MEET THE PRESIDENT

Joseph T. DiPiro

doi:10.5688/ajpe80691

The 2016-2017 president of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) is Dr. Joseph T. DiPiro. Dr. DiPiro started in pharmacy at the age of 16 working weekends in a local hospital and then at Yale-New Haven Hospital where he developed his passion for pharmacy and residency programs. Dr. DiPiro received his bachelor of science in pharmacy (Honors College) from the University of Connecticut and doctor of pharmacy from the University of Kentucky. He completed a residency at the University of Kentucky Medical Center and a fellowship in Clinical Immunology at Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. DiPiro started his academic career as a faculty member and then department head and assistant dean at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy and the Medical College of Georgia. At the Medical College of Georgia, he was a clinical pharmacist in general surgery for many years in addition to being a teacher and clinical researcher and served as director of surgical research for almost a decade. During this time, his primary scholarly interests were the use of antibiotics and other drugs in surgical settings. From 2005 to 2014, he was executive dean of the South Carolina College of Pharmacy, which was a joint program of the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina. Since 2014, he has served as dean, professor, and Archie. O. McCalley Chair at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy.

Dr. DiPiro has been an active member of AACP for many years. He has been a school delegate and member of many different committees. From 2011 to 2014, he served as chair of the Council of Deans. For 12 years, he served as editor of the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, the sixth editor since 1937. During his editorship, the Journal changed from print to online distribution, from 4 to 10 issues per year, and had a significant increase in manuscript submissions. In 2015, Dr. DiPiro served a chair of the AACP Strategic Planning Committee. Colleagues recognize that Dr. DiPiro will approach the AACP presidency with “his characteristic energy, determination, commitment and dedication” with a vision for a greater AACP. Specifically, his aims are to establish unified goals and collaborative efforts that invite members to actively participate in the development of a strong and steadfast future of the association.

Dr. DiPiro’s career includes leadership and service to other pharmacy organizations as well. He served as president of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, is a fellow of the College, and served as an elected member of the Research Institute Board of Trustees. He was a member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), having served on the Commission on Therapeutics and the Task Force on Science. In 2015, he served on the ASHP Council on Workforce and Education.

For the past 30 years, Dr. DiPiro has worked with a team of editors to publish Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach, now in its ninth edition. He is also the author of Concepts in Clinical Pharmacokinetics and editor of the Encyclopedia of Clinical Pharmacy. He has published more than 200 journal papers, books, book chapters, and editorials.

In 2002, AACP selected Dr. DiPiro for the Robert K. Chalmers Distinguished Educator Award. He also received the Russell R. Miller Literature Award and the Education Award from ACCP, the Award for Sustained Contributions to the Literature from ASHP, and in 2013, was named the national Rho Chi Distinguished Lecturer. Dr. DiPiro was also elected a fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Former students and residents remember Dr. DiPiro for being an incredible mentor by setting examples and always finding time to give more and do more for others, not for personal advancement, but for the advancement of pharmacy and pharmacy education.

He believes that AACP has played a significant role in his academic professional development. He credits the association and his colleagues with helping him develop as a teacher, a mentor, and an academic administrator. He enjoys working with, advising, and mentoring students and junior faculty members.

Dr. DiPiro shows the same level of passion and competitive spirit outside the work environment as an avid runner and cyclist. He is a frequent marathoner, having run more than 15 marathons, including the Boston Marathon on multiple occasions. His passion for writing is well known, and he enjoys reading fiction and nonfiction while on vacation with family and friends. And he is a devoted supporter of the University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball team.

Dr. DiPiro is married to Dr. Cecily DiPiro, also a pharmacist. They met as classmates at the University of Connecticut and enjoy spending time with their three children, Matthew, Anne, Tom and their families.