John Vandel, Dean of the University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy, will retire at
the end of December. A reception in his honor, attended by many members of the UW
community, family, and friends, was held Thursday, Dec. 6, in the College of Health
Sciences Surge Area.
Following a long and distinguished career as a community pharmacist, Vandel was named
the interim dean at the school in 2003 and then dean in 2004. "It has been wonderful
to have been associated with the faculty, staff, administration, and students," Vandel
says. "It has been a career that I had never anticipated or expected, but it has been
an exciting, challenging, and rewarding experience. I would like to thank the university,
college, and school administration, faculty, and staff who have helped this community
pharmacist serve as your dean. It was a steep learning curve, and without your support,
it would not have been possible."
"I am highly pleased that Associate Dean Linda Martin has accepted the offer to become
dean of the school in January 2013," Vandel adds. "Dr. Martin has a great depth of
knowledge and experience with the school, college, and university. She is well qualified
to lead our school forward as we continue to be a school of excellence in teaching,
research, and service."
Vandel received a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy degree from UW in 1957, and from
1966–2010, he was the president and manager of Vandel Drugs, Inc., in Torrington,
Wyoming. During that time, he was very involved in state and national pharmacy organizations,
serving 12 years on the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education and on the boards
of the American Pharmacists Association and National Community Pharmacists Association.
Having served on the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Commission to Implement
Change in Pharmacy Education, Vandel was very active in the development of the Pharm.D.
program in pharmacy education. In addition, he served 12 years on the Wyoming Board
of Pharmacy and is a past president of the Wyoming Pharmacy Association.
Among Vandel's awards are the A. H. Robbins Bowl of Hygeia (1982), National Association
of Boards of Pharmacy Distinguished Service Award (1992), Wyoming Pharmacists Association
Pharmacist of the Year (1993), and the American Pharmacists Association Daniel B.
Smith Distinguished Pharmacy Practitioner Award (1995). In addition, he was named
a UW Distinguished Alumnus in 1995, the American College of Apothecaries Dean of the
Year in 2007, and the American Pharmacists Association Honorary President for 2007-08.