Longtime pharmacist and physician Timothy R. Franson (BSPh, MD) will visit the College of Pharmacy Tuesday, April 23, to promote medication safety.

Dr. Franson is the president of the Maryland-based U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP), a scientific nonprofit organization with the mission of improving global health through public standards and related programs that help ensure the quality, safety, and benefit of medicines and foods.

He will share leadership lessons with Doctor of Pharmacy students, and talk about how to advocate for quality medications and appropriate drug use in the health care system.

In addition, Dr. Franson will bring together physicians and pharmacists on the UI campus to strengthen bonds between the two disciplines around the issue of quality drugs and drug use. He will explore opportunities for collaboration between the college and USP and vice versa.

A physician and pharmacist by training, Franson has extensive clinical and regulatory experience in all pre- and post-approval phases of pharmaceutical development relating to interactions with the FDA and global regulators. He served as a principal representative of the pharmaceutical industry through the Prescription Drug User Fee Act negotiations and reauthorizations, as well as being a leader in many other industry initiatives.

Before joining B&D Consulting, Dr. Franson was vice president of global regulatory affairs at Lilly Research Laboratories.

USP is headquartered in Rockville, Md., with locations in India, China, Brazil, and Switzerland.