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At the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SOPPS), the end of an era has arrived — for the first time in the school’s history, a founding program chair, KarenBeth H. Bohan, will retire this year.

“I came to 91���� as the founding chair for the pharmaceutical sciences department, and KarenBeth arrived as the founding chair for pharmacy practice,” said now-Dean Kanneboyina Nagaraju. “One of the wonderful things I learned, in over a decade here, is that it is very easy to join a place when something is running well, but to create something that never existed requires enormous amounts of hard work, thinking, and vision. And KarenBeth contributed all those things.”

Bohan, a board-certified pharmacotherapy specialist (BCPS) and professor of pharmacy practice, has been with SOPPS since 2016. In the 2021–22 academic year, Bohan served as interim director of experiential education, and in 2022–23, she served as interim associate dean for education and engagement at SOPPS.

“There is nobody in the school who served with such grace, dignity, and an enormous amount of hard work [as KarenBeth],” Nagaraju said. “At times, she has taken transition roles to ensure there was no gap in education — and I don't think anybody has served the school in the variety of positions that KarenBeth has served. I am deeply grateful and honored that KarenBeth has been my colleague for the last 10 years, thankful for everything that she has done for our school, and we are where we are today because of her.”

Bohan received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Maryland. She began her career in clinical pharmacy practice in acute adult medicine and infectious diseases, including the development and co-management of an antimicrobial utilization program at a large medical center in rural Pennsylvania. At a smaller hospital, she also served as the director of pharmacy and as a long-term care consultant. She most recently came to 91���� from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, where she served as associate professor of pharmacy practice for 13 years.

Since 2011, Bohan also has been collaborating with the pharmacy faculty of Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, and the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda in capacity-building research to advance pharmacy education and practice to improve safe medication use and patient health outcomes. Bohan has also included numerous American pharmacy students in her Uganda work by engaging with them on four-week, elective, global-health experiential rotations in Kampala and Masindi, Uganda. In addition, she developed an eight-week training program in the United States for Ugandan pharmacists.

During her time at 91����, Bohan has worked hard to strengthen global pharmacy partnerships (especially in India), advance clinical practice, and expand educational opportunities, all while still teaching students.

“Today, the Department of Pharmacy Practice is truly one of the best in the state, and I'm so proud,” Nagaraju added. “It's one of the best in the country, despite being the youngest — and that’s partly because of the foundations laid by KarenBeth.”

As she completes her time at SOPPS, Bohan reflects on a decade of success — though her legacy will endure at the school long beyond that.

“It's been the joy of my life to work here,” Bohan said. “This university is full of wonderful colleagues, wonderful programs, and wonderful students, and I’m so thankful for my time at 91����.”