NABP Elects Patricia F. Harris, BA, to Serve as Member of Executive Committee During Its 101st Annual Meeting

May 27, 2005 12:00 am

Patricia F. Harris, BA, was elected to serve a three-year member term, District 8, on the Executive Committee of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®) during its 101st Annual Meeting, May 21-24, 2005, in New Orleans, LA.

As executive officer of the Department of Consumer Affairs, California State Board of Pharmacy since 1990, Ms Harris is responsible for carrying out the policies and strategic planning objectives of the California Board, which is charged with the regulation of pharmacy practice in the state and the protection of the public. Some of Ms Harris' recent actions at the Board include serving as a consultant to the Board and its policy development committees on complex policy and program issues; managing the Board's statewide enforcement program which includes complaint mediation, investigations, inspections, cite and fine, pharmacist-recovery program, probation monitoring, and disciplinary action; and providing expertise on complex legal and regulatory issues involving the practice of pharmacy and emerging issues. Prior to her present position, she served as assistant executive officer for seven years and as enforcement coordinator for two years at the Department of Consumer Affairs, California State Board of Pharmacy.

Since Ms Harris has been executive officer, the Board has received NABP's Fred T. Mahaffey Award for Outstanding Leadership in Protecting the Public in both 1997 and 2003. Ms Harris received the Inaugural Paul G. Rogers/National Council on Patient Information and Education Communicators Award for a Governmental Agency in 1999.

Ms Harris has also given guest lectures including "Regulatory Initiatives and Innovative Technologies in Deterring Drug Abuse, Diversion, and Theft" at NABP's 101st Annual Meeting, "Effective Use of Limited Resources" at the September 2004 Council on Licensure Enforcement and Regulation Conference; a California Board of Pharmacy Legislative Update at the California Society of Health-System Pharmacists Sacramento Valley Chapter meeting in June 2004; and an update on the California State Board of Pharmacy and Pharmacist Licensure/Examination Process at the California Pharmacists Association's annual meeting in February 2004. Ms Harris holds a bachelor of arts degree in liberal studies from California State University in Sacramento, CA.

Renee Renganathan