Buies Creek–Josiah R. Whitehead, pharmacist and community leader, received the honorary Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Campbell University during commencement exercises on Monday, May 12. Whitehead, who delivered the keynote address at the School of Pharmacy hooding service on May 11, served as assistant dean for External Relations for the School of Pharmacy and is the current chair of the Pharmacy School Advisory Board.”So now here you are,” said Whitehead at the pharmacy hooding ceremony. “You’ve successfully completed one of the most difficult curriculums in all academia. You’re prepared to take your place in one of the most respected professions in the land.”Whitehead graduated from Butler University in Indianapolis with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and earned a Master of Business Administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.He rose through the ranks to become vice president of Corporate Affairs for the Burroughs Wellcome Pharmaceutical Company. Whitehead was awarded a fellowship from the American College of Apothecaries and is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the National Community Pharmacists Association, American Pharmaceutical Association, North Carolina Association of Pharmacists, National Pharmaceutical Council (former board member) and the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association State Government Affairs Committee. A community activist, Whitehead has served as president of the Poe Center for Health Education, chairman of the North Carolina Public Television Foundation, member of the WakeMed Foundation, member of the board of trustees for Exploris Museum, member of the State Advisory Board for the American Cancer Society and many other organizations. He was named the 1999 North Carolina Pharmacist of the Year by the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy.He and his wife Ina have three children and nine grandchildren.Photo Copy: Josiah Whitehead is hooded by Dr. Ronald Maddox, dean of the Campbell University School of Pharmacy. (Photo by Bennett Scarborough)
Wake County community and professional leader receives honorary doctorate