Steven Pray, PhD, DPh
Fellow
Weatherford, Oklahoma, USA
“The principles of evidence-based medicine have not taken full hold in the realm of nonprescription products and devices.
With national organizations and national pharmacy publications failing to fully address the deficiencies inherent in unproven medications
and therapies, colleges of pharmacy should offer students a full grounding in the precepts of evidence-based medicine
as it relates to unproven medications and therapies.”
W. Steven Pray, MPH, PhD, is Bernhardt Professor of Pharmacy at the University of Oklahoma School of Pharmacy. He has been a leading voice against the teaching of misinformation about herbal and dietary supplements to pharmacists, students, and the public. He is a prolific author on issues pertaining to over-the-counter medications, dietary supplements, and homeopathy. Dr Pray’s writings have also helped bring perspective to the history of pharmacy law and government regulation.
Dr Pray holds a masters in public health (health administration) from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and a doctorate in Clinical Pharmacy/Pharmacy Practice from Purdue University. As a contributing editor to the journal US Pharmacist , he has written helpful papers on a myriad array of subjects. He is renowned for his book on over-the-counter pharmacotherapy and for his innovation in the role played by pharmacists in patient triage with regard to self-care decisions for minor conditions.
Selected Books:
A History of Nonprescription Product Regulation, with Dennis B Worthen (Informa Healthcare, 2003). A fascinating history of the efforts (and resistance) to make non-prescription medications safe and effective.Selected Publications:
- “Why pharmacists should not sell homeopathic products,” Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies, 2010 Dec; 15(4):280-283.
- “Challenges when recommending nonprescription products for patients with diabetes,” US Pharmacist, 2010 Jun; 35(6):8-15.
- “Health fraud and the resurgence of quackery in the United States: a warning to the European Union,” Pharmaceuticals Policy and Law, 2009 Sep; 11(3):113-152.
- “The importance of self-care in pharmaceutical education” [commentary], The International Journal of Pharmacy Education and Practice, 2008 Summer; 4(1):.
- “The FDA, vitamins, and the dietary supplement industry,” US Pharmacist, 2008 Oct; 33(10):10-15.
- “Dangers of sexual enhancement supplements,” US Pharmacist, 2007 Aug; 32(8):10-15.
- “Ethical, scientific, and educational concerns with unproven medications,” American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 2006 Dec; 70(6):§141.
- “Non-prescription medications—Americans deserve increased safety and efficacy,” US Pharmacy Review, 2006; 31-32.
- “Nonprescription products for cardiovascular health,” US Pharmacist, 2006 Feb; 31(2):12-15.
- “Nonprescription options for smoking cessation” (with Pray JJ), US Pharmacist, 2003 Feb; 28(2):.
- “Lactose intolerance: the norm among the world’s peoples,” American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 2000 Summer; 64:205-207.
- “The challenge to professionalism presented by homeopathy,” American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 1996 Summer; 60:198-204.
- “A challenge to the credibility of homeopathy,” American Journal of Pain Management, 1992; 2:63-71.
- “Quackery: a deadly threat to health,” US Pharmacist, 1991 May; 16(5):35-40.
- “The development of a standardized competency examination for doctor of pharmacy students” (with Popovich NG), American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 1985; 49(1):1–9.
Awards:
- National Association of Boards of Pharmacy's Henry Cade Memorial Award, 2008.
- Rufus A. Lyman Award, 1986.
The Online Steven Pray:
