through a court-approved settlement of a class-action lawsuit alleging price-fixing against a number of drug manufacturers by chain and independent pharmacies.

One of the institute's functions is to fund educational initiatives, research projects, programs and activities to promote the role and value of community pharmacy services and to increase the number of pharmacists in the nation's communities.

More information can be obtained at the Apha's Web site at www.aphanet.org.