UH Hilo DKICP interim dean selected

Miriam Mobley Smith

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Kris Roney announces the appointment of Dr. Miriam Mobley Smith as the interim dean of the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy following the UH Board of Regents meeting held virtually January 20, 2022. Mobley Smith’s appointment is effective February 1, 2022. She replaces Dean Carolyn Ma, who retires February 1, 2022.

“As Interim Dean for DKICP, Dr. Mobley Smith is committed to listening to members of the College and stakeholders for DKICP, reviewing practice and policy, advising me regarding change, and preparing the College for the search for a permanent dean, which is intended to commence in late summer 2022,” Roney said.

“That she is not affiliated with the University or program brings the benefit of outside perspective and experience. She has expressed considerable excitement about DKICP and is already contemplating spaces for revenue generation, budget correction, and pathways into DKICP that we may not yet have explored fully.

“This is pivotal time for the future of DKICP, and it is imperative that we have an experienced administrator at the helm, even in the interim period,” she added.

Mobley Smith has a long history in pharmacy education. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy with High Honors at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she served in numerous faculty positions for over 13 years until moving to Chicago State University College of Pharmacy. At Chicago State University College of Pharmacy, her positions included associate professor and chair for pharmacy practice, interim dean, and dean and full professor until her retirement in 2015. After her retirement, she has continued her long-standing work with the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as an educational consultant and site reviewer.

She continued her service to the profession when she served as interim dean and visiting professor in 2020-2021 for Northeastern University Bouvé College of Health Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

“Dr. Mobley Smith has received multiple commendations from her peers as a leader and as an advocate for students, her communities, and the profession,” Roney said. “I am excited that she has agreed to bring her experience and enthusiasm here to help navigate this year.

“I also want to share my thanks to Dean Ma for her years of service as faculty and dean at UH Hilo, as well as for her service to the profession. She has been a particularly important voice as we have navigated the pandemic, and the dean team and I wish her the restful, adventurous, and wonderful retirement that is so very well earned.”