Lydia Bailey Selected as the 2025 Albert B. Prescott Pharmacy Leadership Award for Early-Career Leadership January 7, 2025, South Lyon, MI — In the 39th annual presentation, the Pharmacy Leadership & Education Institute (PLEI) is proud to announce Lydia C. Bailey, PharmD, RPh, BCACP, of Cincinnati, Ohio, as the recipient of the 2025 Albert B. Prescott Pharmacy Leadership Award. This prestigious honor recognizes outstanding leadership and innovation in pharmacy practice, education, and service within the first 10 years of a pharmacy career. Dr. Bailey’s exemplary career reflects a profound dedication to advancing pharmacy’s role in healthcare and uplifting underserved communities. Lydia Bailey is recognized as a transformative leader in charitable pharmacy, serving as the Pharmacy Operations Manager at St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) Charitable Pharmacy in Cincinnati, Ohio. She and her team at SVdP filled a record 95,000 prescriptions valued at $17.2 million for 1,800 underserved patients in 2024. She implemented innovative solutions to achieve a 23% surge in patient volume, expanded services to new communities, provided holistic-care programs that improved medication adherence and diabetes management, while reducing hospitalizations and emergency visits by 40%. A champion of patient advocacy, Lydia led efforts to draft Ohio House Bill 558, which revolutionized medication-donation laws and increased SVdP’s prescription donations by 74%. Her servant leadership inspired a team of 242 volunteers and 84 pharmacy interns and residents, fostering excellence in underserved care while influencing state and national policy. The Albert B. Prescott Pharmacy Leadership Award recognizes a pharmacist fewer than 10 years past graduation for demonstrating exemplary leadership qualities indicative of someone likely to emerge as a major leader in pharmacy over the course of his or her career. It evolved from an award first presented in 1987 by Phi Delta Chi to recognize leadership by a young pharmacist. From its beginning, this has been a profession-wide recognition, not restricted to any fraternal group or practice setting. It is currently coordinated by the Pharmacy Leadership & Education Institute (PLEI), with major support from the Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society (PLS). In conjunction with accepting the award, each recipient delivers a scholarly lecture on issues such as pharmacy as a profession, leadership, or future trends in pharmacy practice or education. The selection committee was chaired by PLEI Board Member Kevin Anderson and included PLEI Board Member W. Michael Heath; Phi Delta Chi President Grant Stimes; Phi Lambda Sigma Board President-Elect Hoai-An Truong, and the previous four recipients of this prestigious award: Jennifer Bacci, Ryan Costantino, Lucas Berenbrok, and Nisha Bhide. About Lydia Bailey, PharmD, RPh, BCACP Dr. Bailey earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy in 2015. She serves as
the Pharmacy Operations Manager for the St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Bailey is recognized for her work spearheading the innovative Outcomes-Based Community Care model at the St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy, an approach that transcends traditional prescription metrics to focus on measurable health outcomes. Under her leadership, the team prevents more than $4 million in healthcare costs annually by reducing hospitalizations and emergency visits by more than 50%. This pivotal work earned the American Pharmacists Association’s (APhA) Pinnacle Award and positioned Dr. Bailey as APhA’s 2023 Keynote Speaker, where she passionately represented pharmacists dedicated to providing dignity, hope, health, and essential medications to those in need. A champion of education and mentorship, Dr. Bailey has precepted over 700 pharmacy students from eight colleges over the past 8 years. Her dedication to teaching consistently achieved an average 98% student satisfaction rate. By leading innovative clinical rotation experiences, she ensures students gain hands-on exposure to compassionate, high-quality disease state management while providing free clinical counseling to underserved patients. Recognizing the critical need to improve medication reuse, Dr. Bailey initiated efforts and testified with other Charitable Pharmacy leaders in the creation of Ohio House Bill 558. This landmark legislation, passed unanimously by the Ohio House of Representatives and Senate in May 2023, allows the public to donate unused prescription medications to charitable pharmacies. As a result, St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy has sustained 18 months without needing to purchase insulin and expanded access to life-saving medications, such as respiratory inhalers and anticoagulant medications. About the Albert B. Prescott and the Pharmacy Leadership Award Established to honor the legacy of Albert B. Prescott, a trailblazer in pharmacy education, this award is presented annually to a pharmacist who demonstrates exemplary leadership and innovation. The Prescott Award celebrates those who inspire others and advance the pharmacy profession. Dr. Prescott was the Dean of Pharmacy at the University of Michigan from 1870 to 1905. Prescott was a visionary and pioneer, holding the unorthodox view that pharmacy should be an education-based profession – not an experienced-based trade. Even as a Dean, Prescott was rebuffed by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), so much so tha the credentials committee at the 1871 APhA convention rejected Prescott as unworthy of being seated as a voting delegate. But Prescott persevered. By the 1890’s, Prescott’s vision and convictions were proven correct. The rest of the country began to follow Prescott’s lead. Ironically, he was eventually elected president of APhA in 1899, and became the first president of the organization we now know as the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), when it was founded in 1900. About PLEI The Pharmacy Leadership & Education Institute (PLEI.org) is committed to fostering leadership excellence in the pharmacy profession. Through educational initiatives, mentorship, and recognition programs, PLEI empowers pharmacists and students to lead with integrity and vision. Through its Academy for Leader Development, PLEI partners with organizations, small groups, and individuals to deliver transformative training experiences that drive meaningful results for leaders at all career stages. Learn more about our leader development training at https://plei.org/leadership-programs/ About Phi Lambda Sigma Phi Lambda Sigma (PLS), the international Pharmacy Leadership Society, promotes the development of leadership qualities in pharmacy through peer recognition, fostering self-confidence and active participation in advancing the prof ession. Established in 1965 at Auburn University, the Society honors leaders selected by their peers and unites members across fraternal and organizational lines. With a rich history and dedication to empowering pharmacy leaders, Phi Lambda Sigma continues to inspire excellence and collaboration in the field. Learn more about PLS at https://philambdasigma.org. For more information about the award or Lydia Bailey’s achievements, please contact Lori Carey at [email protected] or visit https://plei.org/. |
