APhA Foundation announces 2025 Pinnacle Award recipients

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Pharmacists Association Foundation today announced the recipients of the 2025 Pinnacle Awards.

Established in 1998, the Pinnacle Awards celebrate significant contributions to the medication use process leading to enhancements such as increasing patient adherence, reducing adverse drug events, promoting the use of national treatment guidelines, improving patient outcomes, and enhancing communication among the members of the health care team.

"The APhA Foundation has the honor of announcing the recipients of the 28^th annual Pinnacle Awards," said Benjamin Bluml, RPh, APhA Foundation executive director and senior vice president, research and innovation. "These two organizations and their hardworking teams are making a significant impact on patient populations in the communities they serve."

This year, two awards under Category 2: Team Award for Collaboration, Innovation, and Impact were given out. This award recognizes a team that by their actions have demonstrated a significant scientific contribution and/or quality improvement project.

2025 Pinnacle Award recipients:

WVU School of Pharmacy's Rational Drug Therapy Program

The Rational Drug Therapy Program (RDTP), based at the West Virginia University (WVU) School of Pharmacy, is dedicated to safe, rational, cost-effective, and patient outcome–oriented drug therapy. The program provides prior authorization and consultative services for the West Virginia Bureau of Medical Services' Medicaid pharmaceuticals program, the Public Employees Insurance Agency, and West Virginia Children's Health Insurance (CHIP). With support from CDC and the West Virginia Department of Health, RDTP launched the Safe and Effective Management of Pain Program. This initiative introduced West Virginia–specific opioid prescribing guidelines that adapt national guidance to the unique needs of the state's largely rural and underserved population. RDTP also offers drug utilization review services for the WV Medicaid and CHIP populations—further promoting evidence-based prescribing and optimizing fiscal resource use. RDTP has also developed an academic detailing program for statewide clinician education, which has delivered over 1,800 clinician education sessions.

The Ohio State University Primary Care Clinics

The Ohio State University is an institution that recognizes the vital role of clinical pharmacists in advancing access to high-quality, team-based primary care. At the heart of the OSU General Internal Medicine (OSUGIM) and OSU Family and Community Medicine clinics, pharmacists are embedded as essential members of the interprofessional care teams. These primary care pharmacists collaborate closely with more than 180 attending physicians and advanced practice providers, over 120 resident physicians, and a dedicated network of care coordinators, nurses, social workers, dietitians, and medical assistants. Together, they provide comprehensive, patient-centered care to a diverse population of more than 150,000 individuals across central Ohio.

Support for the APhA Foundation Pinnacle Awards Program is provided by an educational grant from Merck.

SOURCE American Pharmacists Association