Dr. Johnnie Early, dean of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, has been named dean of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Florida A&M University.
Early, who has served UT for 18 years, will begin his tenure at FAMU on Oct. 22.
Early
“I have deep appreciation for the wonderful faculty, staff, learners and alumni at The University of Toledo who contributed to the growth and development of the College of Pharmacy and myself as a person,” Early said. “I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish together. It has been an honor to integrate our program more closely with colleagues on the Health Science Campus to advance the opportunities for pharmacy, medical, nursing and other health professional students to learn with and from each other, while also maintaining the collaboration with the Department of Chemistry on Main Campus. The college has progressed to be a comprehensive and complex unit at one of America’s great universities.”
Early began his academic career as a faculty member at FAMU and previously served as dean of the College of Pharmacy for six of the 15 years he was at the university. He also served as dean at the Medical University of South Carolina before joining UT.
“While I will miss my friends and colleagues in Toledo, this was an opportunity I couldn’t refuse to return to where it started,” he said. “I look forward to helping develop FAMU’s new baccalaureate program in the pharmaceutical sciences, further enhancing the residency program, and having the opportunity to lead the only pharmacy school that also includes public health.”
In addition to facilitating the move of the pharmacy program to the Health Science Campus following the merger of UT and the former Medical College of Ohio, Early also presided over the development of the Shimadzu Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Research Excellence and the Pharmaceutical Care and Outcomes Research Laboratory, as well as the addition of outreach programs with Toledo Early College High School, the Walgreens Pharmacy Practice Camp, and the Shimadzu, Amway Pharmaceutical Science Camp.
Under Early’s leadership, student retention and graduation rates in the UT College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have increased and PharmD students’ pass rates on the state licensure exam have exceeded the national average. Residency training also has grown significantly with newly minted pharmacists in both the UT Medical Center and the Toledo community, as well as significant growth in board-certified practitioners.
A national search will be conducted for a permanent dean of the college with the goal of having that person in place for fall 2019. An interim dean will be selected to lead the college during the transition.
