In 2005, 36-year-old Daniel Navas thought about switching careers. Working as a
chemist, he applied to a new, highly promoted college of pharmacy in Honolulu. The
school had enrolled its first class of 240 students who each paid $28,000 in tuition.
But after his wife gave birth to their first child, Navas put his application on
hold. Soon after, state officials closed the school and filed a lawsuit against
it for unfair and deceptive practices. “My family and I were spared that disaster,”
he recalls.
After hearing about another new college of pharmacy opening on the University of
Hawai‘i (UH) Hilo campus on the Big Island, Navas felt more confident about
enrolling because it was university-based and headed by a highly qualified dean.
He recently completed his first year at the
UH Hilo College of Pharmacy and looks forward to working as a pharmacist
in the Islands after he graduates in the college’s first class in 2011.
Plans for a college of pharmacy in Hawai‘i were first envisioned in the late
1990s, when U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye expressed his dream for UH Hilo to be a “center
of excellence” throughout the state. Creating a college of pharmacy offered
this opportunity and would be the first professional doctoral program on the Hilo
campus.
Despite many obstacles, the UH Hilo College of Pharmacy was launched in 2007. It
offers a four-year program of study leading to the doctor of pharmacy (Pharm.D.)
degree and is the first pharmacy college serving Hawai‘i and the Pacific.
“It’s been very exciting going from nothing to where we are today,”
says Dean John M. Pezzuto, Ph.D.
Persuading Pezzuto
Pezzuto became the college’s founding dean in June 2006, after serving as
dean of the top-ranked College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences at Purdue
University for four years. Prior to that, Pezzuto was a professor in both the College
of Pharmacy and the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois in Chicago
for 22 years.
“Dr. John,” as his students call him, is the author of more than 400
scientific publications, co-inventor of several patents, and editor-in-chief of
the trade journal Pharmaceutical Biology. His research interests include
malaria, AIDS, and the use of natural materials, such as plants, that might prevent
or delay the onset of cancer.
What compelled Pezzuto to move to Hilo and become dean of a college that was only
a vision?
At first, Pezzuto turned down the job offer, but changed his mind when he realized
it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He could help establish a world-class college
that would fill a significant gap and allow Pacific Islanders to earn their doctorate
in pharmacy degrees locally and stay to serve the community.
Pezzuto says he has no regrets about his decision. His wife, Mimi, and their three
children have since adjusted well to the Hilo lifestyle. Mimi, a pharmacist, teaches
at the pharmacy college. She was previously a national senior consultant for the
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
In July 2008, the UH Hilo College of Pharmacy was awarded candidate accreditation
status by the Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education (ACPE). “This was
a critical milestone,” says Pezzuto. The college met all of the ACPE’s
75 standards and 150 guidelines and will be eligible for full accreditation when
the college’s first class graduates in 2011.
Pharmacists – Filling a Need
By 2020, a national shortage of 160,000 pharmacists is anticipated, due largely
to an aging population and an increasing number of complicated new drugs, according
to Pezzuto. This year, the Hilo college received 1,200 applicants for 90 positions.
“Our graduates will probably have five to 10 job offers and start at annual
salaries over $100,000,” he says. “It’s a superb career.”
About 60 percent of the Hilo graduates will choose to practice community pharmacy,
working in local pharmacies and retail chains, says Pezzuto. Many pharmacists now
have extended duties that include patient counseling. “It’s a critical
position because the pharmacist can be a good friend and important part of someone’s
personal health care team,” says Pezzuto.
First-year pharmacy student Jessica Toyama is headed in that direction. A graduate
of Moanalua High School, she enrolled at the University of Washington in Seattle
and graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology. She returned to Hawai‘i
and worked in the pharmacy department at a Longs Drugs store for a year. “I
really enjoyed interacting with customers and knew that if I became a pharmacist,
I could give them advice about their medications and health,” she says.
When Toyama heard about the new pharmacy college in Hilo, she figured that psychology
and pharmacy would be a good match. After completing her first year at the Hilo
college, Toyama says she made the right decision. “The dean and professors
are fantastic, and our class of 90 students is really close.”
Mission Ahead
“The UH Hilo College of Pharmacy will allow Hawai‘i to produce homegrown,
world-class pharmacists who will help improve the quality of health care throughout
Hawai‘i and the Pacific,” says Rep. Jerry Chang (D-South Hilo), chairman
of the state House of Representatives Higher Education Committee. “The commission
that accredits colleges and universities throughout the west recently complimented
UH Hilo on its new College of Pharmacy,” adds Chang, who was an early supporter
of the pharmacy college.
Guiding the Hilo College of Pharmacy into ranking among the nation’s top 25
pharmacy schools is one of Pezzuto’s top long-range goals. “I didn’t
leave a top-ranked school at Purdue to be the dean of a school ranked 90th,”
he says. He’s especially impressed with the college’s high-quality students
and outstanding faculty. “Many of them are experts in native Hawaiian plants,”
he points out. “They already have the talent and published papers to be recognized
as the world’s top group in that field.”
With 16 faculty and staff members, the college shares UH Hilo biology and chemistry
classrooms and labs as temporary quarters. Ultimately, says Pezzuto, the college’s
biggest challenge is to obtain a permanent building, which could cost as much as
$80 million.
Pezzuto’s research mission is to bring in more grant money. He is the principal
investigator of a $6.8 million National Cancer Institute grant to study cancer chemoprevention.
“When the college is operating at full speed, it will have a $35 million impact
on the state’s economy,” he predicts. “Not bad for a little college
in Hilo.”