Peter W Swaan Ph.D., M.Pharm.
Peter W. Swaan, Ph.D., M.Pharm., began his tenure as the eighth dean of the University of Florida College of Pharmacy on Dec. 1, 2022. Swaan previously served as the associate dean for research and advanced graduate education as well as a professor and chair in the department of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. While at Maryland, he was appointed a distinguished university professor in recognition of his extraordinary leadership and significant contributions to the pharmaceutical sciences.
Swaan is well connected to many of the nation’s largest and most prestigious pharmacy colleges. His academic and professional career includes stops at the University of Michigan; the University of California, San Francisco; the Ohio State University; and the University of Maryland. All four of these pharmacy colleges are featured in the top 15 of the U.S. News & World Report best pharmacy college rankings.
A highly cited researcher, Swaan has published more than 150 original research articles. He has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1998 and has secured more than $25 million in grant funding during his career. His research focuses on all aspects of transporters in drug targeting and delivery, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, with his major contributions to this research area involving the application of transporters as targets for prodrugs. He has pioneered the use of computational techniques to determine the structural requirements of membrane transporters, which has paved the way for the discovery of novel substrates and inhibitors. He also holds several U.S. patents on these and related technologies.
Since 2015, Swaan has chaired the Board of Grants for the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education, or AFPE. He has also chaired multiple committees within the American Association for Pharmaceutical Scientists and served on multiple NIH study sections. More than two dozen master’s and Ph.D. students have trained under his guidance, and in July 2022, he was awarded the AFPE William M. Heller Mentor of the Year Award.
Associate Deans
John M Allen Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCCP, FCCM, FCCP
John M. Allen, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCCP, FCCM, FCCP is an associate dean in the UF College of Pharmacy and a clinical associate professor at the college’s Orlando campus. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Dr. Allen joined the college in 2018. Dr. Allen’s professional areas of interest include health equity, antimicrobial stewardship in the intensive care unit, antibiotic dosing in sepsis, and treatment of multi-drug resistant infections in critically ill patients.
Dr. Allen graduated with his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, FL. He then completed a PGY-1 residency, followed by a PGY-2 Critical Care residency at Tampa General Hospital, in Tampa, FL. Dr. Allen is a dual board-certified pharmacist in critical care, and pharmacotherapy.
Dr. Allen is an active member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, American College of Clinical Pharmacy, Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists and the Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists and has been appointed to committees within all of these organizations. In 2017, Dr. Allen received the prestigious honor of induction as a Fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine, which honors individuals whose achievements and contributions demonstrate personal commitment to critical care excellence, a distinction at the time of his induction bestowed upon seven pharmacists in the state of Florida.
Prior to his appointment at the University of Florida, Dr. Allen has held a variety of diverse administrative experiences including serving as a pharmacy clinical coordinator, pharmacy residency program director, and director of infectious diseases pharmacy for a 16-hospital system. In his free time, Dr. Allen enjoys watching anything with four wheels going fast, traveling, and spending time with his wife and three children.
Teresa Cavanaugh Pharm.D., M.S., BCPS, FASHP
Teresa Cavanaugh received her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy in 2006. Upon graduation, she completed a pharmacy practice residency at The University Hospital in Cincinnati, which solidified her interest in practice-based research with transplant patients. She then completed a two-year fellowship in health outcomes research with a focus on liver transplantation. During her fellowship, she received board certification as a pharmacotherapy specialist, and a Master of Science degree in pharmacy administration with an emphasis on health outcomes research. Dr. Cavanaugh joined the faculty of the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy in 2009. Her practice site was an ambulatory liver transplant clinic. Dr. Cavanaugh was actively involved in both the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists where she served as Vice Chair and Chair of the Commission on Affiliate Relations and with the Ohio Society of Health-System Services where she served two terms as division director for Organizational Affairs and was elected president in 2014. In 2016, Dr. Cavanaugh became introductory pharmacy practice experiences coordinator and the co-curricular activities coordinator. She was promoted to clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice in August 2017. Her current research interests involve student mental health and identifying characteristics that lead to success in pharmacy school.
John Gums Pharm.D., FCCP
Dr. Gums is the Executive Associate Dean in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. He also serves as a Professor of Pharmacy and Medicine in the Departments of Pharmacy Education and Practice and Community Health and Family Medicine at UF. Gums received his undergraduate degree in pharmacy from the University of Wisconsin and his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. Subsequently, he completed a fellowship in Family Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Gums joined the faculty at the University of Florida in 1985, and is actively involved in teaching in the colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine. He has received the Faculty Recognition Award from the College of Pharmacy and twice was selected as Teacher of the Year by the University of Florida, Department of Family Medicine.
Jatinder Lamba Ph.D., M.Sc.
Dr. Jatinder Lamba is currently the associate dean for research and graduate education in the UF College of Pharmacy and a professor in the Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research. In 2022, she was appointed the Frank A. Duckworth Eminent Scholar Chair.
Lamba did her post-doctoral training at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Prior to joining University of Florida, she was an Associate Professor at University of Minnesota, Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy and the Director of the Pathway driven Pharmacogenomics; University of Minnesota Alliance (PUMA) Institute of Personalized Medicine.
Dr Lamba’s research is focused on identification, characterization and clinical validation of genomic/epigenomic markers predictive of therapeutic outcome in cancer patients. This research spans from preclinical basic research comprising the discovery phase utilizing cell line model systems to translational/clinical phase in patient populations from multi-institute clinical trials. The long-term goal of her research is to move pharmacogenetic testing into the clinical setting to improve safety and efficacy of drug therapy. Dr. Lamba’s research on pharmacogenomics of anti-leukemic agents has been funded by NIH/NCI since 2008. Specifically, her current NCI funded R01 focuses on pharmacogenomics/ epigenomics of cytarabine (ara-C), a nucleoside analog that is the backbone of anti-leukemia chemotherapy in pediatric AML patients. Her group is working on developing algorithms to incorporate pharmacogenomics/epigenomic markers with other prognostic factors to advance precision medicine in oncology. Identification of such patients upfront will provide opportunity to tailor the initial chemotherapy to achieve maximum benefit.
Dr. Lamba’s lab is the first one to identify genetic polymorphisms in CD33 gene that are predictive of response to CD33 targeted agents in AML. These results hold promise in utilizing preemptive genotype to select patients most likely to benefit from CD33-directed therapy such as gemtuzumab ozogamicin in treating AML. Previous work on CD33 genomics was funded by NCI and more in-depth characterization of CD33 as AML therapeutic target is funded by a recent award from leukemia Lymphoma Society.
Given a critical gap of our understanding in metabolic dysregulation in AML, Dr. Lamba’s group is focused understanding the metabolomics differences and biomarkers of prognostic significance in pediatric AML. Dr. Lamba’s recent work is focused towards utilizing transcriptomics to build and refine leukemic stem cell signatures and AML drug response signatures of prognostic and predictive value in AML.
Dr. Lamba has served as chair of Pharmacogenomics SIG at AACP (2013) and is currently vice-chair of Pharmacogenomics focus group with AAPS. She has served as a grant reviewer for numerous NIH study sections and has reviewed grants for international agencies as Italian Ministry of Health. She has published more than 90 research articles in peer-reviewed journals and is on the editorial boards of Leukemia and Lymphoma, Pharmacogenomics and Frontiers in Pharmacogenomics and genomics, JCMM. Dr. Lamba is currently Professor in College of Pharmacy and is also Graduate Program coordinator for PTR department. Dr. Lamba is very committed towards training of future generation of scientist. She has trained 6 Ph. D students, 5 Post-doctoral fellows several Pharm D students and 3 hematology-oncology fellows and several under-graduate students including minority and underrepresented students.
Christopher R McCurdy Ph.D., F.A.A.P.S.
Christopher R. McCurdy, Ph.D., FAAPS, is a broadly trained medicinal chemist, behavioral pharmacologist and pharmacist whose research focuses on the design, synthesis and development of drugs to treat pain and drug abuse. For over 20 years, much of his research has focused on opioid, Neuropeptide FF and sigma receptor ligand/probe design, synthesis, pharmacological evaluation and development. He has been successful in discovering unique and selective tools for sigma receptors, NPFF receptors and opioid receptors. He is an internationally recognized expert on Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), that is under investigation for opioid withdrawal syndrome. A significant portion of his career has been dedicated to the development of novel sigma receptor ligands, in collaboration with a variety of interdisciplinary groups, to generate and optimize selective ligands which could serve as critical experimental tools, and more recently, as potential medication development leads to attenuate the effects of cocaine, methamphetamine and pain. Most notably, he has developed a PET/MR imaging diagnostic agent for visualizing the origins of chronic, neuropathic pain by interacting with sigma receptors at the site of nerve damage. First-in-human studies are currently underway in a Phase 0 trial. In addition to his discovery chemistry roles, McCurdy serves as the director of the UF Translational Drug Development Core. Dr. McCurdy previously served as President of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) and also serves as the Co-Chair of the Special Interest Group on Drug Design and Discovery (DDD) of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).
Karen Whalen Pharm.D., BCPS, FAPhA
Karen Whalen received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree with highest honors from the University of Florida. She completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency at the Moses Cone Health System followed by a Primary Care Residency at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital. Following residency training, Dr. Whalen was a faculty member in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) for 12 years. While at NSU College of Pharmacy, she was an eight-time recipient of the Golden Apple Award for Teaching Excellence. In 2008, Dr. Whalen joined the faculty of the University of Florida College of Pharmacy as assistant director of the St. Petersburg Campus. In 2010, she transitioned to the main campus in Gainesville. Since then she has served in various administrative roles for the college, including Assistant Dean for Clinical Education and Assistant Dean for Curricular Affairs. She currently serves as the Associate Dean for Professional Advancement & Assessment and a Clinical Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Education and Practice. Her excellence in teaching has been recognized with the Faculty Recognition Award in 2011 and 2012, and the Teacher of the Year Award in 2013.
Dr. Whalen is a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist. She has practiced ambulatory care pharmacy in a variety of settings including an academic family medicine center, community pharmacy practice, and a Veterans’ Affairs Healthcare System. Dr. Whalen is active in local, state and national pharmacy organizations, and is a Fellow of the American Pharmacists Association and a past president of the Florida Pharmacy Association. She is a past recipient of the National Community Pharmacists Association Pharmacy Leadership Award, and the Florida Pharmacy Association Jean Lamberti Mentorship Award.
Assistant Deans
Stacey D Curtis BPharm., Pharm.D., CPh
Stacey Curtis, BPharm, Pharm.D., CPh., serves as the assistant dean for experiential education and a clinical associate professor of pharmacy education and practice in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. In addition, Dr. Curtis is serving as the inaugural director of well-being and resilience serving faculty, staff and students. She is also the residency program director of the Community-Based Pharmacy Residency Program and provides continuing pharmacy education training to pharmacists throughout the state and nation.
As the assistant dean, she leads the Office of Experiential Programs and helps students with post-graduate training and placement. She previously served the office as an assistant director, the lead regional coordinator, and a regional coordinator for the Gainesville, Panhandle and out-of-state regions. Her experience in experiential education has helped the college develop an innovative experiential curriculum that is nationally recognized.
As the director of well-being and resiliency, she will serve all stakeholders of the college. Dr. Curtis completed the Integrative Mind-Body Medicine training through Georgetown University in the summer of 2019. She serves as the faculty advisor to the Gator Pharmacy Wellness organization, a student led group focusing on well-being and wellness.
Dr. Curtis maintains strong ties to community pharmacy through the residency program. She brings her knowledge and experience with community pharmacy to the UF College of Pharmacy by mentoring and teaching future pharmacists.
Dr. Curtis has been affiliated with the college since 2009 and has held multiple leadership, teaching, and service roles during her tenure. Her enthusiasm and passion for student development have made a significant impact on pharmacy education at UF. In 2019, she was named the UF College of Pharmacy’s Teacher of the Year. She has also won several teaching and service awards.
Dr. Curtis earned her Pharm.D. from the UF College of Pharmacy and a B.S. in Pharmacy from the Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy.
Oliver Grundmann Ph.D.
Oliver Grundmann, Ph.D., received a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy and European pharmacist license from the University of Münster, Germany, in 2004 before beginning his graduate studies at the University of Florida. While continuing his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, he worked for the Forensic Science program after graduating with a master’s degree in Forensic Toxicology and minor in Statistics.
His research interests include the search for new treatment options from natural products for Central Nervous System and Gastrointestinal diseases such as anxiety and depressive disorders as well as irritable bowel syndrome and cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. Since 2016 a major collaborative research focus has been on Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), its pharmacology and therapeutic potential as well as patterns of use.
He also is interested in the implementation and impact of national and international collaborations for curricular development in the health sciences with an emphasis on distance and online education.
Dr. Grundmann serves as the Director and faculty advisor for the online Master of Science and graduate certificate programs in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Clinical Toxicology at the College of Pharmacy. In September 2023, he assumed the role of assistant dean of lifelong learning in the UF College of Pharmacy.
Lisa S Miller Pharm.D., M.A., BCPS, MSCP
Dr. Lisa Miller is the Assistant Dean of the Orlando Campus where she devotes her time to teaching, research, advising, and administration. Dr. Miller received a B.S. in Pharmacy from The Ohio State University, a Pharm.D. from University of Kentucky, and M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Liberty University. She completed a postdoctoral clinical pharmacy residency at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC and is a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS). Prior to joining the UF College of Pharmacy, Dr. Miller held various roles at Wingate University School of Pharmacy including Professor, Director of Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience, Assistant Dean for Faculty, and Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. Her current research interests include women’s health, women’s mental health, and scholarship of teaching and learning.
Carol A Motycka Pharm.D., BCACP
Carol Motycka, graduated from the University of Florida with her Pharm.D. and completed a residency in Ambulatory Care at Florida Hospital in Orlando. After practicing at Florida Hospital for several years, Motycka joined the University of Florida to help build the College of Pharmacy program in Jacksonville. She is board certified in Ambulatory Care has completed fellowships in both leadership and education. Motycka has been published in multiple academic and clinical journals and has provided over 100 presentations in the field. She has received awards on the state and national level for her teaching, research, and leadership. Motycka is a strong advocate of the profession of pharmacy and serves the profession through public relations events in her community and professional organizations where she has served in multiple capacities including Speaker of the House for the Florida Pharmacy Association and President of Duval County Pharmacy Association. As assistant dean of the University of Florida College of Pharmacy Jacksonville Campus, Motycka spends her time teaching, completing research, advising and administrating.
Jodi Taylor Pharm.D., BCCCP, FASHP
Dr. Jodi Taylor received a B.S. degree in Science from Middle Tennessee State University and a Pharm.D. degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. After graduation, she completed a PGY1 residency at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee. She served as a pharmacy practice faculty member at Union University College of Pharmacy from 2009 to 2024 and department chair from 2015 to 2024. During that time, she also served as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Critical Care at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. While at Union University, she was recognized as Teacher of the Year, Faculty Preceptor of the Year and Resident Preceptor of the Year by her students and residents. Dr. Taylor joined the University of Florida College of Pharmacy in 2024 as assistant dean for curricular affairs and clinical associate professor. She previously served as the Director-at-Large for the ASHP Section of Clinical Specialists and Scientists, is a past-President of the Tennessee Society of Health-System Pharmacists, a former member of the ASHP Council on Therapeutics and has served as a Tennessee delegate in the ASHP House of Delegates for multiple years. She is a previous recipient of the PLS National Alumni of the Year Award, the TSHP Health-System Pharmacist of the Year Award, and the TSSP Student Advocacy Award. Dr. Taylor is an active member state and national pharmacy organizations, is a Fellow in the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and a Board Certified Critical Care Pharmacist.
Executive Director of Administration and Finance
Shaima R Coffey
Shaima Coffey, M.H.A., has served as the executive director of finance and administration in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy since February 2023. She joined the college from the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, where she served as the associate director of administrative services in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering. In this role, she managed the department’s budget, and oversaw research compliance and business operations. Coffey has worked at UF since 2015, holding administrative positions in the UF College of Medicine’s Department of Medicine and Division of General Internal Medicine. She is a double Gator, earning a Master of Health Administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida.
Dean’s Leadership Council
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