VCU Alumni Star
Bruce D. McWhinnery
1970 Bachelor of Science - School of Pharmacy

Bruce D. McWhinney’s introduction to pharmacies came early. He was 14 when he was hired as a delivery boy for White’s Pharmacy in his native Berryville, Va. Eugene White, the owner of that pharmacy, became not only a mentor, but also one of his greatest fans.

Always intrigued by a pharmacist’s career, Bruce found that interest grew as he studied at Virginia Commonwealth University in the late 1960s. “The possibilities expanded when I moved from the classroom to a variety of patient care settings. … From the hospital to indigent care clinics where the importance and challenges of ensuring safe and appropriate drug usage as a part of a patient’s total therapy became so apparent to me,” he says.

After receiving his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from VCU in 1970, Bruce went on to obtain a doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Kentucky. He then accepted a position as director of pharmacy and drug information with the St. Claire Medical Center in Morehead, Ky. It was to be the start of a long career in pharmacy management.

After holding a similar post at a large community hospital in Wisconsin, Bruce returned to Virginia to become the director of pharmacy at Fairfax Hospital. In 1988 he accepted a position as chief of pharmacy with the Uni¬versity of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He helped establish a new vision and goals for both the academic and business dimensions of the pharmacy and led the re-engineering of all systems in his area. In 1994 he moved to become director of pharmacy at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Bruce was named president of Allied Pharmacy Management, a firm recently acquired by the Ohio-based Cardinal Health Inc., and the third-largest pharmacy management company in the nation. He provided essential leadership for the “reinvention” of the firm as a Cardinal subsidiary.

In 1997 Bruce was named senior vice president of Cardinal for a new department of corporate quality and clinical affairs. He established the new department to provide leadership and support to all Cardinal Health subsidiaries in the areas of compliance, pharmacy practice, quality and regulatory affairs. In 2002 he assumed his present position of senior vice president for Corporate Clinical Affairs. In this role he continues to provide leadership and support to the growing role of Cardinal Health in the clinical care environment.

Bruce has authored more than 50 formal presentations, publications or book chapters, and has served as chair or a member of more than a dozen local, state or national committees or task forces related to pharmacy practice or broader health care issues. He was awarded the 1996 Paul F. Parker Award of the University of Kentucky for his contributions to the profession.

An active member of state, local and national professional associations, he is chair of the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties and the National Committee on Quality Health Care, a national board of senior health system and industry executives focused on improving the quality and safety of health care. Since 2003 Bruce has provided volunteer leadership as a member of the School of Pharmacy’s national advisory council.

Bruce sees his career as one of “servant leadership and teamwork.” He notes, “All of us need to remember that our role in caring for patients is to serve our patients — we exist for them — not vice versa.” “I feel gratitude for having had the opportunity to attend the MCV School of Pharmacy. … Merely the mention of MCV’s name today and in the past has always provided instant credibility in professional circles.”

2006 Pharmacy Alumnus Service Award
John Hasty P'56

Over the past fifty years, John Hasty has been an advocate for pharmacists, for the profession of pharmacy and for the VCU School of Pharmacy. He has been a hospital pharmacist, an independent community pharmacist, executive director and president of VPhA, and he is the founder of Virginia Pharmacists Aiding Pharmacists.

John has received numerous awards and recognitions from a wide range of organizations for his outstanding service and dedication to his profession. He is perhaps most recognized for his work in establishing the Virginia Pharmacists Aiding Pharmacists program which provides assistance to drug and alcohol addicted pharmacists, as well as the Virginia Federation of Parents for Drug Free Youth. His commitment to advancing the profession earned him state and national recognition including the first “National Pharmacist of the Year” award presented by First Lady Nancy Reagan. He was also the recipient of the prestigious Daniel B. Smith Award presented by the American Pharmaceutical Association for his work in combating drug abuse. John continues to be active in the impaired pharmacist program to this day. John has also been previously recognized by his alma mater, having received the Alumni Star award in 1989 and the VCU School of Pharmacy Outstanding Alumnus Award in 1988.

John Hasty, from Hayes Virginia, is a 1956 graduate of the MCV School of Pharmacy. He has been married to the former Pat Krause for 40 years and is the father of four children. Throughout his career, John has distinguished himself as a state and national leader, a role model for young aspiring pharmacists, a successful businessman, and a caring and compassionate human being. He was appointed Director of the Department of Health Professions for the Commonwealth of Virginia by Governor George Allen in 1994 and served in this capacity for nearly ten years. He also served as President (1986 – 1987) and later Executive Director (1992-1994) of the Virginia Pharmacists Association and was elected to the board of trustees of the American Pharmaceutical Association (1991-94). John is a lifetime member of the MCV Alumni Association and recently endowed a scholarship at the MCV Foundation with his daughter Kelly Hale P’85 to provide to support to pharmacy students hailing from Virginia’s middle peninsula.

John’s service to the profession and his community has been a constant in his career. Even though he has officially retired, John continues to be very involved with his church, the Virginia Pharmacists Association and his alma mater. John is member of our School’s National Advisory Council and Chairman of a $10 million capital campaign to support pharmacy student scholarships and academic excellence.

The MCV Alumni Association and the MCV/VCU School of Pharmacy are proud to recognize the contributions and efforts John has made to the profession of pharmacy by honoring him with the 2006 Pharmacy Alumnus Service Award.

2006 Distinguished Pharmacy Alumnus Award
Cynthia Pigg P’84

Cynthia PiggCynthia Pigg, RPh, MHA accepted the national leadership position of executive director for the Foundation for Managed Care Pharmacy on July 11, 2005. This most recent professional move follows a dynamic career in which she is has become a well-known and highly respected expert within managed care circles.

Cindy was formerly a member of CIGNA Pharmacy Management Senior Leadership Team, where she was the primary individual responsible for pharmaceutical contracting. Over the past seventeen years, Cindy progressed through a number of positions of increasing responsibility, directing operations at both the regional and national levels, culminating in her appointment to vice president for CIGNA Pharmacy Management. She has also held positions outside of pharmacy, including physician contracting and management of ancillary services, such as lab and home health. Prior to joining CIGNA Healthcare, she worked in both hospital and retail pharmacy. Pigg received both her Masters degree in Health Administration and Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, magna cum laude, from the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Cindy Pigg has long been affiliated with the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy. She served on the Academy's Board of Directors from 1998 through 2002, as president-elect in 2000, president in 2001 and past president in 2002. In 2002 she served simultaneously as president of the Foundation's Board. Her efforts on behalf of both organizations were recognized with the AMCP Distinguished Service Award in 2005, for sustained exemplary service to the Academy and to the profession , including her contributions to two of the Academy's most important projects, the AMCP Format for Formulary Submissions and the AMCP Framework for Quality Drug Therapy. As the chief executive of FMCP, Ms. Pigg is charged with leading the Foundation’s efforts to fulfill its mission of supporting research and education to further activities that advance sound medication management principles and strategies to improve patient health outcomes and quality of life.

The MCV Alumni Association and the MCV/VCU School of Pharmacy are proud to recognize the contributions Cindy has made to the profession of pharmacy by honoring her with the 2006 Distinguished Pharmacy Alumnus Award.

2007 Distinguished Pharmacy Alumnus Award
Retha Moore Robinette, Pharm.D., P'87/ '01

Retha Moore Robinette received her BS in Pharmacy in 1987 and her PharmD in 2001 from MCV. She joined Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon Virginia, as Assistant Director of Pharmacy after receiving her bachelor degree. In 2001, with PharmD in hand, Retha moved into the clinical research world, accepting a position within Johnston Memorial as RxServices Clinical Research Coordinator.

The words “professional and compassionate scientist” best describe Retha. In her role as Clinical Research Coordinator, Retha integrates her passions for patient care and clinical research. Under Retha’s direction, this small community based hospital has participated in more than 25 phase 2, phase 3, and phase 4 research studies contributing to the development of a variety of respiratory drugs. She commits extraordinary time and patience to reviewing patient problems in relation to their disease state and developing pharmaceutical treatment plans. Consistently, patient outcomes have improved under her clinical care and education. Retha’s work as a research coordinator requires meticulous demonstration, but her conscientiousness in calling patients and concern about each outcome demonstrate her professional compassion.

Retha served as an MCV Clinical Instructor precepting pharmacy students from 1989-1996. She is an active member of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, the Kappa Epsilon Pharmaceutical Fraternity and the Virginia Society of Health System Pharmacists, having served as the Region IV President in 1997-98.

Perhaps, the largest volunteer commitment made by Retha, is to the American Lung Association. Over the past 15 years she has committed thousands of hours and generated more than $250,000 in donations for the ALA, through the Annual “Breath of Spring Benefit Ball” and Asthma Camp. She received the Virginia Society for Respiratory Care Bob Bageant Award in 2006 for her advocacy in pulmonary disease prevention.

The MCV Alumni Association and the MCV/VCU School of Pharmacy are proud to recognize the contributions of Retha Moore Robinette to the profession of pharmacy by honoring her with the 2007 Distinguished Pharmacy Alumnus Award.

2007 Outstanding Service Award
Chuck Baker P'72

Chuck Baker is the quintessential life-long learner and he brings his quest for new knowledge and understanding to every endeavor. Fortunately for the school of pharmacy, he also strives to apply new knowledge to advance pharmacy practice through service.

He has served on the School’s Advisory Council under three Deans and currently serves as our Chairman. He has provided leadership to the MCV Alumni Association as Pharmacy Vice President and President of the MCAA Richmond Chapter. His commitment and leadership to the alumni arm of the Kappa Psi Fraternity has provided opportunities for alumni involvement and continued support for the student chapter.

As those of you who went to school with Chuck might suspect, his career path has been a bit non-traditional.

While still a student, Chuck began work as a Research Pharmacist for AH Robins before launching Healthcare Pharmacy Systems, Inc., a company which he acquired and transformed from a traditional pharmacy into a medically oriented practice. During his 5 years as President and Pharmacist-in-charge at Healthcare Pharmacy Services, Chuck first began precepting students, an experience he repeated throughout the remainder of his career, as Director of Operations for Attendacare Corp., Associate Director of Pharmacy Services for King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Clinical Pharmacy Instructor at the MCV School of Pharmacy, and as the Clinical Services Pharmacy Management Consultant at First Health Corporation.

Recently Chuck began work as a Pharmacy Consultant for Emergency Preparedness and Response for the State of Virginia, having co-authored the 2004 book entitled The American Family Homeland Survival Manual – What to do in any emergency, from terrorist events to natural disasters. He has been recognized for his accomplishments in pharmacy with the Saudi Arabian Pharmaceutical Society Award for Outstanding National Service, the Federation Internationale Phamaceutique Award of Service for the Advancement of Third World Pharmacy Practice, the AH Robins Bowl of Hygeia, and the VCU Alumni Star award in 1989.

We are proud to thank Chuck for his service by honoring him with the 2007 Pharmacy Alumnus Service Award.