UNC’s Eshelman School of Pharmacy held a celebration on Tuesday to welcome its new dean to her job, as Angela Kashuba became the school’s eleventh dean.

Kashuba was selected in May to take over as leader of the top pharmacy school in the nation. The permanent role had been vacant since Bob Blouin was hired as the university’s provost in 2017.

At Tuesday’s ceremony, Kashuba described it as a privilege to begin her tenure as dean, promising to continue the innovation and research that led to the school becoming the country’s best.

“As the new dean of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy,” Kashuba said, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to build upon the school’s success and culture of excellence. While we are the number-one ranked school of pharmacy in the nation, I can assure you no one is willing to rest. We have significant momentum and we have the unique opportunity to go beyond excellence.”

In her career, Kashuba has authored more than 240 peer-reviewed publications and has been awarded over $20 million in research funding. She has taught at UNC since 1997, being named the John and Deborah McNeill, Jr. Distinguished Professor in 2013. Kashuba also serves as director of the UNC Center for AIDS Research Clinical Pharmacology and Analytical Chemistry Core.

Interim chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz shared his support of Kashuba at the ceremony, saying her leadership in classrooms and research labs should excite the UNC community with her taking over as dean.

“This school has a storied history that we’re so proud of,” said Guskiewicz. “Yet, we’re even more excited about its future. At this critical moment, Angela Kashuba is the right person to lead the Eshelman School of Pharmacy as we serve the state of North Carolina and beyond.”

Kashuba said she has many ways she wants to continue growing the pharmacy school, but she said one of her top focuses will be on improving rural health. She said because many North Carolinians cannot always come to UNC facilities or other healthcare services, it’s important for the school to use its tools and technology to go to them.

“Forty percent of North Carolinians live in rural counties and they may not have all the comprehensive health care services they need. I would like to make sure that we have pharmacists in the right roles to be at the forefront of care for all of our citizens.”

In the two years before Kashuba began her role as permanent dean, Dhiren Thakker served as the interim dean for the Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Catalyst to Provide Tools to Fight Rare Diseases
There are more than 6,800 rare diseases in existence. These diseases are usually genetic, and include conditions like muscular dystrophy or cystic fibrosis. Doctors are learning more about how to identify rare or orphan diseases in the United States, but not so much about how to treat them. That’s why UNC created the UNC Catalyst […]
UNC Names Kevin Guskiewicz as Permanent Chancellor
After a months-long search, the UNC System named Kevin Guskiewicz the chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Friday. Guskiewicz, who had served as UNC’s interim chancellor since February, was unanimously approved by the UNC System Board of Governors after being recommended by the system’s Interim President Bill Roper. He previously […]
UNC Announces New Senior Position for Risk Management and Safety
UNC interim chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz announced a new senior leadership position for the university on Monday. He revealed the role of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Integrity and Risk Management and his selection of George Battle III for the job. In a release, Guskiewicz described the role as being comprised of several important aspects for […]
Anti-Racist Activists Look to Continue Addressing UNC's Past
More than 100 people spent Tuesday night gathered to celebrate the removal of the Confederate statue Silent Sam and champion the rights of minorities, LGBT community members and activists. The rally, however, was not just to remember the actions of protesters a year ago when they pulled down Silent Sam. It was also to encourage […]
UNC Researcher Remembered As 'Outgoing,' 'Passionate' About Science
Both UNC and the wider Chapel Hill community have been devastated by the murder Dr. Feng Liu of the Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
Multiple UNC Graduate School Programs Ranked in Nation's Top 10
Several UNC graduate programs were ranked in the top 10 of their respective categories by the U.S. News & World Report this week. Rankings are based on a survey of peers from accredited institutions across the country. “Carolina’s graduate programs are exceptional, and it’s no surprise that our schools are ranked so highly,” said interim […]
UNC Business School Dean Announces Resignation, Effective Monday
Doug Shackelford, the dean of the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC, announced Friday he is resigning from the role. Shackelford made the announcement over a brief Zoom message shared to the school, saying he will step down effective Monday. The dean and UNC alumnus described that he was on vacation with his family and is […]
In a Challenging Time, Raul Reis Takes Over As UNC Journalism School Dean
Raul Reis, the new dean of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, discusses accreditation, journalistic principles, and more.
UNC Names Inaugural Dean of School of Data Science and Society
Stanley Ahalt was tapped to lead UNC's new School of Data Science and Society. The school is planned to launch in the fall. 
UNC Trustees Welcome Student Body President, New Deans as School Year Ends
The UNC Board of Trustees met for the final time of the 2021-22 academic year on Thursday morning and, as is typical for the last meeting before a summer break, celebrated this past year while celebrating new beginnings. The full board meeting at the Carolina Inn began with the addition of a new […]
›