University of Maryland Opens Pharmacy Program at Shady Grove

Additional 40 students will train to become pharmacists at Montgomery County campus.

By Jeffrey Raymond
July 24, 2007

Starting this fall, the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy will offer its Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) in Montgomery County, which allows additional highly-qualified students to enroll.

“By offering pharmacy education at USG we will make critical strides to meet the rising demand for pharmacists,” says Dean Natalie D. Eddington, PhD. “Our nation’s aging population is increasingly reliant on sophisticated medications. At the same time, pharmacists are assuming ever larger roles in research, patient safety and education, disease management, and drug-use issues.”

“The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy is a national leader in pharmacy education and research,” says Stewart Edelstein, executive director of USG. “For the first time the School of Pharmacy is offering its prestigious PharmD program at another University System of Maryland campus. The decision to expand the PharmD enrollment by offering it here in Montgomery County is especially appropriate since it is home to many cutting-edge genomics and pharmaceutical companies, health care providers, and government health agencies.”

Each year more than 1,000 students apply for the 120 Doctor of Pharmacy slots at the School of Pharmacy in Baltimore, which is already over capacity. Extending its program to USG using digital technology will permit enrollment of an additional 40 students each year. When the first class graduates in 2011, USG will have 160 students studying for the PharmD.

“The expansion of the Pharmacy program to USG is another example of how the University System of Maryland offers affordable and convenient access to education while meeting critical workforce demands,” noted Chancellor William E. Kirwan, PhD.

Students at both campuses will receive the same the same instruction from the same faculty and graduate with the same degree, PharmD. Lectures at the School in Baltimore will be digitally recorded and made available to pharmacy students via a secure web site. Faculty at each campus will lead small-group discussions, provide laboratory instruction and mentor clinical experiences in state-of-the-art facilities. As they progress through the curriculum, pharmacy students spend increasing amounts of time gaining clinical experience in sites in community, hospital, and other health care and research centers in Montgomery County and throughout the region.

Heather Brennan Congdon, PharmD, the School of Pharmacy’s assistant dean for Shady Grove, says: “I am elated to be a part of this innovative endeavor. This is a great opportunity both to expand the outstanding pharmacy program at the University of Maryland and address the growing need for pharmacists in our state and across the country. Montgomery County serves as an excellent foundation for our faculty and students, given the wealth of hospitals, community pharmacies, federal agencies, and research companies in the area.”

Dr. Henri Manasse, executive vice president of the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacy in Bethesda, is delighted to see the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy establish a presence at Shady Grove. “Local access to its programs, faculty, and students will be a boon to the many organizations like mine who rely on first-tier academic institutions not only for their graduates, but also for partnerships in the research and business arenas,” he says.

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