Dear UMB Community,

I am happy to report that Sarah Michel, PhD, will serve as interim dean at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP) starting June 1, 2023. She is currently professor and chair of UMSOP’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (PSC) and associate dean for graduate programs. Dr. Michel will serve as interim dean as we conduct a national search for the next dean of UMSOP.

As a pharmaceutical researcher, Dr. Michel is an internationally recognized leader in the field of metals in medicine. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation, and U.S. Army Research labs for investigating the roles that metals play in the regulation of chronic inflammation, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases.

She has also been active in clinical research through Food and Drug Administration (FDA) grants, and she has been closely involved with the Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation. Notably, a recent FDA clinical trial headed by Dr. Michel led the FDA to issue new guidance on how generic nanomedicines should be evaluated for approval. In addition, she is part of a PSC and University of Maryland School of Dentistry team of researchers funded by the FDA that is investigating the safety of electronic cigarettes.

In her 18 years at UMSOP, Dr. Michel has been intricately involved in all of its educational aspects, both at the Doctor of Pharmacy and the PhD and MS levels. Dr. Michel received a BA in chemistry from Cornell University and a PhD in chemistry from Northwestern University. She completed an NIH National Research Service Award postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

I want to thank Dr. Michel for taking on the interim dean role and know that you will join me in supporting her in the position.

Sincerely,

Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS

President