Samford University’s McWhorter School of Pharmacy extends its heartfelt gratitude to Michael A. Crouch, who recently concluded his service as dean after more than a decade of dedicated leadership.

Since 2014, Crouch has guided the school with excellence and vision, strengthening its national reputation, expanding experiential learning opportunities and advancing its mission of preparing pharmacists who transform lives.

We are deeply grateful for his faithful leadership and the lasting impact he has made on our students, alumni, faculty and the pharmacy profession.

Mike Kendrach, a respected member of the school community for 32 years, has stepped into the role of interim dean. Professor Kendrach has most recently served as executive associate dean and associate dean for academic affairs. His experience, commitment and long-standing service position him well to lead the school during this period of transition.

Jessica W. Skelley, PharmD ’10 and professor of pharmacy practice, was featured in a recent National Geographic article exploring how GLP-1 medications may influence fertility. The story highlights reports of unexpected pregnancies among women using these therapies and includes Skelley’s insights on how metabolic changes, hormonal shifts and delayed gastric emptying may affect contraceptive effectiveness.

Her feature reflects growing national interest in her scholarship and underscores Samford’s role in advancing research that informs patient care.

The 2025 McWhorter School of Pharmacy Homecoming Tailgate was so much fun with alumni, students, faculty and staff gathering on the quad Nov. 8. Thank you to everyone who joined us for a day filled with fun, food and fellowship. We can’t wait to see everyone back next year!

Third-year pharmacy students at McWhorter School of Pharmacy put their learning into action during the weeklong Focused Patient Care IPPE in October. Nearly 90 students administered more than 4,100 vaccines and completed hundreds of health screenings across Birmingham.

Students also offered medication counseling, helped patients choose nonprescription products and answered day-to-day health questions while working directly with the community.

The experience gave students a meaningful look at the responsibilities of patient care and strengthened their confidence in serving others in real-world settings.

McWhorter School of Pharmacy was well represented at the Alabama Society of Health System Pharmacists (ALSHP) Fall Meeting 2025 held Nov. 6–7 in Birmingham.

Third-year student John Kelly Hawkins earned third place in the poster session for his project titled “Putting the ‘Lab’ in Excess Labor Incident of the Collection of Vancomycin Levels Following Vancomycin Discontinuation.”

We are grateful to ALSHP for creating meaningful opportunities for professional growth for our students, faculty and alumni.

Continuing education is an important aspect of any pharmacist's career, and McWhorter School of Pharmacy offers continuing pharmacy eduation courses in-person and online. Our fall 2025 lineup features several upcoming programs, including our annual Homecoming CPE, which is free for Samford alumni.

Dec. 7: New Drug Update