Richard Drew

Richard Drew, PharmD, professor of pharmacy practice, received the D.P. Russ, Jr. and Walter S. Jones, Sr. Alumni Award for Research Excellence during Campbell University’s Senior & Faculty Awards Banquet on April 25, 2012.

Drew has distinguished himself over a 30-year career as a pharmacy practitioner, scholar and educator. He is widely known within the pharmacy profession for his work in infectious disease pharmacotherapy and has made valuable contributions to the literature of pharmacy practice.

Drew has published over 70 journal articles, 7 book chapters, 21 handbooks and multimedia articles, and 53 abstracts. A highly sought after speaker, Drew has given more than 100 presentations at local, state, national and international meetings.

As one of the leading pharmacy scholars in pharmacotherapy of fungal infections, Drew is at the forefront of advancing the understanding and use of antifungal agents. He has also played a pivotal role in leading the efforts toward the proper use of antimicrobial agents.

His contributions to pharmacy practice exist beyond his published work, in the vast number of pharmacy students and pharmacy residents he has trained throughout his career.

His colleagues in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, Larry Swanson, PharmD, and Byron May, PharmD, testify on his behalf, “We can think of no other practitioner who has made such a long and significant commitment to the profession by word and action than Richard Drew."

The research award is significant because it is a university-wide award, not limited to any one school or department. The recipient was nominated by faculty colleagues from across the university. Drew is the inaugural recipient of the award.

Drew holds a PharmD and MS in pharmacy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed a BS in pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island. He is also a fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists. His research interests and publications are in the areas of antifungal pharmacotherapy, aerosolized antibiotics, antibiotic decision support, antimicrobial stewardship and antibacterial drug resistance.