Lakesha M Butler,

Dr. Butler is the Associate Vice President for Inclusion, Diversity and Health Equity for the University of Florida’s Health Science Center and Chief Diversity Officer for UF Health. She also serves as a Clinical Professor within the Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research. Prior to joining UF, Dr. Butler was the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and a Clinical Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Her leadership and impact span broadly at the institutional level, nationally and in the community. She has been nationally recognized for her work receiving the Distinguished Alumni award, the highest alumni honor from her alma mater, the APhA Distinguished Achievement Award, Pharmacy Time’s Face of Pharmacy Award and the National Pharmaceutical Association Pharmacy Leadership Award. Her professional interests include health equity, inclusive practices and policies, cultural humility, bias, health literacy, underserved communities, and leadership development.

Dr. Butler received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Mercer University in Atlanta, GA. She completed a pharmacy practice residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago and has received extensive training in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion.