COVID-19 TALE B Y
D A N I E L
P.
S M I T H
Dr. Glen Schumock
COVID-19’s arrival brought unprecedented times to the UIC College of Pharmacy, challenging the ways students learn, researchers progress, faculty teach, and clinicians practice. Despite a fluid, fast-changing public health situation, the college remained steadfast in its mission to educate, to conduct cutting-edge research, and to provide innovative patient care. In a series of first-person essays, members from across the college community—administrators, faculty, clinicians, and students alike—detail the novel coronavirus’s impact on their lives and how they worked to adapt amid trying circumstances. Shining with resolve and purpose, their stories underscore the persevering spirit so engrained in the college’s DNA. D R. G L E N
S C H U M O C K
A member of the UIC College of Pharmacy faculty since 2000, Glen Schumock succeeded Jerry Bauman as dean of the college in January 2018.
It might come as no surprise to you, but for most of my first two years as dean, it felt like I was swimming upstream. As much as I thought I was prepared for this role, the reality of it was the opposite. The huge responsibility and many moving parts were disorienting. However, by the end of 2019, I felt that I understood the scope of the job and had learned to lean on a highquality team of associate deans, department heads, and many willing faculty and staff across the college. With most of the building blocks in place, I walked into 2020 more comfortable and confident in my role. Then, COVID-19 appeared and changed everything.
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T H E P H A R M A C I ST
P H A R M A C Y.U I C . E D U
Like most, I followed COVID-19’s emergence overseas. Still, I had no idea of the impact the virus would have on all of us. While I was visiting my mother in the Pacific Northwest in February, metro Seattle reported its first COVID-19 cases. That’s when this virus’s potential impact started to hit home. Things happened quickly after that. With news coming in everyday about how the disease might affect us and how other universities were preparing, it became clear that life would need to change. And that brought a flurry of activity that demanded constant concentration, focus, and sustained effort that continues to this day. To gather input, make decisions quickly, and implement changes, we formed a College of Pharmacy Emergency Response Team comprising associate deans, department heads, and other key leaders. The group met daily for several months to address the myriad
