R. Kip Guy, PhD, was appointed dean of the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, effective July 31 announced U of M Executive Vice President and Provost Rachel T.A. Croson on March 31. With approval of the Board of Regents at their May meeting, Guy will become the college’s eighth dean.

“As the college’s senior leader within University governance, Dr. Guy will function as the lead representative among internal and external constituencies including the pharmacy, occupational therapy, and medical laboratory science communities in Minnesota, the academic health sciences at the University, national and international stakeholders, and the broader public,” said Croson in her announcement.

Guy is a senior academic leader and innovator with over 20 years of leadership experience in pharmacy, chemical biology, and drug discovery in the not-for-profit and academic sectors, and across higher education. He is currently dean and professor of pharmacy at the University of Kentucky’s College of Pharmacy, a position he has held since 2016. He previously served as the inaugural chair of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and has also held adjunct professor positions at Vanderbilt University and the University of California, San Francisco.

“I’m overjoyed to be joining the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy during this exciting time. Our advanced practice models continue to expand; our supply chains are experiencing disruptive change; and the range of the pharmaceuticals that we work with continues to grow, with new classes and types of drugs reaching the market every year. Each of these trajectories of change bring opportunities where we can assert national leadership by setting the standards,” said Guy. “Within the college I’m also looking forward to the opportunities afforded by working across the three campuses, where we can tune offerings to best address local needs, and continuing the work to bring Occupational Therapy and Medical Laboratory Sciences fully into the inclusive community of the college. I’m looking forward to leading the college to finding the best places to strategically focus our efforts and the most effective approaches to meeting our goals.”

In 2020 Guy was elected a Fellow of the American Association of the Advancement of Science, and in 2023 he won the Phil Portoghese Award for Medicinal Chemistry from the American Chemical Society. His primary interests are in evidence-based practice, health disparities, pharmacy education, and drug discovery. He is the author of 206 papers and book chapters, and the inventor of 27 issued patents. Guy holds a PhD in organic chemistry from the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA, and a B.A. in chemistry from Reed College in Portland, OR.

In his role as dean, Guy will provide intellectual leadership and vision, as well as oversee the college’s strategic, operational, and financial direction. He will collaborate with faculty, staff and students to advance the excellence of programs and activities.

In her announcement, Croson also thanked Interim Dean Amy Pittenger for her leadership since last September and the college community for its engagement in the dean search process.

Read the original announcement on the University of Minnesota website here.