Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions Fact Sheet
Overview
The history of the Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions (SPAHP) dates back to 1905, with the purchase of the Creighton College of Pharmacy by Creighton University. Over the years, the school expanded to include other health professions and today offers clinical doctorate degrees in pharmacy (Pharm. D.), occupational therapy (OTD) and physical therapy (DPT), and a bachelor’s degree in emergency medical services (EMS).
The clinical doctorate degree has been the standard in the SPAHP for longer than at any other institution. Creighton was the first in the nation to offer clinical doctorate degrees in occupational therapy and physical therapy. In 2001, Creighton established the nation’s first distance-based, entry-level pathway to the Doctor of Pharmacy degree. The school is committed to serving, leading, and advancing health for all.
Faculty
- Victoria Roche, Ph.D., serves as interm dean since early 2013.
- More than 105 faculty members provide instruction.
- The SPAHP is known for excellence in teaching and mentoring relationships with faculty-student clinical ratios of 1:2-3, ensuring outstanding clinical experiences.
- There is one endowed chair in the school, the Gilbert F. Taffe, Jr. Endowed Chair in Pharmacy Sciences, held by Alekha Dash, Ph.D.
Students
- As a group, SPAHP students earn close to a 100 percent first-time pass rate on licensing exams in all three disciplines – pharmacy, occupational therapy and physical therapy.
- Today, about 1,150 students are enrolled, with 1,100 entry-level professional students and 50 post-professional students.
- Students from 47 states and more than 18 countries are pursuing clinical doctorates through the SPAHP.
- The school is a national leader in teaching with technology. All occupational therapy, pharmacy and physical therapy students are issued tablet PCs when they begin their programs of study. Third-year pharmacy students are issued iPod Touch handheld devices that are fully serviced by the school’s staff. Technology is incorporated into every aspect of learning including clinical education.
- Pharmacy, physical therapy and occupational therapy students choose from an expansive list of clinical training sites across the country in every health care category including pediatric, geriatric, mental health and community development in large hospitals as well as small rehabilitation clinics. International clinical experiences are also available.
Alumni
- More than 6,850 alumni of SPAHP, reside in all 50 states and more than 20 countries.
- The school has an active 15-member Alumni Advisory Board representing all three disciplines.
Points of Pride
- School of “Firsts”
- First in the nation to develop and implement a distance pharmacy pathway leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree.
- First in the nation to develop the degree of Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT).
- First in the nation to develop the degree of Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD).
- Leaders in professional distance education
- Access to a Creighton education via distance education is attracting quality students from remote areas who might not have been able to access professional education otherwise.
- The University has a public/private partnership with the University of Alaska Anchorage using the distance education technology SPAHP developed to offer the OTD and PharmD programs.
- The Office of Interprofessional Scholarship, Service and Education (OISSE) plays a significant role in connecting students with diverse and meaningful opportunities to serve others. In 2011, OISSE faculty and staff were awarded the first John P. Schlegel, S.J., Presidential Diversity Award for Service for initiatives that engage the community and support the advancement of diversity.
- In the Ignatian tradition, students and faculty are very service-minded. OISSE maintains a long-standing partnership with the Omaha and Winnebago Tribes of Nebraska addressing health disparities. OISSE’s community engagement model also includes local opportunities in the Omaha metropolitan area, and international initiatives in the Dominican Republic and China. SPAHP students provided over 11,000 hours of service in 2010 to the local Greater Omaha community.
- Center of Excellence: The school’s Center for Health Services Research and Patient Safety is recognized nationally for its work in the area of patient safety and quality assurance.
- Areas of active research:
- Development of HIV drugs and dosage forms
- Parkinson’s fatigue and underlining causes
- Pulmonary disease therapy
- Drug development/clinical drug trials
- Patient safety and quality
- Pharmacoeconomics
- For more than 25 years, the Creighton University Center for Drug Information and Evidence-Based Practice has provided evidence-based, timely and unbiased information to health-care professionals. Drug information skills are critical to the practice of pharmacy. Fewer than 15 percent of pharmacy schools in the United States offer as much drug information experience to the professional community as Creighton.
- The school has a disease prevention initiative to assist Creighton employees with diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension manage those diseases through medication therapy management as well as individualized wellness plans.
- The graduate program in Pharmaceutical Sciences encompasses a multidisciplinary approach to graduate training, culminating in the M.S. degree. The program provides the opportunity for students to specialize in the following areas: pharmacology, toxicology, immunopharmacology, pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, medicinal chemistry, and cell biology.
- The SPAHP offers a state of the art pharmacy simulation laboratory
- The school offers 12 residency positions, eight in pharmacy practice and four in physical therapy.