HDA Recognizes Supply Chain Innovation, Leadership Through 2025 Distribution Management Awards
In early March, the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA) honored several industry leaders and innovators as part of the association’s annual Distribution Management Conference and Expo in Tampa, Florida. Matt Sample of Cencora was recognized with the Distribution Management Award (DMA) for Industry Leadership, while Dispensary of Hope, Cencora and Viatris were recognized with the Distribution Management Award.
In the newest installments of HDA’s Faces of the Supply Chain series, the 2025 DMA honorees reflect on what this award means to them and the journey that led them to this recognition.
Celebrating Excellence in Supply Chain Leadership
This year’s DMA for Industry Leadership recipient, Matt Sample, Senior Vice President of Manufacturer, Quality, and Replenishment Operations at Cencora, is a well-respected industry leader known for his expertise in serialization, track-and-trace regulations and supply chain security. Sample has been a dedicated volunteer in HDA and other industry groups, working closely with peers and other stakeholders to improve supply chain practices. His leadership in executing Cencora’s Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) program has helped shape the future of healthcare distribution.
“The honor isn’t getting the award — the honor is being able to do what I’ve done for the past 10 years,” said Sample. “It's just a nod to everything that me and my peers and my friends and manufacturers, we've all been working [toward].” Hear Sample’s perspective below:
Recognizing Partnerships with Purpose
DMA winners Dispensary of Hope, Cencora and Viatris collaborated to implement a novel manufacturer channel inventory donation model. Dispensary of Hope, which provides pharmacies and safety-net clinics with reliable access to vital medications, saw an opportunity to partner with Cencora and Viatris to better serve patients with limited access to prescription drugs, while helping manufacturers and distributors reduce waste.
“Dispensary of Hope's mission is to connect the generosity of the pharmaceutical industry to the medical health needs of patients that go day-to-day without access to needed medicines,” said Justin Holder, Director of Supply Chain at Dispensary of Hope.
“This [model] gives [patients the] opportunity to get products that they typically may not take, which they need,” said Greg Zangrillo, Senior Director of Manufacturer Operations at Cencora. “Typically, product would go back to the third party or the manufacturer themselves to destroy. Now, instead of doing that, it’s being shipped off to a patient,” said Zangrillo.
Dispensary of Hope plans to incorporate additional manufacturers and increase the number of eligible products included in this enhanced donation model. The organization estimates the donation model has the potential to give more than 25 percent of the packages returned for destruction to patients.
“We're surprised and humbled to be recognized by HDA,” concluded Holder. “Again, Cencora and Viatris, we're so appreciative of their generosity, their collaboration, to really help implement and pilot this concept. We just couldn't be more thankful, and we couldn't have picked better partners to do this with.” Learn about this innovative project below:
HDA’s Faces of the Supply Chain brings to life the people behind the scenes who make the healthcare supply chain work. For more unique perspectives, check out the full series here.