John V. Bergen
EMINENT PHARMACOLOGIST
John V. Bergen, Ph.D. an eminent pharmacologist, now retired, devoted his career to health care through educational initiatives, a consensus-building approach, development of partnerships and, especially, standardization as the keys to successful leadership. He is a recognized leader and manager of associations, standards development programs, not-for-profit organizations, and academic institutions. He has a broad knowledge of health care and standardization and experience in strategic planning, program design and development, consensus building, partnership building, and improvement of management systems.
Born in Nutley and a graduate of Nutley High School, John V. Bergen received his Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science and his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin. At age 28, Dr. Bergen was appointed Dean of the College of Pharmacy at Idaho State University. While at Idaho State, he was also Director of the Division of Medical Arts and professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry. He went on to lead as Director of Allied Health Professions Program at Wright State University. His leadership continued as Director of the National Formulary Board and Director of the Allied Health Professions Program. The two most notable of his various leadership positions soon followed. The first was as President, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, the same University under its new name, where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree. The second being his leadership role as Executive Vice President of the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CSI-I) for 22 years. His leadership impact was so great that in 2006, as a special career recognition, the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) established the John V. Bergen Excellence Award, presented annually to recognize outstanding contributions in advancing the organization’s mission and standardization objectives.
The extensive volunteer positions Dr. Bergen was asked to lead all involved complex consensus negotiations. These included key roles on behalf of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), and other standardization organizations. He was a member of ANSI’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and served as Chairman of the Search Committee for ANSI’s current President/CEO. Previously, he chaired a broad based task group that designed a comprehensive restructuring of ANSI’s governance and policy development process to increase the participation and influence of its member organizations in policy development, the openness and efficiency of the process, and ANSI’s flexibility and effectiveness in responding to increasingly rapid change in the social and standards environment. For USP he chaired a Board committee that, based on a comprehensive strategic assessment, successfully redesigned the structure and processes for development and revision of USP standards, to assure the organization’s flexibility, adaptability, and responsiveness in addressing rapid and unpredictable changes in information technology, scientific technology, and healthcare delivery.
Dr. Bergen served as the first Chairperson of ANSI’s ISO Council (a policy committee established under the new governance structure); He also served as a Chairman of the ANSI Medical Devices Standards Board, and as a Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the United States Pharmacopeia. He was a Chairman of the United States Adopted Names Council (a private body that selects the official nonproprietary names for United States drugs) He was a member of the governing boards of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the University City Science Center, and the West Philadelphia Corporation; and as a member of the World Health Organizations (WHO) Expert Advisory Panel on the International Pharmacopoeia and Pharmaceutical Preparations.
Reflecting one of his personal interests, Dr. Bergen served as a Flotilla Commander for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, a uniformed volunteer service that supports the Coast Guard in its non-military roles.
Major honors include the George S. Wham Leadership Medal awarded by ANSI, the Russell J. Eilers Award presented by CLSI, and honorary membership in the United States Pharmacopeia Organization.