Past presidents

John Navarra graduated from St. John's University College of Pharmacy. He presently owns and operates Town Drug in New York City, is a partner in four other pharmacies in NYC, and holds an interest in a management company in Albany.

He is the founder of Town Total Health in NYC, a company specializing in services and programs for health care professionals and their patients. He owned and operated two licensed home care agencies in New York as well as a full respiratory care service. Town Total Health was very involved in the disease management arena through its subsidiary Integrated Health Algorithms, and was sold in 2012.

John was a member of the NYS Board of Pharmacy for almost 20 years. He is presently Chairman of the Pharmacy Advisory Committee in Albany with the DOH and was a member of the Value Based Committee in Albany during DSRIP.

He is a member of the NYCPS Board of Directors, a past President of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York (1995-96), and was the first and founding President of NYCPS, holding that position for three years. He is a member of the Long Island Pharmacists Society and a past President of the Italian American Pharmacists Society.

His awards include the Distinguished Alumnus Award from St. John's University (2003), the President's Award from St. John's University (2006), the Catholic Guardian Home Bureau Child of Peace Award (2006), and the Bowl of Hygeia Award for outstanding community service (2007).

Parthiv Shah graduated from St. John's University in 2003. He has worked in several different pharmacies, notably Saldo Drug (2003-2005), Three P Drug (2005-2006), and Fuller Drugs (2004).

Parthiv is a past President and Chairman of NYCPS as well as the Bronx representative for PSSNY. His accolades include serving as an advisor to the NYSDOH Medicaid Program, receiving the 2009 PSSNY Distinguished Young Pharmacist Award and the 2019 Pharmacist of the Year Award, joining the NYCPS board in 2008, and serving as a board member of the TruthRx organization.

Ron Del Gaudio is widely known and respected for his proactive and innovative support of the patients served by the four locations that comprise Kings Pharmacy. After earning his bachelor's degree in pharmacy from the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, he attended Long Island University's College of Pharmacy and graduated in 1979.

Ron joined the independent drugstore chain Kings Pharmacy and rose through the ranks to become the company's president and owner. His leadership and focus on teamwork earned Kings Pharmacy the Health Mart Diabetes Care Excellence Award, and the team's work in infertility, hepatitis C, transplant, and HIV care reflects a strong devotion to healthcare. Under his leadership Kings Pharmacy became a highly regarded specialty pharmacy across the New York region, expanded nationwide, and developed an extensive compounding specialty.

His achievements have been acknowledged by the National Federation of Italian-American Societies, the Italian Pharmacist Society, and J.D. Power and Associates for outstanding customer satisfaction. Ron and his team live up to their motto: “the pharmacy that cares for you.” He is a longtime board member and past president of the Brooklyn-Queens chapter of the JDRF, serves on the board of PSSNY, and served as President of NYCPS.

Alex Perchuk graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1987 from the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences at Long Island University. Since 1988 he has held the position of Director of Pharmacy at Thriftway Pharmacy, a group of independent pharmacies in the New York metropolitan area.

Alex has been actively involved in the pharmacy profession for over 30 years, as an owner, a partner, and a member of professional pharmacy organizations. He has been involved in the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy Alumni Association, serving as its vice president for several years.

Alex and his longtime business partner Robert Baker jointly gave back to their alma mater by setting up a scholarship fund to assist aspiring pharmacy students. He also served on the college's Admissions Committee, helping screen pharmacy student candidates, and as a board member of the Cardinal Health Retail Advisory Board.

Charles R. Catalano, RPh, a graduate of Brooklyn College of Pharmacy, is President of C & S Pharmacy Consultants and long-term care consultant to the Total Care Pharmacy Long Term Care Division in Oakland Gardens, Queens. He previously owned World's Fair Pharmacy from 1977 to 2010, an independent community pharmacy specializing in care for hemodialysis centers, post-transplant patients, and residents of group homes for the developmentally disabled.

For the past thirty years Charles has worked as a consultant pharmacist serving agencies throughout New York City, Long Island, Westchester, Rockland, and Ulster counties. He served as President and Chairman of the Board of PSSNY from 2014 to 2015, and has also served as President and Chairman of the Italian American Pharmacist Society and of NYCPS.

While NYCPS President, he was called upon to work with the Emergency Preparation Team from the New York City Department of Health to develop a plan to mobilize pharmacies in the event of a chemical or bioterrorism attack. His most noted accomplishment came during his NYCPS leadership, when he coordinated a team of NYCPS and PSSNY leadership and their lobbyists that succeeded in having two laws passed in successive years and signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo, allowing patients in New York State to choose a community pharmacy to fill their prescriptions rather than being mandated to use mail order. Those successes have been followed and emulated by other states.

Charles received the St. John's University Preceptor of the Year Award in 1998 and the Bowl of Hygeia Award in 2005. He is currently a consultant pharmacist to numerous long-term care facilities, FQHCs, and drug treatment centers.

Aniedi Etuk is a registered pharmacist in New York and a graduate of the University of Lagos College of Pharmacy in Nigeria. She is the owner of Drug Shoppe Pharmacy in Harlem and a preceptor for Touro College of Pharmacy.

She is a past secretary of the board for the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York and currently serves as Chairwoman of the New York City Pharmacists Society. She is the mother of two graduates and a high schooler, and enjoys cooking, reading, and entertaining.

Ilana Yagudayev, a 1999 graduate of St. John's University, is a dedicated professional with a rich history of leadership and service in the pharmacy field. She currently serves as a board member of NYCPS and has previously held the positions of Chairwoman (2022-2024) and President (2020-2024). She was a PSSNY Regional Representative from 2019 to 2023 and is an active member of the Take the Pressure Off NYC committee at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Ilana's journey with PSSNY began during her time at university, where she was an engaged member of the organization. After graduating she continued her involvement, contributing to the PSSNY membership committee and later joining the NYCPS board of directors.

In 2002 Ilana co-founded Ilana's Pharmacy, where she developed a deep passion for the profession. Following the sale of the pharmacy she furthered her career at Grove Drugs, where she introduced new services and helped expand the business. She is currently a proud owner of Drug Mart, where she continues to support her patients in achieving their health goals.

Outside of her professional achievements, Ilana is a devoted mother of four children, one of whom has followed in her footsteps to become a pharmacist and works alongside her at Drug Mart.