Thomas Temple elected Chairman of USP Board of Trustees

Thomas R Temple has been elected as the new chairman of its Board of Trustees of US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP). Under Temple’s leadership, the Board will guide the global health organisation as it expands the creation and use of science-based standards that help ensure the quality, purity and strength of medicines, dietary supplements and food ingredients. He succeeds Duane Kirking, who has served as chairman of the Board since January 2009.

“The quality of medicines and foods worldwide is the focus of USP and my focus as chairman will be working with our management, convention membership, the council of experts and other USP volunteers, along with the Board of Trustees, to continue that vital mission,” said Temple. “I am honoured to be elected by my colleagues to this position and look forward to continuing this important work. I would also like to thank my predecessor, Kirking, for his outstanding leadership.”

“The importance and relevance of our standards for medicines and foods are increasingly critical in today’s global marketplace,” said Roger L Williams, Chief Executive Officer, USP. “Our work developing those standards and raising the quality of products wherever possible will be our continued charge under Temple as we move forward.”

Temple has served as a Trustee of the Board since 2010, and recently created his own consulting firm after retiring as Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the Iowa Pharmacy Association (IPA), a position held since 1980. Today he serves as president of Tom Temple Consulting and as director of strategic communications for the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy.

Temple is a member of several professional organisations including the IPA, the American Pharmacists Association, the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA), and the American Society of Association Executives. A past president of NASPA, he has also served as a board member for the APhA Foundation, the University of Iowa Alumni Association, the Alliance for Patient Medication Safety, the Pharmacy Marketing Group, and the Iowa Initiative to Reduce Unintended Pregnancies.

Temple received a BS degree in biology from Northern Illinois University, a BS degree in pharmacy from the University of Illinois, and an MS degree in pharmacy administration from the University of Iowa.

EP News Bureau – Mumbai