Kim Scarsi, PharmD, professor and former vice chair of pharmacy practice and science, has been appointed chair of the department by the UNMC College of Pharmacy, and has started in that role. Dr. Scarsi replaces Daren Knoell, PharmD, an alumnus of the college, who came home to be department chair in 2016.
Dr. Scarsi now also becomes the Lewis E. and Antonia E. Harris Professor and Chair, UNMC Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science.
College leadership thanked Dr. Knoell and congratulated Dr. Scarsi.
“Since she arrived at UNMC 11 years ago, Dr. Scarsi has been an amazing colleague and collaborator,” said Don Klepser, PhD, interim dean of pharmacy. “As vice chair of the department over the last two years, she has brought a fresh perspective to the college’s leadership team, which I look forward to continuing. Kim is the right person to lead the department in a very big year for the college, as we welcome our first class in Kearney.”
Keith Olsen, PharmD, who recently stepped down from the role of Joseph D. Williams Endowed Dean after leading the college for nearly six years, agreed: “Dr. Scarsi is the perfect choice to lead the department in its next chapter.”
Dr. Scarsi has been a UNMC Distinguished Scientist, whose National Institutes of Health-funded research has made her a leader in working to optimize pharmacologic therapies for the treatment and prevention of HIV, with an emphasis on global health and gender related issues. Nationally, she has served on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents, the NIH Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council, and on the Board of Directors for the HIV Medical Association.
Clinically, she serves as a consultant at UNMC’s HIV clinic. She teaches in several areas related to infectious diseases, women’s health and pharmacokinetics.
Dr. Scarsi said, “I am both honored and excited to have the opportunity to serve the department of pharmacy practice and science, as well as the UNMC College of Pharmacy, in this new role. This department is truly exceptional, with a team of talented and dedicated faculty and staff. I look forward to supporting my colleagues in their efforts to educate the next generation of pharmacists, to advance science and to deliver outstanding clinical care throughout the state of Nebraska.”
The department saw great success during Dr. Knoell’s tenure as chair. UNMC continued to be among the very top leaders among pharmacy schools in the passing of licensure exams, serving to fill Nebraska’s pharmacist workforce, and led nationally on the growing role of community pharmacists and community pharmacy in interprofessional care. An emphasis on the growth of the role of ambulatory care in clinical pharmacy led to improved patient outcomes in management of common chronic conditions across Omaha and Nebraska through a patient-centered medical-home pharmacy partnership with Nebraska Medicine. Additionally, 18 out of 18 faculty successfully achieved promotion and/or tenure under his leadership.
Dr. Knoell also is a UNMC Distinguished Scientist, for his consistently NIH-funded research on the importance of zinc for proper immune function and host defense in the lung against infections and environmental exposures. He will continue to serve as a full-time faculty member and investigator within the college and UNMC Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. He will continue to serve on various boards and National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute review panels related to his research.