Phoenix and the 20th CPNP Annual Meeting served as the setting for the awarding of the 2017 Judith J. Saklad Memorial Award to Eugene Makela, PharmD, BCPP, Clinical Pharmacist Specialist in Mental Health, Charles George VA Medical Center, Ashville, NC. Dr. Makela's acceptance remarks are available here via recording.
The Judith J. Saklad Memorial Award is presented annually to a senior psychiatric pharmacy practitioner who has achieved a level of professional distinction and represents the qualities and ideals of professional enthusiasm, a passion for optimizing patient care, and continuing dedication to the practice of psychiatric pharmacy. The Saklad Memorial Award is named after the late Judith J. Saklad.
Dr. Makela received his B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of Florida in 1976 and his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Medical University of South Carolina in 1986. He served as Director of Pharmacy at the Blue Ridge Hospital division of the University of Virginia Hospitals and the Thomas B. Finan Center, State of Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Between 1989 and 2009 he was Assistant and Associate Professor, West Virginia University School of Pharmacy. He developed and was training director for the Psychiatric Pharmacy Residency program at the School. He provided training for pharmacy and medical students, psychiatry residents, and PhD candidates. In 2009 he was inducted into the Academy of Excellence in Teaching and Learning at the West Virginia University Health Sciences Center. He is author and co-author of many articles and of two book chapters. He has conducted research in schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, and psychotropic medication utilization.
Congratulations to Dr. Makela!