Dr. Henry Lewis III is a professor and director in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at his alma mater, Florida A&M University (FAMU). During his tenure as dean, Dr. Lewis led the college to national recognition. It is now the fourth largest of the nation's 89 colleges of pharmacy.

Dr. Lewis received a B.S. in pharmacy from FAMU and a Pharm.D. degree from Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia. He then completed a post-doctoral education at Harvard University's Institute of Educational Management.

At FAMU, Dr. Lewis opened and staffed branch campuses in Jacksonville, Miami and Tampa; he developed Ph.D. programs in pharmaceutics and medicinal chemistry, and a new master's program in pharmacoeconomics; and he pioneered the Executive Pharm.D. (ExDoc) program, FAMU's first nontraditional distance-learning degree program for the practicing pharmacist. From January to July 2002, Dr. Lewis served as interim president of FAMU.

Not only has Dr. Lewis been FAMU's Teacher of the Year, but he also is recognized nationally for his contributions to higher education and health care. To help address health disparities in Florida, Dr. Lewis opened the FAMU Health Department Pharmacy. In September 2004, he opened a pharmacy for underserved patients in the Johnnie Ruth Clark Health Center in St. Petersburg, Florida.

In 1986, Dr. Lewis became the first African American elected to the Board of County Commissioners in Tallahassee, Florida. He also is acknowledged as an expert witness and has testified before more than a dozen congressional committees in Washington, D.C., and for the state of Florida on educational and health issues of importance to African Americans.

Dr. Lewis is the immediate past president of the Minority Health Professions Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia, and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Florida Education Fund in Tampa, Florida. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Capital City Bank Group, Leon County Educational Facility Authority and the American Cancer Society.

Marisa A. Lewis, Pharm.D., M.P.H.: Biography

Dr. Marisa A. Lewis is a tenured associate professor in the Division of Health Care Management in the School of Allied Health Sciences at Florida A&M University (FAMU). Currently, Dr. Lewis also is the executive director of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA), a position she has held since 1989.

Dr. Lewis received a B.S. degree in pharmacy from Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas, and a Pharm.D. degree from FAMU. She went on to receive a master's degree in public health, with a concentration in health systems management, from Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana.

For 14 months, Dr. Lewis served as interim director for the Division of Health Care Management. From January to June 2002, she also served as interim first lady of the university.

Her past professional experience includes a seven-year faculty tenure at Xavier University of Louisiana, a three-year career as a medical information specialist with Owen Healthcare, Inc., and several years in hospital and retail settings.

Dr. Lewis previously served as the primary spokesperson for the 2000 Medicine Cabinet Safety Campaign and as one of the spokespersons for the Partnership for Self-Care Campaign. In addition, she has held an appointment on the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Licensure Examination Review (NABPLEX) Committee, and has been a consultant with Merck Managed Care and the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education. Dr. Lewis also has served on the U.S. Pharmacists Editorial Advisory Board.

Her awards include the Chauncey I. Cooper Distinguished Service Award, the Association of University Programs in Health Administration's Diversity Leadership Recognition Award, FAMU Service Award, FAMU Teaching Incentive Program Award and FAMU Teacher of the Year Award. She also is the recipient of two NPhA Presidential Commendation Awards.

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