MEET THE PRESIDENT

The 2018-2019 president of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) is David D. Allen, RPh, PhD. David is dean and professor of pharmacology at the University of Mississippi (UM) School of Pharmacy (SOP). In addition, he serves as executive director and research professor of the school’s Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He received both his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences degrees at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Following his time as a graduate student, David worked as an Intramural Research Training Award Fellow at the Laboratory of Neurosciences' Neurochemistry and Brain Transport Section of the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Before joining the UM SOP as dean in January 2012, David was the founding dean of the Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Pharmacy in Rootstown, Ohio. He was also a founding faculty member and associate dean of curricular affairs at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy in Amarillo, Texas. His experience with establishing these two new pharmacy schools, together with many years of leading teams of pharmacy educators, imparted on him valuable lessons about a leader’s role and responsibilities.

The recipient of dozens of leadership, teaching, research, and practice awards, David was designated a fellow of the American Pharmacists Association in 2011, the National Academies of Practice in Pharmacy in 2009, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists in 2004. In 2012, he was inducted into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni by the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy.

During his career he was a principal investigator on more than 30 research projects funded by NIH, the American Heart Association, AACP, the government of Chile, and pharmaceutical companies. He is the author of 74 peer-reviewed publications, 42 professional publications, and has contributed to six books. As service to the field of pharmacy and his scientific discipline, he has been on various editorial boards and an invited referee for numerous journals.

David is passionate about communicating the essential and accessible nature of the pharmacy profession. He is constantly educating the public about UM SOP’s scope of research, its innovation, and what he calls the UM SOP “pharmacy phamily” – the support and encouragement that members of the school give one another. “My two biggest jobs are to help people succeed and to talk about their success,” David said. He has worked diligently to bring the same positive exposure to AACP as evidenced by his involvement in various areas of the association. This will be a primary focus in his presidency as well.

As a longtime member of AACP, David is grateful to the organization for providing him with leadership opportunities and cherished friendships throughout his career. He has served AACP as chair of the Student Services Special Interest Group, chair of the Biological Sciences Section, and chair of the Council of Deans, among a myriad of other opportunities in the association. “With each role I have taken on in AACP, I have gained more understanding about the ways in which pharmacy educators and pharmacists can and do have immeasurable impact on our students, and on health care when we work together,” he said.

During his tenure as AACP president, David is eager to continue his work within the organization to increase opportunities for leadership training of all AACP members. Building upon the success of the Academic Leadership Fellows Program, he hopes to find convenient and low-cost ways to boost the leadership potential of any AACP member who wishes to participate. “Leadership skills are invaluable for everyone, whether they hold an administrative title or not,” he said. “We want to establish a culture of leadership with opportunities for faculty to lead from within, as well as from an administrative standpoint.”

David credits a number of mentors as being instrumental in his career development. Dr. Bob Blouin, provost and executive vice chancellor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, remarked that David is “one of the most engaging deans” he knows, citing his use of social media to stay on top of pharmacy trends and looking for ways to add value to his organization.

Dr. Arthur Nelson, former dean of the Texas Tech School of Pharmacy, met David when he recruited him to the then brand-new Texas Tech pharmacy school. He described David as open-minded, goal-directed, competent, passionate, and enthusiastic about transforming pharmacy into a patient-focused practice. “I believe those early experiences David had in helping to create the innovative program gave him the knowledge, skills, and passion to be a leader and innovator for the profession of academic pharmacy,” Dr. Nelson said.

Another of David’s mentors, Dr. Lois Nora, former president and chief executive officer of the American Board of Medical Specialties, hired him as the founding dean of the College of Pharmacy at the Northeast Ohio Medical University. “As we searched for the best founding dean, we kept hearing about a remarkable emerging leader in pharmacy who had a deep appreciation for all the academic missions of education, research and service,” she said. “That person was David Allen.”

David lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife Loree. They have two sons, David and Drew, who are both students at UM. He is truly grateful to his family, including his parents and brother, for their support throughout his career. David enjoys listening to classical music and following all things basketball of his beloved Kentucky Wildcats.

• © 2018 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy