This live, in-person conference will include a keynote, followed by three breakout
sessions. Participants will take part in all three breakout sessions; sessions will
be led by the deans.
Participating attendees 鈥 led by regional deans of schools and colleges of pharmacy
鈥 will explore themes including new faculty transitions, the needs of mid-career faculty,
and the alignment of personal expectations with academic career aspirations. This
symposium will also reflect on ways a faculty member can build their supporting community,
as well as integrate their work with family roles and life goals.
These dean facilitators include:
Christine R. Birnie, RPh, PhD, Dean, Wegmans School of Pharmacy, St. John Fisher University
Anandi V. Law, BPharm, MS, PhD, FAPhA, Dean and Professor, Thomas Jefferson University
Jefferson College of Pharmacy
Anne Lin, PharmD, FNAP, Dean and Professor, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences,
St. John鈥檚 University
Lucinda L. Maine, PhD, RPh, Executive Vice President and CEO, American Association
of Colleges of Pharmacy
Sarah L.J. Michel, PhD, Dean and Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University
of Maryland School of Pharmacy
Marilyn K. Speedie, BS Pharm, PhD, Dean Emerita and Professor Emerita, University
of Minnesota College of Pharmacy
Kim Tanzer, PharmD, RPh, Interim Dean, Long Island University Arnold and Marie Schwartz
College of Pharmacy
Elena M. Umland, Dean and Professor at the School of Pharmacy, Albany College of Pharmacy
and Health Sciences
Objectives
Identify barriers with retention of early and mid-career talented faculty.
Create actionable plans which can be implemented by pharmacy school deans and department
chairs for faculty satisfaction and well-being, resulting in improved retention rates.
Post-symposium, we plan to summarize the dialogue and publish a report.
Schedule
Arrivals: 10:30-11 a.m.
Optional School Tour: 10:45 a.m.
Welcomes and Introductions: 11-11:15 a.m.
Kanneboyina Nagaraju, DVM, PhD, dean and SUNY Distinguished Professor
Sarah Spinler, PharmD, FAHA, FCCP, FSHP, AACC professor, pharmacy practice
Facilitators: Christine Birnie, Anandi Law, Anne Lin, Sarah Michel, Kim Tanzer, Elena
Umland
Lunch: 11:15 a.m.-Noon
Greeting
Anne D'Alleva, president of 91社区
Keynote: Noon-12:30 p.m.
"Examining Three Pillars for Successful Careers": a dialogue between Lucinda Maine, PhD, CEO emerita of the American Association of
Colleges of Pharmacy, and Marilyn Speedie, PhD, dean emeritus of the University of
Minnesota College of Pharmacy
Open discussion: 12:30-12:45 p.m.
Breakout Session A: 12:45-1:30 p.m.
"Primed for Success: Improving the Transition Between Student, Post-Graduate Trainee
and Early Career Pharmacy Faculty"
Breakout Session A table report-out and discussion: 1:30-2 p.m.
Breakout Session B: 2-2:45 p.m.
"Managing Middle Career: Bridging the Gap"
Break: 2:45-3 p.m.
Breakout Session B table report-out and discussion: 3-3:30 p.m.
Breakout Session C: 3:30-4:15 p.m.
"Aligning Personal Expectations with Career Aspirations"
Breakout Session C table report-out and discussion: 4:15-4:45 p.m.
Summary and wrap-up: 4:45-5 p.m.
Reception: 5-5:30 p.m., School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Atrium
Kanneboyina Nagaraju is dean and SUNY Distinguished Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He is an internationally
recognized leader in translational research on neuromuscular diseases. With more than
three decades of experience bridging fundamental immunology, muscle biology, and clinical
development, his work has focused on transforming mechanistic discoveries into therapies
for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, inflammatory myopathies, and related rare muscle
diseases. As founding chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and subsequently
dean, Nagaraju played a central role in building 91社区鈥檚 School of Pharmacy from
the ground up 鈥 recruiting founding faculty, establishing state-of-the-art research
laboratories, and shaping a culture centered on academic excellence, innovation, and
student success. Under his leadership, the school has grown into a nationally recognized
program with strong licensure outcomes, residency placement success, and a rapidly
expanding research enterprise. He is deeply committed to mentorship and faculty development,
having guided junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students into successful
careers in academia, clinical practice, regulatory affairs, and industry. He exemplifies
translational leadership between venture and academia. He co-founded ReveraGen BioPharma,
where he played a central role in the discovery and clinical development of Agamree
(vamorolone), a first-in-class dissociative steroid approved for the treatment of
Duchenne muscular dystrophy. He also co-founded Agada Biosciences to advance innovative
therapeutic strategies for neuromuscular and inflammatory disorders. His academic
programs have served as engines for rigorous preclinical validation, biomarker development,
and accelerated regulatory translation. Through his combined roles as scientist, entrepreneur,
educator, mentor, and academic leader, Nagaraju continues to advance a model of translational
science. He integrates discovery, institutional building, faculty development, and
global collaboration to improve outcomes for patients with rare neuromuscular diseases.
Professor Sarah SpinlerSarah Spinler is professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at 91社区 School
of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. She is also professor emeritus at the Philadelphia
College of Pharmacy (PCP), St Joseph鈥檚 University in Philadelphia, and adjunct professor
in the Cardiovascular Division at the Department of Medicine at the University of
Pennsylvania. Spinler received her BS and PharmD degrees from the University of Minnesota
in Minneapolis. She completed a pharmacy residency and research fellowship in cardiovascular
critical care pharmacy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. From 2018-24, she
served as department chair of pharmacy practice. She has served as a cardiology research
fellowship PGY1 residency and PGY2 cardiology residency program director for 15 trainees
and oversaw the pharmaceutical industry fellowship program at PCP/USciences for eight
years. Her research focus is antithrombotic therapy for atherosclerotic disease and
acute coronary syndrome. She has authored more than 300 research articles, reviews,
and book chapters and given more than 450 continuing education programs. She has served
as a co-author on several American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of
Cardiology (ACC) Clinical Decision Pathway and Scientific Statement practice guidelines.
In 2004, Spinler received the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP鈥檚)
Award for Sustained Contributions to the Literature of Pharmacy Practice. She currently
serves on the editorial boards of several biomedical journals including Annals of
Pharmacotherapy, Pharmacotherapy, American Journal of Managed Care, and Drugs. Most
recently she was one of five co-authors who jointly received the 2024 Rufus A. Lyman
Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy for the best paper published
in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. Spinler has served in several
leadership positions in the American College of Clinical Pharmacy including chair
of both the Cardiology Practice Research Network of the American College of Clinical
Pharmacy and their Education and Training PRN, and regent on their Board of Directors
from 2004-07. In 2019, she received the ACCP Cardiology PRN Lifetime Achievement Award
and in 2025, ACCP鈥檚 Clinical Practice Award. She continues to serve on several ASHP
committees, including national grant and award selection committees, and most recently,
was appointed to the ASHP Research Foundation Advisory Council. She was also named
a fellow in four organizations, the AHA Cardiovascular Clinical Council, inaugural
AHA Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Council, ASHP, ACCP and the Philadelphia
College of Physicians. She is an associate of the American College of Cardiology (ACC).
DEAN FACILITATORS
Christine R. Birnie, RPh, PhD, Dean, Wegmans School of Pharmacy, St. John Fisher University
Christine Birnie serves as dean and professor at the Wegmans School of Pharmacy at St. John Fisher
University in Rochester, New York. She joined the school in 2006 as a founding faculty
member, was promoted to department chair, pharmaceutical sciences in 2010, and has
been serving as the dean of the school since 2017. She received her BS in pharmacy
from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and continued her studies at the same institution,
completing a PhD in pharmaceutics. Birnie worked as a community pharmacist for Rite
Aid Pharmacy, and a formulation scientist for Merial, Ltd. before joining the faculty
of Palm Beach Atlantic University, initially, and later St. John Fisher University,
where she has spent the last 19 years of her professional career. Her scholarship
activities include working with students and colleagues on projects related to academic
pharmacy, leadership, international outreach, medical missions, and local community
engagement. She is actively involved in service, both to the profession and the global
community, leading or participating in more than 25 student-based medical mission
trips around the world and serving on many boards and in leadership roles. She has
been the recipient of several awards, including a Fulbright Scholar Award to India
(2013), and was named a Rochester Champion of Pharmacy (2018). In 2023, she was named
a Woman of Excellence by the Rochester Business Journal (RBJ) and in 2025 the RBJ鈥檚
Healthcare Power List.
Anandi V. Law, BPharm, MS, PhD, FAPhA, Dean and Professor, Thomas Jefferson University
Jefferson College of Pharmacy
Anandi Law is the dean of Jefferson College of Pharmacy at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. Previously, Law was associate dean for assessment and professor of pharmacy
practice and administration at Western University of Health Sciences. She also completed
her term as president of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, where she
led with her theme of 鈥淩each out. Engage. Elevate鈥 to continue to advance pharmacy
education and practice transformation. Law鈥檚 scholarly work centers on health outcomes
research, focusing on improving care for patients with chronic conditions through
pharmacist-led interventions, patient-provider communication, and medication adherence
strategies. Her research also spans鈥痟ealth literacy, social determinants of health,
and pharmacoeconomics. Law is a thought leader in鈥痯ractice and payment transformation,
advocating for, and implementing innovative, patient-centered models that recognize
and reimburse pharmacists for clinical services. She has authored more than 85 peer-reviewed
publications and more than 100 abstracts, secured numerous research grants, and mentored
a generation of scholars and practitioners. She has received several awards, including
the Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences Award from the American Pharmacists Association,
the Provost鈥檚 Distinguished Scholar Award from Western University of Health Sciences,
and the Jack L Beal Postbaccalaureate Alumni Award from the Ohio State University.
Law is a frequent keynote speaker and panelist at national and international conferences,
and has been featured in media outlets such as NPR, The Hill and National Geographic.
She has also served as associate editor for鈥疪esearch in Social and Administrative
Pharmacy and is a member of Rho Chi Honor Society and Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership
Society.
Anne Lin, PharmD, FNAP, Dean and Professor, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences,
St. John鈥檚 University
Anne Lin is dean and professor at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John鈥檚
University in New York. She earned both her BS in pharmacy and PharmD degrees from
St. John鈥檚 University and completed a clinical pharmacy residency at Virginia Commonwealth
University. In 1996, Lin became the founding chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice
at Wilkes University, and in 2004, she was appointed dean of the College of Pharmacy-Glendale,
Midwestern University. From 2008-22, she served as the founding dean of the School
of Pharmacy at Notre Dame of Maryland University. Lin has championed innovation in
pharmacy education, leading initiatives that integrated interdisciplinary teaching
across pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacy practice, embedded service learning as
a strategy for skill development and professional identity formation, and fostered
teamwork and leadership within curricula. At Notre Dame of Maryland University, she
collaborated with the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health to establish
the Interprofessional Education Collaborative, promoting the integration of interprofessional
education across health professions programs. She is an active member of numerous
professional organizations and has held leadership roles within the American Association
of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), including president in 2021-22. Lin is a member of
the AACP Argus Commission, which comprises the last five presidents of the association.
Committed to mentoring future leaders, she has served as a dean mentor for the AACP
Academic Fellows Leadership Program.
Lucinda L. Maine, PhD, RPh, Executive Vice President and CEO, American Association
of Colleges of Pharmacy
Lucinda Maine earned her pharmacy credentials at the Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy
in the 1970鈥檚 and the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy in the Kellogg Pharmaceutical
Clinical Scientist Fellowship program. Her area of studies included drug use in the
elderly, health policy, and public health. She began her career as an assistant professor
in Minnesota with a joint appointment at the College and a multispecialty group ambulatory
care practice; her second academic and first management position was at Samford University
School of Pharmacy in the role of association dean for student and alumni. In 1992,
she joined the senior staff of the American Pharmacists Association managing the areas
of APhA academies, policy development through the House of Delegates, government affairs,
and communications. After 10 years at APhA, Lucinda assumed the position of executive
vice president and CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP),
a position she held for 20 years. As a founding member of the Interprofessional Education
Collaborative (IPEC), she has deep knowledge and experience in building learning opportunities
to equip tomorrow鈥檚 health professionals to deliver patient-centered team-based care.
Her 30 years of experience in association executive management provides networks of
both post-secondary education organizations and health professions associations. Maine
has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the highest honor awarded
in pharmacy, the Remington Honor Medal. Others include the Linwood Tice Friend of
APhA-ASP, the Gloria Neymeyer Francke Mentor Leadership Award, and honorary degrees
from Western University of the Health Sciences and Ohio Northern University. The Association
of American Medical Colleges presented her their Special Recognition Award for her
work in IPE. In October 2025, Lucinda was elected Chair of the Board for the US Pharmacopeia
Convention.
Sarah L.J. Michel, PhD, Dean and Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University
of Maryland School of Pharmacy
Sarah L.J. Michel, PhD, dean of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and professor of pharmaceutical
sciences (PSC), joined the school in 2004. Michel earned a BA in chemistry from Cornell
University in 1995 and a PhD in inorganic chemistry from Northwestern University in
2000. She completed a NRSA postdoctoral fellowship in biophysics and biophysical chemistry
at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is a former chair of PSC and
associate dean for graduate studies. She was named dean in October 2023 after a four-month
interim appointment. Michel is an internationally recognized leader in the field of
metals in medicine. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and U.S. Army Research labs for investigating
the roles that metals play in the regulation of chronic inflammation, cancer, and
neurodegenerative diseases. She has also been active in clinical research through
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) grants and has been closely involved with
the Maryland Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (M-CERSI).
Notably, an FDA clinical trial headed by Michel led the FDA to issue new guidance
on how generic nanomedicines should be evaluated for approval. She is also part of
a PSC and University of Maryland School of Dentistry team of researchers funded by
the FDA that is investigating the safety of electronic cigarettes. In her 19 years
at the University of Maryland, Michel has been involved in all its educational aspects,
including PhD and MS programs, as well as the PharmD program, where she re-designed
the core biochemistry course to emphasize clinical applications to pharmacy and led
the development of the PharmD research pathway. She has also mentored dozens of students.
Early in her career at the School of Pharmacy, Michel developed 鈥淪pring into Maryland
Science鈥 with funding from the NSF to provide research experiences to students from
groups underrepresented in science. As director of the School鈥檚 PhD in Pharmaceutical
Sciences program, she was instrumental in partnering with the University of Maryland,
Baltimore County鈥檚 Meyerhoff Scholars program, which led to the successful application
in 2022 of an NIH Initiative for Maximizing Student Development T32 grant to train
students from groups underrepresented in health-related sciences. Michel served as
president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Faculty Senate from 2015-17,
where she worked with colleagues in the Staff Senate and Graduate Student Association,
as well as UMB leadership, on the UMB Statement of Shared Governance. She also testified
in the Maryland General Assembly on behalf of UMB faculty on legislation that led
to the formation of the MPower collaboration with the University of Maryland, College
Park.
Marilyn K. Speedie, BS Pharm, PhD, Dean Emerita and Professor Emerita, University
of Minnesota College of Pharmacy
Marilyn K. Speedie, BS Pharm, PhD, is dean emerita and professor emerita at the University of Minnesota
College of Pharmacy. She served as dean of the College from 1996-2017. During that
time, she expanded the college鈥檚 research, education, clinical, and outreach missions,
including extending the college鈥檚 programs to a branch campus in Duluth, Minnesota,
to help meet the need for pharmacists in rural areas of the state. She helped develop
new areas of research, including drug development, experimental pharmacotherapy, pharmacogenomics,
and health workforce studies. She took an active role in advocacy for the profession鈥檚
patient care role, working with the state鈥檚 pharmacy organizations, which she continues
today. In 2020, she completed and published a history of the University of Minnesota
College of Pharmacy. In addition, she served multiple terms on the American Association
of Colleges of Pharmacy Board of Directors, including a term in the Presidential offices
from 2006-09, and served a ten-year term on the United States Pharmacopoeia Board
of Trustees. She received the 2014 Remington Medal from the American Pharmacists Association,
the profession鈥檚 highest honor. She is an ongoing Board member for My-Meds, Inc. Before
coming to the University of Minnesota, she spent 21 years at the School of Pharmacy
at the University of Maryland, serving as an educator, a researcher in microbial biotechnology,
and department head.
Kim Tanzer, PharmD, RPh, Interim Dean, Long Island University Arnold and Marie Schwartz
College of Pharmacy
Kim Tanzer received her BS degree in pharmacy from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy,
and her PharmD degree from MCPHS University, Boston. She completed the American Association
of Colleges of Pharmacy Academic Leadership Fellows Program in 2014. Tanzer joined
the Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy at Long Island University in April
2025 as the vice dean, and has served as the interim dean of the college since July
2025. In her previous role, Tanzer served as associate dean for academic affairs,
chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, and clinical professor at Texas A&M
Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy. In this role, Tanzer was responsible for providing
leadership of the overall academic professional program for the Kingsville and College
Station campuses, as well as leading the faculty in the Pharmacy Practice Department.
Before coming to A&M, Tanzer served as professor and assistant dean for experiential
affairs and director of continuing education at Western New England University College
of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She has served three years on the Massachusetts Board
of Registration in Pharmacy, serving as president in 2020. Tanzer鈥檚 leadership in
AACP includes her current position as the Administrative Board Representative on the
Council of Deans (COD) Administrative Board, chair of the COD Resolutions Committee,
and past chair of the COD Mentoring Committee. She also served as the chair of the
AACP Experiential Education Section in 2020 and has chaired several of the Experiential
Education Section committees to include the Programming, Master Preceptor Recognition
Program, Nominations, and Awards Committees. Tanzer served as an appointed member
on the NABP Advisory Committee on Exams (ACE) and the Committee for Law Enforcement
and Legislation and has participated in NABP work as a member of the Task Force on
Requirements for Pharmacy Technician Education and as a Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence
Examination (MPJE) item writer. Tanzer has served as an Accreditation Council for
Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accreditation site team member since 2017, participating
in U.S.-based and international site visits.
Elena M. Umland, Dean and Professor at the School of Pharmacy, Albany College of Pharmacy
and Health Sciences
Elena Umland is dean and professor at the School of Pharmacy, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health
Sciences. Following her receipt of the BS in pharmacy and PharmD degrees and completion
of a Primary Care Residency program, her academic career of almost 30 years began
at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science. In 2007, she joined the founding
leadership team, as associate dean for academic affairs at Jefferson College of Pharmacy
(JCP). She was COD Mentoring Committee co-chair (2024-25) and recent member of the
Aspiring Academics Advisory Committee, serving both committees since their 2022 inception.
She has been an active member of the Women Faculty SIG, holding elected leadership
roles as secretary, and chair-elect through past-chair and as chair of the (now) Women
in Academia SIG鈥檚 2025-26 Mentorship committee. A 2007 AACP Academic Leadership Fellows
Program graduate, she has served in appointed roles for the AACP Academic Affairs
committee and the Institutional Research Advisory Committee (IRAC). On the IRAC, she
chaired the sub-task force that developed the initial AACP Preceptor Survey. She was
an invited member of the AACP Women鈥檚 Health Curriculum Task Force for five years.
She has served as the Region II Councilor for Rho Chi; and is an ACPE site reviewer.
During her tenure at JCP, she was associate provost for IPE and co-director of the
University Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education (2017-21). Under her
guidance, the Center received honorable mention for the 2019 George E. Thibault, MD
Nexus Award by the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education and
honorable mention in behavioral health for the USPHS/IPEC 2020 Excellence in Interprofessional
Education Collaboration National Award.
