Inaugural Associate Dean for Recruitment and Admissions Appointed

New role to develop and implement metrics-driven, holistic recruitment and admissions strategy for School’s 10 academic programs.

By Becky Ceraul
September 25, 2024

University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP) dean Sarah L.J. Michel, PhD, has appointed Leah Sera, PharmD, MA, BCPS, associate professor of practice, sciences, and health outcomes research (P-SHOR), the School’s inaugural associate dean for recruitment and admissions.

In this new role, Sera will oversee recruitment and admissions activities for the School’s PharmD, PhD, MS, and certificate programs. She will work closely with the associate deans for student affairs and graduate programs, as well as faculty and staff colleagues to develop and implement a metrics-driven, holistic recruiting and admissions strategy.

“Dr. Sera brings many new and exciting ideas to propel the School of Pharmacy in leading the training of pharmacists of the future, teaching students in cutting edge graduate degrees, and producing the next generation of clinicians and heath science researchers,” says Michel, who is also a professor of pharmaceutical sciences.

Sera received her PharmD from the School of Pharmacy in 2010. She then completed a pharmacy practice residency at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Md., and a specialty residency in pain management and palliative care at UMSOP. She is a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist and earned a master’s in instructional systems development at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2017.

Sera brings extensive experience in recruiting and admissions to this new and important role. In 2019, she developed and was the inaugural director of the School’s highly successful and timely MS in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics (MSCT), later creating an associated certificate. Sera created and implemented a robust recruitment and admissions approach, along with overseeing the delivery of holistic services to MCST students.

Sera has also been involved with admissions for the PharmD program, serving on the Admissions Committee multiple times, taught in the MS in Palliative Care program, and has completed coursework in the PhD in Pharmaceutical Health Services Research program, adding to her diverse knowledge of the School’s 10 academic programs.

“The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy has been my academic and professional home since I started as a PharmD student in 2006, and I am honored to serve in this important role,” Sera says. “I am looking forward to sharing our brand of pharmacy and graduate education with future UMSOP students and working to optimize enrollment in all our academic programs.”

Sera will be stepping down from her roles as co-director of the Graduate Studies in Medical Cannabis program and as vice chair of education in P-SHOR.