Tallmadge resident new president of Ohio Pharmacists

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by Amanda Harnocz

Reporter

Tallmadge -- During the 130th Annual Conference of the Ohio Pharmacists Association, Tallmadge resident David Boyer was selected to be the new president of the organization.

"It's going to be interesting, I have a lot of running around to do now," Boyer said.

He is currently a pharmacist at Summa Health System in Akron.

Boyer, who is a past vice president of the Ohio Pharmacists Foundation Board of Trustees, past regional vice president of the Pharmacists Rehabilitation Organization, past president of the Ohio Society of Health-System Pharmacists and member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, was selected by his fellow members to be president as of the weekend of April 11.

Boyer is now the leader of the OPA for the next year, which was established in 1879, and currently represents more than 4,000 pharmacists, pharmacy educators and pharmacy students.

"Typically pharmacists sit back and let things happen. At least this way I can put my two cents in up front," Boyer said.

Boyer said his interest in the alternative side of pharmacy stems from his enjoyment of getting involved.

"I hope to have some effect and impact on professional pharmacy ... determine the path it goes down," he said.

Some of Boyer's newer duties are to act as the spokesman for the organization and get involved with legislators.

Electronic prescribing is one of Boyer's biggest interest since taking his new presidential role.

The electronic way of prescribing is not eliminating errors like it was anticipated, Boyer said. "I'm going to try and illustrate to the public and politicians that it is necessary to still be extremely careful with this kind of prescribing."

On the less serious side of his new role, Boyer said he looks forward to getting together with people from other parts of the country to find out how pharmacy is practiced in other areas.

His interest in pharmacy stemmed from a night where he and his mother were at a bowling alley and the Toledo Pharmacy Academy was there.

After talking with the academy, he and his mother visited The University of Toledo and Boyer has been involved with pharmacy ever since he graduated in 1973 from Toledo.

"I've never regretted it -- it's a good chance to help people," he said.

While much of his free time will now be spent fulfilling his presidential duties in his non-paying position, Boyer said, "It's a chance to be a little bit visionary, try and look at what's going on in healthcare in general and how pharmacy plays a role. I hope I will be able to look back at the end of the year and say that it was a successful term."

E-mail: aharnocz@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-686-3911