A Message From the Dean

The College of Pharmacy’s “Funding Excellence to Sustain Excellence” campaign will shape the future of pharmacy health care not only in Florida but throughout the world. We hope to inspire alumni, friends, corporations and foundations to invest in our programs by supporting our most valuable asset: our faculty and our students.

The practice of pharmacy has now come full-circle to exemplify the community pharmacist of yesteryear, who not only dispensed tablets and elixirs, but was an integral part of a family’s health care. Tomorrow will bring many new challenges. The profession is rapidly changing in response to environmental and societal factors such as longer life expectancy, increased number of drug prescriptions and a greater divide between economic classes. Our college is addressing these demands and looking further into the future to investigate emerging health care issues that are moving to the forefront.

Building a foundation for excellence takes forethought, time and resources. The College of Pharmacy — the oldest health science college at UF — has demonstrated this in its enduring, quality program developed and sustained for more than 80 years.

Our mission is to promote the health and welfare of the people of Florida and the nation by preparing graduates in pharmacy to take independent professional responsibility for the outcome of drug therapy in patients. We are proud that our graduates have the scientific and cultural background necessary to assume leadership roles in the profession and community.

With the right resources today we can expand our impact to affect more lives in more places with a greater depth of solutions, while educating and preparing pharmacists for tomorrow. I look forward to the journey and invite all advocates of pharmacy health care to join me in creating a place of drug discovery, a day of partnerships and a belief in health access for all.

Sincerely,

William Riffee, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Pharmacy