University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy pioneer dies

Joseph V. Swintosky, the dean emeritus at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy who officials said led the school to national and international prominence, died Thursday.

Dr. Swintosky, of Nicholasville, was 90.

Dean of the UK College of Pharmacy from 1967 to 1987, Dr. Swintosky worked to transform pharmacy education and the pharmacy profession, according to a statement from the College of Pharmacy.

"The world of pharmacy has lost a giant," Timothy S. Tracy, Dean of the UK College of Pharmacy said in the statement. "Dr. Swintosky placed UK on a trajectory to become one of the nation's top colleges of pharmacy. We would not be the college we are today without his innovative spirit and his commitment to excellence in all we do."

Under Dr. Swintosky's leadership, the college was ranked third nationally in the early 1970s and has remained in the Top 10 since that time, the statement said.

Dr. Swintosky created the college's master's and Ph.D. programs, a move that cemented UK as a national leader in graduate education and pharmaceutical research.

Major transformations in how pharmacy was taught, practiced, and delivered occurred during his tenure, the statement said.

UK created the world's first department of clinical pharmacy in a medical center setting in 1968, according to the statement.

During his tenure at the UK College of Pharmacy, Dr. Swintosky was key in innovation. For example, he thought a pharmacist should join medical doctors on their daily rounds at the UK Medical Center. It is now an industry standard, officials said.

"When you look back at the history of the UK College of Pharmacy, you see a noticeable jump in activity and innovation starting in 1967," said Dr. Patrick DeLuca, Professor Emeritus in the UK College of Pharmacy. "That can be wholly attributed to Joe Swintosky. He was a trailblazer a brilliant tactician as an administrator, educator and researcher."

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University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy pioneer dies