"The Future of Pharmacy Practice" 

Pharmacy Pioneers David Zilz and Roger Anderson Engage in 'Friendly Debate' Jan. 7 on What's Ahead for Profession 

Two pioneers and visionaries of pharmacy practice – Roger W. Anderson, DrPH, R.Ph., FASHP, and David A. Zilz, M.S., R.Ph., FASHP, and – will engage in "A Friendly Debate: The Future of Pharmacy Practice" from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7, at Houston Methodist Hospital Research Institute.

The free event is presented by the Pharmacy Administration and Leadership: The Houston Program, a concurrent M.S./PGY1-PGY2 residency program of UH College of Pharmacy and seven leading Texas Medical Center institutions. The debate will be held in the institute's 2nd floor Auditorium, 6670 Bertner Ave. (77030). The nearest parking garage is at the TMC Commons Parking Garage (Garage 15) on Bertner at Moursund (hourly parking fees apply).

A member of the UHCOP Dean's Advisory Council and the Houston Program advisory board, Anderson recently was honored with the college's 2014 Meritorious Service Award for his visionary leadership in the evolution of pharmacy from a limited dispensing role to being indispensable members of the patient-care team. After earning his B.S. in pharmacy from Ferris State University, Anderson completed a master's program in hospital pharmacy at Ohio State University and one of the earliest residency programs in the country at Grant Hospital in Columbus.

In the late 1970s, Anderson moved to Texas to begin what would be a nearly 30-year career at The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center as Vice President/Head of the Pharmacy Division and UHCOP as a clinical faculty member. While at MD Anderson, he earned a doctoral degree in public health from The University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston. 

After retiring from MD Anderson in 2004, he took executive pharmacy positions with Medco Health and US Oncology before joining the ranks of the semi-retired in 2011. Today, Anderson serves as a health-systems pharmacy consultant and provides invaluable input as a guest lecturer, mentor and advisory council member for the concurrent M.S./PGY1-PGY2 Health-System Pharmacy Leadership and Administration program between UHCOP and seven Texas Medical Center health systems.    

A Fellow of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), he has been recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Ohio State University, the Harvey A.K. Whitney Lecture Award from ASHP, the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Ferris State University, The Julie and Ben Rogers Award from M.D. Anderson, and last but not least, the Distinguished Service Award from UHCOP. He also served seven years on the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, including a term as president, and has authored more than 60 publications in such journals as the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy and the Journal of Oncology Practice.   

Zilz is Clinical Professor Emeritus of the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy, and former Director of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (UWHC). Zilz’s professional career at UWHC, which spanned more than two decades, was devoted to identifying and implementing innovative contemporary pharmacy practice services and developing new hospital administrative services. Zilz was instrumental in establishing a number of key hospital programs at UWHC including, home care and infusion services, a technology identification and assessment organization, and the Office of Clinical Research for the University of Wisconsin Medical School.

A past president and Fellow of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Zilz has received ASHP’s Harvey A.K. Whitney Lecture award and the John Webb Visiting Lecture award from the Bouve College of Health Sciences School of Pharmacy at Northeastern University. He also honored twice as the Wisconsin Society of Hospital Pharmacists' Pharmacist of the Year. Zilz received his B.S. in Pharmacy and M.S. in Hospital Pharmacy from University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy and completed a two-year pharmacy residency at UWHC. 

For more information about the event, contact Houston Methodist Hospital Pharmacy Operations Manager Alex Varkey at ACVarkey@houstonmethodist.org.