GPhA Mourns the Passing of Jim Bartling
Georgia lost a pillar of the pharmacy community. It is with the deepest regret that we inform you of the passing of GPhA past President Jim Bartling, PharmD, RPh, GCADC-III, on September 24, 2020.
Jim served as president of the Georgia Pharmacy Association for 1992-93 and served on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Pharmacy Foundation — chairing the foundation until his passing. Jim also co-owned the Medical Arts Pharmacy in Conyers and worked occasionally as a relief pharmacist in the community. In 2009, he was awarded the Bowl of Hygeia, one of the most prestigious recognitions of pharmacist leaders in the state.
Jim’s passion was supporting the recovery of pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians with substance use disorders. A certified addiction counselor, he was instrumental in the formation of the PharmAssist Program, one of the nation’s first state pharmacy recovery networks (PRNs) – and served as the program’s statewide intervention coordinator. For over 20 years, Dr. Bartling has headed up a private addiction counseling practice that provides outpatient treatment and aftercare monitoring for fellow pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians.
Jim Bartling spent most of his professional career on the faculty of Mercer University College of Pharmacy, where he earlier earned both his bachelor of science and PharmD. He practiced at Doctors Memorial Hospital in Atlanta before joining what was then the Mercer University Southern School of Pharmacy as director of admissions, job placement, and continuing education; he was later named associate dean for student affairs and admissions, the position from which he retired in 2016. His teaching load included coordinating two elective courses – Drug Misadventures and Substance Abuse.
And even after his retirement, he remained a familiar face on the Mercer campus. Jim’s engagement in pharmacy, in healthcare, and in his community are far too numerous to list. His impact and legacy on the profession and on the Georgia Pharmacy Association and the Georgia Pharmacy Foundation will be felt forever.
You are invited to share your thoughts below with the other Georgia Pharmacy Association members.
