Pharmacy Professor Named Fellow to National Association

Dr. Anna Ratka, professor and associate dean of academic affairs at the Wegmans School of Pharmacy at St. John Fisher College, has been selected as a 2022 Fellow of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA).

The most comprehensive recognition program in the profession of pharmacy, the APhA Awards and Honors program recognizes the exemplary achievements and service to the profession. Ratka was honored for her contributions to interprofessional education, health care advocacy, and mentorship of students and trainees for nearly 30 years. She will be officially recognized at the association’s national conference in March.

“Being engaged in APhA provided me with great opportunities to mentor and train student pharmacists, participate in promotion and advancement of pharmacy research, and contribute to development of educational programs for pharmacy professionals,” Ratka said. “I have enjoyed my experiences at APhA, in particular service on the Executive Committee of APhA-Academy of Pharmaceutical Research and Science (APhA-APRS) as a chair-elect and chair for the Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences section.”  

Colleagues from across the country supported Ratka’s nomination as an APhA Fellow.  

“As chair-elect under Anna, I got to work alongside her and experience first-hand her drive to advance the Academy’s goals, her passion for the profession, and her desire to promote science-based research in support of pharmacy,” wrote Dr. William McLaughlin, fellow member of the APhA-APRS, in a nomination letter. “Her organization and focus make her a great role model for future leaders of the association.”

In his nomination letter, Dr. David Nau, president of the APhA-APRS, wrote of how Ratka’s positive effect on the Academy set a tone for active engagement and leadership that prompted other leaders to “step up their game.” “As chair of communications, she greatly elevated our communications efforts through actively organizing our communications strategy and ensuring that we had a steady stream of information flowing to our members,” he explained.

Dr. Indra Reddy, founding dean of Texas A&M University’s College of Pharmacy, also offered support. “Dr. Ratka has rendered praiseworthy service to the pharmacy profession and the academy, helped advance pharmacy education, and promoted and represented the ideals of the APhA,” he wrote.

Ratka’s research interests include neuropharmacology, neuroscience, and pain. She has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and presentations. In 2019, the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education named her an outstanding peer reviewer. In addition to APhA, she is active in several professional organizations including the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the Pharmacy Society of the State of New York, and the Polish American Pharmacists Association.

She has also been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including research and teaching accolades. In 2020, she was invited by the Polish Supreme Pharmaceutical Chamber to join an expert team charged with the development of standards of pharmaceutical care practice and education in Poland.

Ratka holds master’s and doctoral (Ph.D.) degrees from the College of Pharmacy at Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poland; in 2016, she was asked to deliver the keynote address during her alma mater’s commencement ceremony. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Rudolf Magnus Institute for Pharmacology at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands and at the College of Pharmacy at the University of Florida. In 2000, she earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Idaho State University’s College of Pharmacy. She joined the Wegmans School of Pharmacy in 2018.