S. Suresh Madhavan, PhD, MBA, FAPhA, is Professor and Dean at Temple University School of Pharmacy.
As Dean, Dr. Madhavan works closely with a dedicated leadership team and an exceptional faculty and staff to advance the School’s mission in education, research, patient care, and community service. Under his leadership, the School recently earned full accreditation for the maximum eight-year period granted by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE); launched a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences—the first undergraduate program in its history—along with an Early Assurance PharmD pathway; and introduced three new non-thesis Master of Science programs and four online certificate programs.
In addition to overseeing academic programs, Dr. Madhavan is responsible for strategic planning, recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty, strengthening the School’s research enterprise, fostering interprofessional education, cultivating philanthropic support, expanding community and alumni engagement, and ensuring the financial health and national visibility of the School.
Dr. Madhavan’s research focuses on health services and outcomes, with an emphasis on improving access to and the quality of health and preventive care. He has secured more than $35 million in grants and contracts from federal and state agencies as well as private corporations, published more than 110 peer-reviewed papers, and mentored more than a dozen junior faculty and 23 PhD graduates in health services and outcomes research.
He has collaborated extensively with clinicians from multiple health professions to design, implement, and evaluate innovative pharmacy practice models—including pharmacists as immunizers, academic detailers, and medication experts in Medicaid and other state health programs. Since 2012, he has served on numerous ACPE accreditation site visit teams and is recognized as a U.S. Department of State Fulbright Specialist. He is a Fellow of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and a 2005–06 AACP Academic Leadership Fellow.
Before joining Temple University, Dr. Madhavan served as Dean of the University of North Texas Health Science Center System College of Pharmacy from June 2019 to September 2023. As the College’s chief academic and administrative officer, he was responsible for the PharmD, certificate, master’s, and PhD programs, as well as its research and clinical service activities. He led an executive team, faculty, and staff in accelerating the growth of the young College through strategic planning, targeted faculty recruitment, improved policies and procedures, and initiatives supporting faculty, staff, and student success, well-being, and work–life balance. The College expanded its academic offerings to include three online certificate programs, two online MS programs, and a PharmD–MBA dual degree. These advances were reflected in very high levels of student and faculty satisfaction in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) surveys. During his tenure, research funding doubled, placing the College in the top 30% of U.S. pharmacy schools (#38 in total funding, AACP 2022). In June 2023, the College achieved the maximum eight-year ACPE re-accreditation.
Prior to becoming a dean, Dr. Madhavan spent more than three decades at the West Virginia University (WVU) School of Pharmacy, where he served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy.
Dr. Madhavan’s honors include the WVU Health Sciences Center Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Research and Scholarship (2014), Distinguished Alumnus recognition from Purdue University College of Pharmacy (2017), the Paul R. Dawson Award for Excellence in Patient Care Research from AACP (2018), and the Research Achievement Award in Pharmaceutical Sciences from APhA (2021). In November 2023, he was selected as an “Old Master” by Purdue University, the highest honor its student body can bestow on an alumnus.
He earned his PhD in Pharmacy Administration from Purdue University, his MBA from the University of Poona, India, and his Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Bombay, India.