Leadership

Christopher Surratt, PhD, Dean of the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy

Christopher Surratt

Dr. Christopher Surratt was recently appointed dean of the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, He most recently served as Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Affairs for the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences at Long Island University. Dr. Surratt received his B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry from the University of Virginia.  His doctoral work there and postdoctoral work at the University of California, Berkeley elaborated mechanisms of RNA processing and maturation. As Senior Staff Fellow at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), NIH, he participated in cloning some of the first opiate and psychostimulant receptor cDNAs. Dr. Surratt created and characterized the first mutants of the heroin/morphine (mu opioid) receptor, contributing toward elucidation of the receptor’s binding sites for abused opiates. He continued opioid receptor research and studies on the dopamine transporter (DAT), the brain’s “cocaine receptor”, as Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and Psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He moved to Duquesne University in 2001 for its teacher-scholar model, eventually attaining tenured Professor of Pharmacology rank and serving as Division Head of Pharmaceutical Sciences. His team’s virtual (computational) transporter modeling and molecular pharmacology research contributed to the identification of molecular mechanisms for discrimination of abused and non-abused psychostimulants, and discovery of hit-to-lead compounds with antidepressant and anxiolytic properties. At LIU, he launched a pharmacology/toxicology PhD curricular track, spurred the creation of several PharmD–MS shared credit degree programs, and led the College to a 40% increase in graduate enrollment. Over $7M in faculty external funding was generated via faculty recruiting and grant mentoring.  

Dr. Surratt has presented his research at top neuroscience universities including MIT, Princeton, Cal Tech, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Sydney, Victoria University – Wellington, and at international congresses in Munich, Copenhagen, Singapore, Hong Kong, Cape Town and Montreal. He is a graduate of the AACP Leadership Fellows Program. He was the recipient of several teaching awards while at Duquesne University, including its most prestigious: the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He created the first major service-learning project for Duquesne Pharmacy, “The Neuroscience Behind Drugs of Abuse”. Over 20,000 Pittsburgh area teenagers were educated by Pharm.D. students on the subject; a DU-independent assessment indicated that the project was successful in dissuading teenage drug experimentation.

Leadership Team

Headshot of Christopher K Surratt

Christopher K Surratt

Dean, Pharmacy College of Pharmacy

Kowalewski Hall

513-558-3784

Surratt joined Long Island University in 2018. During his tenure he launched a pharmacology/toxicology PhD curricular track and co-led the creation of six PharmD–MS shared credit degree programs and increased graduate student enrollment by 40%. Under his leadership, sustainable research also made gains, adding more than $7M in new and transferred federal grants.

Prior to joining Long Island University, Surratt spent 17 years at Duquesne University. He joined Duquesne in 2001 as assistant professor of pharmacology, was named division head of Pharmaceutical Sciences while a tenured associate professor of pharmacology in 2007 and served as professor of pharmacology from 2011 to 2018. Surratt has held previous academic and research positions at the University of Virginia, the University of California - Berkeley, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
Surratt’s research has focused on drug mechanisms of action and medications development for neurological diseases and disorders such as depression, anxiety and psychostimulant abuse. He has served as a grant reviewer for numerous National Institutes of Health study sections and served on the editorial advisory board of the scientific journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience. 
Surratt earned both a BA and PhD in chemistry from the University of Virginia.
Headshot of Brad E. Hein

Brad E. Hein

Associate Dean for Professional Education & Assessment
Associate Professor
, Pharmacy Academic Affairs

145G Kowalewski Hall

513-558-4702

Dr. Hein graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy in 1996 with his BS degree and in 1998 with his PharmD degree. He then completed a residency specializing in internal medicine with the St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Dr. Hein currently practices as an internal medicine clinical pharmacy specialist at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, OH. Dr. Hein teaches in a variety of courses and is the content expert for gastrointestinal and renal therapeutics. Dr. Hein's research interests include: inpatient glucose control, palliative care and pain management, treatment of electrolyte disorders, geriatric patient care, infectious disease and the scholarship of teaching, learning and assessment. Dr. Hein has published over 40 papers and abstracts. 
In Dr. Hein's current role as associate dean, his office supports the college, faculty, staff and students in the areas of the curriculum, assessment, accreditation, interprofessional education, experiential education, student academic success, co-curricular activities, pharmacy practice skills development, instructional design, information technology and continuing education.
Headshot of Kelly T. Epplen

Kelly T. Epplen

Associate Dean for Admissions & Student Affairs
Associate Professor
, Pharmacy Student & Alumni Affairs

135G Kowalewski Hall

513-558-0713

Dr. Kelly Epplen is the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions at the University of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy.  She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1997 and began her career at the former Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati where her primary role was the development and implementation of ambulatory clinical pharmacist services. She has been instrumental in developing pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinics and pharmacotherapy clinics at UC Health, as well as St. Elizabeth Healthcare of Northern Kentucky.  In addition, she was actively involved in residency training and has served as program director for both PGY1 and PGY2 pharmacy residency programs.  She joined the University of Cincinnati faculty in 2009 and established a practice within the Family Practice Center of St. Elizabeth Healthcare where she was responsible for direct patient care as well as student and resident training.  In 2019, Dr. Epplen assumed the role of Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions.  She was an advisory board member for the Ambulatory Care BCACP examination review course and has several publications in the area of ambulatory pharmacy practice.  She has co-authored the business plan development chapter in ASHP's publication:  Building a Successful Ambulatory Practice and is a contributing author for ASHPs revision of the Minimum Practice Standards for Ambulatory Care Pharmacy Practice.  She is a member of the ASHP Section of Ambulatory Care Practitioners, Section of Pharmacy Educators, and has served on a number of professional committees within ASHP.  Dr. Epplen obtained board certification as an ambulatory care pharmacist in 2011 and serves on the Board of Faith Community Pharmacy.
 
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Jill Martin Boone

Director of Interprofessional Education
Interim Co-Curricular Director
Clinical Professor
, Pharmacy College of Pharmacy

391 Kowalewski Hall

513-558-3703

Jill E. Martin Boone is Professor of Pharmacy Practice at the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati with a recent focus on chronic pain management and practice based outcomes research.  Prior to her current role, Dr. Boone practiced in both inpatient and ambulatory clinical pharmacy practice in transplantation and served as the Director of Transplant Outcomes at the University Hospital where she has extensive involvement in outcomes management, assessing resource utilization, and quality of life measurements for over 15 years.   She has been active on many local, state, national, and international committees addressing pharmacy, quality and outcomes issues.  She has been recognized for sustained contributions to hospital pharmacy practice with the Ohio Society of Health-System Pharmacists Walter A. Frazier Award.  Dr. Boone is Past President of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Past Co-Chair of the International Pharmaceutical Federation Working Group on Collaborative Practice, and currently FIPeD Domain Co-Lead for Interprofessional Education.
Headshot of Bingfang Yan

Bingfang Yan

Associate Dean for Research & Innovation
Professor
, Pharmacy College of Pharmacy

3205 Medical Sciences Building

513-558-6279

The research program in this laboratory has concentrated on: drug metabolism with a focus on carboxyl­esterases, nuclear receptors with a focus on the preg­nane X receptor (PXR), circadian regulation with a focus on differentially expressed in chon­dro­cytes 1 (DEC1), and drug delivery with nanotechnology.  The research theme, featured by pharmacogenomic approaches, targets interactions among genes, drugs, herbs, nutrients, cytokines and their interplay.  This laboratory has published extensively in drug metabolism, hepatotoxicity, oncological signaling and drug delivery.  This laboratory is one of the first to clone and characterize the gene encoding PXR, and the gene encoding DEC1. PXR is a master regulator for drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters, whereas DEC1 is a circadian regulator with oncogenic involvement.  Several milestone findings from this laboratory have gained global attentions and were reported by public and professional media outlets such as USA Today and Doctors’ Guide.
Headshot of Pankaj Desai

Pankaj Desai

Chair of Pharmaceutical Sciences Division
Professor
, Pharmacy Desai Lab

3005 H Medical Sciences Building

513-558-3870

Pankaj B. Desai is currently Professor and Director, Drug Development Graduate Program, College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH. His research interests include pre-clinical and clinical studies on drug metabolism, transport and pharmacokinetics. The current focus of his laboratory is on the regulation of drug-metabolizing enzymes and its relevance to clinical pharmacology of anti-cancer and antiretroviral drugs. Dr. Desai directs a vigorous, extramurally-funded research program and has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications. His research has been funded by NIH, Komen Foundation, American Cancer society and various pharmaceutical companies. He has mentored over 20 MS/Ph.D. students and was the principal architect for the novel graduate curriculum in drug development program at UC College of Pharmacy. Dr. Desai is an active member of several organizations including American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, where he served as the chair of the Drug Metabolism Focus Group of AAPS from 2001-2003. He is currently a member of the Shulman Associates Institutional Review Board and of the Transitional Research and Drug Development (TRADD) Committee and Phase I /Early Clinical Pharmacology sub-committee of the Adults AIDS Clinical Trials Group. He also serves as a member of the Experimental Therapeutics Study Section for Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program. Dr. Desai has received numerous teaching and research excellence awards at both University of Louisiana and University of Cincinnati. These include the Researcher of the Year Award at ULM in 1994 and the President’s Excellence Award at UC in 2006.
Headshot of Sara E. Lehew

Sara E. Lehew

Dir Business Affairs, Pharmacy Financial Administration

161B Kowalewski Hall

513-558-4894

Areas of responsibility include:
  • Management of Business Office staff including Grants Administrator, Human Resources Coordinator (HR), and Financial Administrator
  • Long-range budget planning and formulation
  • PBB revenue tracking
  • Cash and budget transfers
  • Funds allocations
  • Cost analysis
  • Strategic hiring and sizing proposals