Beginning a career with the Commissioned Corps as a pharmacy student with three JRCOSTEP tours with the BOP, RADM Brandon Taylor went on to obtain a pharmacy practice residency with IHS at W. W. Hastings Indian Hospital. After starting as a Staff Pharmacist, RADM Taylor advanced to Senior Pharmacist after a year, and then an Advanced Practice Pharmacist after two years as a Senior Pharmacist. Following these various roles of increasing responsibility and leadership, he became the Assistant Chief Pharmacist for Inpatient and ultimately Director of the Hospital Pharmacy at the same site within a span of 11 years. With four years of service as Director, RADM Taylor secured the position of IHS Southeast Region Liaison and eventually Chief of Staff for the IHS Director through 2021. Currently, RADM Taylor serves as the Director of the Defense Health Agency Public Health providing force health protection to the Joint Force, Military Services, and the DoD. Of note, RADM Taylor served as the IHS HQ Deputy Incident Commander of the IHS COVID-19 response ensuring that IHS areas and facilities had the needed personnel, equipment, and personal protective equipment; testified as an IHS witness before the House of Representatives Subcommittee Indigenous Peoples of the United States Hearing; provided guidance to >500 officers, chief executive officers, area directors, tribal leaders, and supervisors for all Corps matters; and managed an $18 million pharmacy budget and formulary while keeping hospital and health services administration abreast of trends in drug costs and expenditures. Despite various awards, accomplishments, and levels of leadership and positions achieved by RADM Taylor, what stands out the most is his pure humility and integrity.

LT Nicholas Stauffer has had a significant clinical impact by providing direct patient care in a variety of clinical settings at Gallup Indian Medical Center (GIMC), which is one of the nation’s largest and busiest federally run Indian Health Service (IHS) hospital. He had 2,100+ direct, clinical patient care encounters in 2021 consisting of outpatient clinic visits as well as life-saving bedside care in a busy level-three trauma center emergency department (total 250+ traumas and 35,000+ visits for the department in 2021) and COVID hotspot (17,000+ confirmed COVID cases) in the Navajo Area. LT Stauffer works on the front lines of the COVID public health emergency response through an ongoing internal deployment to his permanent duty station, serving alongside US Army soldiers, New Mexico National Guardsmen, other USPHS officers, and DMAT teams. He is a member of the trauma team, rapid response team, and code blue team, and he regularly assists with COVID resuscitations, intubations, code blues, heart attacks, strokes, and traumas. In 2021, LT Stauffer was appointed to lead GIMC’s pharmacy-based special infectious diseases (RxID) program overseeing clinic operations, supervising four clinical pharmacists and two residents, drug purchasing ($2.7 million budget), seeing patients in clinic, performing monthly chart reviews on a panel of 200+ patients to optimizing drug therapy, and being on call to provide consultation regarding HIV, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, HIV post-exposure prophylaxis, sexually transmitted infections, hepatitis B virus, HCV, and tuberculosis to other providers throughout the facility. These duties are directly aligned with the IHS Special General Memorandum to Eradicate HCV, the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health, and the National Initiative for Ending the HIV Epidemic.

LCDR Emeka Egwim recently accepted a position as the Director of the Office of Pharmacy Affairs in HRSA. In this role he leads the 340B Drug Pricing Program, where >700 drug manufacturers provide discounted outpatient drugs to safety-net clinics and hospitals nationwide that purchase >$38 billion in 340B drugs annually. Previously, LCDR Egwim served as a Senior Policy Analyst in HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau, and previously served in the CMS, Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services’, Division of Pharmacy. LCDR Egwim has authored and co-authored several publications on topics of Zika, the Hepatitis C Virus, and Opioids. From March–June 2021, he served as the pioneer Chief Pharmacy Officer for the nation’s largest Emergency Intake Site for unaccompanied migrant children mission in Ft. Bliss developing antibiotic stewardship/infectious disease control protocol and vaccinating >3000 UC against influenza. This officer has received several service medals of recognition including, but not limited to the USPHS Outstanding Service Medal, Commendation Medal, Achievement Medal, a HRSA Honor Award, two CMS/CMCS Honor Awards, and two CMS/CMCS Office of the Center Director Citations, the Howard University College of Pharmacy Alumni Legacy Award, and Reflection of a Decade Award. LCDR Egwim remains prepared to lead, maintains intellectual curiosity, and is tirelessly committed to uplifting underserved communities using a hands-on approach to leadership, seeking first to understand the issues, then building collaborative momentum to intervene.

CDR Jerry Zee deployed for 273 days over 16+ years of service, on 11 Corps missions including domestic and international public health responses. This included 146 days between 2021 and early 2022. He volunteered to extend the Operation Allies Welcome Safe Haven deployment from 31 days to 49 days in early 2022. CDR Zee also volunteered in 2021 to extend the COVID-19 deployment twice from 33 days to 64 days in order to meet the public health needs of mass immunizations. This officer served on a Tier-1 response team, National Incident Support Team (NIST) - D since 2011, and was selected by Commissioned Corps Headquarters – Readiness & Deployment Branch as the Deputy Team Commander for NIST-D since 2017. The officer’s personal impact, contributions, and accomplishments in these responses were comprehensive, above and beyond in many cases, and even life-saving as this officer was deployed in the roles of a clinical pharmacist, Officer-In-Charge, Safety Officer, Operations Section Chief, Pharmacist-In-Charge, Deputy Operations Section Chief, Information Management Specialist, Administration & Finance - Costs Unit Leader, Information Management - Situational Awareness Unit Leader, Logistician, Operations - Group Supervisor, Operations - Patient Movement Branch Director, Executive Officer, as well as a COVID-19 USPHS contact tracer, Deputy Team Lead, and Deputy Coordinator for the CMS.

CDR Kendra Jenkins has served with the CDC, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program as the Chief of the Pharmacy Benefits Unit (PBU) since April 2020. Despite transitioning to a leadership position with a new duty station during a pandemic, she oriented to the Program quickly and immediately began performing duties independently. As Chief of the PBU, CDR Jenkins directs the workload and oversees staff within the unit, managing the planning, development, implementation, and coordination of national level projects. CDR Jenkins was competitively selected to serve in this key leadership role and brings a special skill set to the Program as the only Commissioned Corps Officer to complete the dually accredited DoD/TRICARE Managed Care Pharmacy Residency and is uniquely trained in pharmacy benefit processes, formulary management, data analysis, and pharmacy contract performance oversight. In addition to managing a complex contract selection, the officer deployed twice. First for 65 days in April 2021 supporting the Vaccine Task Force (VTF), Federal Retail Pharmacy Program (FRPP), which is the first Program of its kind to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines in community pharmacies. The officer was responsible for managing 5 of the 21 federal retail pharmacy partners to ensure that vaccine supply was available and to address questions and concerns. The second deployment was for 60 days in October 2021 supporting the VTF, Commercial Partner Data Management Team, coordinating data quality improvements and informatics support for 21 Federal Retail Pharmacy partners and two national dialysis partners. The briefings the officer provided to the VTF Monitoring and Assessment Team guaranteed accurate reporting to CDC Leadership, the White House, and state/local jurisdictions about pending changes to the COVID-19 vaccination data, directly affecting the health of the nation.

Up through April 2021, LCDR Fengyee Zhou served as the Special Assistant to the Surgeon General in the Office of the Surgeon General (SG) and worked directly with the 20th U.S. Surgeon General. He then completed a permanent change of station to serve as the District 11 Regional Pharmacy Executive (RPE) in the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). As Special Assistant to the SG, LCDR Zhou prepared and coordinated 250 meetings, events, calls, and other engagements for the SG, including high-visibility events like Congressional testimonies, White House visits, and media hits. As an RPE, he leads regional pharmacy operations through supporting the medical needs of 6,000 USCG servicemembers, dispensing 5,000 prescriptions and over-the-counter medications, procuring and maintaining $750,000 in pharmaceutical inventory and assets, and overseeing pharmacy responsibilities of 30 enlisted corpsmen. Additionally, LCDR Zhou established USCG Base Alameda’s first comprehensive pharmacist Collaborative Practice Agreement achieving 86% faster access to care for pharmacotherapy follow-up and directly contributing to maintaining full deployability status for over 40 active duty servicemembers. A twice published author, he has abstracts in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases and the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. In 2021 alone, he received two PHS Commendation Medals, two Achievement Medals, and two Outstanding Unit Citations. LCDR Zhou is a leader in the USCG pharmacy community and is constantly sought out for expertise in clinical program development and in the new electronic health record system.

Previous Honorees

Award Background

CAPT George F. Archambault studied pharmacy at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and law at Northeastern University. He also received honorary doctorate degrees in pharmacy from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Sciences and from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and an honorary doctorate of law degree from Temple University. From 1979 to 1984, he was the Washington correspondent for Drug Intelligence and Clinical Pharmacy. For seven years, Dr. Archambault was the pharmacy consultant to the Executive Medical Officer of the United Mine Workers of America Welfare and Retirement Fund. Patient drug profiles and formulary drug prescribing became part of the pharmacy program under his leadership. One of his many outstanding contributions to pharmacy was the development of pharmacy standards (Conditions of Participation) for Medicare, which he did while he served in the Bureau of State Services and as a Pharmacy Liaison Officer to the Office of the US Surgeon General. He maintained a private law practice for six years and he practiced hospital pharmacy for 15 years. He was a commissioned officer in the USPHS and was the Director of Pharmacy for three years at the USPHS Hospital in Boston. He served for many years as chief of Pharmacy Branch, Division of Hospitals, Bureau of Medical Services, USPHS in Washington, DC. He held presidencies in APhA and ASHP. He was a member of the US Pharmacopeial Convention for more than 3 decades and a trustee for 10 years. He received both the Remington Honor Medal and the H.A.K. Whitney Lecture Award. He was a vocal advocate for expanding the role of pharmacy in health care, and challenged the lack of professional status for PHS pharmacists and led the move to improve pharmacy services in PHS. CAPT George F. Archambault was named a “Living Treasure of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps” on April 22, 1999 by Deputy Surgeon General RADM Kenneth P. Moritsugu.

Previous Honorees

Award Background

RADM Allen J. Brands served as the Indian Health Service Chief (IHS) of Pharmacy Services from 1953 until 1981, and from 1967-1981 he also served as the USPHS Chief Pharmacy Officer. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1941 with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and subsequently worked in community practice. During World War II, he served as a Battalion Radar Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and entered the USPHS in 1950. During his tour of duty as the IHS Chief of Pharmacy Services, he strongly encouraged the development of innovative and highly progressive pharmacy practices by pharmacists in the field. The use of patient medication consultation rooms attached to the pharmacy, primary care by pharmacists, the Clinical Support Center Pharmacy Practice Training Program, the IHS Pharmacist Practitioner Program, and patient consultation techniques now used nationwide in schools and colleges of pharmacy were all developed under his bold leadership. He is fondly referred to as the father of clinical pharmacy because of these programs which laid the foundation for the concept of pharmaceutical care, and his advocacy for changes in attitude and philosophy at the highest levels of the profession. Many pharmacists who served in IHS during this time of rapid advances subsequently became leaders in the academic and professional field and further supported this transition of the profession. RADM Allen J. Brands will always be remembered as a pioneer in the advancement of the pharmacy profession.

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Award Background

Mary Louise Andersen graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science in 1952 and joined her father in community pharmacy practice in Wilmington, DE. She was active in the Delaware Pharmaceutical Society, serving as its first female president in 1965. She received the A.H. Robbins Bowl of Hygeia Award and the Harry Zeisig Award from the Delaware Pharmaceutical Society. During these years, she partnered with other pharmacy leaders in convening the first Symposium for Women in Pharmacy. She was elected Vice-President of the American Pharmaceutical Association and then served two years as Speaker of the House of Delegates. During her terms, students in the profession were given the official recognition as members in this body, a decision for which she has been honored with the Linwood F. Tice Friend of the Academy of Students of Pharmacy Award. She was the first female candidate for the office of APhA President. In 2003, she was awarded the Remington Honor Medal, considered the profession’s most prestigious award for pharmacists in the United States. She was the founder of The Children’s Inn, a residential facility on the campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Children’s Inn houses critically ill children who are enrolled in NIH research protocols and their families. Mary Louise Andersen had an illustrious career and demonstrated excellent leadership in many key positions, including Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health/Operations and Deputy Director of the HRSA Bureau of Primary Health Care.

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Award Background

RADM John Babb received his Pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee in 1968. In 1993, he received his Master of Public Administration from the University of Memphis. He joined the U.S. Public Health Service in 1989 after working 21 years as a community pharmacist and began his exemplary USPHS career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) in Memphis, Tennessee. He then moved to Washington, D.C. as FBOP Chief Pharmacist, eventually becoming the FBOP Chief of Health Programs. In 2000, he became the Director of the Office of Force Readiness and Deployment (OFRD), with the responsibility for coordinating the public health and medical readiness and response capabilities of the USPHS. He was sworn in as an Assistant Surgeon General in 2002. RADM John Babb served as Acting Pharmacy Chief Professional Officer, Regional Health Administrator for Region VII, and HHS Acting Regional Director and Homeland Security H1N1 Regional Coordinator before retiring from USPHS in 2010.

Previous Honorees

Award Background

This award was previously sponsored by the George F. Archambault Foundation until 2011. The George F. Archambault Foundation exists to support the advancement of Public Health Pharmacy. The foundation was established in 1999 to honor the distinguished career of CAPT George F. Archambault (Ret.) with a personal emphasis on vision, leadership, growth and advanced education. Even though this award no longer provides a grant to the recipient for further training in administration/management, the PharmPAC decided to continue the recognition of USPHS pharmacists who best exemplify the qualities signified by the award.

Previous Honorees

Award Background

This award recognized a Junior Pharmacist of the U.S. Public Health Service who has demonstrated outstanding performance.