A letter from Dean Deanna Kroetz...
It has been eight months since I started in my role as dean of The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. I have experienced seasons for the first time in over 30 years and am getting reacquainted with the beautiful Ohio State campus. I make a point of walking to meetings and discovering all the changes that have occurred since I graduated.
I began my academic journey at Ohio State, graduating with my Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1985. In those pre-PharmD years, I was a part of a pharmaceutical sciences pathway that allowed me to explore research. Under the mentorship of Professor Dick Reuning, my love of research and more specifically, pharmacokinetics, evolved. It was this seminal experience during my days in this college that set me on the professional track that has now come full circle.
My academic home has always been in a college or school of pharmacy, and my pharmacy roots have driven my research career. Teaching and mentoring PharmD students for the past 30 years at the University of California – San Francisco has allowed me to keep a pulse on the profession and focus my research on clinically relevant problems of drug therapy. The overall theme of my research is to understand interindividual variability in drug response and toxicity with an emphasis on the application of human genetics tools for understanding drug toxicity. You can read more about my research on page 16.
Ohio State sits at the center of pharmacy practice change and drug discovery and development, and in a profession as multifaceted as pharmacy, the possibilities of where you can go with an undergraduate, professional or graduate degree are endless. There are so many opportunities to explore and ways to get involved here. Our highly regarded scientists, clinicians and educators prepare our trainees for meaningful and impactful careers in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. As dean, I listen and engage with members of all areas of this college and seek out ways that I can work to advance our mission daily.
I have enjoyed meeting many outstanding faculty, students, staff and alumni with diverse roles in pharmacy practice and research and a true love for Ohio State. I look forward to continuing to encounter Pharmacy Buckeyes around the world and invite you to reach out and connect with me. Please enjoy this issue of The Script and learn about some of the ways we are advancing groundbreaking research and transforming teaching and practice.
Go Buckeyes! 
Deanna L. Kroetz, PhD, BS Pharm '85
Dean and professor, College of Pharmacy
The Ohio State University
