Carla White has been promoted to associate dean of organizational diversity and inclusion at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
White is a clinical assistant professor in the Division of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education and has served as assistant dean for innovative leadership and diversity since 2015.
White established the School’s primary diversity initiative in 2007 as the head of the Office of Leadership and Diversity. Her flagship projects launched during this time include the Recruitment Ambassadors Program; the Leadership, Excellence and Development Program; M-FLIP; the Leadership Academy; Undergraduate Students for Diversity in Pharmacy; and the Cross-Cultural Leadership Development Program.
White has achieved national prominence for her work, accepting numerous invited speaking engagements and publishing several peer-reviewed articles. She served as the principal investigator for an $80,000 grant from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services for a pilot program for recruitment of minority students into pharmacy school.
“We must continue to foster a culture in which diversity and inclusion is embraced and embedded in everything we do,” said Interim Dean Dhiren Thakker, Ph.D. “I am confident that under Carla’s leadership, we will continue to set an example for others to follow, both on UNC’s campus and among other schools of pharmacy nationally.”
In her new role, White will be responsible for developing a diversity and inclusion plan for the next five years with the goal of optimizing experiences for faculty, staff and students, and fostering a generation of health care professionals with diverse perspectives.
“White’s promotion to the rank of associate dean recognizes her contributions to the School, and she will have an influential role going forward in increasing recruitment of a diverse faculty, staff and student body, as well as promoting a diverse and inclusive community,” Thakker said.
“The School has made tremendous progress towards building an infrastructure to facilitate increasing pharmacist workforce diversity,” he said. “However, there is still work to be done. With Carla’s expanded role, the School is strengthening its commitment and positioning itself to make a greater impact to meet societal need.”
Carla White is a licensed pharmacist who earned her B.S. in pharmacy from the University of Pittsburgh. She served as a clinical pharmacist and pharmacy manager before coming to UNC as a clinical assistant professor in 1997. In addition to leading the School’s diversity initiatives, White served as the director of the Pharmaceutical Care Labs and as the interim regional dean of the School’s former Elizabeth City satellite campus.