The University of Houston invites applications and nominations for the position of Dean of the College of Pharmacy. Reporting to the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean will provide visionary and collaborative leadership, as well as strategic and operational oversight, to advance the College’s mission in research, education, service, and community engagement.

College of Pharmacy

Founded in 1946, the University of Houston (UH) College of Pharmacy combines the opportunities and experiences of the Texas Medical Center’s world-class health care community with resources of the University of Houston, a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university.

The UH College of Pharmacy (UHCOP) aspires to foster a commitment to lifelong learning and an environment where students develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills consistent with the high standards of their profession and/or scientific field. Our college is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education through 2033 and holds membership in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

The College offers a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) professional degree, a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Pharmaceutical Sciences with concentrations in Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutics, Pharmacology, and Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy (PHOP), respectively. Additionally, the college offers a Master of Science (M.S.) in Pharmacy Leadership and Administration in conjunction with PGY1/PGY2 in Health-System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership residency programs (The Houston Program). The college also offers a consecutive Pharm.D./Ph.D.; Pharm.D./M.B.A. dual degree; and a PHOP Ph.D./M.A. in Applied Economics dual degree. In addition to these degree programs, the college offers post-doctoral research fellowships and clinical/research/academic pharmacy fellowship programs.

Pharm.D. students at the College of Pharmacy have at their disposal virtually every resource and opportunity they need to acquire a first-class education. In the college’s new facility, the students have state-of-the-art classrooms; pharmacy care and sterile product labs, including a mock pharmacy; active learning classrooms and OSCE suite. In these facilities, students learn essential techniques in the patient care process through skill development and practice scenarios. For study and research needs, students can take advantage of the health sciences library in the adjoining building or the world-renowned Texas Medical Center Library. Pharmacy students also have the opportunity to engage in various interprofessional education activities with medicine and nursing students and preceptors/faculty at UH and/or external partner institutions.

Graduate students with concentrations in Medical Chemistry/Pharmacology/Pharmaceutics are provided access and training to conduct cutting-edge basic and bench-to-bedside translational research using high-throughput drug screening, 3-D molecular modeling, confocal imaging, and nuclear magnetic resonance systems. Students can also interact with faculty and students in related disciplines such as biology/biochemistry, chemistry, vision sciences, and biomedical engineering. At the Texas Medical Center, our graduate students have the opportunity to take classes and participate in collaborative research projects with faculty at fellow Texas Medical Center institutions such as The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, and the University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston. Current training areas include cardiovascular/renal and neuro-pharmacology, signal transduction and cellular signaling mechanisms, novel drug delivery systems and dosage forms, structural biology, pharmacokinetics/ pharmacodynamics, infectious diseases, oncology/tumor biology, and natural products.

Students in the Pharmaceutical Health Outcomes and Policy Concentration of the Ph.D. program are provided with structured learning and experiences in health care systems, sociobehavioral sciences, health care quality, biostatistics, advanced regression analyses, research methods and design, pharmacoepidemiology, and pharmacoeconomics. The program is designed to develop leaders in traditional and innovative areas of pharmaceutical health outcomes research including pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacoeconomics, comparative effectiveness research, patient-centered outcomes research, and translational research.

The University of Houston

Founded in 1927 and currently led by President Renu Khator, the University of Houston is the largest public research university in Houston and the third largest university in Texas offering undergraduate, graduate, professional, and doctoral programs. Located in Houston’s historic Third Ward and dedicated to serving as an impactful partner within its community, UH is the oldest of the four UH System universities and is recognized as an R1 institution by the Carnegie Foundation for its high level of research activity. With a University footprint that encompasses its main campus in Houston and campuses in Katy and Sugar Land that further UH’s learning, research, and community engagement endeavors, the University is home to more than 3,000 tenured, tenure-track, instructional, clinical and research faculty; distinguished faculty members include Tony Award winners as well as 22 members of the National Academies of Science and Engineering. As a complement to its traditional academic offerings, UH’s institutional presence also extends well beyond its campuses and into its students’ communities through thriving extended education and online programs.

UH is committed to fostering a university environment dedicated to the success of students representative of the overall population of the state of Texas. In the Fall of 2024, UH enrolled nearly 48,000 students and a record-breaking freshman class of 6,200 students in more 277 undergraduate and graduate academic programs, with approximately 8,400 students housed in nine residential communities. With more than 500 registered student organizations and 17 NCAA Division 1 intercollegiate sports teams, campus life at UH is vibrant and engaging. Students choose from 117 majors and more than 168 graduate and professional programs housed in 16 academic colleges and schools and an interdisciplinary Honors College. UH’s programs are nationally recognized, including 16 ranked among the Top 50 in the country.

With more than $250 million in research expenditures in FY 2024, UH’s research enterprise includes 14 national research centers, over 25 university research centers and institutes. As an institution that ranks amongst the top 100 U.S. universities for patents, UH fosters a research environment that enables scholars to explore emerging areas and work more effectively with industry, other research organizations, and the community. With this goal in mind, the University has established multiple national interdisciplinary research areas including the NCATS-supported Consortium for Translational and Precision Health, the Drug Discovery Institute, the Institute for Energy and Innovation, and the Technology Bridge, Houston’s premier innovation park for technology. These powerful hubs of creativity and others allow teams of researchers from a wide range of disciplines to collaborate across traditional boundaries to bring research knowledge to bear on issues of intellectual, scientific, social, economic, environmental, and cultural importance. 

At the University of Houston, we not only dream big dreams, but we also collaborate to achieve them. Building on a trajectory of accelerated research activity, the University is pursuing bold initiatives to increase research and scholarly output. The University’s Presidential Frontier Faculty Program, launched in 2022, strategically recruits accomplished scholars whose interdisciplinary research addresses global challenges and societal needs. The program is steadily progressing to its hiring goal of 100 new faculty who will join a university with a growing number of nationally funded research centers and an aggressive agenda to leverage science to make a transformative impact locally, nationally, and across the globe. The Texas University Fund supports UH’s ambitious research expansion. The $3.9 billion endowment established by the state in 2023 provides reliable funding for faculty, research and graduate studies at rising universities with proven track records in research and innovation. The University of Houston is responsive to the needs of dual career couples.

Exemplifying its commitment to improving the lives of those it serves, UH has an annual economic impact of more than $8 billion in the Greater Houston area and awards more than 11,000 degrees annually. UH has nearly 340,000 alumni, many of whom live and work in Texas. Moreover, UH is a member of the Texas Medical Center, whose member institutions strive to advance patient care, research, and education in Houston and the founding partner of the Houston GPS initiative driven by a coalition of community colleges and universities dedicated to closing equity gaps in student success.

UH Strategic Plan – “Together, We Rise. Together, We Soar.”

UH’s bold plan for the future, “Together, We Rise. Together, We Soar” pursues the University’s vision to build a top 50 public university by pursuing five over-arching goals:

• Goal 1 – Student Success – Provide a top tier, inclusive educational experience to all.
• Goal 2 – Nationally Competitive Research – Build a research powerhouse that impacts our region and the world.
• Goal 3 – Social Responsibility – Serve as an exemplar for community engagement.
• Goal 4 – Nationally Relevant Athletics – Build a competitive athletics program.
• Goal 5 – Competitive Funding – Build a sustainable funding base to support vision and goals.

Houston, Texas

Houston is one of the world’s great global cities, the nation’s fourth largest, and its community is one of the youngest, fastest growing, and most diverse populations in the country with one in four of the region’s 7 million residents being foreign born and where more than 145 languages are spoken. Houston is home to the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world, with prime locations for healthcare and biomedical research. Reflective of its position as the Energy Capital of the World and a hub for global trade, 44 out of 113 U.S. publicly traded oil and gas companies are headquartered here, ranking Houston #3 among U.S. metro areas in Fortune 500 headquarters. In addition, Houston is at the vanguard of the clean energy revolution and continues to grow with the energy transition. Additionally, Houston hosts over 500 digital technology companies, and an aerospace community that is flourishing because of a close partnership between NASA and private space companies transforming its connection to space exploration.

With an incredibly rich quality of life, winning sports teams, world renowned cuisine, one of the largest collections of top-rated museums and cultural activities in the nation, and a low cost of living in addition to no state income tax—Houston is truly a great place to call home.

Position Summary

The next Dean of the College of Pharmacy will be a visionary leader and strategic thinker, deeply committed to advancing the College’s mission of delivering comprehensive, interdisciplinary education and training in pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacy practice. The ideal candidate will foster scientific discovery, support and strengthen academic programs, and enhance outreach and service into the broader University and healthcare communities.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic oversight and expertise for all aspects of the College, including representation of the College within the University of Houston and beyond.
• Support the College’s “Vision 2030 Strategic Plan” through collaborative and intentional leadership.
• Lead with integrity and transparency through consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes.
• Expand and enhance the strength of scholarship, teaching, and service programs within the College, building on existing strengths and creating new areas of excellence.
• Develop collaborative relationships with the other health-related colleges on campus as UH moves to form a new Health Science Center.
• Advocate for all disciplines and programs and all faculty, staff, and students in the College.
• Participate in university-wide innovative efforts to create a more efficient, effective, cohesive, and high‐quality academic enterprise.
• Maintain the financial health of the College and be proficient in business processes, budgeting and resource allocation, and entrepreneurial endeavors.
• Develop new academic programs to ensure the College is meeting the needs of students and the larger population.
• Support and ensure compliance with accreditation standards for College programs.
• Lead and assist in securing extramural and philanthropic resources necessary for the growth and improvement of the College.
• Support and cooperate in a mutually beneficial relationship with alumni, professional associations, and other organizations and community leaders.
• Manage recruitment and retention of key personnel for expansion and continued excellence within the College.
• Ensure that the College has effective programs related to student recruitment, retention, advising, and student success activities.
• Build a strong network of community alliances and support and draw upon this network to shape the future of the College across its missions.
• Engage and actively support the professions represented in the College at the local, state, national, and global levels.

Qualifications

The successful candidate must possess a doctoral degree in pharmacy, pharmaceutical science, or a closely related discipline. It is required that the Dean has a record of accomplishment commensurate with the rank of Full Professor with tenure in the College. The Dean must also demonstrate a strong understanding of contemporary pharmaceutical education, research, and practice as well as knowledge of health systems. 

Preferred Qualifications include:

• Record of progressive and visionary academic and administrative leadership and accomplishment.
• Success promoting and fostering a culture that embraces academic excellence and service.
• Commitment to shared governance and inclusion of relevant stakeholders in decision making processes.
• Demonstrated political acumen and an ability to work within a large university system and/or Health Science Center.
• Ability to align with the College’s “Vision 2030 Strategic Plan.”
• Strong financial acumen and demonstrated experience in managing a budget and distributing resources.
• Proven capacity to develop new revenue streams including private fundraising and solicitation of grants and contracts.
• Experience in developing and fostering relationships with external partners.
• Ability to recruit and retain faculty and staff at all levels of the College.
• Emphasis on building and promoting a culture of excellence rooted in collaboration and connectivity amongst faculty, staff, and students.
• Success collaborating with academic leaders across campus, Gulf Coast Consortia (GCC), and Texas Medical Center to further the University’s academic mission.
• Aptitude to lead in the development of effective programs of student recruitment, retention, advising, and student success activities.
• Track record of innovative problem solving and demonstrated experience with change management.

Applications and Nominations

The Search Committee invites nominations and applications (a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and the names and contact information of five or more references) to be submitted to the search firm assisting the University of Houston. References will not be contacted without prior knowledge and approval of candidates. Confidential review of materials will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. It is preferred that all nominations and applications be submitted by Friday, August 15th, 2025.

Laurie Wilder, President
Porsha Williams, Vice President
Jacob Anderson, Principal
Jack McGrew, Associate
Parker Executive Search
Five Concourse Parkway, Suite 2875 Atlanta, GA 30328
(678) 775-4564
lwilder@parkersearch.com || pwilliams@parkersearch.com || janderson@parkersearch.com || jmcgrew@parkersearch.com