Dale English II often emphasizes the importance of seizing unexpected opportunities. He would know — his own path from student to dean was marked by his willingness to take a few turns along the way.
After spending nearly 14 years working in a hospital pharmacy setting, English started down a new path when a colleague he met through ASHP offered him administrative and assistant professor positions at Northeast Ohio Medical University in 2007.
Today, English is the associate dean of student affairs at Sullivan University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, where he inspires future pharmacists to find their paths.
“We’re trying to help students grow and figure out where they think they might want to be within the [pharmacy] profession,” he said. “Many times, it’s almost as if they’re your children, and you’re trying to help them grow as an individual.”
At the Helm: Leaders in Pharmacy Education
As the fall term begins for schools and colleges of pharmacy, ASHP is spotlighting some of the deans and associate deans helping shape a new generation of pharmacists.
English encourages his advisees to reflect on their various experiences to see what lessons they could glean. He also encourages taking accountability for one’s actions.
“If traffic was bad today, it’s fine to say, ‘Traffic was bad today. That’s why I was late. However, I should have done a better job of planning, and I take full responsibility that I didn’t plan better to ensure I would be here ahead of time. I like to think I’m doing my best to provide some level of mentorship to all students."
Pharmacy students have recognized his dedication. English is a six-time winner of the postgraduate year 1 teacher of the year award from graduating classes at Northeast Ohio Medical University, where he served as an associate professor of pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical sciences; director of instructional labs; director of professional relations; and associate dean for student success.
His transition to academia resulted from a connection he made through ASHP, where he has been an active member since his student days. For many years, English served in the ASHP House of Delegates and got to know a fellow member, David Allen. The pair served together on ASHP councils.
When Allen became the founding dean at Northeast Ohio Medical University in 2007, he reached out to English with an enticing offer to join the faculty. They discussed it in more detail during an ASHP summer meeting, and English was later offered a position.
After nine and a half years in Ohio, he moved to his current role in Louisville, Kentucky, and has remained active in ASHP, including serving as director-at-large elect for the Section of Pharmacy Educators, a state delegate, and a mentor for student posters at the Midyear Clinical Meeting & Exhibition.
More recently, he became interested in working internationally and lectured to pharmacists in East Asia after making connections through an ASHP pharmacist colleague originally from China.
“ASHP has truly been my professional home, and that has really helped me grow over the years, not just personally but in so many relationships,” English said. “I’ve gotten to know so many people and experienced so many wonderful things by being involved in a professional organization.”
ASHP didn’t shape only English’s career decisions. He also credits ASHP colleagues with saving his life.
English experienced cardiac problems and passed out while attending a presidential officers’ meeting several years ago. Attendees quickly got in touch with one of his colleagues, who provided ASHP staff with his wife’s phone number. They called English’s wife to let her know he was in the hospital, where he had surgery to receive a pacemaker.
“Something unique to my story I like to tell people is that if you go to an ASHP meeting, they ask you to fill out who your emergency contact is on the back of your ID card,” he said. “That’s because of me.”
