Jill M. Kolesar, university research professor in the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and the Dr. Michael Karpf Endowed Chair in Precision Medicine, has been named dean of the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy. She will begin on July 15.

At the University of Kentucky, Kolesar also holds administrative positions as the co-leader of the Translational Oncology Program at the Markey Cancer Center and a joint appointment in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. 

Kolesar succeeds Don Letendre, who announced in October 2023 that he would step down as dean when his successor is hired.

“Dr. Kolesar’s impressive record of research and leadership, combined with her innovative vision, makes her an ideal choice as the next dean of the College of Pharmacy,” says Kevin Kregel, executive vice president and provost. “Her dedication to multidisciplinary collaboration will drive the college forward, building on our strengths and creating new opportunities for growth and impact.”

Kolesar was one of three candidates invited to campus in late April and early May to interview for the deanship. The search was led by Clark Stanford, dean of the College of Dentistry, and Nicole Brogden, the Ting-Fong and Nei-Jia Chin Professor in Pharmaceutics in the College of Pharmacy.

Kolesar received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy; a Master of Science in epidemiology from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; and a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, where she also completed a specialty practice residency in oncology/hematology and a fellowship in molecular oncology pharmacotherapy.

She has extensive experience in oncology drug development and precision medicine. Kolesar has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed research articles and as a principal investigator has received more than $15 million in research funding from the National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society, and other sources. 

“It is an honor to join the University of Iowa as the dean of the College of Pharmacy,” says Kolesar. “This university's commitment to innovation, interdisciplinary partnerships, and excellence in health care solutions is inspiring, and I am excited to work with this exceptional community to advance our mission of education, research, pharmacy practice, and the pharmaceutical sciences.”