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David Dietz

A professor and department chair at the University at Buffalo who researches drug abuse has been named as the second finalist to lead the University of Kansas’ pharmacy school.

David Dietz, a professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology at the Buffalo, New York university, will be on the KU campus Monday to interview for the open dean position at the KU School of Pharmacy.

Dietz also is an associate dean of research strategy at Buffalo’s school of medicine. In his various positions he’s overseen multiple National Institutes of Health grants to study how heroin and cocaine use change the brains of people addicted to the drugs.

Dietz will provide a public presentation about his candidacy for the KU pharmacy school dean position at 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 24 in Room 1020 of the School of Pharmacy building.

Dietz earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Florida State University and his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University, and also served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Friedman Brain Institute at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

KU plans to interview four finalists for the dean position. Theresa Shireman, a health care researcher at Brown University, has already been announced as a finalist. KU expects to host the final two finalists on Feb. 27 and March 6. Names of the finalists are scheduled to be released just prior to their visits to campus.

The dean position is open after past pharmacy dean Ron Ragan resigned in May. Ragan stepped down from the leadership position to return to his appointment as a tenured professor within KU’s School of Pharmacy.