Stony Brook University Lauds SUNY BOT Vote to Advance New School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
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| Edmund Hayes, RPh, MS, PharmD |
STONY BROOK, N.Y., March 18, 2015 – Stony Brook University President, Samuel L. Stanley Jr., MD, lauded the State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees for voting to adopt a resolution endorsing the University’s effort to confer the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree, subject to approval by the New York State Board of Regents. The vote is a major step forward establishing the Stony Brook University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SPPS). The SPPS would be the first School of Pharmacy on Long Island and adds to the existing Health Science Schools at Stony Brook University, joining the Schools of Dental Medicine, Health Technology and Management, Medicine, Nursing, Social Welfare and the Program in Public Health.
“Establishing a School of Pharmacy and approval to confer a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree is one of the most important academic advances Stony Brook University can achieve right now,” said Dr. Stanley. “We are grateful to Chancellor Zimpher for championing this effort, and that the SUNY Board of Trustees voted to move the initiative forward. This school will broaden Stony Brook’s academic offering and lead to a new pipeline of pharmacists that are needed to serve our population both regionally and nationally.”
The plan to create and develop the SPPS was developed over the past four years. It grew out of a national need for a new breed of pharmacists, and the academic and clinical environment at Stony Brook Medicine. Stony Brook University already offers multiple health-related advanced degree courses in pharmacology. The School of Medicine’s Department of Pharmacology is a leading research department in New York and nationally. Stony Brook faculty and researchers have an extensive history of pharmaceutical invention, including ReoPro®, Periostat® and Xiaflex®, and Stony Brook University Hospital already supports a successful Pharmacy residency program.
“The SPPS will be different from other schools of pharmacy in New York State, as it will be the only school thoroughly integrated with University partners Schools of Medicine, Dental Medicine, Nursing, Health Technology and Management, a Program in Public Health, a major University Hospital and the Stony Brook Medicine-led Suffolk County-wide Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program,” said Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, Senior Vice President of the Health Sciences, and Dean of the School of Medicine.
“With a major focus on training specialty and population pharmacists who operate ‘at the top of their license,’ the recommendation by the SUNY Board of Trustees to allow us to grant the PharmD degree launches the SPPS, expanding the reach and offerings of Stony Brook Medicine,” said Dean Kaushansky. “By developing a PharmD program integrated with so many health science schools and programs, with an emphasis on specialty training through core coursework and innovative electives, with a direct avenue into a successful pharmacy residency, and throughout our leadership role in DSRIP, the PharmD program at Stony Brook Medicine will provide a truly unique training experience for aspiring leaders in pharmacy.”
“We expect to develop a world-class pharmacy education and research program, with the advantage of also having immediate access to specialists and educators in all areas of medicine, dentistry, nursing and the health sciences,” said Edmund Hayes, RPh, MS, PharmD, who has been appointed the School’s Interim Dean. For the past 10 years, Dr. Hayes has served as Assistant Director of the Stony Brook University Hospital Pharmacy and as Director of the Pharmacy Residency Program.
In addition to the SUNY Board of Trustee vote of approval, the plan to develop the SPPS has received an endorsement from the Stony Brook University Senate and outside evaluators.
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