Staff Spotlight is an initiative sponsored by the College of Pharmacy Staff Council to celebrate the incredibly talented staff within the college and to facilitate awareness and understanding of the unique individuals who make up the pharmacy family. Staff members in a variety of roles and departments will be featured on a rotating basis.

This month, we are learning about Phil Forbes, a research support administrator for the college. 

Tell us about your role at the College of Pharmacy.

I am the research support administrator for the College of Pharmacy. With my colleague, Will Perry, I manage all of our research grants and contracts. I help in exploring funding opportunities, assist with grant proposal preparation and submission, as well as post-award grant and contract management. I make sure all of our awards are in compliance with UI policies, state, and federal laws.

What is your favorite musical genre/artist?

Jackson Browne.

What is your favorite thing to do in the summer?

My summers are always spent chasing my two boys -- Lucas, age 13, and Alex age 11 -- around the baseball fields of Iowa. I help coach my oldest son’s team and they both will play around 40-50 games in the summer, so that fills most of my evenings and weekends.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I don’t really have much free time, to be honest. My children are active in basketball and baseball so my wife and I seem to have something going on every single night of the week most of the year. I refer to this as my "free time," though, because I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way. To me, a perfect night is being at the ballpark or gym and watching them play. I will greatly miss it when it’s over but am enjoying it immensely while it’s here.

Tell us about your personal photo.

This picture is my wife and I taken on a trip to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, last year.