In the specialty field of pharmacy known as home infusion therapy, West Virginia University School of Pharmacy alumna Wanda Rogers (MS,'63) is widely considered an icon by the hundreds of students and professionals who have worked with her.
This year, Rogers' peers nominated her for a very special award, and she earned it! The National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) presented Rogers with the 2019 Gene Graves Lifetime Achievement Award at their annual conference in Orlando on March 12.
Rogers is the National Director of Pharmacy for Coram CVS Specialty Infusion Services. Upon graduating from WVU, she practiced in many states and settings as she traveled the country with her Naval Officer husband and two daughters. Following graduate studies in Hospital Pharmacy, Rogers worked in a major metropolitan hospital system as the Director of Sterile Production until moving to home infusion where she has worked since 1982. She joined Coram CVS in 1990, stepping into her current role in 2005.
Rogers serves as a member of the NHIA Standards Committee and the Joint Commission Medication Compounding Advisory Panel and serves as the regional past president of the Virginia Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists. She has also served as a member of Coram’s USP <797> Agenda for Change Committee and as a consultant to major drug companies for extemporaneous compounding of products used in human clinical trials. In addition to playing an integral role in creating a Postgraduate First-Year (PGY-1) Pharmacy Practice Residency with a focus on Sterile Compounding with Coram CVS, Rogers is a fixture at national pharmacy meetings including APhA, ASHP, and NHIA.
Rogers' teammates describe her as a warm and compassionate leader and mentor who encourages colleagues to work from their strengths and grow by recognizing and overcoming their weaknesses. They say she is supportive, kind, strong and fair.
“She exudes confidence and positivity with a grace that is both commanding and disarming,” say the nominees. “This has earned her both the respect and trust of countless colleagues.”
“NHIA is proud to recognize Wanda’s accomplishments and distinguished career through this award,” says Connie Sullivan, BSPharm, NHIA’s President and CEO. “The nomination by her team clearly reflects how much she means to her many colleagues throughout the country and to the patients she has touched.”
“The Gene Graves Award is a very appropriate honor for Wanda,” adds NHIA Board Chair Varner Richards, PharmD. “Her commitment and leadership as a professional and pharmacist in our industry has been evident over many years. We are proud to recognize Wanda’s accomplishments and acknowledge the enduring, positive influence she had on our profession. Her integrity and passion for developing young clinicians will have a ripple effect for many years to come.”
NHIA is a trade association that represents companies which provide infusion therapy to patients in their homes, as well as companies that manufacture and supply infusion and specialty pharmacy products. Infusion therapy involves patient-specific compounded medications, supplies, and a range of pharmacy, nursing, and other clinical services for delivering care to patients in the home setting. For more information, visit the association at www.nhia.org.
