OU College of Pharmacy Dean Inducted into Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame

OU College of Pharmacy Dean JoLaine R. Draugalis, Ph.D., is being inducted Nov. 2 into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame.

Draugalis, who has spent the majority of her pharmaceutical career in higher education, has led the OU College of Pharmacy since 2007, overseeing growth in its mission areas of clinical care, education and research.

“Dean Draugalis’ induction into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame is reflective of her deep commitment to the OU College of Pharmacy,” said Jason Sanders, M.D., MBA, Senior Vice President and Provost of the OU Health Sciences Center. “She has brought honor and distinction to the college, and she is dedicated to training future health professionals and scientists who will make a positive impact on the lives of people in Oklahoma and beyond.”

Draugalis earned her bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Ferris State University in Michigan, her home state. After practicing hospital pharmacy for six years, she entered graduate school, completing a master’s degree in educational psychology and a doctorate in pharmacy at the University of Arizona. Prior to arriving in Oklahoma, Draugalis served on faculty and in leadership roles at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy.

For the past 14 years at the OU College of Pharmacy, Draugalis has overseen substantial increases in the college’s research publications, extramural funding, national and international presentations, national student recognition and annual giving. During her tenure, the college’s annual operating budget has more than doubled.

Draugalis’ research interests include pharmaceutical education program design, administration, and evaluation; educational applications in pharmaco-economics and outcomes research; and the scholarly study of teaching and learning. She has published over 125 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and monographs and has presented original work at nearly 200 professional conferences.

She has served on the board of directors for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), including a term as president from 2004-05. In 1998, she became the first woman and first associate professor that the organization honored with the Robert K. Chalmers Distinguished Pharmacy Educator Award. In 2019, she received the AACP’s Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes significant contributions made to the organization and to pharmacy education through instruction, leadership, service, and scholarship over a minimum of 25 years. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Research and Science of the American Pharmacists Association, and a Fellow of the Practitioner Recognition Program of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists.

In addition to her role as dean of the OU College of Pharmacy, Draugalis holds the Phil C. and Ferne Ashby Endowed Dean’s Chair, and is an Edith Kinney Gaylord Presidential Professor, David Ross Boyd Professor, and Regents’ Professor.