Thursday, February 21, 2002 TODAY
School of Pharmacy to accept first students in fall
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| Avis J. Ericson, PharmD, brings her extensive experience in the field of pharmacy to School of Pharmacy administration. |
After several years of planning, a new degree program at Loma Linda University
is finally set to begin.
In the fall of 2002, LLU will add the new School of Pharmacy to its highly
respected medical and research programs.
This fulfills years of planning and places another significant professional
school alongside nursing, medicine, dentistry, allied health professions,
public health, and graduate studies. In total, there are 55 health-related
programs available at LLU.
The Loma Linda University Board of Trustees began plans for the School
of Pharmacy in 1995, but various delays held the project in check.
W. Bart Rippon, PhD, dean of the Graduate School, was also named dean
of the School of Pharmacy in 1996 to serve in the early developmental
stages and to head the search for a pharmacist to serve as the academic
administrator.
In 2001, Avis J. Ericson, PharmD, was recruited to join the school's administration
and lead it through the lengthy accreditation process. Dr. Ericson is
a pharmacist with substantial experience in teaching, program development,
and academic administration.
She has served on the faculties of the University of Kentucky, Lexington;
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, Boston;
and the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, St. Louis, Missouri. From 1980
to 1982, she served on a special taskforce of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,
investigating marketed drugs to review safety and efficacy issues.
In 1984, as a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Ericson created
and continues to head the AstraZeneca Clinical Pharmacy Research Awards.
In addition to pharmacy-based education, she has also headed up business
administration programs offering non-traditional adult degrees in St.
Louis, Missouri, and Carlinville, Illinois.
The School of Pharmacy expects to admit 30 students in its inaugural class
and increase enrollments to a maximum of 60 per class in each year of
the 4-year program.
To date, interest from prospective students has been very high and the
database of inquiries totals nearly 3,000 names gathered during the last
several years. A major challenge will be to select the students for the
first class.
It is expected that entering students will have completed a bachelor's
degree in a scientific or related field. At a minimum, applicants must
have completed the two to three year prepharmacy requirements. The four-year
curriculum leads to the doctor of pharmacy degree (PharmD).
The search for faculty is also actively underway. The school expects to
utilize the extensive resources of the University for many of the basic
science disciplines. A number of pharmacy practitioners, in addition to
individuals with specialized experience in the areas of pharmaceutical,
clinical sciences, and research, will be needed to create the full complement
of faculty for the school.
Offices and classrooms for the School of Pharmacy are located in West
Hall, along with the Graduate School and the School of Nursing.
Dr. Ericson characterizes a future School of Pharmacy graduate as “someone
with an extra special vision of outreach and service that no other school
of pharmacy in the United States can produce. It is the unique mission
and philosophy of LLU that will mold these graduates into outstanding
practitioners. In today's global economy, I expect our pharmacists to
practice across all boundaries with a mentality that knows no boundaries.”
She continues, “Assembling a new program is a major challenge, but
also an exciting process. What academician hasn't dreamed of being able
to bring together the ‘perfect' faculty to teach the most innovative
curriculum in a dynamic and supportive environment to the best and brightest
students, surrounded by an entire university and major medical center
devoted to the health professions in an era when your program and graduates
are in high demand? Such an opportunity does not come along every day.
It is worth the risks to have a chance to fulfill the vision.”
For additional information, call (909) 558-1300, or contact the school
via e-mail at <pharmacy@univ.llu.edu>.
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