WASHINGTON, DC – The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation is announcing Eugene "Gene" M. Lutz, BSPharm, FAPhA, as the 2023 recipient of the Jacob W. Miller Award. Lutz was presented with the award at the Foundation’s Contributors’ Breakfast during the APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition in Phoenix, AZ.
Established in 2000, the award recognizes individuals who help to advance the APhA Foundation’s mission through their involvement and leadership in its longstanding programs and new initiatives.
“It was humbling for me to have been selected by the Foundation to join the 24 [past] recipients of this award,” said Lutz. “Thank you so very much for this honor.”
Lutz served two terms on the APhA Foundation Board of Directors from 2008 to 2014. He also served two terms on the APhA Board of Trustees from 2006 to 2012, and as President of APhA 2004–2006. In 2001, Lutz was named an APhA Fellow.
Lutz’s commitment to the pharmacy profession is broad. He is past president of the Iowa Pharmacy Association (IPA), and of the American Pharmacists Association–Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management (APhA–APPM). He served three terms on the Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International Board of Directors as its Vice President from 2015 to 2017. He has also been active internationally as a two-term member of the Executive Committee of the Community Pharmacy Section of the Federation of International Pharmacy.
Other pharmacy honors include the 2012 IPA Bowl of Hygiea Award, and the Drake College of Pharmacy “Alumni Achievement Award.” In 2019, both Gene and Susan Lutz, his pharmacist wife, received the Drake University College of Pharmacy Weaver Medal.
Gene and Susan owned and operated Lutz Pharmacy and Lutz Long Term Care Pharmacy in Altoona, IA from 1974 to 2012. They are joint recipients of the Altoona Chamber of Commerce “Bill Newell Award” for their dedication to serving the community.
“Gene’s sustained contributions to the APhA Foundation, APhA, and the profession have been extraordinary, personifying servant leadership,” said Benjamin Bluml, RPh, APhA Foundation Executive Director and SVP, Research & Innovation. “We sincerely appreciate the contributions Gene has made of his time, treasure, and talent as an independent community pharmacist with a tenacious commitment to the patients he serves.”
Currently, Gene and Susan are co-owners of Lutz Pharmacist Services, a consulting and relief pharmacist firm in Altoona, IA. Gene also does part-time relief work for several pharmacies in Iowa.