Zuckerman Named Chair of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research

Long-serving faculty member will lead department focused on improving health among diverse populations through health services and other drug-related research, education, service and community outreach

By Becky Ceraul
August 1, 2008

Ilene H. Zuckerman, PharmD, PhD, a professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research (PHSR) at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and its associate dean for research and graduate education, has been appointed chair of PHSR. She succeeds Professor C. Daniel Mullins, PhD, who served as the founding chair of the department and has stepped down to further pursue his research on the cost-effectiveness of pharmaceuticals.

Zuckerman has been on faculty at the School of Pharmacy since 1983, and has served as an associate dean for the past two years. In that role, she reinstated the School’s Seed Grant Program and has expanded its utility by fostering cross-departmental collaboration. She has instituted a number of policies to facilitate research related activities in the School, including standardized training on HIPAA regulations, conflict of interest and research integrity issues, and the creation of a more efficient method of routing and processing grant applications. She is also founder and executive director of the School’s Pharmaceutical Research Computing center, which provides computing and support (including data warehousing and data analysis) to faculty within and outside of the University.

Zuckerman’s research focuses on improving drug therapy in vulnerable populations. She is principal investigator on a career development grant funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging to examine risk factors for transitions to nursing homes among community-dwelling elderly. Her research also includes the study of anti-dementia drugs in elderly patients in community and institutional settings. She also serves as associate director of the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s DEcIDE (Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions about Effectiveness) Center, one of 13 research centers supported by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

“Ilene is an accomplished researcher, administrator and mentor,” says Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, dean of the School of Pharmacy. “As chair of PHSR, Ilene will ably build upon the successes of her predecessor and focus on fostering the department’s research portfolio, interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research programs, curricular development, and the enhancement of federal funding.”

“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead PHSR as we continue to develop our health services research and educational programs,” Zuckerman says. “We have an outstanding group of faculty, trainees and staff with international recognition in areas including pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacoeconomics, health behavioral science and drug policy. With such brilliant talent already in place, I plan to build on our strengths and expand our research and graduate programs as the department grows over the next few years.”

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