Inspire, Fall 2007

Inspire 9 The ’00s: Pharmacy on the Horizon It’s not just a new century; it’s a new millennium. We’re less than a decade into it and already much of our world has changed. We’ve seen unprecedented innovation in technology. We’ve had the opportunity to applaud victories for morality in our courts. And we’ve lived through the worst act of terrorism in American history. So far, it’s been an unpredictable decade. Still, some would consider a pharmacy major to be more than predictable — boring, even. They would be wrong. That’s what Cedarville University discovered as it began the process of starting just such a program. Dr. Duane Wood, executive director for program development at Cedarville the last two years, was given the task of performing feasibility studies for a CU pharmacy degree. What he found was more than enough to turn the idea into a reality. For instance, as of fall 2005, there were 210,000 pharmacists in the United States. It is projected that by 2020, our country will have a shortage of 150,000 pharmacists. Written prescriptions have risen from two billion in 1995 to more than three billion in 2005, and the 89 schools that offer the pharmacy degree in the United States consistently fill to capacity. Those are the statistics. But a significant selling point for Cedarville was the promise that a pharmacy program would fit into the school’s vision. “We felt that graduates would have opportunities, especially in the health profession,” says Dr. Wood, “to make witnessing a normal part of work.” Dr. Andy Runyan, associate vice president for academic administration, takes it to the next level. “We want to have professional programs that allow students to be a witness for Christ,” he says. “But we also want to find those professions that will let them have an impact on society.” Because of the aging baby boomer population, the number of prescriptions continues to increase. The job itself has transformed over the years. Today’s pharmacists not only fill prescriptions, but can also have an impact on what medications are used, can participate in research, and may even be called to go on rounds with doctors. “They’re more directly involved with patients now,” Dr. Runyan says. “Many pharmacists say they counsel people all day — and can influence where things are headed.” Of course, that kind of influence puts pharmacists on the front line of many ethical issues in our society, including prescription drug abuse and dispensing the morning-after pill. “We’re planning on ethics courses within the professional program, and students will be required to have a Bible minor as part of the prepharmacy program,” says Dr. Runyan. “There will be a lot of discussion, and they’ll develop a Christian and vocational worldview accordingly.” Development of the three-year prepharmacy and the four-year PharmD program is well underway. The search for a founding dean has already begun (www.cedarville.edu/foundingdean ). Not too surprisingly, the main challenge facing the development staff is recruiting faculty who meet the spiritual and professional requirements. In fact, according to Dr. Wood, there is a shortage of faculty for pharmaceutical programs nationwide. “To help in planning and implementation,” he says, “we have established an advisory board with members of existing schools of pharmacy and practitioners from both community and hospital settings as well as pharmaceutical companies.” Accreditation is also a top priority for Cedarville. The University is pursuing accreditation for the School of Pharmacy by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. In the meantime, interest in the program is strong. Cedarville’s reputation for launching successful professional programs is already attracting inquiries from parents and prospective students. Despite the unpredictability of the decade so far, pharmacy at Cedarville University promises to be a successful, inspirational, and God-honoring program — for many years to come. Feature Watch for detailed announcements about the Cedarville University School of Pharmacy launch in upcoming issues of Inspire .To inquire about the founding dean or other pharmacy faculty positions, contact Dr. Andy Runyan at 937-766-3840. Sharyn Kopf enjoys her new role as assistant director of public relations at Cedarville. She has worked previously as a newspaper reporter and spent more than seven years as an award‑winning radio writer for Focus on the Family. She has also written numerous articles for various publications, including Boundless Webzine, as well as several drama scripts, two of which were published by Concordia Publishing House. In addition, Sharyn is working on three novels and a nonfiction book. Sharyn graduated from Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana, with a communications degree and now lives in Columbus, Ohio. You can reach her via e‑mail at skopf@cedarville.edu. I