APhA, oldest U.S. pharmacy group, honors Kadlec with Schaefer Award

WASHINGTON The American Pharmacists Association has bestowed one of its highest honors, the 2010 Hugo H. Schaefer Award, on Gary Kadlec, president and CEO of Hospice Pharmacia and ExcelleRx.

APhA will present the honor at its Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, March 12-15. The Schaefer Award was established in 1964 in honor of the group’s longtime treasurer, and recognizes outstanding voluntary contributions to the organization, the profession and society,” according to APhA.

Kadlec’s pharmacy career dates back to the early 1970s, when he was first an intern and then pharmacist at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Pontiac, Mich. From 1976 to 1995 he was owner and president of Specialized Pharmacy Services Inc., purchased in 1995 by Omnicare Inc., a top provider of pharmaceutical care for seniors.

At Omnicare, Kadlec rose to senior regional VP before becoming the top executive at Hospice Pharmacia and excelleRx, an Omnicare division. “Under Kadlec’s leadership, excelleRx continues to develop into a state-of-the-art medication Mmanagement service… providing cutting-edge pharmacy practice,” APhA reported.

Kadlec has also been active within the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists and the American Society of Health System Pharmacists. He also is a past president and past chairman of the Michigan Pharmacists Association [MPA], and has been tapped for numerous honors. Among them: MPA Pharmacist of the Year, Merck’s “Outstanding Achievement in the Profession of Pharmacy,” and a Distinguished Achievement Award in Administrative Practice from APhA’s Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management.

“Gary continues to put his considerable talents and energy toward enhancing APhA and the profession,” noted the organization, founded in 1852. “As a third-generation pharmacist, he has been a strong mentor to the many pharmacists who have worked with him.”