Dr. Yi Yang lectures to one of her classes in the UM Department of Pharmacy Administration. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services
OXFORD, Miss. – Dr. Yi Yang, a University of Mississippi professor of pharmacy administration, has been named chair of the Department of Pharmacy Administration at the School of Pharmacy.
Since joining the school in 2005, Yang has served as co-editor with Donna Strum, the university’s associate provost and professor of pharmacy administration, on “Understanding Pharmacoepidemiology,” a widely used textbook in American pharmacy schools. She also leads an ongoing National Institutes of Health-funded project to study the epidemiology and safety of opioid use among older adults.
“I feel honored to become the chair of a department that I love deeply and care about greatly,” Yang said. “The people, from the faculty, staff and graduate students, is what makes our department special.
“The collegial, supportive work environment in the department has been crucial to the success of all of us.”
Yang received her Ph.D. in health science administration with a pharmacoeconomics focus from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She also holds a Ph.D. in clinical research from Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College and a Doctor of Medicine from China Medical University.
John Bentley, the previous chair, will stay on as a professor and serve as director of the Center for Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management.
The department studies the cost, access and quality of pharmaceutical products and services. Key issues include health economics and outcomes research, pharmaceutical marketing and management, pharmacoepidemiology, and the evolving role of pharmacists in delivering quality health care.
“Pharmacy administration has had exceptional chairs in its history, and Yi was the right decision to take over this position,” said David D. Allen, dean of pharmacy school. “Yi is a great leader within the department and the school, and I am thrilled that she is assuming this role.”
The department won the 2016 Excellence in Promoting Inclusiveness in Graduate Education Award and has a rich history of faculty teaching, service and research awards. Yang said she plans to build on its success, and the faculty stand confidently behind her.
“We are fortunate to welcome Dr. Yang as department chair,” said Erin Holmes, associate professor of pharmacy administration and chair of the search committee. “She brings years of experience as our department’s graduate program coordinator, our school’s faculty council chair, an NIH-funded researcher and an exceptional educator.
“Dr. Yang is profoundly committed to our faculty, staff and students. We look forward to continued success and productivity in the department under her leadership.”