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Matthew Gallivan, Dr. Roger Davis, and Dr. Randy Lowry, begin demolition work on Burton Building, future home of the Lipscomb School of Pharmacy

Two Nashville universities have responded to a growing nationwide need for highly qualified pharmacists by establishing new Schools of Pharmacy, both set to open this fall.

Belmont University and Lipscomb University plan to seat first-year classes for four-year pre-professional degree programs that will award the doctor of pharmacy degree. Both universities are recruiting classes of 65 to 75 students from across the country.

The move comes as the United States is facing a predicted shortfall of trained pharmacists. A December 2002 report by the Department of Health and Human Services concluded that increasing demand for pharmacists’ services is outpacing current and possibly future pharmacist supply, and predicted a shortage of as many as 157,000 pharmacists by 2020.

Belmont and Lipscomb are developing pharmacy curricula that focus on the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to deliver increasingly sophisticated drug treatments and patient-centered care as part of an inter-professional team.

There are currently 83 U.S. pharmacy colleges and schools, and a report issued by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy indicates that interest in a career in pharmacy continues to be strong as the field expands. Pharmacists rank 11th on the list of highest-paying occupations in the private sector, with average annual earnings of $97,334.

In January, Dr. Philip E. Johnston, dean of Belmont University School of Pharmacy (BUSOP), announced the completion of the hiring process for the necessary faculty/staff team for the 2008-09 academic year. The American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE), the official regulatory body that accredits all colleges of pharmacy in the United States, has informed Belmont’s leadership that its application package for accreditation has satisfied all established criteria. This paves the way for an ACPE site visit to the campus between mid-March and early April, allowing BUSOP’s first class to begin studies this August.

Johnston said the school is recruiting students from across the country, as well as students currently on campus as undergraduates. The majority of students in the first class will have undergraduate degrees and the necessary 65 hours of prerequisite science credits in chemistry and biology to begin the four-year program.

Concerning the predicted shortage of pharmacists, Johnston said that it is occurring on “both ends of the pipeline,” as a number of currently practicing pharmacists are choosing to retire or work only part-time.

“With Medicare Part D and other prescription plans, there are simply more prescriptions to fill, and the increase in the number of prescriptions per person equals more work, more aggressive physical therapy and a shortage of people,” said Johnston.

He thinks the “front line” shortage will be resolved in three to five years as graduate programs start or expand, but there will be a continuing need for qualified pharmacists for managerial positions. Johnston said the Belmont program is building management training skills into its new curriculum. “We’re trying to find folks who will make good managers to cultivate within our system,” he said.

Johnston pointed out that today’s curriculum differs from previous pharmacy programs. “The course names haven’t changed, but when I was in school we had penicillin, steroids, aspirin — basically fewer than 1,000 entities on the market,” he said. “Now there are more than 10,000, including more sophisticated and (riskier) advances in chemo, nutrition IV and a wide spectrum of other new drugs.”

In response to the growing need for highly qualified pharmacists trained to be involved in drug therapy decisions and monitoring, in November 2006, Lipscomb University announced that it would create the third pharmacy college in the state, the first to be announced for Middle Tennessee.

Roger Davis, dean of the Lipscomb College of Pharmacy, announced in January of this year the ACPE had authorized a pre-candidate site visit to the school for later this spring. The visit will clear the way for approval for Lipscomb to enroll its first class in the School of Pharmacy this August, with full disclosure that the school has not yet received its full accreditation.

“During the site visit, we’ll have to demonstrate the ability to carry out our curriculum and the program we have designed, along with the necessary resources to support it,” Davis said.

Lipscomb will have an educational affiliation agreement with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which will offer its facilities and pharmacists as teaching resources, to provide potential opportunities for joint research faculty and to expose students to future graduate study opportunities.

Davis said he is excited about the opportunity to bring a new professional degree to Middle Tennessee and about the depth of resources in the healthcare business community in Nashville and the enthusiasm with which it has offered assistance.

“We’re interested in developing students who want to practice medication therapy management in a servant manner as well as generating student interest in basic science research in drugs and treatment,” he said. “We also want to train graduates who are interested in teaching — there are 500 open faculty positions in pharmacy schools across the country.”

Classrooms and laboratories for Lipscomb University School of Pharmacy will be located in the A.M. Burton Building, one of the oldest and most centrally located buildings on campus. The 44,000-square-foot Burton Building is being completely renovated to become LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified and registered with the U.S. Green Building Council, one of eight LEED-certified buildings currently in Tennessee and the only one on a college campus.

Both deans feel that Nashville’s position as the healthcare center of the country will be extremely advantageous by providing an abundance of quality educational opportunities for the new programs.


Caption: Matthew Gallivan, former president of Nashville Health Care Council, Dr. Roger Davis, dean Lipscomb School of Pharmacy, and Dr. Randy Lowry, president Lipscomb University begin demolition work on Burton Building, future home of the Lipscomb School of Pharmacy



March 2008

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