Andrew Holt Appointed Director of the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy
NASHVILLE — Andrew Holt, PharmD, has been appointed executive director of the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy. In this position, Holt oversees enforcement of the laws of the State of Tennessee pertaining to the practice of pharmacy; the manufacture, distribution or sale of drugs; and the process of medication use, including but not limited to compounding, selection, preparation, dispensing, education and monitoring of drugs.
"Andrew is very well qualified for the position of director of the Board of Pharmacy. His education and professional pharmacy experience will be an asset to our Bureau of Health Licensure and Regulation,” Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH, said. “I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Terry Grinder for his excellent stewardship of the Board of Pharmacy during his service as acting director.”
As director of the Board of Pharmacy, Holt will support the operations and administration of the board by advising and informing members and conducting studies and research. He will act as a consultant to the Bureau of Health Licensure and Regulation in its enforcement duties on behalf of the board. He will also be responsible for maintenance and operation of the Controlled Substance Monitoring Database.
“I look forward to working with the talented team we have in place in the Board of Pharmacy office,” Holt shared. “Our mission of protecting, promoting and improving the health of all citizens in a respectful and caring manner is something I believe in very strongly. I am excited to have the opportunity to assist our dedicated and talented board members as they carry out their duties.”
Holt comes to state government after working as a pharmacy manager for Target, where he was responsible for managing retail pharmacy daily operations and training pharmacists to counsel patients and providers on optimum and cost-effective drug utilization. He also managed a floating pharmacist pool for the company’s Memphis and Nashville markets. Holt has also worked as a pharmacy manager for Walgreen’s and as a nuclear pharmacist for GE Healthcare in Memphis.
Holt received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and completed his pre-professional curriculum at the University of Memphis. He is licensed as a pharmacist in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi and holds certifications in immunizations and medication therapy management from the American Pharmacists Association. Holt is an assistant professor for both the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy. He has held memberships in the American Pharmacists Association and the Tennessee Pharmacists Association. He has served as a member of the UT National Alumni Association Board of Governors and has held several positions including a term as president of the Memphis-Shelby County Chapter of the UT Alumni Association Board of Directors.