New chair leads pharmacy practice by Dabney Weems Dr. Leigh Ann Ross was named chair of pharmacy practice and associate dean for clinical affairs at The University of Mississippi (UM) School of Pharmacy. She replaces Dr. H. Joseph Byrd who retired July 1. The UM pharmacy alumna has spent the last two years as a legislative assistant with U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran. Prior to joining Cochran’s staff, Ross was an assistant professor of pharmacy practice and director of pharmaceutical care services at UM. “I have every confidence that Dr. Ross will lead the Department of Pharmacy Practice and the school’s clinical programs to new heights,” said pharmacy Dean Barbara G. Wells. “I know her experience in business administration, advocacy, policy development, and leadership will serve her department and the school well in the years ahead. She is committed to excellence in our educational programs, faculty development, growth of our research programs, and advancement of patient care, including establishment of new roles and compensation mechanisms for pharmacists in Mississippi and across the country.” As department chair, Ross plans to bridge the geographic divide between the Oxford and Jackson campuses, work with the school, university, and alumni to construct a permanent instructional and research facility on the Medical Center campus, and foster improved relationships with community partners. Her immediate attention will be directed towards improving the students’ transition to the Medical Center campus and increasing collaborations between the Department of Pharmacy Practice and other departments in the school. “The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy is not only my alma mater but that of my father and my brother before me,” Ross said. “The quality education my family received has served us well and allowed us to each have rewarding careers in pharmacy. I am deeply honored to be a part of such a talented and dedicated faculty and eagerly look forward to this expanded role in the leadership activities of the school and university.” Her responsibilities include overseeing the teaching, research, professional service, and patient care activities of the department, and advocating for inter-professional connectivity and collaboration in teaching, research, service, and patient care opportunities. She also serves as an advocate for the department and school with many outside agencies and works with the school’s Division for Pharmacy Professional Development to provide professional development opportunities for alumni and other pharmacy practitioners in Mississippi. Ross earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1993 and Doctor of Pharmacy from UM in 1998. Upon graduation from pharmacy school, she completed a residency in primary care at The University of Mississippi Medical Center. She is a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist and a certified diabetes educator. She is also a certified disease manager in the areas of anticoagulation, asthma, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. Her research interests are primary care, particularly medication therapy management in diabetes and dyslipidemia. In 2006, Ross completed the Academic Leadership Fellows Program within the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Ross was named the Mississippi Pharmacists Association’s Young Pharmacist of the Year in 2008 and served as the association’s president during 2003-04. In 2004, she received the Faculty Service Award from the pharmacy school and was selected Mississippi Society of Health-System Pharmacists Outstanding Young Pharmacist in 2001. For more information on the School of Pharmacy and the Department of Pharmacy Practice, go to www.pharmacy.olemiss.edu. Back