McWhorter School of Pharmacy

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Academic Administration

Michael A. Crouch, Fred E. McWhorter Dean and Professor
Michael G. Kendrach, Executive Associate Dean; Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Professor
Elizabeth Ann Sheaffer, Associate Dean for Assessment and Accreditation; Professor
Renee M. DeHart, Associate Dean for Student Affairs; Professor
Jonathan L. Thigpen, Assistant Dean for Curricular Innovation and Professional Development; Associate Professor
B. DeeAnn Dugan, Chair, Pharmacy Practice; Professor
Howard P. Hendrickson, Chair, Pharmaceutical, Social and Administrative Sciences; Professor
Greg S. Gorman, Vice Chair, Pharmaceutical Sciences; Professor
Jeffrey A. Kyle, Vice Chair, Pharmacy Practice; Professor

Faculty

John J. Arnold, Professor
Jennifer W. Beall, Professor
Kimberley W. Benner, Professor
Amy E. Broeseker, Professor
Marshall E. Cates, Professor
Erika Cretton-Scott, Professor
Danielle L. Cruthirds, Professor
Peter J. Hughes, Professor
Maryam Iranikhah, Professor
David R. Luthin, Professor
Valerie T. Prince, Professor
Jessica Whalen Skelley, Professor
Rachel Morgan Slaton, Professor
Michael Chad Thomas, Professor
Angela R. Thomason, Professor
Bruce A. Waldrop, Professor
X. Robert Wang, Professor
Terri M. Wensel, Professor
Mary A. Worthington, Professor
Georges B. Adunlin, Associate Professor
J. Katie Boyd, Associate Professor
Stephen A. Brown, Associate Professor
Bernadette D’Souza, Associate Professor
Crystal M. Deas, Associate Professor
Patricia Jumbo Lucioni, Associate Professor
C. Whitney White, Associate Professor
Caitlin Brown, Assistant Professor

History

The McWhorter School of Pharmacy of Samford University was established January 31, 1927, in Birmingham, Alabama as the Howard College Department of Pharmacy. The Department grew steadily and became the Division of Pharmacy in 1938. Designation as the Samford University School of Pharmacy occurred in 1965 when Howard College reorganized to become Samford University. In 1995, Samford University Trustees authorized naming the school the McWhorter School of Pharmacy in recognition of the generous support of alumnus R. Clayton McWhorter (‘55) and his family. In 2027, the school will celebrate its 100th year of operation.

Vision and Mission

The vision of the pharmacy school is to prepare pharmacists who transform lives.

The pharmacy school supports the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP) statement of a unified vision for the future of pharmacy practice that states that “Pharmacists will be the health care professionals responsible for providing patient care that ensures optimal medication therapy outcomes.”

The mission of the Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy is to nurture and prepare persons within a Christian environment to be exemplary pharmacists and to improve health worldwide through innovative pharmacy practice, scholarship, and service.

Curriculum Outcome

The Samford University doctor of pharmacy program is designed to create graduates that are “Practice and Team Ready.”

McWhorter School of Pharmacy Competencies and Values

Christian Faith

We value Christian faith, which encompasses:

• Supporting the Christian mission of the university
• Encouraging the exploration of calling in one’s professional and personal life
• Creating an environment that fosters community and acceptance
• Providing opportunities for shaping one’s own spiritual formation

Discovery

We value discovery, which encompasses:

• Acquiring knowledge relating to pharmacy and medication therapy
• Applying knowledge to better patients’ health and lives
• Engaging in teaching and learning that challenges and enlightens
• Conducting research that contributes to the body of knowledge relating to pharmacy and medication therapy
• Fostering creativity and inquisitiveness

Patient Health

We value patient health, which encompasses:

• Caring for the individual patient as well as the population
• Cultivating patient-centered approach to healthcare
• Exhibiting compassionate care for the whole person
• Promoting patient wellness and preventative care
• Advancing pharmacists’ role in the healthcare team
• Advocating use of the most effective healing methods
• Promoting optimal medication use
• Improving care for the underserved

Relationships

We value relationships, which encompass:

• Cultivating caring and respectful faculty-student interactions
• Maintaining involvement with alumni
• Encouraging student connectedness
• Providing a community environment for employees
• Appreciating and supporting external constituents

Achievement

We value achievement, which encompasses:

• Striving for excellence in teaching, learning, service, practice, and scholarship
• Cultivating an environment that encourages personal growth and development
• Maintaining continuous school accreditation through ACPE since our first site visit in 1940
• Graduating pharmacists who consistently exceed national averages on licensure exams
• Promoting life-long learning and an attitude of service to others and the profession

Professionalism

We value professionalism, which encompasses:

• Demonstrating personal integrity
• Accepting responsibility for the quality of individual practice
• Practicing with a commitment to service
• Serving the needs of both the patient and profession
• Exhibiting continuously the ethical, moral, and legal principles of our profession
• Participating in pharmacy organizations to advance the profession

The school has a competency-based curriculum consisting of domains, outcomes, competencies, and learning objectives that are customized for the Samford-McWhorter School of Pharmacy. The framework is based on Center for Advancement in Pharmacy Education (CAPE) Outcomes, blended with pharmacy Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs), and the Samford University College of Health Sciences Interprofessional Education framework. Please refer to this website for specifics and detailed information: http://www.samford.edu/pharmacy/files/PHAR-Curriculum-Competencies.pdf.

Accreditation

The McWhorter School of Pharmacy is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, 20 North Clark Street, Suite 2500, Chicago, IL, 60602; Phone (312) 664-3575; Website: www.acpe-accredit.org.

Departments and Program Offerings