Head of College of Pharmacy resigns

The dean of the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy said Friday that he will be stepping down at the end of the year.

John Pezzuto, who helped launch the college at the University of Hawaii at Hilo in 2006, is moving on to the Arnold and Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York, where he will serve as professor and dean.

Pezzuto first announced his decision Friday morning in an email to friends and coworkers.

“It has been a privilege helping you build this college over the past several years,” he wrote. “I am proud of our progress and I am confident the future is bright. I will be here through the end of the year. You can be sure I will continue working to the utmost of my ability to continue building the college, and I will certainly do everything I can to assure a smooth transition.”

In an emailed statement sent Friday afternoon, UH-Hilo Chancellor Donald Straney credited Pezzuto with getting the pharmacy program off the ground.

“The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy is a testimonial to John’s outstanding leadership as he worked tirelessly with the University and the community to fulfill Senator Inouye’s vision,” he said. “We are saddened by his departure, but thank him for his body of work, which leaves this institution poised for continued success.”

Pezzuto said he anticipated a nationwide search would soon be announced to recruit a new dean for the college.

“Presented with funding for the new building, a good fiscal plan, and solid standing with the ACPE (Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education), I am sure the next dean will have no trouble whatsoever moving the college along to the next levels of excellence,” the email reads.

In a press release issued by the College of Pharmacy, Pezzuto said the decision to leave had not been taken lightly.

“I came to UH-Hilo from a top-ranked pharmacy college because it presented the challenge of starting a college of pharmacy where there was none before,” he said. “My wife Mimi and I and our three children have cherished our time in the Aloha State. The decision of taking these next steps has been extraordinarily difficult. But LIU is one of the oldest pharmacy programs in the country, and I feel that I am uniquely suited to help them reach the next levels of preeminence.”

Over the past several years, Pezzuto has expressed impatience with the state Legislature as he and other college supporters fought to expand the school and its programs, including efforts to fully fund a building for the program. Currently, students, staff and faculty are spread among a number of temporary buildings, labs and classrooms across the UH-Hilo campus.

Despite support from Gov. Neil Abercrombie, the building project failed to win support from legislators last year, putting the school’s accreditation in jeopardy. This year, legislators appropriated $33 million for the building after the college pared down its plans. The original version of the building, designed by Hilo native and architect Rob Iopa, who also designed the building for UH-Hilo’s College of Hawaiian Language, called for as much as $120 million in funding.

Pezzuto said in a phone interview Friday afternoon that while it had been trying at times to work with the Legislature, he felt it was an important process to go through.

“In retrospect, it was a process that was necessary for everyone to do their due diligence. … I feel now that the college is well poised for the future. I would feel less comfortable with this move if the college wasn’t in that position. It basically allows me to move ahead with a clearer conscience,” he said. “I guess I kind of feel like the college is a child, in a way. It’s reached the point of independence. So, like a father with a child moving on, I feel sad separating, but on the other hand I feel proud the college has reached the point where it is.”

He added that he hopes to continue to be involved with the Hilo College of Pharmacy, perhaps through an adjunct professorship.

“It has been a great pleasure working with someone of Dean Pezzuto’s caliber,” said Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Matt Platz. “This is sad news for the University of Hawaii at Hilo, but because he has worked diligently on preparing the college for this day, I am confident we are ready for the next steps. I have no doubt his name will live on in the future of our college, and we are grateful for the work he has done to get us to this point.”

Pezzuto took on the role of dean in Hilo at a time when there was “no assurance of a future,” according to the college’s release, with no offices, no staff and no students.

“He methodically assembled a staff of world-renowned faculty who would build the school into what is now a contender for one of the top 25 ranked colleges in the U.S.,” the release states.

Pezzuto is well known for his research that identified the cancer-preventive component of grapes and grape products known as resveratrol. After the research report was published in Science Magazine in 1997, many more stories in scientific journals as well as mainstream media focused on the discovery that gave real promise to the fight against cancer. According to the Web of Science Core Collection, his work on resveratrol has been cited more than 3,000 times.

Most recently, he was given the top research award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), as well as an award from the Cantine Due Palme in Italy for outstanding contributions in the field of research and culture.

Prior to joining UH-Hilo, he served as professor and dean of the College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences at Purdue University. Pezzuto has been supported by the National Institutes of Health continuously since 1977. He is the author of more than 500 manuscripts, editor of the journal Pharmaceutical Biology, holder of many patents, a member of several editorial boards, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune- herald.com.