DiPiro announces plans to step aside from dean’s role
Ogbonna named interim dean, beginning in June By Greg WeatherfordVCU School of Pharmacy After eight years as dean of the School of Pharmacy at VCU, Joseph T. DiPiro, Pharm.D., has announced plans to step aside from that role and fully into his recently announced position as associate vice president — faculty affairs, effective at the […]
Leader of VCU School of Pharmacy at UVA seeks to further collaboration and boost enrollment
By Leah SmallFor VCU School of Pharmacy Robert Guanci, Pharm.D., assistant dean for the VCU School of Pharmacy at UVA Division and chief pharmacy officer for the UVA Health System, stepped into those roles in August 2021, having served in an interim capacity since 2019. In this Q&A he shares his vision for the educational […]
Doing it all
May Abdelaziz, a VCU Alumni 10 Under 10 honoree, excels as a researcher, mother and teacher. By Leah SmallFor VCU SoP News A single word half-heard during a phone call with a colleague led May Abdelaziz, Ph.D., on a search for insights on the causes of bacterial resistance in superbugs. It’s the sort of connection […]
Five things you might not know about diabetes — but should
By Elizabeth CogarVCU School of Pharmacy For National Diabetes Month, we asked Evan Sisson, Pharm.D., a professor at the School of Pharmacy who is a certified diabetes care and education specialist and 2021 chair of the Virginia Diabetes Council, to share some important information about this widespread yet often overlooked disease. 1. Diabetes is not […]
Dixon named chair of pharmacotherapy department
Dave Dixon, Pharm.D., has been named chair of VCU School of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science. Dixon, an associate professor at the school who has led VCU’s Center for Pharmacy Practice Innovation since 2016, was named interim chair following the departure from VCU of longtime chair Donald Brophy earlier this year. Dixon’s role […]
New $3.5M study aims for early detection of autism to help patients thrive
By Greg WeatherfordVCU School of Pharmacy In a search for the keys to autism, researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University are about to begin one of the largest and most thorough scans of the set of chemical instructions, the methylome, that regulates the activity of human genes. The goal is to identify infants who have high […]
Study: Sickle cell costs U.S. $1.5 billion per year in lost wages and productivity
Sickle cell disease causes $1.5 billion in lost wages and productivity each year in the U.S. alone, according to the first study of its kind. That comes to more than $650,000 lost over the average working life of a person living with the painful genetic disorder. Lead researcher David Holdford, Ph.D., a professor of pharmacoeconomics […]
2021-22 Pillar Goals
The School of Pharmacy’s 2021-22 Pillar Goals are below. These are updated annually through input from school leadership, faculty and staff, and tracked throughout the year. Download, print or view them using the buttons below.
DiPiro named associate vice president for health sciences
Joseph T. DiPiro, Pharm.D., has been appointed Virginia Commonwealth University’s associate vice president for health sciences, faculty affairs. He will continue in his role as dean of VCU School of Pharmacy. He succeeds Dr. David C. Sarrett, former dean of VCU’s School of Dentistry, who served in the role for ten years. “I am grateful […]
A link in the chain: Building on his mentor’s work, Martin Safo closes in on sickle cell treatment
By Greg Weatherford School of Pharmacy News For 30 years, Martin Safo, Ph.D., has worked to find a solution to a complex puzzle: How can chemistry stop human blood cells from twisting and sticking together? The answer is critical for millions of people with sickle cell disease. Their blood cells fold into bizarre shapes including […]