Career Center

Dean, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill invites nominations and applications for the position of Dean of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy (School), the nation’s leading school of pharmacy and a recognized innovator in pharmacy education, research, practice advancement, and translational science.

About UNC
Established in 1789, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Carolina) was the first public university in the nation. Students enrolled starting in 1795, making Carolina the only public university to award degrees in the 18th century. Graduate programs were offered starting in 1876, followed by the creation of professional schools throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, Carolina enrolls over 18,000 undergraduates and over 11,000 professional and graduate students. The University offers 77 bachelor’s degree programs, 111 master’s degree programs, 65 doctoral degree programs, and 7 professional degree programs.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a member of the Association of American Universities, is one of the world’s premier research universities, with a highly collaborative culture among faculty of all disciplines and over $1.5B in annual research expenditures supporting endeavors with local, national, and global significance. Carolina is uniquely situated as one of the only U.S. universities that houses six highly rated Health Affairs schools on its campus, together with its College of Arts & Sciences and multiple outstanding professional schools. Carolina is known for collegial interactions and a stellar ability to assemble successful, multi-disciplinary teams to solve problems of great import to North Carolina, the U.S., and the world. As a proud public university, its research is intertwined with its mission of service to the citizens of North Carolina who established and support its endeavors. North Carolina, with its incredibly diverse geography, fast-changing demographics, and generative range of rural, urban, and suburban communities, offers opportunities for research partnerships and sites that few other locations can.

The Research Triangle Park, defined by Carolina, Duke, and NC State University at its corners, has always provided public-private research opportunities. Currently, the Triangle is witnessing an explosion of investment in the life, technological, data, health, and economic sciences. Thus, the potential to translate basic and applied research is at its highest level ever and is likely to grow. Lastly, the physical location of all academic schools and departments on a single, beautiful campus, and the livability and opportunities for personal and family growth in the Chapel Hill/Durham/Raleigh area, make Carolina a magnet for recruitment of top-notch research-oriented scholars.

The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Established in 1897, the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is the only public pharmacy school in North Carolina and one of the oldest in the nation.

Today, the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy advances the teaching, research, and public service mission of Carolina as the nation’s No. 1 school of pharmacy. Globally, the School is ranked No. 3 among pharmacy schools and No. 5 overall in the QS World University Rankings. Its mission is to prepare leaders and innovators to solve the world’s most pressing healthcare challenges.

With campuses in both Asheville and Chapel Hill and partnerships throughout the state, the School serves North Carolina by collaborating with business, healthcare, industry, education, and local government leaders to elevate and advance research, practice, and education. Two key initiatives aligned with the School’s strategic plan in serving the state are the Rural Pharmacy Health Initiative, and RURAL-CP, translating collaboration into sustainable, team-based care models to optimize medication use in health across the state. With a vision to be the global leader in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, the School is constantly innovating and collaborating to positively impact the health of our state, nation, and world.

The School operates across five primary academic divisions:

• Chemical Biology & Medicinal Chemistry (CBMC)
• Pharmacoengineering & Molecular Pharmaceutics (DPMP)
• Pharmacotherapy & Experimental Therapeutics (DPET)
• Pharmaceutical Outcomes & Policy (DPOP)
• Practice Advancement & Clinical Education (PACE)

The Role
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeks a strategic, collaborative, and innovative leader to serve as the next Dean of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. This is an extraordinary opportunity for a forward-looking leader to build upon the School’s legacy of excellence while shaping the future of pharmacy education, research, and healthcare innovation on a national and global scale. The next Dean will join a premier public research university at a moment of significant opportunity across artificial intelligence, drug discovery, workforce development, interdisciplinary collaboration, and healthcare transformation.

The Dean will inherit a highly regarded school with exceptional faculty, incredible and deeply committed staff, strong student outcomes, nationally recognized research programs, and distinctive assets such as innovation initiatives and global partnerships. The School community is defined not only by excellence and impact, but also by authenticity, collegiality, and a human-centered culture.

The next Dean must embrace and advance this culture while positioning the School for continued growth and national leadership in an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving healthcare, research, practice, and higher education landscape.

The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy has earned a national reputation for innovation, leadership, and impact across education, research, and practice. The School’s distinctive assets, interdisciplinary partnerships, entrepreneurial mindset, and commitment to improving human health uniquely position it to define the future of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences.

The next Dean will have the opportunity to lead a highly respected academic community and further elevate the School’s role on a national and global scale.

Reporting to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, the Dean is the School's Chief Executive Officer and will provide academic, intellectual, and administrative leadership to the School. The Dean leads the effort in creating a vision and advancing the mission of the School, with responsibility for the academic and research enterprise, advancement and development functions, personnel, general administration and management, compliance and risk management, and budget. The appointment is reviewed every five years.

The Dean:

• Serves as chief executive officer of the School of Pharmacy. The Dean plans for, and stewards, the fiscal and material resources needed to offer the educational, research, and service programs of the School.
• Administers the School's educational, research, and public service programs. Consults and collaborates with faculty and administrators on decisions related to school strategy, including academic affairs.
• Recommends to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost the appointments, promotions, and tenure of School of Pharmacy faculty members.
• Serves as the School's representative on various University policy and decision bodies and is the official representative of the School to external constituencies.
• Leads the School's advancement and development activities to promote the School's vision, mission, values and strategic plan. Stewards advancement/development by serving as a voting member of the Board of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy Foundation and presents the School's accomplishments and needs to that body. Collaborates with individuals, groups, schools, programs, alumni, and organizations within the University, the broader pharmacy and healthcare community and the public at large to promote the goals of the School.
• Assures compliance with the general policies and practices of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill including affirmative action policies and regulations governing academic standards and faculty appointment, promotion, and tenure. Assures compliance with the regulatory standards of the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy and with the professional standards of educational accrediting bodies. Oversees the School's risk management plan.
• Stewards the management and viability of the School's satellite campus in Asheville, NC at UNC Health Sciences at MAHEC (Mountain Area Health Education Center).
• Leads strategic planning and policy development activities of the School.

Specific responsibilities include leading and partnering with the following: development/fundraising, marketing and communications, compliance/policy/ethics, external and government relations, finance/budget management, faculty and staff leadership, research administration, strategic planning, and student administration and academic program oversight.

Opportunities and Strategic Priorities for the Dean
Advance Innovation in Education, Research, and Practice
The School is widely viewed as a national model for innovation in pharmacy education, research, and practice. The next Dean will have the opportunity to further establish the School as the leading voice in shaping the future of pharmacy education, transformative pharmaceutical sciences research, and healthcare delivery. The Dean should foster innovation across all domains of the School, including educational delivery and curriculum design, translation of research discoveries in to real-world impact, practice advancement and care delivery, interdisciplinary collaboration, and workforce development and industry partnerships. The next Dean will be expected to move beyond maintaining existing success and instead position the School to define the future of the profession globally by advancing a culture that encourages creativity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and transformative thinking.

Lead in Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies
The next Dean will help establish a strategic vision for how the School can lead the profession in leveraging AI while thoughtfully addressing its risks and implications. The School is well-positioned to become a national leader in the application of artificial intelligence in pharmacy education, research, and clinical practice. Specific opportunities include the expansion of AI integration within teaching and curriculum, research capabilities in AI-enabled drug discovery and development, student learning and experience in AI-applications in clinical practice, and ethical and responsible AI leadership within healthcare education.

Expand Research and Industry Partnerships
North Carolina’s rapidly growing pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and manufacturing sectors create substantial opportunities for the School to deepen industry engagement and strengthen workforce development pipelines. Building upon a solid foundation, the Dean has an opportunity to lead the School and expand collaborations with industry and external partners, create additional internship, fellowship, and experiential learning opportunities, grow translational and interdisciplinary research initiatives, and advance pharmacoengineering and related fields aligned with University initiatives. The Dean will play a critical role in strengthening research partnerships and identifying new opportunities for external funding and collaboration.

Strengthen Statewide and Health System Collaborations
The School is uniquely positioned to strengthen partnerships across UNC Health, statewide healthcare systems, and community organizations. The next Dean will have the opportunity to expand team-based care delivery models, strengthen engagement with Medicaid and Medicare populations, advance policy and practice innovation, increase student exposure to communities across North Carolina, and foster collaborations that improve healthcare access and outcomes statewide.

Lead the Next Campaign and Expand Philanthropic Support
The School is entering an important period of philanthropic opportunity aligned with broader University fundraising priorities. The Dean must serve as an externally engaged and highly visible fundraiser capable of articulating an inspiring vision for the School, building relationships with donors, alumni, industry, and University leadership, advancing campaign priorities, and securing resources to support strategic initiatives, facilities, research, and student success.

Immediate Priorities for the Next Dean

• Learn, support, and advance the School’s existing strategic plan
• Sustain and strengthen the research enterprise
• Support graduate education and funding stability
• Advance strategic growth areas, including AI and pharmacoengineering
• Address facilities and space modernization needs
• Promote the PharmD program and curriculum, which features a vanguard approach to active learning
• Maintain and elevate the School’s national and global standing and impact
• Preserve and strengthen the School’s distinctive culture, including promoting an environment that positively contributes to the recruitment and retention of students, faculty, and staff
• Partner with the UNC Chief Development Officer and President of the Eshelman School of Pharmacy Foundation to develop and execute a multi-year fundraising strategy in preparation for the upcoming campaign

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

Candidates should have an earned terminal degree, record of exceptional leadership success, and evidence of scholarly, professional, or creative achievement.

Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience

• Extensive experience in pharmacy professional and graduate program administration and executive leadership
• Progressive academic leadership experience
• Strong track record of independently-funded scholarship
• Demonstrated record of fostering excellence in research, teaching, and service

Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience

• Former experience in pharmacy school administrative role
• Ability to think strategically and build effective institutional partnerships
• Demonstrated administrative experience, a high standard of professional integrity, and strong team-building skills
• Ability to articulate effectively the School's vision and mission to the students, faculty, alumni, practitioners, external funding agencies, and other decision-making bodies

The Ideal Candidate Profile
The successful candidate will be a strategic, visionary, and relational leader with the experience and credibility to lead the nation’s top pharmacy school through its next era of growth and transformation. The Dean should shepherd the School’s rich culture of collaboration, community, and connection.

Competitive candidates will bring many of the following characteristics

• Demonstrated academic leadership experience
• Strong understanding of research, education, and pharmacy practice advancement
• Business and financial acumen
• Experience with fundraising and external engagement
• Ability to lead strategic planning and organizational execution
• Track record of building collaborative partnerships
• Experience navigating complex institutional environments
• Commitment to innovation and thoughtful risk-taking
• Understanding of evolving healthcare and higher education trends
• Commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and translational impact

The next Dean should demonstrate:

• Authenticity and humility
• Empathy and emotional intelligence
• Transparency and honesty
• Active listening skills
• Openness to diverse perspectives
• Strong communication and relationship-building abilities
• Collaborative and empowering leadership
• Commitment to supporting faculty, staff, and students
• Ability to inspire trust across constituencies

Click here to view the full Leadership Profile.

Applications and Nominations
Please apply online at https://jobs.crelate.com/portal/buffkinbaker/job/gerodyquxxfmfbk8bjkcj9b4de

Priority consideration will be given to materials received by July 17, 2026. Applications should include a 1) current CV and 2) a letter of interest that addresses the responsibilities and qualifications described above.

Buffkin/Baker, an executive search firm, is assisting the University in the search. Inquiries of interest, nominations, and applications should be submitted electronically, in confidence, to:

Mr. Martin M. Baker, Managing Partner
Buffkin / Baker
martin@buffkinbaker.com

To access the UNC Careers Job Posting, please visit https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/319438

Equal Opportunity Statement from UNC Human Resources
The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply without regard to age, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.