USP Beal Award for Distinguished Volunteer Service

The USP Beal Award for Distinguished Volunteer Service recognizes a person who has made outstanding contributions to the public health while serving as a USP volunteer. It was created to honor the lifelong USP contributions of James Hartley Beal, Ph.D., LL.B. (1861-1945) and his son, George Denton Beal, Ph.D. (1888-1972).

The Beal Award is bestowed every five years at the USP Convention's Membership Meeting. The nominee must be a current or former USP volunteer serving as a member of at least one of the following:

• USP Convention
• Board of Trustees
• Council of Experts (CoE)
• Expert Committee

The inaugural Beal Award was conferred on two honorees, Lester Chafetz, Ph.D., and Ralph F. Shangraw, Ph.D. (posthumously) in 2000. In 2005, the Beal Award was given to Dr. Herbert S. Carlin. The deadline for nominations for the 2010 Beal Award was October 2, 2009.

The 2010 winner will be announced in December 2009, and he or she will be officially honored at the USP Convention's Membership Meeting in April 2010 in Washington, D.C. At the meeting, the Beal Award recipient will receive a crystal sculpture representing USP's spirit of voluntarism and a cash award of $10,000, granted to an institution of the recipient's choice to support work that will contribute to higher quality and more appropriate use of medicines, dietary supplements, or food ingredients. The recipient will also become a lifetime USP Honorary Member.

James Hartley Beal, Ph.D., L.L.B.				George Denton Beal, Ph.D.

The Beals promoted public health through their voluntary service to USP for a combined total of nearly 80 years. James Hartley Beal, former dean of the Scio (Ohio) College of Pharmacy, began his involvement with USP as a Convention member in 1900 and served as chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1910 to 1940. He was instrumental in gaining recognition for USP in the Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906, and retaining that recognition in the 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. George Denton Beal, former director of research for the Mellon Institute in Pittsburgh, was instrumental in establishing USP's Reference Standards program. He served on the Committee of Revision (the predecessor to the Council of Experts) from 1930 to 1954 and as chairman of the Board from 1954 to 1968.

Lester Chafetz, Ph.D.

2000 Inaugural Beal Award Recipient
Dr. Lester Chafetz worked to improve drug quality through 35 years of outstanding voluntary service on the Committee of Revision (the predecessor to the Council of Experts). He contributed significantly to many areas of standards setting, including drug substances, natural products, separation science and the chromatography of dosage forms, and packaging and stability. His distinguished career in industrial pharmaceutical analysis and research, capped by a university professorship involving both teaching and a research program, spans over 40 years.

Ralph F. Shangraw, Ph.D.

2000 Inaugural Beal Award Recipient
The late Dr. Ralph Shangraw had a profound impact on public standards through his service on the USP Committee of Revision (the predecessor to the Council of Experts) from 1970 to 1998. He promoted modern standards for excipients that are recognized worldwide. He improved the multivitamin and mineral marketplace by pioneering the establishment of USP standards in this field. He always championed the cause of patients and consumers. His efforts led to public standards for combination cough-cold preparations and other over-the-counter drug products.

Herbert S. Carlin, D.Sc.

2005 Beal Award Recipient
Since 1970, Dr. Herbert Carlin has chaired more than 35 USP committees and panels. From 2000 to 2005, he served in the following positions: chair of the Nomenclature and Labeling Expert Committee; member of the General Policies and Requirements Division Executive Committee; member of the Information Division Executive Committee; member of the Nominating Committee for the Council of Experts; member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Taxonomy; and member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Standardized Imprint Codes for Solid Oral Dosage Forms. In 2000, Dr. Carlin became an Honorary Member of the USP Convention in recognition of his efforts as a member of the Committee of Revision (the predecessor group to the Council of Experts), as chair of the Nomenclature Committee since 1985, and for his long-standing commitment to USP. Beyond his scientific service, Dr. Carlin has been a member of the USP Convention in five separate cycles. He was also a member of the Nominating Committee for the 2005-2010 Council of Experts.