Press Release

New Fund Established in Honor of Dwight Tousignaut

The ASHP Foundation is pleased to announce the establishment of the Dwight R. Tousignaut Memorial Fund (The Fund). The Fund was created to honor the longtime ASHP staff member and pioneer in digital drug information’s contributions to pharmacy practice. The Fund will support professional initiatives that optimize the use of information technology to improve patient care.

Dr. Tousignaut was a world-renowned innovator in drug information and digital publishing. His service to ASHP began in 1966 as director of the Professional Practice Division and editor of International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA). He retired as vice president of ASHP’s Publications and Drug Information Systems Office in 2001.

In his more than thirty years with ASHP, Dr. Tousignaut oversaw the growth of its drug information resources to include both print and electronic editions of respected publications such as AHFS Drug Information and the Handbook on Injectable Drugs. Under his leadership, ASHP’s American Hospital Formulary Service became the world’s first full-text electronic searchable database of medical information in 1984. Dr. Tousignaut created one of the first online information services making ASHP an early international provider of electronic drug information. He forged key partnerships with distributors such as Silver Platter, DIALOG, and First DataBank that increased the exposure of ASHP's drug information databases.

Early in his tenure with ASHP, Dr. Tousignaut managed the ASHP Library and served as the editor of ASHP’s Voices 12/60, a continuing-education program. He also helped establish an ASHP traineeship program to orient community pharmacists to institutional practice and acted as ASHP’s liaison with numerous organizations, including the White House Council on Information, the American Hospital Association, and the American Nurses Association. 

Dr. Tousignaut’s ground-breaking work also had global impact. A sought after speaker, he gave nearly a hundred presentations and workshops in more than 20 countries. Tousignaut was an active member of the Federation Internationale Pharmaceutique and brokered a professional partnership between ASHP and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. He spent two years in Egypt as a Fulbright professor at the University of Cairo, where he established a graduate program in hospital pharmacy. 

After his retirement, Dr. Tousignaut continued to contribute to the profession as a consultant to the National Library of Medicine. He was a past president of the Drug Information Association and recognized in American Men of Science. Dr. Tousignaut also served on the Board of Directors of the National Federation of Abstracting and Indexing Services. He received ASHP’s Donald E. Francke Medal in 2004 in recognition of his significant contributions to international pharmacy practice.

“Dwight Tousignaut was instrumental to ASHP’s growth and expanding ASHP’s outreach to international practitioners. The impact of his work on pharmacy is incalculable,” said ASHP Foundation Chief Executive Officer Steven Rubloff. “The Tousignaut Fund honors his memory by funding programs that encourage the kind of innovative thinking that made him such an effective leader.”

The Tousignaut Fund will support a variety of initiatives, including:

• Grants for student pharmacists, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to enhance their knowledge and skills in health information technology and data analytics.
• Health Services Research Grants focused on optimizing outcomes by implementing technology and using data.
• These grants could be provided to pharmacy students as well as experienced pharmacist researchers in health systems and healthcare organizations.
• Grants to ASHP to support development of health information technology and data analytics programs and resources. 
• Support for leadership development programs and resources that enhance the leadership skills of pharmacists around the use of information technology and data analytics.
• Pharmacy Residency Expansion Grants for PGY2 Training for Pharmacy Informatics.
• Support research to develop insights into best practices and trends in health information technology.
• Awards that recognize contributions to the pharmacy profession around the use of information technology and data analytics to advance practice. 

About the ASHP Foundation
The ASHP Foundation was established in 1968 by ASHP as a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. As the philanthropic arm of ASHP, the Foundation shares ASHP's vision that medication use will be optimal, safe, and effective for all people all of the time. Our mission is to support ASHP by advancing the professional practice of pharmacists and the pharmacy workforce by funding research and education that improves health outcomes through optimal, safe, and effective medication use.

Contact Information
Steven A. Rubloff
Chief Executive Officer
ASHP Foundation
301-664-8650
[email protected]

Shelby M. Giles
Communications Specialist
ASHP Foundation
301-664-8871
[email protected]