R. Gary Hollenbeck
2018

Research Fellow
Retired Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Associate Dean for Academic Programs School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland

“I would in no way be overstating things by saying that the Purdue educational experience transformed my life. Small town boy on a big Ten campus, I discovered myself. I was so fortunate to find the perfect program for me and to matriculate with such a wonderful group of faculty and graduate students. The degree I earned at Purdue opened the door to an incredibly rewarding professional career.”
Education
  • BS 1972, Pharmacy, Albany College of Pharmacy
  • PhD 1977, Industrial and Physical Pharmacy, Purdue University
Career Highlights
  • Student teacher of the year awards, 1980 & 1984; University of Maryland School of Pharmacy Faculty Teacher of the year, 1991; University of Maryland Baltimore Teacher of the year, 2002
  • University of Maryland School of Pharmacy PharmD Program Transition and Curriculum focusing on instructional design, student abilities and outcomes, much of which still exists
  • Co-principal investigator on the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and the FDA Collaborative Agreement
  • One of the founders of UPM Pharmaceuticals

  • Awards from the FDA which included Special Recognition Award FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Commissioner’s Special Citation, Certificate of Appreciation from the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine

Gary Hollenbeck has had an extended career in pharmaceutical science and education, including approximately 30 years in academia and 10 years in industry. He received his B.S. degree from Albany College of Pharmacy in l972 and his Ph.D. in Industrial and Physical Pharmacy from Purdue University in l977. Hollenbeck joined the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in 1977 as an Assistant Professor progressing through the ranks to become Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Associate Dean for Academic Programs. As Associate Dean from 1991 to 1996, he was one of the principal architects of the School’s nationally recognized Doctor of Pharmacy program.

During that period, he was also co-principal investigator on the University of Maryland and FDA Collaborative Agreement; a joint education and research eff ort aimed at establishing a scientific basis for review of new and amended drug applications. In this capacity, he and his associates received a Special Recognition Award from the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Hollenbeck also served as a member of the Advisory Committee on Pharmaceutical Science at the FDA and in 2003 received a DHHS, FDA Commissioner’s Special Citation for his work with the Center for Veterinary Medicine.

In 1997, Hollenbeck was a principal figure in the formation and development of UPM Pharmaceuticals, Inc., eventually joining the company full time as Chief Scientific Officer. In 2016 he returned to the University of Maryland where he currently participates in early-stage pharmaceutical Research & Development and directs clinical supplies production in the School’s Good Manufacturing Practice facility.