Johnson named dean of UF College of Pharmacy

With her appointment as dean of the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, Julie A. Johnson, PharmD, became the 7^th dean in the school’s 90-year history and the first woman dean.

Johnson, a faculty member of the UF College of Pharmacy since 1998, previously served as the school’s chair of the department of pharmacotherapy and translational research. Prior to UF, Johnson was a faculty member at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy.

“Through a rigorous national search and a field of superb finalists, Dr. Johnson emerged as uniquely qualified and well-suited for this position,” said David S. Guzick, MD, PhD, senior vice president for health affairs and president of UF Health. “Her extraordinary record of research that translates into improved patient care, her demonstrated ability to mentor faculty into successful research careers, her history of excellence in teaching and outreach at the University of Florida, and her ambitious vision for the College of Pharmacy’s future, made her the ideal candidate for dean.”

Johnson is a well-known leader and researcher in pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine. She leads the International Warfarin Pharmacogenetics Consortium. She is pharmacy board-certified in pharmacotherapy and cardiology, and she’s focused her research efforts on individualizing medicine for patients based on their genetic makeup, particularly those with high blood pressure and other heart diseases.

“It is my great honor to be selected to serve as the next dean of the UF College of Pharmacy,” Johnson said. “I look forward to working with our faculty, staff, and students to elevate our research productivity, enhance our educational programs, and extend our relationships with practicing pharmacists across the state.”

Among her many accolades, Johnson was named the V. Ravi Chandran professor of pharmaceutical sciences in 2004; currently directs the UF Center for Pharmacogenomics and the UF Health Personalized Medicine Program; and has published more than 200 journal articles, editorials, and book chapters. In June, she was awarded $3.7 million to continue the UF Health Personalized Medicine Program at the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI).

“Julie has shown a unique ability to develop partnerships across the Health Science Center and help the CTSI build an innovative and nationally recognized program,” said David R. Nelson, MD, UF assistant vice president for collaborative research in the life sciences and director of the CTSI. “She is the ideal person to help leverage the extensive strengths of the College of Pharmacy to enhance the mission of UF Health and the university.”