Myron "Mike" Jacobson has been appointed as the first dean of the University of North Texas System College of Pharmacy.
"I think this is a unique opportunity to do something great," Jacobson said.
The College of Pharmacy, which was authorized by the 82nd Texas Legislature and established by university regents in 2011, is slated to open at the UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth in August 2013.
The new college has the unique chance, Jacobson said, to educate pharmacy students on a health science center campus, allowing the possibility of interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary studies.
"The future of health care is teamwork," Jacobson said. Myron "Mike" Jacobson
Jacobson has seen the benefits of interdisciplinary studies as a medicinal chemistry professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Arizona in Tucson, and in his prior position as chairman of medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutics at the College of Pharmacy at the University of Kentucky.
Most colleges of pharmacy are independent from health science centers, said Scott Ransom, president of the UNT Health Science Center.
At the new college, pharmacy students will be learning alongside classmates pursuing degrees in other health care professions, such as physical therapy and physician's assistant students.
"I really think it's going to be more productive here because we really are going to be building something new," Jacobson said.
Ransom said Jacobson was chosen for his long experience in colleges of pharmacy, his understanding of research and the way he inspires research.
"He has incredible energy," Ransom said. "And he has all the skills to establish a top-notch pharmacy program."
This won't be Jacobson's first time to work at UNT.
In 1974, he began his academic career in the college of chemistry on the Denton campus before going on to work at the UNT Health Science Center. From 1989 to 1992, Jacobson served as acting chairman of the department of anatomy and cell biology.
He has already moved to Fort Worth and begun work on the project while his wife, Elaine Jacobson, will oversee the moving of their businesses from Tucson to Fort Worth. Together they founded Niadyne Inc., which includes three biotechnology companies.
Mike Jacobson said when he took on the job at UNT, it was clear he would need to get started right away.
"The task is huge," Jacobson said.
The college needs to earn accreditation, which it has already started working toward, faculty members must be hired and then they will need to build a curriculum.
But Jacobson is up for the challenge: "My experience is that anything worth having is usually a challenge," he said.
RACHEL MEHLHAFF can be reached at 940-566-6889. Her e-mail address is rmehlhaff@dentonrc.com.
