Virginia Society of Health-System Pharmacists

Who is VSHP?

The Virginia Society of Health-System Pharmacists is a professional organization for pharmacy in Virginia. Members include pharmacists , educators, pharmacy residents,pharmacy students, pharmacy technicians and pharmaceutical industry members tied in their support of safe, effective, and rational drug therapy through the concept of pharmaceutical care. Known as the Virginia Society of Hospital Pharmacists until 1996, the VSHP began with a small group of interested pharmacists at a family picnic in 1954. These pharmacists--R. David Anderson, Russell H. Fiske, Mary Ann Magee [later Johnson], and J.Y. Thomas--wanted to provide a regional counterpart to the nationwide American Society of Hospital Pharmacists so as to better facilitate information exchange and education. Fiske and Gary had been charter members of the ASHP, and Anderson would serve as that organization's President in 1971.

The first formal meeting of the VSHP was held on May 21, 1955 at the John Marshall Hotel in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. George F. Archambault, Past President of ASHP, was the guest speaker and advisor. Twenty-two people were in attendance. From the beginning, the primary objective of the Virginia Society of Health-System Pharmacists has been to provide a means for continuing education programs and to establish standards of practice for the betterment of the profession.

The archives of VSHP are held at the Virginia Historical Society, and are freely available to visitors. The index of the archives can be found here. Search for "Virginia Society of Health-System Pharmacists"

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