Robert “Bob” Blouin, Pharm.D., dean of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and the Vaughn and Nancy Bryson Distinguished Professor, has been selected as the 2016 recipient of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy’s Paul F. Parker Medal for Distinguished Service to the Profession of Pharmacy, one of the pharmacy profession’s most prestigious awards.
An internationally recognized leader of clinical pharmacy practice, education and research, Blouin was appointed dean of the School in July 2003. During his tenure, the School has seen significant growth:
- The faculty has grown by nearly 75 percent.
- The number of graduate students has grown by nearly 50 percent.
- Total research funding has increased from $2.2 million in 2002 to $27 million in 2015, second among the nation’s pharmacy schools.
- The School has doubled its physical space by expanding into two new research buildings.
- Five research centers have been created, the most recent being the Center for Medication Optimization through Practice and Policy.
- U.S. News & World Report ranked the School number one in 2016, up from number seven in 2003.
In addition, Blouin has led the transformation of the School’s professional curriculum to better prepare and position its graduates as leaders, innovators and exemplary practitioners.
Blouin has received many honors, including designation as the University of Tennessee’s First Tennessee Chair of Excellence Distinguished Visiting Professor, the Ohio State Milap Nahata Distinguished Lecturer Award, the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy Hall of Distinguished Alumni Award and the University of North Carolina General Alumni Association Faculty Service Award. He has been elected as a fellow of both the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists.
Prior to coming to UNC, Blouin spent 25 years at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy as a faculty member and administrator, last serving as professor and associate dean for research and graduate education from 1997 to 2003.
Blouin will be presented with the award during the Opening General Session at the 2016 ACCP Annual Meeting on Sunday, October 23, in Hollywood, Florida.