Brenda Bray, clinical assistant professor of pharmacotherapy at Washington State University’s Spokane campus, was named the Community Pharmacist of the Year for 2005 by the Spokane Pharmacists Association. The award, presented at the organization’s annual banquet Nov.
28, cited Bray’s contributions in teaching, as well as in practice in both community and hospital settings.
Bray serves as the primary instructor and coordinator for the third-year Pharmaceutical Care Lab, where students in the Doctor of Pharmacy program learn hands-on professional pharmacy skills. She is also involved with early practice experience, in which students gain pharmacy experience in the local health care system.
In addition to her work at WSU Spokane, Bray, a licensed pharmacist, works as an on-call staff pharmacist at Group Health Cooperative and Shriners Hospital for Children.
Those nominating her for the honor wrote, “Brenda is absolutely dedicated to preparing our student pharmacists to be competent, well-prepared pharmacists. Her past experiences and current expertise bring a real-world perspective to each student. In addition, she extensively networks with various pharmacy practitioners in our community to assist with enhancing the student’s learning not only in the practice lab on campus, but also via experiential learning in the community. Though her personal practice sites vary, her impact on community pharmacy is immeasurable.”
Bray holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from WSU and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Washington, which she completed concurrently with a Pharmacy Practice Residency at Group Health Cooperative in Seattle. She has been on the WSU faculty since 2002. Prior to that, she served as program director and primary instructor for North Idaho College’s Pharmacy Technician Training Program. She has more than 20 years of experience as a practicing pharmacist.
Larry Cohen, chair of the WSU Department of Pharmacotherapy, said, “Brenda is one of the hardest working, most dedicated members of our department. She has done an outstanding job with the Spokane Pharmaceutical Care Lab, early practice experience, critical thinking papers and other activities. She also has developed working relationships with a variety of community-based programs for the benefit of our students’ experience.”
The Spokane Pharmacy Association has a membership of about 250 local pharmacists and technicians, and some 100 students and other individuals who are involved in the field of pharmacy. The primary purpose of SPA is to promote and support the practice of pharmacy through education and advocacy. Each year the organization gives a scholarship to one WSU student and awards for both community and health systems pharmacists of the year, technicians of the year, and pharmacies of the year. The nominations are taken from the membership at large, with winners selected by the SPA board.
The WSU College of Pharmacy graduates approximately 90 students each year from its accredited professional pharmacy degree program. Another 15 to 20 students are enrolled in the pharmacology/toxicology graduate degrees program. The Department of Health Policy & Administration in the College of Pharmacy, headquartered at WSU Spokane, enrolls around 60 students, with 15-20 graduating each year from its accredited Master’s of Health Policy and Administration degree program.
The College of Pharmacy has been serving the residents of Washington state since 1892. In addition to teaching responsibilities in the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program, faculty in the Department of Pharmacotherapy have clinical practices in hospitals, medical clinics, mental health centers, nursing homes and other health care institutions in Spokane, Yakima, Pullman and Moscow, Idaho.
