Ronald L. Williams was a 30-year APhA staff member who held a wide range of positions within the organization from 1968 until 1998. He was a graduate of Ohio Northern University and a former Ohio Community Pharmacist and pharmacy owner. Williams also devoted his untiring attention to improve the health and careers of pharmacists who suffered from alcohol and chemical dependencies.

During his career, Williams was instrumental in the development of Pharmacist Recovery Programs (PRNs) that assist pharmacists and student pharmacists who have become impaired by dependence on alcohol and other drugs. Due to Ron’s efforts, countless lives have been saved throughout the years.

The Ronald L. Williams Memorial Fund was established in 2004 by the APhA Addiction Practitioner Interest Group (PInG) (now known as the APhA Pain, Palliative Care and Addiction SIG) to honor Williams, who served as the long-time coordinator of the Pharmacy Section at the University of Utah School on Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies.

The Ronald L. Williams Memorial Fund provides two (2) $1,000 scholarships annually to student pharmacists attending the APhA Institute on Substance Use Disorders in Salt Lake City, Utah. Scholarship recipients will be required to prepare a one-page publishable report for Student Pharmacist magazine on their experiences at the APhA Institute. This scholarship is previously known as the APhA-ASP GenerationRx initiative, developed by The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy and funded by the Cardinal Health Foundatio and was an educational program that increases public awareness of prescription medication abuse.

How to Apply

Student pharmacists who are interested in applying should visit the APhA Insitute on Substance Use Disorders website.

General Eligibility Criteria

All applicants must:

• Be a member of the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP)

• Provide a letter of intent (750 words) describing:

  
  

  • Why they wish to receive the scholarship;

  • What they expect to gain from attending the APhA Institute,

  • How they intend to incorporate the knowledge of addiction and recovery into their academic experience and future practice.

Program Timeline

The Travel Grant Selection Committee will choose recipients based on careful review of completed materials. Applications are due in April and the APhA Institute on Substance Use Disorders is held in May.