Donna Strum Named Interim Dean of UM School of Pharmacy

Donna Strum, associate provost and professor of pharmacy administration at the University of Mississippi, will serve as interim dean of the School of Pharmacy and executive director of the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, effective July 1.

Strum steps in for Dean David D. Allen, who has been named president of the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis. A national search for the permanent position will begin soon, with the search committee being finalized in the coming weeks.

“Dr. Strum is an accomplished and respected scholar with a national reputation in pharmacy,” said Noel Wilkin, UM provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. “She has distinguished herself as a trusted and respected leader and administrator.

“I truly appreciate Dr. Strum’s willingness to take on this important responsibility.”

Strum received three degrees from the university, including a doctorate in pharmacy administration in 1999. After eight years on the faculty for the College of Pharmacy at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, she returned to Ole Miss in 2008 as chair and professor in the Department of Pharmacy Administration. 

In 2017, she was appointed to her role in the Office of the Provost, where she oversees a wide variety of faculty, student and administrative matters, such as academic budget, student retention and human resource issues.

“I am humbled and honored for the opportunity to lead one of the nation’s best pharmacy schools,” Strum said. “Dean Allen provided exceptional leadership over the last nine years, and I believe that our students, faculty, staff and researchers will continue to build on that strong foundation.

“As a graduate and former department chair, I know firsthand the standard of excellence set at our school. I’m committed to fully supporting our educational, service and research missions, and excited to keep advancing our school’s vital work during this time of transition.”

During her stint as pharmacy administration chair, she assisted in restructuring the graduate curriculum, as well as helping the department win the university’s Excellence in Promoting Inclusiveness in Graduate Education award.

She was recognized with the 2015 Duncan Neuhauser Award from the Academy for Healthcare Improvement and the school’s 2016 Faculty Instructional Innovations Award for her role in creating and implementing the teaching tool Educating Pharmacists in Quality, or EPIQ. The resource trains pharmacists and student pharmacists to measure and improve quality in pharmacy care.

By Whitney Tarpy