The School of Pharmacy recently completed a school-wide strategic planning process that resulted in four strategic initiatives to pursue over the next 3-5 years. The first and highest priority initiative is “Practice Enhancement, Enrichment, and Engagement.” Throughout the six-month planning process, numerous fact gathering exercises told us we needed to be much more proactive in addressing the needs of pharmacy practitioners who are at the point of care – for the sake of our excellent students, our dedicated pharmacists, and ultimately, for our state’s. citizens. As a result, the faculty has voted to establish a fifth academic division to address this critical need. Though a final name for the new division has not been determined, its initial working title is the “Division of Pharmacy Practice and Experiential Education.” By its title, you can see that the Professional Experience Program, its faculty and its preceptors, will be part of this new division. 

Long-time faculty member and chair of the School’s strategic planning steering committee, Steve Caiola, is serving as interim chair of the new division. Steve’s faculty experience and his years in working closely with pharmacy practice organizations, like the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists, will help him and his transition team in developing the vision, mission, structure, and initial strategic plan initiatives for the new division. An overall goal is a much closer partnership and collaboration with our state’s pharmacists who are at the cutting edge of patient care.

A search committee chaired by Associate Dean Kevin Almond is being assembled. Over the next few months, they will be seeking and reviewing candidates for the permanent division chair position. We hope to have a new chair appointed by the end of the year. As preceptors, you are a group of the most important constituents we must serve and support. If you have any suggestions for Search Committee consideration, please contact Dean Almond (kevin_almond@unc.edu; 919-966-1929).