Published May 20, 2021
Dear University Community:
We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Gary M. Pollack as dean of UB’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Dr. Pollack will begin his role as dean by August 15, 2021.
Dr. Pollack’s appointment results from an extensive national search that yielded a pool of highly competitive candidates. Dr. Pollack, who currently serves as dean and professor of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Toledo, brings to this role extensive leadership experience, exceptional scholarly and teaching accomplishments, a collaborative approach to leadership, and an innovative and ambitious vision for the school. Under his leadership, we are confident that the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences will continue to be a global leader in delivering groundbreaking research, innovation and clinical care and excellent educational programs that prepare students to become the next generation of health care professionals and leaders.
Dr. Pollack joined the University of Toledo in 2019 from Washington State University (WSU) where he served as dean of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences for nearly a decade. At WSU, Dr. Pollack led the college in relocating to the Health Sciences campus, reinvigorating its professional degree program, strengthening graduate education and faculty research, and enhancing alumni engagement. Prior to WSU, Dr. Pollack served at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as executive associate dean of the School of Pharmacy and chair and professor of the pharmaceutical sciences division.
A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, Dr. Pollack’s research focuses on how drugs and toxicants affect the central nervous system, and he has made significant contributions to the understanding of opioid tolerance. A prolific author, he has published over 150 refereed journal articles. Dr. Pollack serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Experimental Pharmacology, and was formerly associate editor of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Dr. Pollack holds a PhD in pharmaceutics from the University at Buffalo and bachelor’s degree in chemistry/psychology from Knox College.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Dean Joseph Zambon and all of the members of the search committee for their outstanding service, which was vital to the successful outcome of this search. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Dean James O’Donnell for his excellent leadership of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences over the past seven and a half years and for his willingness to continue serving as dean until his successor arrives later this summer.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Pollack to this important leadership role at UB and within our campus community. For more details on this appointment, please view the full announcement here.
Sincerely,
A. Scott Weber
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Michael E. Cain, M.D.
Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
