The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) has announced that Barry Bunting, PharmD, is the 2009 recipient of the APhA Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management (APhA-APPM) Distinguished Achievement Award in Hospital and Institutional Practice. Bunting will be officially recognized at the APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition April 3-6, 2009 in San Antonio, Texas. The award was established to recognize the achievements of an individual who has made a significant contribution or sustained contributions to the provision of pharmaceutical care within hospital and institutional practice.

Bunting was selected in recognition of his significant and sustained contributions to the provision of pharmaceutical care. From 1996 to 1998, he served as Clinical Pharmacy Manager of the Metabolic Support Team at Mission Hospital, which consisted of feeding tube placement nurses, clinical dietitians and a clinical pharmacist. Their purpose was to assure that intensive care patients received early and appropriate nutrition therapy. Under his management the Metabolic Support Team was able to obtain medical staff approval for team members to write total parenteral nutrition orders, and to adjust parenteral nutrition fluid rates, electrolytes, and nutrient contents under a protocol agreement.

Aside from his work with Mission Hospital, Bunting is also very well known for his work with the Asheville Project. Recognized as a premier, profession-changing program, the Asheville Project connects pharmacists with chronic disease patients for coaching to ensure the best compliance and appropriate use of the patient's medications in collaboration with the patient's physician.

Bunting is Vice President of Clinical Services for American Health Care, located in Rocklin, California. He received his Bachelor of Sciences Pharmacy Degree from Ferris State University in 1972, and his Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1998. He currently resides in Fairview, North Carolina.

About the American Pharmacists Association (APhA)

The American Pharmacists Association, founded in 1852 as the American Pharmaceutical Association, represents more than 62,000 practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and others interested in advancing the profession. APhA, dedicated to helping all pharmacists improve medication use and advance patient care, is the first-established and largest association of pharmacists in the United States. APhA members provide care in all practice settings, including community pharmacies, health systems, long-term care facilities, managed care organizations, hospice settings, and the uniformed services.

American Pharmacists Association