East Carolina University
Program Prioritization
Unit Name:
College/School:
Department of Pharmacoogy and Toxicology
Brody School of Medicine
Program Data Template
Part II. Program Prioritization Data Template, Short Narratives
A. Productivity
The Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology has developed a consistent track record of high
productivity over the past several years including those covered during the survey. From academic year
2008-2009 until 2010-2011, the department has increased extramural research funding annually and,
during the 2010-2011 academic year, the department ranked 1st among basic science departments and
4th among all departments at BSOM in external funding. The BSOM provided an average of
approximately 63% of the total external grants and contracts awarded to ECU during that time (58.4 –
68.7%). In the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology the external awards per FTE ranged from
$83,000/FTE in 2008-2009 to $237,000 in 2010-2011. This value per faculty FTE considerably exceeded
the average for BSOM ($59,000 per FTE) which was, by far, the largest in the university. Over the period
assessed, the department also ranked high among all departments at BSOM in terms of external awards
and research expenditures per net assignable square foot (NASF) which is monitored and reported
annually by the university. The data suggest that the research and scholarly activity production in terms
of external funding by the department ranks high within BSOM which is the top scholarly activity
producer in the university.
The high level of productivity also extends to the instruction that the department provides. The number
of SCHs per FTE produced by the department during the years evaluated averaged 215 (range 151–218),
which is only slightly under the 240 SCH per FTE produced by the university at large. However, when the
non-teaching FTE (i.e. research associates) are removed from the calculation the numbers come much
closer to the university values (188-236). The department has assumed a large instructional
commitment for other units in the university and, in particular, the Division of Health Sciences in which
the department contributes foundational instruction in at least 5 different programs. The contribution
of the department to those other entities represents in excess of 1000 SCHs.
Service productivity has also been high and at a level that would be expected of a highly productive
department. Professional service contributions have been high and are continuing to increase as
success in attracting extramural funding enables faculty members to serve on review panels at the
regional, national and international levels. In addition, many of the faculty have assumed or been
elected to leadership roles in important professional societies. The faculty members have also been
engaged in service contributions to the state, region and community in a variety of capacities.
B. Centrality
According the National Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the need for graduates of biomedical training
programs, including pharmacology and toxicology, will increase by over 40% between 2008 and 2018.
The increased need for physicians, physician-extenders and other health care professionals in
underserved areas has initiated an increase in student and resident training in virtually all health care
professional programs including, but not limited to, dental medicine, physician’s assistants, nurse
anesthetists, nurse practitioners, and nurse midwives that will need instruction in the basic sciences. An
essential basic science component of nearly all health care professional training programs is a
foundational knowledge of pharmacology and toxicology. Thus, the department is uniquely positioned
to provide the additional instructional services essential for the success of these programs. Further, the
department will utilize the expertise of its faculty to meet the increased demand for teaching
pharmacology and toxicology in our university. However, continual reduction in staff puts the
department in a challenging position to meet that increased instructional demand and to continue to
retain the high level of productivity in other mission areas.
Medical education, like other programs of instruction, exists at levels that would be considered
undergraduate (post baccalaureate students pursuing the MD degree) and graduate (residents obtaining
their career specialty training). The basic sciences are an essential component of the foundation
curriculum for students pursuing the MD degree. Thus, the department contributes extensively to the
Foundation curriculum for medical students (the department contributes approximately 760 SCHs
annually for this instructional component). Similarly, the department also trains post baccalaureate
students who seek the Ph.D. in the discipline of Pharmacology and Toxicology. The program at ECU
represents the only program in the UNC system that offers this combined degree. The graduate
program also provides a number of courses that are of interest and, in some cases, considered essential
to other graduate programs at BSOM and one course (PHAR 7777) that is a recommended course for
several graduate programs.
The faculty members of the department have been instrumental in the development of multidisciplinary
research teams in the area of biological and toxicological effects of nanoparticle exposure. This effort
involves faculty from several departments and other institutions and has received national recognition,
being one of only 5 such centers in the country. The additional funding provided to the university and
BSOM by this center will provide economic growth to the region through the employment of
postdoctoral scholars, research technical staff and support of graduate students. More importantly,
however, the center will enhance the reputation of ECU as a major research center in the rapidly
expanding field of nanotechnology. Faculty members in the department have also engaged with clinical
faculty at BSOM in a translational research effort to evaluate pharmaceutical agents that may play an
important role in the future management of cardiovascular disease.
The department currently provides essential instruction to several different programs in the university
and in the Health Sciences Division. These programs include the Physician’s Assistant and Physical
Therapy programs in the College of Allied Health Sciences and the undergraduate and several graduate
programs in the College of Nursing. The department currently provides instruction either as the primary
instructor or the instructor of record for these programs that are housed within the parent college or
degree program. The courses that are delivered are required courses in the programs which indicates
that accreditation of these programs is, in part, dependent upon instruction provided by faculty
members in the department. These programs have continually received excellent evaluations for
accreditation and are recognized within the university as outstanding programs. Therefore, the
instruction provided by the department for the Colleges of Allied Health and Nursing is important to the
excellence that the programs have achieved (e.g. the CON program to train Nurse Anesthetists is
recognized nationally as a premier program and pharmacology and toxicology instruction is an essential
component of the curriculum).
The arrival of the School of Dental Medicine poses an additional burden on the department as
instruction in pharmacology and toxicology for students in that school is absolutely essential for
licensure. The department has worked collaboratively with all other departments at BSOM to engage in
developing and implementing the novel curriculum in basic science instruction for the School of Dental
Medicine training in basic sciences.
C. Quality
The quality of the program in Pharmacology and Toxicology is best illustrated by the performance of
students trained by the faculty in this program. Students who have graduated with the PhD degree in
Pharmacology and Toxicology during the past 3 academic years are all in positions related to further
training in the discipline. The research funding has increased annually indicating that the faculty is
producing creative and scholarly activity at a very high level as assessed by their peers serving on the
national and regional review panels. The quality of the work is further emphasized by the fact that the
faculty members in the department presented the results of their research effort in published articles
and scientific presentations at a rate (approximately 2 articles and 3 presentations per FTE) that was
well above the average for the BSOM (1.3 article per FTE), which was among the highest of all of the
colleges and schools in the university. The average impact factor of the journals in which these data
were published was approximately 4.00 suggesting that the department faculty publish in high quality
peer-reviewed journals.
Medical students must pass a licensure examination (i.e. USMLE Step 1) shortly after completing the
foundation or basic science component of their education in order to continue their medical education.
The fact that medical student performance on the licensure examination has been outstanding (at or
above the national mean) over the past 3 years is an excellent gauge of the quality of the instruction in
all the basic sciences which is the focus of the examination. However, the fact that student performance
in the discipline of pharmacology and toxicology has exceeded the national average and has been the
highest subject performance among all disciplines at BSOM suggests that the quality of instruction
provided by the department is very high. The high quality of the instruction provided by the department
can be further demonstrated by other measures as well. The department received the outstanding
basic science course award in each of the years that was evaluated. Furthermore, individual faculty
members within the department were recognized for their outstanding teaching. The outstanding
teaching extended to the entire faculty as indicated by the average SOIS scores of faculty members in
the department which were approximately 6.2 over the time period evaluated (annual ranges from
6.14-6.29). This value for student opinion of instruction is comparable to that achieved at the university
level. Faculty evaluations in those courses delivered for other units is also equally high and in some
instances considerably exceeds the average evaluation of instruction for faculty members in that unit.
The quality of instruction provided for other units is of equally high quality as demonstrated by the facts
that nearly 100% of the Physician’s Assistant students and over 96% of the BSN nursing students
successfully pass their respective licensure examinations (PANCE for PA students and NCLEX for nursing
students). Since pharmacology and toxicology is one of the foundation disciplines, the success achieved
by these students would certainly support the fact that the quality of instruction is high. The recent
designation of the College of Nursing as a Center for Excellence by the National League for Nursing
based upon the way it teaches students suggests that the contributions of the department to the
education of nursing students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels is of high quality as well.
The student evaluation of instruction for faculty members contributing to the education of these
students is also very high and exceeds the average values obtained by the faculty members in that unit
and within the university. The average SOIS values for faculty engaged in this instruction since spring of
2009 is 6.69 (range 6.34-6.84) compared to an average of 6.33 (range 6.13-6.59) for instructors in the
unit and 6.31 (range 6.15-6.45) for instructors across the university at similar course levels.
D. Opportunity (SWOT) Analysis
The quantitative indicators of productivity by the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology provide
evidence that the department has a very high level and quality of productivity in all areas of the
tripartite mission of the university. The level of productivity continues to increase. The concern that the
faculty will ultimately reach a level of diminishing returns in their ability to continue to rise to each
challenge that is presented is becoming an even greater reality as we experience continued economic
unrest. The graduate program of the department has grown to a size that is maximal for the number of
faculty members that are in the department. The quality of the graduate program continues to be
elevated and graduates of the program appear to place well in the marketplace suggesting that the
quality of the training received is very high.
The department has enjoyed considerable success in research and scholarly activity where the ability to
be successful is a major indicator of the quality of the product. The contributions and leadership of the
department faculty in the area of research have been recognized locally, regionally and nationally.
Members of the department have also employed their unique talents in instruction to assist with the
development of a novel approach to health care professional education that could provide a model for
the delivery of education to health care professional students in the future.
The department provides essential contributions to a number of programs both in the Brody School of
Medicine and also in other units within the Health Sciences Division (i.e. the College of Allied Health
Sciences and the College of Nursing). These programs include the BSN, MSN Nurse Midwife, MSN
Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Anesthesia program in the College of Nursing and the Physician’s Assistant
program in the College of Allied Health Sciences. While the extraordinary success achieved by these
programs cannot be ascribed solely to the contributions of the department, the department provides
courses that are an essential part of the core curricula for each of the degree programs that have been
recognized for their outstanding education. The department has clearly developed a cooperative and
synergistic nature with these programs that allows the faculty to mutually contribute to the success of
students in the programs. The effort of the faculty in the instruction of students from these other
programs is highly regarded.
The opening of the School of Dental Medicine in August, 2011 presents the department with another
unit within the University and the Division of Health Sciences that will rely on contributions of the
department for the success of students enrolled in the program. The engagement of the department in
this new initiative will provide additional burden on the existing faculty during a time of declining
resources. Since this is a new endeavor, the total extent of the impact of this endeavor on the existing
faculty can only be estimated. Since Pharmacology and Toxicology contributions to the curriculum will
extend throughout the entire 4 years of dental medicine education, the additional impact of future
years is totally unknown. Furthermore, it is highly likely that the College of Nursing will require
additional instruction in pharmacology and toxicology as the programs expand and existing programs
undergo accreditation.
The faculty members in the department have always been willing and able to meet the challenges they
face. The strength of the department to successfully engage in the training of students from many
different health care professional programs has been tested substantially over the past few years and
will be significantly tested in the future. It will significantly stretch the department resources both
fiscally and physically. The potential for such dilution to impact the other department missions is not
known but could be substantial. The department has successfully recruited new faculty members who
have increased the research funding and research and creative activity in a meaningful way, which
contributed to the recent increase in productivity of the department. In spite of that elevated emphasis
on research and creative activity, the contribution of the department in teaching and instruction has
remained steady and is expected to increase. As increased training of health professional students
develops in response to societal needs, the department is poised to be able to provide the additional
instruction. However, the impact of that additional burden to increase instruction and research and
creative activity on the existing faculty, without expansion, cannot be estimated.