Dr. Anne Lesko of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center was awarded the Richard A. Helms Award for Excellence in Pediatric Pharmacy Practice. Dr. Richard Helms, chair of the Helms Selection Committee was quoted saying, “Without Anne and her substantive leadership skills, I think there is a good chance there would not be a Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group today. In addition, she has been instrumental to the evolution of medication safety in children and to post-doctoral training in pediatric pharmacy. She has been a thoughtful and consistent voice for improved medication use in children, for the unique health system challenges in treating children, and for effective care solutions.”
The Richard A. Helms Award of Excellence in Pediatric Pharmacy Practice, established in 2006 by the Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group (PPAG) Board of Directors, recognizes sustained and meritorious contributions to PPAG and to pediatric pharmacy practice, and contributions of importance to education, new knowledge, and outreach. The Richard A. Helms award is made possible by the generous donations of colleagues, friends, and past postdoctoral trainees of Dr. Helms.
Dr. Helms is a professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Pediatrics and serves as the chair of the UTHSC Department of Clinical Pharmacy. For over 30 years, Dr. Helms has been instrumental in defining the standard of practice in pediatric parenteral nutrition. His commitment to the care of children is exemplified by his involvement in training over 100 pharmacy residents in pediatric pharmacotherapy. He is a leader in the profession and has served on the boards of both PPAG and the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN). He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Dr. Helms has received the Pharmacist of the Year Award from the Tennessee Society of Health-System Pharmacists (TSHP) and has been recognized for research excellence by ASPEN and TSHP.
Dr. Lesko’s heart-felt talk will be published in the Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics (JPPT).