Leslie Z. Benet Receives Remington Honor Medal, Highest Honor in Pharmacy

Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC — Leslie Z. Benet, Ph.D., of San Francisco, CA, is the recipient of the 2016 Remington Honor Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). Dr. Benet was selected in recognition of his numerous substantial scientific and public service contributions to the pharmacy profession. A Professor and former Chairman of what is now named the Department of Bioengineering & Therapeutic Sciences, a joint department of the Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine at the University of California – San Francisco, Dr. Benet has amassed 540 publications, edited 6 books, and received 12 patents. His work has been published in the most prestigious journals in the fields of pharmacokinetics, biopharmaceutics, drug delivery, and pharmacodynamics and he is one of the most widely-cited pharmaceutical scientists in the world. An extraordinary educator, he has mentored 54 PhD graduates and an additional 122 postdoctoral and visiting scientists in his laboratory. Dr. Benet’s influence on the profession of pharmacy cannot be overstated. As one colleague noted, “Dr. Benet touches the lives of every practitioner who makes decisions about the dosing of any drug. He is a master of pharmacokinetics. His lifelong work as a pharmacist and scientist has provided all pharmacists with the ability to translate bench pharmacology into clinical drug application for improved patient care.”

The Remington Honor Medal, named for eminent community pharmacist, manufacturer, and educator Joseph P. Remington, was established in 1918 to recognize distinguished service on behalf of American pharmacy during the preceding years, culminating in the past year or during a long period of outstanding activity or fruitful achievement. Dr. Benet will be officially recognized during the APhA Annual Meeting and Exposition in Baltimore, MD, March 4-7, 2016. The APhA awards and honors program is the most comprehensive recognition program in the profession of pharmacy.

Dr. Benet’s peers regard him as one of world’s most widely respected and recognized pharmaceutical scientists. As one of his nominators noted, Dr. Benet “blends deep passion for pharmaceutical practice and science with vision, energy, and boldness in advancing the stature of the pharmaceutical profession.” The recipient of numerous honors and awards for research, leadership, and innovation in the pharmaceutical sciences, Dr. Benet’s incredible impact and influence on the field is further demonstrated when he was honored by dedicated features in both the September 2012 issue of Pharmaceutical Research and the September 2013 issue of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences under the titles “50 Years of Scientific Excellence and Still Going Strong” and “Perspectives on a Pharmacokinetics Legend” respectively.

Dr. Benet previously served as President of the APhA Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, as well as Chair of the FIP Board of Pharmaceutical Sciences. In 1987 he was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. His awards from APhA include the Research Achievement Award in Pharmaceutics, the Higuchi Research Prize, and the Ebert Prize. Recent honors include the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics - Hunter Award in Therapeutics, the American College of Clinical Pharmacology Distinguished Investigator Award, election as an FIP Honorary Member, and the ISSX North American Scientific Achievement Award.

Dr. Benet received his pharmacy degree from the University of Michigan and his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of California — San Francisco. He holds honorary doctorate degrees from Uppsala University, Sweden (Pharm.D., 1987); Leiden University, The Netherlands (Ph.D., 1995); University of Illinois at Chicago (D.Sc., 1997); Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science (D.Sc., 1997); Long Island University (D.Sc., 1999); University of Athens, Greece (Ph.D., 2005); Catholic University – Leuven, Belgium (Ph.D., 2010); and University of Michigan (D.Sc., 2011).