Role grows for Manchester pharmacy dean
W. Thomas Smith will serve as the dean of pharmacy and health sciences at Manchester University.
“This change formalizes some responsibilities that he has carried for quite a while and anticipates new responsibilities that will emerge as we add additional academic programs in Fort Wayne,” said Celia Cook-Huffman, vice president for academic affairs.
He is dean of Pharmacy Programs and professor of pharmaceutical sciences. In his expanded role, Smith will serve as dean for all programs on the Fort Wayne campus and for the exercise science and athletic training programs on the North Manchester campus.
“Tommy is a champion for students and colleagues. He is an effective administrator, skilled at building strong, collaborative partnerships and developing innovative programming. I have come to appreciate deeply his commitment to what it means to be One Manchester – a spirit that he weaves into all of his work. His strengths as a leader will serve us well as we grow programs on both campuses,” Cook-Huffman said.
Smith is a 1994 graduate of the St. Louis College of Pharmacy. He began his pharmacy career as operations director of Corum Health Services Inc., a long-term care pharmacy in St. Louis, Mo.
In 2005, he graduated from St. Louis University with a Juris Doctorate degree and certificate in health law from the school’s top-ranked Center for Health Law Studies. Smith then served on the faculty of Saint Louis College of Pharmacy before moving on to the University of Florida College of Pharmacy.
In 2015, Smith joined Manchester as assistant dean for pharmacy assessment and accreditation, and he then was appointed dean of Pharmacy Programs in 2017.
Smith is active in a number of professional organizations including the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the American Bar Association (ABA) and the American Society for Pharmacy Law.
The Fort Wayne resident has served as chair of AACP’s Health Disparities and Cultural Competence special interest group and completed its Academic Leadership Fellows Program. Smith has also been active in the Health Law Section of the ABA – serving a three-year term on its leadership council and chairing a number of committees. In 2016, he was appointed to the federal Food and Drug Administration’s Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee.
Smith has served as an author, speaker and leader in areas such as pharmacy law, cultural competency, health disparities, bioethics, and disability law.
For the media
Dean W. Thomas Smith: wtsmith@manchester.edu
Manchester University, with campuses in North Manchester and Fort Wayne, Ind., provides vibrant and transformative student experiences. Learn more at www.manchester.edu/about-manchester
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Manchester University respects the infinite worth of every individual and graduates persons of ability and conviction who draw upon their education and faith to lead principled, productive, and compassionate lives that improve the human condition.
August 2020