The Council of the Convention (CoC) is one of the independent governing bodies that helps lead USP, along with the full Convention Membership, the Board of Trustees, and the Council of Experts. Throughout each five-year cycle, the CoC, comprised of representatives from Convention Member Organizations, represents the full Convention by sharing diverse perspectives with USP, guiding the engagement of the Convention Membership, and making important governance decisions that help USP maximize its impact.
The Essential Role of the Council of the Convention
The CoC meets quarterly to fulfill its governance responsibilities, hear updates on Sector and Chapter activities, provide input on staff updates, and share insights on priority topics. The CoC’s primary duties include:
- Engagement: Guiding and informing engagement of Convention Membership, ensuring Members are appropriately updated and that their perspectives are heard
- Membership: Approving new Associate Members to the Convention and recommending new Voting Member Organizations to the Board of Trustees for final approval
- Resolutions: Overseeing the Resolutions process, issuing the call for Resolutions, and submitting proposed Resolutions to the Convention Membership for consideration and vote
- Bylaws: Developing and reviewing proposed amendments to USP Bylaws and submitting to Convention Membership for consideration and vote
- Voting: Ensuring the integrity of voting processes and tools provided for Convention Membership
- Rules and Procedures: Reviewing the Rules and Procedures of the CoC and the Council of Experts to ensure they’re consistent with USP Bylaws
Members of the Council of the Convention
To ensure a broad representation of the Convention Membership, the CoC includes representatives from each of the six categories of Convention Membership, Chairs of the Convention Sectors and Regional Chapters, and at-large members. Four members of the Council of Experts also serve on the CoC, which helps maintain awareness, communication, and transparency among USP’s leadership bodies.
The President of the Convention
- Dennis E. Doherty, M.D., Convention President and CoC Chair
USP Convention Sector Chairs
- Generics Sector Chair: David Gaugh, R.Ph., Association for Accessible Medicines
- Healthcare Practice Sector Chair: Ilisa Bernstein, Pharm.D., J.D., American Pharmacists Association
- Biologics Sector Chair: Susan Cantrell, BS Pharm., Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy
- Excipients Sector Chair: Erik Burns, EdD, MA, MBA, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
USP Convention Regional Chapter Chairs
- Europe Regional Chair: Catherine Duggan, Ph.D., FRPharmS, Honorary Professor
- Asia Pacific Region Chair: John Lim, M.S., M.D., Centre of Regulatory Excellence (CoRE), Duke-NUS Medical School
- South Asia Region Chair: Bhojraj Suresh, M.Pharm., Ph.D., D.Sc. Indian Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (IACP)
- Latin America Region Chair: Caroline Weinstein, Ph.D., Chilean Pharmacopeia
- Greater China Region Chair: Mingzhe Xu, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control
- Middle East and North Africa Regional Chair: Hanan Sboul, M.B.A., B. Pharm, CAE, Jordanian Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers
At-Large Members
- Emmanuel Akala, R. Ph., Ph.D., DIM, Howard University College of Pharmacy
- Lynette Bradley-Baker, Ph.D., R.Ph., CoC Vice Chair, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
- Barbara Exum, PharmD, Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia School of Pharmacy
- Stephen Mullenix, BS Pharm., R.Ph., National Council for Prescription Drug Programs
- Pallavi Nithyanandan, Ph.D., FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
- Sue Peschin, M.H.S., Alliance for Aging Research
- Pam Traxel, American Cancer Society/Cancer Action Network
Council of Experts Representatives
- Martin Coffey, Ph.D., USP General Chapters—Dosage Forms Expert Committee
- Stephanie Crawford, M.P.H., Ph.D., USP Nomenclature and Labeling Expert Committee
- Kim Huynh-Ba, M.S., B.Sc., USP Small Molecules 4 Expert Committee
- Otilia Koo, Ph.D., USP Complex Excipients Expert Committee