John Scrivens, Trailblazer for Diversity in Pharmacy, Dies at 80 Years

John J. Scrivens Jr., cofounder and first president of the Association of Black Health-System Pharmacists (ABHP) and a nationally recognized advocate for developing a diverse pharmacy workforce that better serves the needs of all communities, died May 27, 2026. He was 80 years old.

Scrivens earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Florida, in 1972. He spent most of his career in Florida, including more than three decades in leadership and teaching positions at FAMU. He was an associate professor and director of FAMU’s Tampa Bay Center division of pharmacy practice from 1995 until his retirement in 2014.

“John Scrivens understood how workforce diversity strengthens the pharmacy profession, and he knew how to drive the changes that supported his vision for pharmacy,” said ASHP Executive Vice President and CEO Samuel V. Calabrese. “He was a uniquely gifted advocate for minority voices in pharmacy, a respected leader, and an inspiration to all pharmacists.”

John E. Clark, associate professor of pharmacotherapeutics and clinical research at the University of South Florida Taneja College of Pharmacy, called Scrivens an exceptional pharmacist, leader, educator, mentor, and servant of the community.

“He possessed a unique ability to bring people together around a common purpose,” Clark said. “Whether developing academic programs, establishing innovative pharmacy services, mentoring students, or guiding young professionals, he inspired others to believe in their potential and to pursue excellence with integrity and compassion.”

In 1972, near the end of his time as an FAMU undergraduate, Scrivens cofounded the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA). The association, which remains active today, strengthens Black and minority representation in pharmacy, helps members develop leadership and professional skills, and strives to improve the health, educational opportunities, and social environment of local minority communities.

“John was not satisfied with only addressing the needs of minority student pharmacists,” said longtime pharmacy educator and dean Miriam A. Mobley Smith (now retired). She called Scrivens a natural and tenacious leader for whom “it was also important to ultimately develop an effective mechanism to anticipate, react, and influence issues related to Black pharmacists in general — and those working in institutional (hospital) settings, in particular.”

Former FAMU Dean Johnnie L. Early II said Scrivens “helped change the world, for the better.”

Early, who was a charter member of SNPhA, remembered Scrivens as an earnest and reserved student who was nonetheless in “quiet leadership mode” during SNPhA’s early days.

“This was his first role as an influencer, shaping the professional engagement and involvement of learners of African-American origin,” Early said. “He carried that responsibility with grace long before any of us recognized its magnitude.”

Early also credited Scrivens with stimulating the creation of ABHP. The association’s roots date to the 1978 ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exhibition in San Antonio, Texas, where a group of attendees formed a caucus, the Black Pharmacists of ASHP, to address issues unique to Black hospital pharmacists. The caucus met again at the 1979 Midyear in Las Vegas, Nevada, and was renamed the Association of Black Hospital Pharmacists.

ABHP’s early priorities included increasing the representation of Black pharmacists in local, state, and national pharmacy organizations and hospital leadership positions, encouraging Black and minority students to enter the profession, and supporting those who did.

By 1985, ABHP had established bylaws, held its first elections, and become a tax-exempt organization. In addition to serving ABHP as its president, Scrivens held positions as the association’s executive director (1988–1990) and education administrator (1995–2005).

“The founding of ABHP was a collaborative effort,” recalled Mobley Smith, the association’s first vice president. “It was an honor and privilege to serve, along with John and other colleagues, as an ABHP cofounder and inaugural officer of the association.”

Alongside his work for ABHP, Scrivens focused on minority health and community engagement. He coauthored a 2011 report that deepened the understanding of modifiable risk factors affecting prostate cancer detection in Black men and underscored the need for educational outreach to improve outcomes in this population.

From 2002 to 2013, Scrivens was the principal investigator of the Bridges to the Pharmaceutical Sciences program, a federally funded collaboration between FAMU and Hillsborough Community College (HCC). The program targeted Black and minority students who were studying math and science at HCC and prepared them, upon graduation from the community college, to successfully complete FAMU’s PharmD program.

John Jerome Scrivens Jr. was born Dec. 31, 1945, in Tampa, Florida, to John Jerome Scrivens and Ethel Lee (Gadling) Scrivens. John Jr. and his four sisters were raised in Tampa.

Soon after his graduation from George S. Middleton High School in Hillsborough County, Florida, Scrivens joined the Air Force. He served from January 1963 to April 1967 and was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and Bitburg Air Base in Germany.

In 1967, Scrivens entered FAMU’s pharmacy program, where he met fellow freshman and future FAMU pharmacy dean Henry Lewis III.

Lewis described his friend as a visionary pharmacist who recognized issues and problems and developed solutions for them.

“John is remembered by virtually everyone as a staunch advocate for pharmacy, for minority pharmacists, and for equal representation of all in the profession of pharmacy,” Lewis added.

Lewis said Scrivens’s decision to become a pharmacist was driven, in part, by his desire to enter a profession that would allow him to help care for one of his younger sisters, who was born with a disability. Lewis said Scrivens remained dedicated to his sister’s well-being throughout his career and his life.

Scrivens earned a master’s degree in pharmacy from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy in Gainesville in 1976. He completed a clinical pharmacy practice residency at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Tampa and earned a PhD degree in 1994 from the University of South Florida College of Public Health.

After finishing his early education, Scrivens practiced for two years as a clinical pharmacist at the VA Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio. He returned to Florida in 1979 to serve as a clinical teaching coordinator at the VA Medical Center in Miami and assistant professor of clinical pharmacy at FAMU.

Scrivens demonstrated his commitment to education through his role as an adjunct clinical instructor for FAMU from 1982 to 1993. During those years, he practiced clinical pharmacy at Tampa General Hospital (1982–1985) and gained experience as a pharmacy leader. He served as director of pharmacy services for the Centro Espanol Memorial Hospital in Tampa (1985–1987) and the University of South Florida Psychiatry Center (1987–1993). He then spent two years as a pharmacist for Merck-Medco’s national prescription service.

Scrivens returned to FAMU full-time in 1995 as the first faculty hire of his longtime friend Lewis, who had been recently appointed dean of the college of pharmacy. He retired from the position in 2014.

Scrivens joined ASHP as young pharmacist. He served on ASHP advisory groups on students and membership development and was a member of the ASHP Council on Legal and Public Affairs in 1988–1990. He was named an ASHP fellow in 2007, and he was the 2014 recipient of the ASHP/ABHP Joint Leadership Award, which honors people whose leadership helps to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare.

His other professional honors include the SNPhA Leadership Award (2003); the Florida A&M National Alumni Association Leadership Award (2000); the National FAMU Pharmacy Alumni Council Pharmacist of the Year award (1986, 1997); the Texas Southern University College of Pharmacy Outstanding Leadership Award (1991); the FAMU College of Pharmacy Distinguished Alumnus Award (1989); and the ABHP Research and Publication Achievement Award (2005) and Distinguished Service Award (1988 and 1999).

In addition to being a passionate supporter of organized pharmacy and FAMU, Scrivens was known for his love of photography, good cigars, and fine cognac. The family’s obituary for Scrivens describes him as a true social butterfly who brought warmth and vibrant energy to local events.

Scrivens is predeceased by Molbert Eugenia (Robinson) Scrivens, his wife of 52 years; his parents, John Jerome Scrivens and Ethel Lee (Gadling) Scrivens; and his sisters Beverly Jane Cook and Janet Scrivens-Woods. His survivors include his three children, John Scrivens III, Jevin Scrivens, and Janelle Scrivens-Ferguson.