University of Charleston School of Pharmacy Gains Full Accreditation
- Release Date:Monday, July 12, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Charleston, WV – The University of Charleston announced today that its School of Pharmacy has achieved full national accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). Full accreditation is awarded to a new program that has met all ACPE standards and has graduated its first class.
The UC pharmacy school opened its doors in August 2006 in a new technology-infused building on the UC campus that was funded by a combination of private donations and federal funds. Its first class of 69 doctors of pharmacy (Pharm.D.) graduated in May 2010. To date, 100% of the UC graduates who have taken the national certification test (NAPLEX) have passed.
One of the primary goals of the UC program has been to improve the quality of healthcare provided to the underserved regions of West Virginia and Appalachia. School of Pharmacy Dean Michelle Easton reports that approximately 80% of the inaugural pharmacy graduates will be contributing not only their healthcare expertise but also their intellectual and financial capital to the Appalachian region, including 34% in West Virginia, 24% in Kentucky, five percent each in Ohio and Maryland, and pharmacists in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Tennessee. The remaining graduates have employment or post-graduate training experiences in California (9%); the Midwest (Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and Minnesota); and one each in the District of Columbia and Delaware.
About three quarters of the graduating class are committed to practicing as community pharmacists, and 10% will practice in institutional settings like hospitals and nursing homes. Fifteen percent of the graduates have garnered competitive post-graduate positions, six in pharmacy residency programs and three in clinical research fellowships. The large proportion of UC graduates in these post-graduate training opportunities is notable in any graduating class, not to mention the first graduating class from a newly established pharmacy school.
"We are gratified that the accrediting body has affirmed the strength of the UC pharmacy program with this grant of full accreditation," said university president Dr. Edwin H. Welch. "Even more exciting is the prospect of these UC doctors of pharmacy having a positive impact on the health of communities in West Virginia and beyond. We look forward to sending 70 to 80 pharmacists into the workforce each year to make positive contributions to their communities, both financially and in terms of improving the availability of quality health care."
For additional information, please contact:
Dr. Michelle R. Easton, Dean of the School of Pharmacy, at 304.357.4728
Dr. Edwin H. Welch, President, at 304.357.4713
Sharon Hudson, ACPE, at shudson@acpe-accredit.org
The University of Charleston Doctor of Pharmacy program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, 20 North Clark Street, Suite 2500, Chicago, IL 60602-5109, 312.664.3575; FAX 312.664.4652, www.acpe-accredit.org.
