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Leadership Council

Sheila Mitchell, Pharm.D., FASHP
Founding Dean

Sheila Mitchell, B.S., Pharm.D., FASHP received her B.S. and Pharm.D. degrees from the University of Tennessee. She later attended the University of Southern California and the Wharton Business School for postgraduate management and leadership training. Since graduation, she has had many years of teaching experience as Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Tennessee where she has mentored numerous students and residents. She has served on the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy Dean's Advisory Council and many other committees and task forces over the years. Her most recent and longstanding committee role was as a member of the UT College of Pharmacy Admissions Committee.

Prior to joining Union University as Dean of the School of Pharmacy, Dr. Mitchell was the founding Director of Pharmacy Services at the Methodist Hospital Germantown (established 1986). She remained in that position for 21 years, during which time she led five major pharmacy and hospital expansion projects, developed and implemented comprehensive clinical pharmacy services, and implemented a USP-797 compliant sterile products preparation program recommended as a role model across the country by JCAHO surveyors.

Dr. Mitchell's most notable contributions to the profession of pharmacy lie in her vast number of professional leadership roles on both a state and national level. She has been President of the Tennessee Society of Health-System Pharmacists, President of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association, and President of the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy. She is a member of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, having chaired and served on many NABP committees and task forces. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, where she has participated and served in numerous roles.

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George DeMaagd, Pharm.D., BCPS
Associate Dean

George DeMaagd received his Pharm.D. degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency at St. Lawrence Hospital in Lansing, Michigan. He was board certified as a Pharmacotherapy Specialist in 1995.

Prior to joining Union University, Dr. DeMaagd spent five years as an Assistant Director/Clinical Pharmacist at a community hospital in Michigan, where he was also a clinical instructor for the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy. His first full time faculty position was with the Campbell University School of Pharmacy, where he developed Geriatric clerkship practice sites in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. For the last 10 years he was on faculty at Ferris State University, promoted to Professor rank in 2006, with a clinical practice in geriatric assessment and memory disorders.

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David Kuhl, Pharm.D.
Chair, Pharmacy Practice

David A. Kuhl, Pharm.D., received his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He then completed a critical care / nutrition support residency at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis followed by a two year fellowship in critical care at the University of Tennessee, Memphis. During the second year of his fellowship, Dr. Kuhl was awarded the ASHP fellowship in critical care drug therapy. Since that time he has been a faculty member with both the University of Toledo and the University of Tennessee, Memphis.

Prior to joining Union University as Professor and Chair of Pharmacy Practice, Dr. Kuhl served as a clinical pharmacist at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis in the general intensive care unit. Prior to that, he has served as a clinical pharmacist and director of clinical services at Baptist Memorial Healthcare in Memphis, TN. During his career, he has received several teaching awards, has been involved in projects that have received Abbott national hospital pharmacy quality awards, and served as principal investigator for a resident project receiving the American College of Clinical Pharmacy best student, resident, fellow paper competition.

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Blake Watkins, Ph.D.
Chair, Pharmaceutical Sciences

E. Blake Watkins, Ph.D. received his B.S. degree from Union University in 1994 and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Georgia in 2000. His Ph.D. research was under the direction of Professor Robert S. Phillips and involved working on the synthesis of small molecule inhibitors of tyrosine phenol lyase. His post doctoral research, under the direction of Professor Mitchell A. Avery at the University of Mississippi, focused on the total synthesis of naturally occurring antifungal agents and ultrahigh pressure cyclization reactions.

Prior to joining Union University as Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Watkins worked as a Research Scientist and later as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Mississippi. He was also heavily involved in curricular development for the Regents School of Oxford, working to develop and implement a solid, classically Christian science and math curriculum, emphasizing "hands-on" learning with the goal of instilling a deep love for creation and its Creator.

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Kim M. Jones, Pharm.D., BCPS
Director of Student & Professional Relations

Kim M. Jones, Pharm.D., BCPS received her B.S. degree from Middle Tennessee State University in 2001 and her Pharm.D. degree from the University of Tennessee, Memphis in 2004. She then completed a pharmacy practice residency at Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Jones became board certified as a Pharmacotherapy Specialist in 2005.

Prior to joining Union University as Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Director of Student and Professional Relations, Dr. Jones served as a clinical pharmacist at Saint Thomas Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. Her practice interests include Internal Medicine and Cardiology. She also served as the PGY-1 Residency Program Coordinator and Director and as the ACPE Continuing Education Administrator.

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Mark Stephens, Pharm.D., BCPS
Director of Experiential Education

Mark A. Stephens, Pharm.D., BCPS completed his pre-pharmacy curriculum at Union University in 1982. He received his B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of Tennessee in 1985 and his Pharm.D. degree from the University of Tennessee in 1986. He completed a pharmacy practice residency at the Regional Medical Center Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee in 1987. Dr. Stephens became board certified as a Pharmacotherapy Specialist in 1995.

Prior to joining the Union University School of Pharmacy as Associate Professor and Director of Experiential Education, Dr. Stephens served as a clinical pharmacist at the Regional Medical Center Hospital in Memphis from 1987 to 2000. His practice was primarily based in the Internal Medicine Clinic where he worked in pharmacist-managed clinics in anticoagulation, hypertension, diabetes, diabetes education, and hyperlipidemia management. Dr. Stephens also served as an Associate Professor for the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy where he provided lectures and precepted pharmacy students. Dr. Stephens then served as Director of Pharmacy and Disease Management for Memphis Managed Care Corporation, a non-profit organization that primarily provided health benefits to TennCare recipients. Dr. Stephens was responsible for the pharmacy benefit of the 200,000 member organization and provided oversight to five disease management programs. In 2006, Dr. Stephens became Director of Clinical Pharmacy for AmPharm Health Services of Parsons, Tennessee. Dr. Stephens provided consulting services for an expansion of their line of business to long-term care residents.

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Amy Williams, Pharm.D., BCOP
Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice

Amy Williams, Pharm.D., BCOP received her B.S. degree from the University of Tennessee, Martin in 1996 and her Pharm.D. degree from the University of Tennessee, Memphis in 2000. She then completed a pharmacy practice residency at Methodist Healthcare in Memphis and an oncology specialty residency at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida. Her practice interests include malignant hematology, stem cell transplantation, medical oncology, pain management, and palliative care.

Prior to joining Union University as Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Director of Curriculum and Academic Assessment, Dr. Williams served as the malignant hematology/stem cell transplant clinical pharmacist specialist and the oncology clinical coordinator at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee and was program director for the PGY-2 Oncology Pharmacy Practice Residency. She worked extensively with National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) committees on the development of chemotherapy and supportive care guidelines. She was an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy and the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. Prior experiences in Dr. Williams' career include working as an oncology clinical pharmacist specialist at Grady Health System in Atlanta and having faculty appointments at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy and Mercer University College of Pharmacy.

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Pharmacy Faculty

Kim Lindsey, Pharm.D., BCPS
Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice

Kimberly Lindsey, Pharm.D., BCPS, received her B.S. degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1992 and her Pharm.D. degree from the University of Tennessee, Memphis in 1996. She completed a pharmacy practice residency at Saint Thomas Hospital in Nashville and a critical care/nutrition support specialty residency at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis. Prior to joining Union University as Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Dr. Lindsey served as Pharmacy Manager of The Rx Shoppe in Cordova and Assistant Pharmacy Manager and Pharmacy Manager of Kroger Pharmacies in Clarksville. She then served as Clinical/Staff Pharmacist at Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga. Dr. Lindsey has served as Instructor of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Tennessee, Memphis since 2007.

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Joel S. Owen, Ph.D., R.Ph.
Associate Professor of Pharmaceutics

Joel S. Owen, Ph.D., R.Ph., received his B.S. degree in pharmacy in 1989 and his Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences in 1996 from Auburn University. Prior to joining Union University as Associate Professor of Pharmaceutics, Dr. Owen served as PK/PD Scientist II & III and most recently as Director PK/PD at Cognigen Corporation in Buffalo, New York. While at Cognigen he led scientific initiatives, performing pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling and analysis. Prior to that, he has served as Senior Pharmacokineticist at MDS Harris, Inc. in Lincoln, Nebraska and Senior Pharmacokineticist and Assistant Director at Mylan Pharmaceuticals in Morgantown, West Virginia. Dr. Owen has also served as a retail pharmacist at Medical Center Pharmacy in Brewton, Alabama and as a Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant at Auburn University.

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Andrew Martin, Pharm.D.
Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice

Andrew Martin, Pharm.D. received a B.S. degree in biology from Bob Jones University in 1993 and a B.S. degree in pharmacy from Ferris State University in 1996. Dr. Martin then received his Pharm.D. degree from Ferris State University in 1998. He completed a drug information residency at the University of Utah Hospital and Clinics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Prior to joining Union University as Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Dr. Martin served as Manager, Regulatory Affairs and Medical Information Specialist at Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Dr. Martin has also served as Manager, Inpatient Pharmacy and Drug Information Pharmacist at Bronson Methodist Hospital and Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at Ferris State University. Dr. Martin has also had an academic appointment at Western Michigan University, served as preceptor for the Bronson Methodist Hospital Pharmacy Practice Residency and Ferris-Pfizer-BCBS Managed Care Residency Programs, and served as co-director of the Solvay-Mercer Drug Information Residency Program.

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Angela Monahan, Ph.D. Candidate
Assistant Professor of Pharmacology

Angela Monahan received her B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1992 and her M.S.P.H. from Tulane University in 1995. Angela is currently working towards her Ph.D. in pharmacology at Rush University under the direction of Paul M. Carvey, Ph.D. studying Parkinson's disease and neuroinflammation. Her research interests include understanding mechanisms involved in the process of neuroinflammation associated with disorders of the central nervous system such as Parkinson's disease and how these mechanisms can alter the blood-brain barrier and drug delivery.

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Lauren Tucker, Pharm.D.
Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice

Lauren Tucker, Pharm.D., completed her pre-pharmacy curriculum at Christian Brothers University and the University of Georgia. She received her Pharm.D. degree from the University of Tennessee, Memphis in 2007. She then completed a pharmacy practice residency with an emphasis in ambulatory care at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Her practice interests include anticoagulation, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and high-risk obstetrics. Dr. Tucker has also served as volunteer faculty at the University of Tennessee, Memphis since 2007.

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Jodi L. Taylor, Pharm.D.
Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice

Jodi L. Taylor, Pharm.D., received her B.S. degree from Middle Tennessee State University in 2004 and her Pharm.D. degree from the University of Tennessee, Memphis in 2008. She received the Pharmacy Student Government Association Professionalism Award in 2007 and the American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists Leadership Award in 2008. She completed a pharmacy practice residency at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Her practice interests include Critical Care, Cardiology, and Nutrition. Prior to joining Union University as Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Dr. Taylor served as Instructor of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Tennessee, Memphis.

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Sean King, M.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Sean R. King, M.S., Ph.D., received his M.S. in Health Promotion in 2002 and his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from The University of Mississippi in 2007. Prior to joining Union University as Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Administration, Dr. King served as Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He has also served as a Graduate Research/Teaching Assistant at The University of Mississippi. His research interests include public health research, health literacy, and Kawasaki Disease. His Ph.D. research focused on assessing the influence of symbols on the recall and comprehension of pharmacy-generated prescription medication information in a low-health literate population. Dr. King is active in a number of on-going research projects and grants. He is also involved with the Kawasaki Disease Foundation's Bridges program as well as pharmacy and public health organizations.

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Todd Hooper, Pharm.D., BCPP
Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice

Todd Hooper, Pharm.D., BCPP, received his degree from the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, at Memphis in 1999. He then completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency in Psychiatry at Western Missouri Mental Health Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Dr. Hooper later became board certified as a Psychiatric Pharmacist in 2001.

Prior to joining Union University as Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Dr. Hooper served as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in psychiatry at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, AL, and for two years as a supervisory pharmacist. Dr. Hooper also served at the same facility as the Residency Program Director for the psychiatric pharmacy practice (PGY-2) program. Dr Hooper has also served as a Medical Science Liaison at Bristol-Myers Squibb and at Publix pharmacy as a staff pharmacist.

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Staff

Josh Clarke, Pharmacy Admissions Coordinator, 731.661.5979	Sarah Chambers, Pharmacy Admissions Assistant, 731.661.5910	Lizzy Belew, Administrative Assistant to the Dean of Pharmacy, 731.661.5958	Laura Ladymon, Coordinator of Experiential and Continuing Education, 731.661.5321