Selectman named to pharmacy board

HOLLIS – Gov. Craig Benson recently appointed pharmacist and Board of Selectmen member Vahrij Manoukian to the six-member New Hampshire Board of Pharmacy.

“I was honored. Are you kidding me?” Manoukian said. In the background, he was juggling conversations about construction on his newly opened Hollis Pharmacy and General Store. “Being on the Board of Selectmen, it showed me how important boards are.”

A 1981 graduate of Northeastern University, Manoukian has been in the pharmacy business in Hollis for 18 years. He’s also a member of the New Hampshire and the Armenian-American Pharmacists Associations.

Board of Pharmacy commissioners must first express interest in joining the board before being considered by the other commissioners and receiving an appointment.

“I applied since I am one of the few independent pharmacists left,” Manoukian said. “I thought our voices should be heard in Concord.”

“The governor was pleased to nominate Vahrij to the Board of Pharmacy,” said Wendell Packard, press secretary for Benson. “His experience as a pharmacist made him an ideal candidate, and he knows his dedication will help promote the health and safety of New Hampshire citizens.”

The responsibilities of the board include licensing state pharmacists and pharmacies and investigating consumer complaints.

Manoukian’s term expires in September 2008.