ETSU names Dr. Debbie Byrd as new dean of Gatton College of Pharmacy
JOHNSON CITY Dr. Debbie Byrd has been named the new dean of the Gatton College of Pharmacy at East Tennessee State University, effective July 1.
She succeeds the current dean, Dr. Larry Calhoun, who announced he would retire from the role on June 30 after serving as dean of pharmacy since the school opened in 2005.
Byrd comes to ETSU from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in Knoxville where she has served as associate dean of Professional Affairs since 2010. She has worked at UT-Knoxville since 2006, holding various other roles including professor and assistant dean. She also holds a position as a clinical professor at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicines Department of Family Medicine.
Prior to her time at UT, Byrd spent 10 years working at Auburn Universitys Harrison School of Pharmacy where she served as director of the Office of Experiential Learning.
Everything I knew about the Gatton College of Pharmacy from the outside was that it was a very well-established, high-quality program. Once I had an opportunity to visit, I also found that the environment and culture that have been built here are very much in keeping with my own values and priorities, Byrd said. So many things I value are here at Gatton College of Pharmacy the smaller number of students, the open-door policy. Its a family.
A native of Bradley County, Byrd earned her bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Middle Tennessee State University. She earned her doctor of pharmacy degree from the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy in Memphis and received a masters of business administration from Tennessee Technological University.
A licensed pharmacist in both Tennessee and Alabama, Byrd is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. She also is a member of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association.
Byrd has been invited to give presentations on pharmacy leadership and management in various locations across the country as well as in Saudi Arabia, and holds editorial appointments at a handful of academic journals. She has conducted externally funded research on a variety of topics, including diabetes care as well as strategies to optimize health care for patients at high risk for medication-related adverse events.
We are thrilled to have Dr. Byrd joining us as the dean of the Gatton College of Pharmacy and a leader in our Academic Health Sciences Center here at ETSU, said Dr. Wilsie Bishop, ETSUs chief operating officer and vice president for Health Affairs. In addition to obviously being well-qualified to serve as dean, Dr. Byrd brings with her a strong desire to continue with our pharmacy schools tradition of putting students first in all aspects of operation. I look forward to the next chapter in the story of the Gatton College of Pharmacy as Dr. Byrd takes the helm.
Upon her arrival in July, Byrd said she will spend the first several days and weeks getting to know the people within the college and how the school operates. Ive got a lot to learn, but I love that, she said. I thrive in that environment.
Outside of work, Byrd enjoys running and loves to read. She and her husband, Robert, have two sons Noah, 14, and Nathan, 11.