Mercer University Provost Dr. D. Scott Davis has announced the appointment of Mercer alumnus and longtime pharmacy educator Dr. Brian Crabtree as dean of the University’s College of Pharmacy, effective Oct. 1.
 
Dr. Crabtree succeeds Mercer’s longest-serving dean, Dr. Hewitt W. “Ted” Matthews, who is retiring at the end of the academic year after 27 years as dean of the College of Pharmacy and 44 years at Mercer.
 
“I am very pleased that Dr. Crabtree has agreed to return to his alma mater to lead one of Mercer’s most nationally recognized academic programs,” Dr. Davis said. “He has extensive experience in pharmacy education and clinical practice, as well as being a national leader on matters of pharmacy accreditation and best practices. I believe he will be an effective successor to Dr. Ted Matthews, who has provided extraordinary leadership for the College for more than a quarter-century.”
 
A native of Ringgold, Georgia, Dr. Crabtree earned his Bachelor of Science in pharmacy in 1979 and his Doctor of Pharmacy in 1980 from Mercer and completed a postgraduate residency in psychiatric pharmacy at the University of Tennessee.
 
For the last four and a half years, he has served as professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Wayne State University’s Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He also since February 2016 has served the College as interim associate dean for pharmacy. Prior to joining Wayne State, where he began his teaching career in 1981, Dr. Crabtree was on the faculty for 28 years at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. Concurrent to his faculty position in the School of Pharmacy, Dr. Crabtree served as an affiliate faculty member in psychiatry at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
 
He was a Thelma H. Cerniglia Distinguished Teaching Scholar at the University of Mississippi and the recipient of multiple teaching awards. He holds the title of Professor Emeritus from the University of Mississippi.
 
“Returning to my alma mater and native state to lead the College of Pharmacy is a dream come true,” said Dr. Crabtree. “Dean Matthews and the faculty and staff have created a legacy of excellence that has established Mercer’s prominence in the academy of pharmacy. I am energized by the opportunity to continue and build on the success of the College and this wonderful University to enhance the health of our communities.”
 
Dr. Crabtree’s teaching and research interests are in the areas of patient care, psychiatry, addictive diseases, developmental disabilities, and teaching and learning. He developed a particular interest in active learning strategies and coordinated implementation of the problem-based learning initiative at the University of Mississippi. Leadership, faculty mentoring and faculty development are his key passions. He is board certified in psychiatric pharmacy.
 
A past president of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, Dr. Crabtree also serves as chair of the Argus Commission, composed of the five most recent past presidents. He previously served as chair of the AACP Council of Faculties.
 
“I would like to thank the pharmacy dean search committee, led by Dr. Nader Moniri, associate dean for research and associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences, for its excellent work in recruiting a well-qualified candidate pool,” Dr. Davis said.