October 21, 2015

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Dean’s Message – 2016: Fasten Your Seat Belt!

 
Larrat Picture mediumDear Colleagues:

The Fund for URI: Pharmacy raised more than $61,000 in the last year. The chart indicates how these funds were utilized to strengthen the College.Annual gifts to the Fund for URI – Pharmacy move the College forward by providing a base of flexible funds to respond to challenges and opportunities that make the greatest impact.Check out how we used last fiscal year’s Fund for URI – Pharmacy.  Make a Gift Today.

Over the course of the College of Pharmacy’s hundred year history in Providence and Kingston, there have been a number of watershed years. The opening of the Rhode Island College of Pharmacy and Allied Sciences Benefit Street building in Providence in 1924, the move of that College to URI in Kingston in 1957, the opening of Fogarty Hall in 1964, our adoption of an “All-Pharm.D.” program in 1998, the initial funding of the INBRE research program at URI in 2001 and completion of our current pharmacy building in 2012 come to mind.  Periods of great change and the potential for accelerated advancement.
2016 is shaping up to be one of those transformative years.  In particular, over the next a 12 months we will see a number of initiatives move from the idea stage to the implementation phase. Some highlights to expect:

  • We are optimistic that our recent ACPE self study and site visit will result in an 8-year re-accreditation of our Pharm.D. program.
  • Our recently developed Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSPS) program will be fully implemented, enrolling nearly 200 students.
  • The appointment of a permanent pharmacy Dean, only the fifth in the last half century, will provide essential leadership for the continued advancement of the College.
  • The Academic Health Collaborative, with your College intimately involved, is now entering its implementation phase, with a full rollout in Fall 2016.
  • The interdisciplinary George and Anne Ryan Neuroscience Institute (GARIN) recently appointed its first Director. The Institute, housed in our pharmacy building, will serve as a catalyst for exploration of neurodegenerative diseases and their treatment.
  • Our 7,000 square foot pharmaceutical GMP facility will be operating, providing essential infrastructure for our pharmaceutical product development researchers, students and partners in the region’s nascent biotech and pharmaceutical sciences industry.
  • The University will be investing in several new initiatives including “Big Data” and population health sciences. We have already been allocated at least two new faculty positions to contribute to this effort.

These new directions will redefine our College, challenging us to be creative in the way we perform research, deliver our curricula and interact with partners throughout the world.  Certainly an exciting time for all of us.
Our alumni and friends are already involved in some of these projects. Whether it is through their gift of time, treasure or talents, they assist us in delivering on our mission, and deserve a heartfelt “thank you”.

Paul Larrat, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor