A Legacy of Hard Work and Giving Back
Introduction
Growing up, Paul Gubbins, PharmD, ’88, often felt like he was playing catch-up. “I was the youngest of four boys, and I was young for my grade, so I always felt like I was underachieving or falling behind. It motivated me to work hard,” he explains.
Hard work shaped Gubbins’ academic and professional trajectory. Today, he serves as associate dean for the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Pharmacy at Missouri State University (MSU), and vice chair and professor in the UMKC Division of Pharmacy Practice and Administration.
Gubbins launched his successful career at UIC. He was part of the first class of students to enroll in the university’s entry-level Doctor of Pharmacy program. That inaugural class had just 70-100 students, compared to nearly 200 per class today.
At least one of Gubbins’ former instructors remembers him well. “We called him Gubby. He was a good student, with lots of friends and a great sense of humor,” says Larry Danziger, UIC Distinguished Professor in Pharmacy Practice. Danziger also serves as executive director of the Center for Advanced Design, Research and Exploration and director of the Section of Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy.
After earning his PharmD, Gubbins went to the University of Kentucky for a two-year clinical pharmacy residency program. He then returned to UIC for a two-year fellowship in infectious diseases pharmacotherapy. Danziger and UIC Distinguished Professor and professor emeritus Keith Rodvold were his supervisors.
“I hired Paul because I knew that he had a terrific work ethic, and I knew we’d get along. That was important, because I had to share an office with him!” says Danziger, who tracks his former fellows’ careers. He’s especially proud of Gubbins. “He’s accomplished so much. He has exceeded my expectations.”
When his fellowship at UIC ended, Gubbins landed a tenure-track professorship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Pharmacy. His anxiety about securing his place in academia drove him to work long hours in the lab.
“One weekend, my mom came to visit me. I took her out to dinner, and after she went to bed, I went back to the lab and worked until 2 a.m.,” he says. “I got home, got up at 6 a.m., had breakfast with her and went off and worked a full day again.”
His efforts paid off. Gubbins became a respected expert in pharmacokinetics and drug interactions associated with antifungal agents. To date, he has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and 21 book chapters and co-edited a textbook, Drug Interactions in Infectious Diseases, 4th edition (2018). He also served on the UAMS Institutional Review Board for 20 years, including serving two terms as chair.
As his professional success took root, Gubbins became more reflective. “I stopped worrying so much about adding publications and awards to my CV and started looking outward, at what I could do for others.” With this perspective, he then served as chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at UAMS, helping the department grow and its faculty succeed.
He took on his role as professor and associate dean at UMKC in 2014. He oversees the school’s satellite pharmacy practice program and focuses on helping PharmD students flourish. He believes scholarships are essential for student recruitment and retention — and he's backing up that belief with his own money.
Gubbins is establishing an endowed scholarship with a commitment to donate $50,000 over the next five years. His gift will be matched with $25,000 from the Retzky College of Pharmacy Legacy Scholarship Fund, bringing the endowed fund’s total to $75,000.
"We are very happy to have Dr. Gubbins’ scholarship partially matched by the Retzky College of Pharmacy Legacy Scholarship Fund, which increases the total endowment and amount that is available for student support each year. Today, more than ever, our students need this type of help," says Retzky College of Pharmacy Dean Glen Schumock.
Distributions from the endowed fund, called the Paul Gubbins Legacy Matching Scholars Fund, will provide a scholarship of approximately $3,000 to a PharmD student each year.
In addition to financial relief, Gubbins hopes recipients of his scholarship feel supported. “I hope they’re aware that people believe in them. It can be a real haul to get through a professional program. Students can face a lot of competing interests and stresses. I want to give them every opportunity to succeed. Everybody who donates to scholarships does.”