Published: June 18, 2009 08:54 pm      

Robert J. Martin Jr. earns top award in pharmacy

CUMBERLAND — The Maryland Pharmacists Association has selected Robert J. Martin Jr. as the recipient of the 2009 Bowl of Hygeia Award for outstanding community service.

The award was presented to Martin at the group’s annual meeting on June 15. A major fundraiser for the Allegany County League for Crippled Children, Martin is a member of the Masons, American Legion and the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce. He is a past trustee of the Maryland Pharmacists Association, NCPA member, on the Board of Directors for EPIC Pharmacies. His father received this distinguished award in 1992.

The Bowl of Hygeia is the most widely recognized international symbol for the pharmacy profession and is considered their most prestigious award.

The Bowl of Hygeia has been associated with the pharmacy profession as early as 1796 when the symbol was used on a coin minted for the Parisian Society of Pharmacy. The bowl represents a medicinal potion and the snake represents healing.

Established in 1958, it is an award for pharmacists who possess outstanding records of civic leadership in their communities and to encourage pharmacists to take active roles in the affairs of their respective communities.

The award is presented annually by participating pharmaceutical associations in each of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the 10 Canadian provinces. Historically, most winners of the Bowl of Hygeia are community pharmacists who advance the standards of pharmacy.