Dr. Michael Nelson is Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. He earned his B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of Washington, and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He was most recently at Regis University where he served as Chair for the Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, which included a year of working in student affairs. Dr. Nelson currently leads a team of student services professional staff responsible for recruitment and enrollment of Drake CPHS students and to support CPHS students from enrollment to graduation.
Dr. Nelson believes "Innovation is critical for the pharmacy profession because our profession, like any other profession, is not perfect and there is always something we creatively improve within pharmacy practice. Our patients deserve our best efforts to improve their health, and our best efforts includes making reasonable attempts to improve our profession. Innovation is also important with regard to preserving and, when appropriate, expanding the role of pharmacists in our health care system because there is some overlap between what pharmacists and other health care professionals are qualified to do, and if pharmacists do not continue to innovate within our profession, then our profession risks being left behind; this would result in a missed opportunity for improving the health of our society."
Question for the Team Members: What Is Your Favorite DELTA Rx Event?
"My favorite DELTARx event is the Next Top Entrepreneur Competition. I value the opportunity this event provides our students, not only within CPHS but also from across campus, to develop and present their innovative ideas and receive feedback in a constructive manner. The event seems to motivate and encourage our students to continue to innovate, which is key to improving healthcare no matter which healthcare discipline one is in. In other words, I can connect the dots between the NTEC being a fun and engaging student development activity and our society’s healthcare system benefiting from innovation in the future. And, the ideas that students come up with are creative, smart, and occasionally entertaining!"
