Statement on PharmD accreditation

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The following is statement from James M. O'Donnell, dean of the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences:

"The University at Buffalo’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and all of the school’s degree programs remain accredited. On Feb. 6, the school received notice that one of its programs, the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program, is “accredited with probation” following a review by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) in October 2019.

In evaluating the PharmD program’s compliance with 25 accreditation standards, ACPE determined that improvement was needed to comply with two standards within the experiential component of the PharmD curriculum. These issues are being addressed and the UB PharmD program remains compliant with all other ACPE accreditation standards. 

The School of Pharmacy is compliant with the other 23 ACPE standards, remains accredited and can continue to grant all degrees and admit incoming students. Current students will graduate, can sit for board examinations and take all licensure examinations.

While I cannot comment on personnel matters, over the past several months, the school’s Office of Experiential Education has taken steps to restructure our experiential curriculum to ensure UB meets ACPE’s standards for all current and future students and has also brought on a new leadership team. With these improvements, our students are assured of receiving the full range of pharmacy practice experiences in compliance with accreditation standards.

The success of our students is a top priority for the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and we understand implementing needed changes will present challenges for some students. We have been communicating with students through email, in-person meetings and conference calls, and are working with students on a one-on-one basis to ensure that issues have been addressed and all required PharmD course work is in place to meet planned degree conferral dates."