CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University has named Grace Kuo, who has spearheaded national models of collaboration between physicians and pharmacists, as dean of OSU’s College of Pharmacy. Kuo presently serves as a professor and associate dean at the University of California, San Diego.
Kuo will start as dean on June 30. She follows OSU pharmacy professor Mark Leid, who has served as interim dean of the college since July 1. Leid will return to his role as associate dean for research upon Kuo’s arrival.
“Grace Kuo is a highly accomplished professor and researcher, who understands well Oregon State’s commitment to improve human health and wellness as part of the university’s land grant mission,” said Edward Feser, OSU’s provost and executive vice president. “Her national experience and leadership in collaborative education and research programs with physicians, hospitals and other universities will help advance the great success and contributions occurring within Oregon State’s College of Pharmacy.”
Kuo will oversee a college that has more than 360 students, about 60 researchers and other academic faculty, and approximately $5 million in annual research expenditures.
Oregon State’s College of Pharmacy awards Doctor of Pharmacy degrees jointly with Oregon Health & Science University. College faculty and researchers also are global leaders in innovation and discovery regarding pharmaceuticals, treatment of diseases including cancer, and advances in patient care and treatment.
“I am thrilled to return Oregon State University and contribute to the educational and research success of an already strong College of Pharmacy, Kuo said. “I look forward to serving our students, faculty, staff and advances in human wellness in collaboration with other OSU colleges and also OHSU.”
Kuo is a graduate of pharmacy from Oregon State and did postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health. She has worked as a pharmacist for 30 years in Massachusetts, Oregon, and Texas. At UC San Diego, where she has been since 2007, Kuo is professor of clinical pharmacy, adjunct professor of family medicine and public health, associate dean for strategic planning and program development and a founding member of the Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute.
She also serves as director of the San Diego Pharmacists Resource and Research Network and director of the Pharmacogenomics Education Program.
Kuo’s clinical expertise is in primary care pharmacy practice and medication safety. She has developed innovative pharmacist-physician collaborative practices with reimbursement models, and worked with teams to design and implement comprehensive medication management practices in primary care and specialty clinics.
Working with experts and national leaders, Kuo has developed and administered a national and globally adopted pharmacogenomics education program. Using a peer-reviewed shared curriculum, the program team disseminates emerging scientific information about pharmacogenomics applicable to patient care.
To date, the program, has been used by more than 3,000 healthcare professionals and faculty in more than 100 countries.
She received a bachelor’s degree in psychobiology from UCLA and a subsequent bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. She then completed a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Oregon State University in 1998. Subsequently she earned a master’s degree in public health and a Ph.D. in public health from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health.
– Source: Oregon State University