Meet the dean of pharmacy

Terri L. Warholak, RPh, Ph.D., CPHQ, FAPhA, began her role as the 16th dean of St. Louis College of Pharmacy in August 2022. Her appointment as dean marks another significant milestone for the University as it works toward its vision of becoming a transformational leader in health education and research.

Warholak comes to UHSP from the University of Arizona (UA) where she most recently served as Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs and Assessment at the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy. She holds a Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy from Purdue University.

In her role as Assistant Dean at UA, Warholak was the Chief Academic Officer for the College of Pharmacy and worked to advance the quality and integrity of its academic programs. Her work included providing strategic vision for the curricula and assessment, developing processes and procedures to support accreditation processes and overseeing all program planning and program assessment. 

At UA, Warholak also was the track director for the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy’s Health and Pharmaceutical Outcomes Graduate Program, which trains students to evaluate the economic, clinical and humanistic outcomes of pharmaceutical products and services. Her teaching and research interests include medication error reduction, health information technology and measurement development. 

Warholak’s professional experience includes seven years serving as a commissioned officer in the United States Public Health Service, where she worked in inpatient and community practice and served for five years in the Indian Health Service. 

In 2003, Warholak was recognized as the winner of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Council of Faculties Innovations in Teaching Competition for her work titled “Application of Quality Assurance Principles: Reducing Medication Errors in 30 Pharmacy Practice Settings.” Following her award, the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) presented Warholak with a grant to create the Educating Pharmacists in Quality Program, which is currently used to train practicing pharmacists, health care professionals and pharmacy students in measuring, improving and reporting quality of care in pharmacy practice. Today, she continues to be active with PQA, most recently as a member of the Education Advisory Workgroup and the Research Coordinating Committee.