For release: March 2, 2011
For press information, contact Mary Ann Dawson, 901-678-4866 or Sheila Champlin, 901-448-4957

According to a 2005 report in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, “A significant gap in pharmacy leadership in the next 5 to 10 years is expected.” An editorial in the same journal warned, “The looming shortage of pharmacy managers and leaders threatens not only the profession but the care of patients.”

To address this need, the University of Memphis, in collaboration with the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy, is introducing an Executive MBA Program in Health-System Pharmacy.

The Executive MBA in Health-System Pharmacy is a 17-month program designed to prepare existing pharmacy leaders and managers for executive-level positions in hospitals, managed care organizations, and similar institutions. The program is intended for pharmacists who have completed at least a one-year pharmacy residency program or who have at least three years of health-system pharmacy experience.

The program consists of 41 semester hours of coursework, most of it offered online; three one-week residential components are required. The online nature of the program will make it possible for pharmacists nationwide to pursue the degree without interrupting their jobs.

The degree is awarded by the University of Memphis and is part of the Fogelman College of Business & Economics Executive MBA Program. Faculty members from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy participate in designing and teaching the curriculum.

“We are really pleased to partner with the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy on this innovative and exciting new Executive MBA program,” said Dr. Rajiv Grover, dean of the Fogelman College. “Both parties bring complementary knowledge and skills to an untapped market that will value this program significantly. Aspiring leaders in health-system pharmacies nationally will benefit from this program because of the degree of online delivery. With the Innovation Project course, pharmacies and health care facilities will see an immediate return on investment.”

Dr. Max Ray, a faculty member at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy and a co-director of the new EMBA program, notes that “This program is unique ­– it is the only MBA program in the country focused specifically on leadership and management skills for health-system pharmacists.”

More information is available online at www.memphis.edu/executivembapharmacy  or by phone at 901-678-4866.

The University of Memphis Fogelman College of Business & Economics enjoys a strong national reputation based on 30 years of experience with Executive MBA programs, including the delivery of industry-specific, customer-driven Executive MBA curricula.

Founded in 1898, the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy is the first pharmacy school established in the state of Tennessee. Now one of six colleges in the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, pharmacy also has a campus location in Knoxville and clinical education centers in Kingsport and Nashville.