Samford University pharmacy professor and Department of Pharmacy Practice chair Michael D. Hogue has been named associate dean for Samford’s Center for Faith and Health. A cornerstone of the College of Health Sciences, the center provides opportunities for students, faculty and volunteers to serve external communities through a variety of faith and health initiatives.
“The center is a critical link between the College of Health Sciences’ academic programs and the communities we serve,” said Vice Provost Nena F. Sanders. “Dr. Hogue understands the interconnectedness of faith and health, and is passionate about working across disciplines to engage students in meaningful ways. Under his leadership, we look forward to increasing our service to others while fostering interprofessional collaboration among students and faculty.”
As associate dean, Hogue will provide leadership, strategic direction, coordination and oversight of outreach services, projects and programs in the schools of health professions, nursing, pharmacy and public health. He will work with faculty and staff throughout the college to strengthen external partnerships while maximizing involvement and minimizing duplication. Hogue will maintain a faculty appointment within McWhorter School of Pharmacy and will report to the vice provost of the college.
“I’m excited about the opportunity the Center for Faith and Health affords Samford to touch the world in new ways,” said Hogue. “The synergy the center will be able to achieve through the collaboration of the many disciplines represented in the four schools of the College of Health Sciences truly has the potential to position Samford as the globally recognized leader in interprofessional care that changes people’s lives.”
Hogue, a McWhorter School of Pharmacy alumnus, joined the faculty in 1999. Since 2008, he has led the school’s global program, growing it from approximately 12–20 students studying abroad in 2008 to more than 100 students engaged in global service and education in 2016. He also initiated a program to ensure that every pharmacy student completes at least one experiential course in their 4th year in an underserved community, with the majority doing so in Alabama’s Black Belt region.
Hogue’s commitment to service extends far beyond the profession of pharmacy and Samford University. He is a member and ordained deacon of Gardendale’s First Baptist Church, and he serves as a member of the church’s mission leadership team. He also leads the church’s annual mission trip to Southeast Asia and is a former member of the finance committee.
“Service to the community always has been one of the strong hallmarks of Samford University, and the new Center for Health and Faith is another opportunity for us to demonstrate that commitment,” said Samford Provost J. Michael Hardin. “Dr. Hogue takes leadership of this new center at a pivotal point in the university’s history and the emergence of our new College of Health Sciences. His academic training, professional and classroom experience, and commitment to students, combined with his outstanding record of service in his own church and community, make him the ideal choice for this important new role.”
An advocate for public health and professional leadership, Hogue has a long history of working with various state societies of nursing, and state and national medical societies, as well as patient advocacy organizations, to raise awareness of preventable diseases and to improve public health through vaccines. He is a frequently invited speaker at practice-based professional society meetings related to vaccines, and has conducted research and published dozens of papers in the areas of vaccines and immunization practice.
Hogue is a member of the Gardendale City Schools Board of Education, and is actively involved with the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, the Gerontologic Society of America, the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists and the American Pharmacists Association.
Hogue’s appointment is effective summer 2016.