Dear Colleagues,
Last week, we achieved a major milestone for UCI and the Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences when the University of California Board of Regents unanimously approved our proposal to establish the UCI School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
This is an important and necessary step for the college to fulfill its mission of transforming healthcare education, discovery, and practice. The bedrock of the school is the success of pharmaceutical sciences at UCI, which has a long and celebrated history. Established nearly a decade ago as the department of pharmacology in the School of Medicine, that program has flourished into a nationally recognized powerhouse.
It is without doubt that school-hood would not have been possible without the dedicated work of faculty, staff and students, as well as our growing alumni community. My heartfelt thanks go out as well to the myriad of individuals involved in the many steps – from vision to school – including those in the Academic Senate, the Provost’s office, Academic Planning, the College of Health Sciences, and, of course, the team in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
First, our gratitude and congratulations go to Professor Jan Hirsch, the school’s founding dean. She joined UCI 18 months ago and accelerated evolution to school status with skill, savvy and insight; simultaneously, she partnered with the other leaders in Health Affairs to realize our goal of interprofessional education with the long-term goal of producing the diverse future healthcare leaders for California and the nation. Most especially, we recognize the vision of Chancellor Howard Gillman and the generosity of Susan and Henry Samueli who made this aspiration a reality.
As we celebrate the elevation of great UCI programs into the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, there is much excitement and ongoing work to embrace over the coming weeks, months, and years. Please take a moment to read the campus story on the founding of the school, and OC Register coverage from this morning.
Onward together, filled with Anteater pride!
Steve A.N. Goldstein, M.A., M.D., Ph.D., FAAP
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Distinguished Professor |
