PATRICIA D. KROBOTH, PhD
Kroboth served as Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy from 2002 to 2022, with only Julius Koch, the first dean, serving longer. Her time as interim dean made Kroboth realize that facing the challenges of leadership of the school suited her as she engaged with alums, faculty, students, and staff. Being part of teams and leading them was fulfilling and even fun, despite her belief for years that she would never want to be dean. Her love for Pitt and Pitt Pharmacy grew from her time as a graduate student in 1978 and was nourished by engagement with ever-growing numbers of people while building Pitt Pharmacy programs and its reputation.
Kroboth’s fingerprints are on the Clinical Pharmaceutical Scientist PhD program (1984), the Residency Program (1990), the Post-baccalaureate PharmD program (1992), the PharmD Program (2000), the Grace Lamsam Program for Underserved (1996) and the broader program for direct patient care in the community (2004). The ultimate challenge was gaining financial and administrative support for constructing Salk Pavilion (opened 2015) and the total renovation of pharmacy’s space in Salk Hall (completed 2022).
She fondly looks back at the fun-filled times of teamwork through Faculty-Staff Retreats, Leadership Team meetings, Conversations with the Dean, and Alumni Society Board meetings all with the goal of developing the next innovation or way to enhance the work or learning experience.
Kroboth joined the faculty in 1980 as a clinician, becoming a researcher, then taking on administrative responsibilities in 1988 as chair, Department of Pharmacy. At the time of her retirement in 2024, she was Distinguished Service Professor at Pitt and elected fellow of three organizations: American College of Clinical Pharmacy, American Association for Pharmaceutical Scientists (1996), and American Association for the Advancement of Science (2016). In 2013, she received the American College of Clinical Pharmacology Award for Mentoring in Clinical Pharmacology. Nationally, she also held positions as AACP Chair of the Council of Deans, Chair of the Pharmacokinetic, Pharmacodynamic and Drug Metabolism section of AAPS, and Research Regent of AACP.
Through the years, “Excellence, Innovation, and Leadership” were the constant theme as she led the Pitt Pharmacy community to a shared vision for the School of Pharmacy, reaching #9 in US News & World Report ranking, and in 2022 ranked #5 in total research funding among schools of pharmacy. Pitt Pharmacy became a national leader in pharmacy education, with personalized education and national award-winning approaches to teaching and assessment. The school’s research spans the entire drug development spectrum including new models of care and pharmacogenomics. During her tenure as dean, the people of Pitt Pharmacy proudly embraced the values of fostering passion and creativity, collaboration and teamwork, and respect for the individual. Her commitment to personal growth was so serious that she unofficially endorsed the role of “Chief Officer of Yes!