AIHP’s Annual Members Meeting Scheduled for November 10

Mark your calendars!  AIHP’s Annual Members Meeting (formerly the Annual Business Meeting) is scheduled for Thursday, November 10, 2022, beginning at 1:00 pm Central/2:00 pm Eastern. The two-hour meeting is designed to allow AIHP’s leaders and staff to report to our members and supporters on the Institute’s status and activities.

The meeting will be streamed live on the internet via Zoom. Use this link to access the meeting on the day of the event. To listen to the meeting via telephone, use one of these numbers (toll charges may apply):

• +1 309 205 3325
• +1 312 626 6799
• +1 646 931 3860
• Meeting ID: 966 8733 5699
• Passcode: 595017

A special feature of this year’s meeting will be a presentation by Professor Wesley P. Sparkmon from the Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions. Professor Sparkmon, who is an Institute member, will give a talk based on his article published in the most recent issue of History of Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals titled “Fred’s Pharmacy: Rise and Fall of a Regional Chain Pharmacy.”

The article traces the history of a pharmacy chain that served communities throughout the Southeastern United States for many decades. At its peak in the early 2010s, Fred’s Pharmacy had nearly 350 pharmacy locations and had grown to be one of the five largest pharmacy chains in the US. However, by the end of the decade, the company had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. With so much promise, what had happened to the seventy-year-old company that finally led to its closing? Professor Sparkmon’s presentation will examine the history and potential reasons, both theoretical and practical, as to why Fred’s Pharmacy went from such promise to bankruptcy.

In addition to Professor Sparkmon’s presentation, the Annual Members Meeting will include a “year-in-review” report by Institute staff recapping important developments and activities over the past year. A special report is also being planned regarding the National Endowment for the Humanities grant that AIHP’s host institution, the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy, received earlier this year to significantly increase the public’s ability to discover, use, and access the Institute’s important historical collections.

Also at the meeting the Nominations Committee will present a slate of nominees to fill upcoming vacancies on the Board of Directors. Under AIHP bylaws, any member in attendance at the Annual Members Meeting can nominate additional candidates if seconded by two other members. The Nominations Committee’s nominees, plus any additional members nominated at the Annual Business Meeting, will be on the ballot circulated to members later in November.

Below are links to meeting-related documents:

• Meeting Agenda
• Financial Reports for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2022:
  • Statement of Activities
  • Statement of Financial Position
  • Budget-to-Actuals Report
• Membership Report

Posted: October 13, 2022
Updated: November 7, 2022