Dr. J. Mark Ruscin, PharmD, professor of pharmacy practice, has been appointed chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the SIUE School of Pharmacy, effective immediately. Ruscin has been serving as the interim chair of the department since March 2012.
The announcement was made by Dr. Gireesh Gupchup, dean of the School of Pharmacy, after conducting a national search.
“Dr. Ruscin has done an admirable job developing our presence at the School of Medicine in Springfield and most recently as acting chair,” said Gupchup. “Dr. Ruscin is well respected nationally, and I am confident that he will lead the Department of Pharmacy Practice successfully.”
Ruscin, who joined the School of Pharmacy in 2008, is an expert in geriatric pharmacy practice. He is a fellow of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (FASCP) and is to be inducted as a fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (FCCP) in the fall of 2013. He holds an adjunct clinical appointment with the SIU School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine in Springfield.
A native of central Illinois, Ruscin returned to the region after spending 13 years with the University of Colorado-Denver School of Pharmacy and Center on Aging. He graduated with his doctor of pharmacy from the University of Illinois Chicago. After completing a pharmacy practice residency at the University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics, he completed a geriatrics fellowship at the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy.
“I am very excited and proud to be named the second chair of pharmacy practice at the SIUE School of Pharmacy,” Ruscin said. “I look forward to leading the department as we continue to strengthen our program and reputation, and attract the best and brightest students from central and southern Illinois.”