Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

The Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences was established in 1924 as the College of Pharmacy within the College of the City of Detroit.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-22 |title=History |url=https://applebaum.wayne.edu/about/history#definition-101566 |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |language=en}} It was created to bring formalized pharmaceutical education to a city where most pharmacists had been trained through informal apprenticeships. Initially housed in what is now Old Main, the college offered a three-year program in pharmaceutical chemistry. Under the leadership of founding Dean Roland T. Lakey, the college expanded its curriculum and achieved full accreditation from the American Council of Pharmaceutical Education in 1939.

In the following decades, the college broadened its scope to include a range of allied health programs. During the 1970s and 1980s, it added departments in physical therapy, occupational therapy, nurse anesthesia, mortuary science, radiation therapy, and medical laboratory science. In 1974, it merged with the Division of Allied Health to become the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-22 |title=History |url=https://applebaum.wayne.edu/about/history#definition-101570 |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |language=en}}

In the late 1990s, plans were initiated to build a new facility to accommodate growing enrollment and technological demands. With a $5 million lead gift from alumnus and Arbor Drugs founder Eugene Applebaum and additional funding from the State of Michigan, construction began on a new building located at 259 Mack Avenue in Detroit’s Midtown.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-22 |title=History |url=https://applebaum.wayne.edu/about/history#definition-101571 |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |language=en}} The college officially opened its new facility in 2002, and in recognition of Applebaum’s contributions, was renamed the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2001. Today, the college remains a core part of Wayne State University’s academic and research mission, offering a wide range of programs across the health sciences.

During the 2024–25 academic year, the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Wayne State University celebrated two significant milestones: 100 years of pharmacy education in Detroit, and 50 years since the integration of pharmacy and health sciences programs under a single college.{{Cite web |date=2021-11-11 |title=Celebrating 100 years of pharmacy in the heart of Detroit through the 100 Faces project |url=https://applebaum.wayne.edu/news/celebrating-100-years-of-pharmacy-in-the-heart-of-detroit-through-the-100-faces-project-64949 |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |language=en}}

Wayne State University's Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is one of the few institutions in the United States that offers both a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program and a wide range of other professional health care programs within a single college. Programs at the college include:

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Collegewide

• Interprofessional Education and Practice
• Bachelor of Science in Applied Health Sciences
• Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.)

Pharmacy

• Doctor of Pharmacy
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Pharmacy Practice

Health Sciences

• Medical Laboratory Science
• Mortuary Science
• Nurse Anesthesia
• Pathologists’ Assistant
• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Physician Assistant Studies
• Radiation Therapy Technology
• Radiologic Technology

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In 1965, the college moved into Shapero Hall on Wayne State’s main campus, named after Nate Shapero, a prominent Detroit pharmacist and donor.{{Cite web |title=Wayne State University Shapero Hall of Pharmacy |url=https://www.michiganmodern.org/modern-buildings/wayne-state-university-shapero-hall-of-pharmacy/ |url-status=live}}

The current location opened in May 2002 and is named after Eugene Applebaum, a prominent Detroit-area pharmacist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist best known as the founder of Arbor Drugs.{{Cite web |title=Building Arbor Drugs {{!}} The Legacy of Eugene Applebaum |url=http://applebaumlegacy.org/Site/About-Eugene-Applebaum/Stories/Building-Arbor-Drugs.aspx |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=applebaumlegacy.org}} The building is 270,000 square feet with five floors, six levels and was designed by Neumann/Smith Architecture. The building provides multiple laboratories, offices, and classrooms, for each program. Mortuary science students work in their own building, located on Woodward Avenue in Detroit.{{cite web|title=Wayne State University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences|url=http://www.neumannsmith.com/projects/004_college_university/005_WSU_Pharmacy/005.html|work=Neumann/Smith Architecturey|accessdate=27 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203040159/http://www.neumannsmith.com/projects/004_college_university/005_WSU_Pharmacy/005.html|archive-date=3 February 2014|url-status=dead}}

In fall 2019, the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences enrolled a total of 976 students, including 926 full-time and 50 part-time students. Of the total student population, 203 were undergraduates, 368 were enrolled in graduate programs, and 405 were professional students.

The Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences offers a wide variety of student organizations,{{Cite web |title=Login - External System |url=https://getinvolved.wayne.edu/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2Forganizations%3Fbranches%3D195268%26categories%3D10579 |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=login.wayne.edu}} including:

• American College of Clinical Pharmacy – Student College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP-SCCP)
• American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP)
• Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA)
• Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International – Pharmacists in Christ (CPFI)
• Arab American Pharmacist Association
• Phi Lambda Sigma – Gamma Chi Chapter.
• The Rho Chi Society – Alpha Chi Chapter
• Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity
• Lambda Kappa Sigma (LKS)
• Wayne State University Chapter of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS)
• PharmD Class of 2027
• Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA)
• Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD)n
• Physical Therapy Student Organization
• Mortuary Science Students Organization

In the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings, the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Wayne State University earned national recognition for its academic programs. The college’s Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program was ranked No. 38 in the nation, while its Nurse Anesthesia program was ranked No. 51.{{Cite web |date=2018-05-15 |title=Wayne State graduate programs earn top national rankings |url=https://today.wayne.edu/news/2024/04/09/wayne-state-graduate-programs-earn-top-national-rankings-61989?utm_source=Direct&utm_medium=Instagram&utm_campaign=Social+media |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Today@Wayne |language=en}}

For 2021, U.S News & World Report ranked the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in the top 20% in the nation for its nurse-anesthesia program, and ranked its occupational therapy program in the top 35% of the nation. Its occupational therapy program is also in the top 35% of ranked schools, the pharmacy program is ranked 43 out of 134 ranked schools, and its physician assistant program is the top-ranked in Michigan (a tie with Western Michigan University), and ranked 108 out of 170 ranked schools nationwide. {{Cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-health-schools/pharmacy-rankings?name=wayne%20state%20university|title=U.S. News & World Report rankings, 2021|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}

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Category:Pharmacy schools in Michigan

Category:Wayne State University

Category:Universities and colleges established in 1924

Category:1924 establishments in Michigan