Meet the President: Russell B. Melchert, PhD, RPh

doi:10.5688/ajpe9288

Russell B. Melchert, PhD, RPh, AACP President

The 2022-2023 president of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) is Russell (Russ) B. Melchert from the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC) School of Pharmacy. Dr. Melchert is the Dean and a professor in the Division of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences. He received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree in 1990 and his doctoral degree in the pharmaceutical sciences in 1994 from the College of Pharmacy at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Dr. Melchert completed his postdoctoral fellowship with support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Toxicology Training Grant at the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy in the Department of Pharmacology/Toxicology in 1994-1995. His first faculty appointment was at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Pharmacy as an assistant professor of pharmacology in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Dr. Melchert advanced through the ranks, being promoted and tenured as an associate professor in 2001 and a professor in 2008 at the UAMS College of Pharmacy, with a joint appointment in the UAMS College of Medicine as an associate professor from 2004-2010. He served as Chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at UAMS College of Pharmacy from 2004-2010 prior to accepting his current Dean’s position at the UMKC School of Pharmacy. He also served as the Interim Dean for the UMKC School of Dentistry from 2020-2021. He maintains an active pharmacy license in Oklahoma and Kansas. While he has not been engaged with direct patient care for some time, Russ most closely identifies with community-based pharmacists, especially independent pharmacists, with his fondest memories of practice centered on caring for patients in need through phone calls and visits in the community pharmacy.

Dr. Melchert has always aspired to become a better person, better teacher, and better leader. He is extremely grateful for the many outstanding professors, mentors and friends who have guided and supported him in his successful academic journey. He has been inspired by several outstanding mentors, including Dr. Allison Welder, Dr. Victor Yanchick, Dr. Richard Kennedy, Dr. Daniel Acosta, Jr., and Dr. Stephanie Gardner. Dr. Melchert is thankful for the many friendships he has developed though his interactions as a member of Cohort 2 and as a leadership facilitator for Cohort 12 in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Academic Leadership Fellows Program. He remains active in teaching pharmacy, dental, and graduate students and has received over 20 teaching awards and recognitions from his students at UMKC and UAMS. His service to the profession of pharmacy was recognized by being selected as an Honorary President for the Missouri Pharmacy Association in 2014 and receiving the Missouri Pharmacy Appreciation Award in 2021.

Dr. Melchert has been an active member of AACP since 2000 when he served as a faculty delegate. He is an enthusiastic AACP member and fondly remembers attending his first annual meeting where he discovered the excitement of being in the presence of several thousand other individuals who shared his passion for pharmacy education. Past leadership positions with AACP have included serving as the Chair-Elect, Chair, and Immediate Past Chair for the Council of Deans (COD) from 2018-2021. Dr. Melchert has also served as a member of the AACP Strategic Planning Committee, the 2012-2013 Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education Advisory Panel, the 2012-2013 Volwiler Research Achievement Award Selection Committee, the 2011-2012 COD Task Force on Pharmacy Support Personnel, and the 2010-2011 Academic Affairs Committee. He has also served as a member of the 2021 American Pharmacists Association Remington Honor Medal Screening Committee.

Dr. Melchert’s colleagues highlight his passion and dedication to pharmacy education and to the students and faculty members he has served as a leader and colleague. He is genuine, approachable, and a superb educator who invests in student learning and success. His teaching methods, which seem effortless, have resonated with students for over three decades. He dedicates enormous time preparing for a lecture, even with his administrative responsibilities. Dr. Melchert possesses great leadership and interpersonal skills, including being affable, ethical, responsible, self-aware, and trustworthy. He is an excellent communicator who is skilled at processing divergent viewpoints to inform his decision making. More importantly, he easily conveys to all involved what they contributed to his decision-making process. He easily and genuinely connects and interacts with people. After speaking with him, individuals know they were heard, and their views were considered and respected.

Dr. Melchert, who prefers to be called Russ, has been married to his best friend, Stephanie, for 33 years. They have two grown children, Philip and Sarah. Philip, who aspires to be a pharmacy faculty member, graduated from UMKC with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2020 and is pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy in the Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research. Sarah graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education in 2021 and is pursuing a master’s degree while teaching first-grade full time in Kansas City. Russ and Stephanie live with their six-year-old Labrador retriever, Chief Brody. When Russ is not working to advance pharmacy education, he enjoys fly fishing and road cycling. He is a fervent Oklahoma Sooners fan. Russ is also an excellent chef, with his specialty being BBQ ribs (which his friends say are delicious).