The pharmacist as provocateur

Extract

Good evening everyone, and thanks for the kind remarks. It is a pleasure to be here tonight. Let me start out by affirming that this lecture, like much of 2020 and 2021, is a bit strange. It is strange because ordinarily it would have been delivered live and would have occurred last November. Also, to accept this award and deliver a lecture without having a live audience to feed energy is odd. I will certainly miss the opportunity to interact with everyone in Boston. But that is the way of the world in 2021, and as with everything else that is impacted by COVID, we just go with the flow. There will always be next year!

I am honored and humbled as I stand before you (virtually in this case) to accept the John W. Webb Lecture Award for 2020 and deliver this lecture today. Let me take you back to May 15th of last year, almost exactly a year ago. We were already 3 months into our COVID-19 pandemic response. Like most healthcare leaders, I was working from home and on virtual meetings from morning to night. Also like most healthcare leaders, I was exhausted from ongoing efforts to provide the best care for our patients while assuring the safety and well-being of our staff. On this day, I got a call from Patty Kienle informing me that I had been selected as the 2020 recipient of the Webb Lecture Award. Now, May 15 happens to be my birthday, so Patty’s call was terrific timing! When the initial shock wore off, I had a chance to review the list of past recipients; many of whom are my colleagues, friends, and mentors. They were all pharmacists that I looked up to as I was on my own journey as a professional. I then read about the history of the award, and I truly wondered “How could this be?” I have never run for a national office of a pharmacy organization, nor have I sought a national spotlight. These awards usually go to those leaders. Upon reflection, it occurred to me that in my case, this award is truly a team award. I accept it on behalf of the many dedicated leaders I have had the privilege of working with over the years and as a reflection of the work that we have done together over the past 4 decades.