May 29 :
Three prominent US pharmaceutical organisations are officially led by Indian-Americans, a first in the field.
Nominations for the positions of president-elect of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) have been announced, including Anandi Law, BPharm, MS, PhD, FAPhA; Nishaminy (Nish) Kasbekar, PharmD, BSPharm, FASHP, currently holds the office of president of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP); and Alex C. Varkey, PharmD, MS, FAPhA, currently serves as president of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA).
By serving as national president of the American Pharmacists Association Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) during his time as a student, Varkey has devoted his career to advancing the profession of pharmacy and its impact on patient care, according to a May 28 statement from the American Pharmacists Association (APhA).
Varkey has been an active member of numerous pharmacy organisations for the last 20 years and is now the 169th President of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). He is notable for being the first Indian-American to do so in the 172-year history of the organisation.
Varkey expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to serve as president of the American Pharmacists Association and his awareness that he not only represents his colleagues but also his family and heritage. His parents came to the United States to give their children opportunities they wouldn't have had otherwise, so they had high expectations. Although they are no longer physically present, he knows that his parents would be proud of his dedication to APhA and the entire profession.
Legally speaking, Law teaches in Western University of Health Sciences's Department of Pharmacy Practice and Administration and serves as associate dean for assessment in the College of Pharmacy in Pomona, California.
Having been employed by WesternU since July 1999, Law possesses a bachelor's degree in pharmacy from the University of Mumbai, India, as well as a Master of Science in Pharmaceutics and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Administration from Ohio State University. She has previously served as chair of the Council of Faculties for three years on the Board of Directors of AACP, and her term as president will begin in July 2024.
Kasbekar is a registered pharmacist who holds the positions of vice president and chief pharmacy officer at the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia. She received her B.S.P. and PharmD degrees from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, and she finished her residency in infectious diseases and pharmacy practice at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
She is a fellow of ASHP and a former president of both the Pennsylvania Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the Delaware Valley Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Kasbekar was elected as the first Indian American president of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists in 2022, following decades of enthusiastic service to national and state pharmacy organisations.
