WVU School of Pharmacy dean to retire

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Patricia Chase, Ph.D., dean of the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy, has announced her intention to step down as dean later this year and retire from the University in 2016.

Dr. Chase, who was named Gates Wigner Dean of Pharmacy at WVU in 2006, also serves as president of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, which represents the 130 colleges and schools of pharmacy in the U.S.

“Pat Chase has changed pharmacy education for the better – not just at WVU, but across the country,” Christopher C. Colenda, M.D., Ph.D., WVU chancellor for health sciences, said.  “Her positive impact will be felt by students and the patients they serve for generations.”

During her tenure as dean, the WVU School of Pharmacy climbed higher than ever before in national statistics. It is currently at 26 in the U.S. News graduate school ranking.

“The faculty and staff of the School of Pharmacy have a worldwide reputation for effective teaching, for groundbreaking research, for expert care of patients, and for service to the state of West Virginia and our profession,” Chase said. “They always make me proud to be a Mountaineer.”

Chase also attributes much of the School’s soaring reputation to its students.

“WVU has students who excel in the classroom and outside the classroom,” she said. “We expect them to be leaders in academics, in clinical training, and in professionalism. What surprised me repeatedly is how our students took the lead in supporting the School – one class even organized a fundraiser, in connection with the School’s centennial, that raised more than $25,000 to fund student scholarships.”

Other milestones during the past nine years include the introduction of the My First Patient program, where entering students assess their own health needs and set wellness goals. The concept spread across several WVU health schools under Chase’s leadership and attracted support from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.

A strong alumni group has added to the School’s professional network for graduates and provided substantial support to WVU’s ongoing State of Minds Campaign to raise $1 billion by December 2017.

Before joining WVU, Chase was the dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Butler University in Indianapolis. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Albany College of Pharmacy, a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado.

Chase is the only woman to lead the WVU School of Pharmacy in its 100-year history.

She will step down as dean on August 1, remaining at WVU’s Morgantown campus and transitioning to a role in research and writing, primarily associated with assessment of the My First Patient Program.

WVU’s incoming vice president for health sciences, Clay Marsh, M.D., will be responsible for the selection of the next dean for the School.