Two units in the college have been reorganized to better support the PharmD program and its students.
The new Office of Professional Education (OPE) was created in July in the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, from what used to be the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) and the Office of Assessment, Curriculum, and Compliance (OACC). As part of this reorganization, Clinical Assistant Professor and former Assistant Dean for Assessment and Curriculum Mary Elizabeth Ray is now the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. Clinical Associate Professor Susan Vos is the Associate Dean of Student Affairs.
As the OPE transforms, it will become a one-stop shop to support the overall needs of our professional students and program.
The overarching aim of the office is to prepare each student pharmacist to succeed in a rapidly-changing health care environment. “The changes were a natural progression that will help ensure the success of all individuals involved in the PharmD program,” Vos said. “We want to make sure we are meeting the needs of the students, faculty, and staff.”
Vos is responsible for recruitment, admission, advising and mentoring students, as well as implementation of the curriculum (e.g. schedule), overseeing student leadership council and student organizations, and provision of student scholarships and awards to PharmD students. Ray is responsible for overseeing and assessing the PharmD curriculum, dual degrees, and certificate programs, assessment of individual and collective student performance, ACPE accreditation, and oversight of data and software programs related to the program.
Although the two OPE deans have many distinct duties, “student success will be the responsibility of the full OPE office working as a team to help develop and support students, whether successful or struggling,” said Ray. “OPE will also help faculty through educational offerings and facilitation of content delivery,” she added.
“As the OPE transforms, it will become a one-stop shop to support the overall needs of our professional students and program,” wrote Dean Donald Letendre in an email to the college community announcing the changes.
He expressed deep appreciation for Michael Kelly, who has retired from his administrative duties as part of the transition. Kelly is continuing as a faculty member in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science. During this transition, Jennifer Seyfer became director of the Professional Experience Program and Matthew Cantrell became the chair of the Professional Experience Program Committee, both former roles of Vos’s.