NCPA recognizes two industry pioneers in adherence

 

 

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — In recognition of their commitment to improving medication adherence, John Sykora and Jan Kavookjian were honored with the 2015 NCPA Outstanding Adherence Practitioner Award, sponsored by Mirixa, and the 2015 NCPA Outstanding Adherence Educator Award, respectively, at the National Community Pharmacists Association’s 2015 Annual Convention a

 

The NCPA Outstanding Adherence Practitioner Award recognizes an independent community pharmacist who demonstrates a continuous commitment to patient adherence services. This year’s winner Sykora is the owner of Abrams & Clark Pharmacy in Long Beach, Calif.. who developed the foundation for the appointment-based, medication synchronization business model back in 1996, long before independent and chain pharmacies began offering the service to patients throughout the country. 

 

“John Sykora is an outstanding and very worthy recipient of the 2015 NCPA Outstanding Practitioner Award, because he is a trailblazer in bringing medication synchronization to retail pharmacies,” said NCPA president John Sherrer. “John understands that if the United States is going to reduce the estimated $290 billion a year that is wasted on non-adherence then pharmacists must utilize proven strategies for ensuring drug regimens are being maximized. Medication synchronization programs are a shining example of that philosophy being applied to the real world.”  

 

Sykora believes that aligning medication refills to one day a month is a “win-win” scenario for pharmacists and patients. Pharmacists benefit by having a more streamlined workflow that reduces phone calls and faxes to prescribers, which allows for more time to be spent on patient care. Patients benefit from improved medication adherence, better chronic care management and increased convenience. 

 

The NCPA Outstanding Adherence Educator Award recognizes a pharmacy educator who has made a significant contribution to the education of pharmacy students in the area of medication adherence. The award also recognizes educators whose contributions to medication adherence education are made through developing innovative course content and toolkits, as well as developing unique teaching strategies and active learning techniques. 

 

This year’s winner, Kavookjian, is a professor at Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy.

 

Kavookjian teaches Health Behavior Change at HSOP, where students are provided the opportunity to role play in order to more fully understand why patients struggle with medication adherence. In addition to her course teachings, Kavookjian has been the faculty advisor for the school of pharmacy’s Script Your Future Adherence Challenge team; a competition that emphasizes inter-professional collaboration for patient medication adherence. Kavookjian also launched a school-wide study on patient medication adherence, as part of the pharmacy practice experience program, incorporating validated measures of adherence, and developing a toolkit for students to have for patient communications. 

   

“We are pleased to recognize Dr. Jan Kavookjian as the winner of the 2015 NCPA Outstanding Adherence Educator Award,” said Sherrer. “Dr. Kavookjian is a tireless, dedicated leader in empowering her pharmacy students to become practicing pharmacists who are at the forefront of efforts to drive greater medication adherence. Her approach is embodied in a quote from Benjamin Franklin, who once said ‘Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.’”

 

Both awards are part of NCPA’s Pharmacists Advancing Medication Adherence initiative and are funded with support from Cardinal Health Foundation, Merck and Pfizer.