Appalachian College of Pharmacy
 |
|
| Type | Three-year accelerated Doctor of Pharmacy school |
|---|---|
| Established | 2003 |
| President | Michael McGlothlin |
| Dean | Susan Mayhew |
|
Academic staff
|
28 |
| Students | 225 |
| Address |
1060 Dragon Road, Oakwood, VA 24631, Oakwood, Virginia, USA |
| Campus | Rural |
| Website | http://www.acp.edu/ |
The Appalachian College of Pharmacy (ACP), formerly known as the University of Appalachia, College of Pharmacy, is a private doctoral pharmacy school located in Oakwood, Virginia. The school, established in 2003, is Virginia's only three-year accelerated Doctor of Pharmacy program. ACP's mission is to improve the health outcomes of rural and underserved communities, particularly those in Central Appalachia, through education, service, and scholarship.
In 2003, citing a need to address a higher than normal age adjusted mortality rate (42% higher locally as opposed to the rest of Virginia) and a national pharmacist shortage, local leaders in Buchanan County, Virginia began to explore the possibility of founding a new pharmacy school in the region. Spurred by the success of the Appalachian School of Law, the Buchanan County Board of Supervisors commissioned County Attorney Frank Kilgore to found the University of Appalachia, College of Pharmacy. The school matriculated its first class of students in August 2005, with Edgar R. Gonzalez as president and founding dean, and graduated its first class in May 2008.
In March 2009, in order to facilitate its application for accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the school changed its name from the University of Appalachia, College of Pharmacy to the Appalachian College of Pharmacy. This change was made because the previous name did not "accurately represent the singular stand-alone nature of the College’s operations."
ACP, like the Appalachian School of Law, was envisioned to become an economic redevelopment tool for the region. Since the college opened, an apartment complex, multiple multi-family housing units, restaurants, and a Walmart have opened less than fifteen miles from the college. The school has been estimated to have added $20 million per year to the local economy.
ACP is one of fewer than twenty colleges of pharmacy in the United States that offers a three-year accelerated Doctor of Pharmacy program (Most Doctor of Pharmacy programs take four years to complete). A minimum of 140 credits and more than 1,700 hours of experiential coursework are required for graduation. The majority of experiential coursework occurs during the third year of study, while didactic coursework is conducted during the first two years.
...
Wikipedia