Administrator, scholar, and educator promoted academic excellence, leadership and local and global community engagement in pharmacy during 27-year career

With great sorrow, the Wayne State University Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences announces the death of Richard (Rick) L. Slaughter, who died February 23, 2016, at the age of 64, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. He passed away at his home surrounded by family, friends and loved ones.

"Richard was a valued member of the college's leadership team and faculty for 27 years," said Dean Serrine S. Lau. "He was deeply committed to the success of the college and to our students, and his contributions to the pharmacy program and profession are immeasurable."

The college supported and encouraged Richard, a beloved colleague and professor to many, in numerous ways throughout his illness. Pharmacy students sold wristbands inscribed with the message "No one fights alone - RLS" and donated proceeds to a charity of Richard's choice. Faculty, staff, and students sent cards, gift baskets, and other messages of encouragement and made frequent visits during his treatments.

Eight of Richard's friends and colleagues honored him by creating a scholarship. The group raised $50,000 in two weeks, and additional contributions ensured that a scholarship in the amount of $1,250 will be awarded this year. The goal is to raise $100,000; additional donations are welcome.

Although donors wanted to name the scholarship after Richard, in his usual humble fashion, he asked that it simply be called the Academic Leadership Scholarship. In accordance with his wishes, which illustrate his emphasis on academic excellence and leadership and service in pharmacy, recipients must demonstrate high academic achievement, hold office in a student chapter of a professional organization, and provide evidence of community engagement through a project they initiated.

"While the college is deeply saddened by the loss of our friend and colleague, we are celebrating Richard's life, leadership, and legacy," said Lau. "I am proud that the Academic Leadership Scholarship has been established in Richard's honor. I am comforted by the fact that he knew how much the faculty, staff, students and alumni here loved and admired him and he would continue to touch the lives of future pharmacists through this wonderful, thoughtful, and much appreciated gift."

Richard earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from the University of Cincinnati in 1975 and his Master of Science with concurrent residency in Hospital Clinical Pharmacy from The Ohio State University in 1977. His academic career began at the University of Buffalo, where he developed one of the nation's first applied clinical pharmacokinetics services at Buffalo General Hospital.

In 1989, Richard was recruited to the Department of Pharmacy Practice in the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions - now the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences - where he served as chair and professor. Richard was named assistant dean for assessment and accreditation in 2002 and associate dean for pharmacy in 2009. Under his leadership, the pharmacy program thrived, with graduates consistently exceeding the national and state pass rates on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination and Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination.

"Professor Richard Slaughter was an academic leader who dedicated his career to the students and colleagues of Wayne State University and the community we serve," said Brian L. Crabtree, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice. "For more than 30 years, he improved the lives of people through pharmacy education and pharmacy practice. Even greater than these fine qualities, he was a man of humility and grace, a man who placed the needs and welfare of others above his own and who simply yearned to leave the world a better place. All of us in the academy of pharmacy are profoundly influenced by his example."

A leader in the pharmacy profession, Richard published more than 100 peer-reviewed professional and scientific papers and abstracts in the areas of pharmacokinetics, pharmacotherapeutics, the cost and quality of clinical pharmacy services, and effective implementation of academic assessment. His work has been cited more than 1,600 times. He was editor-in-chief of the journal Advances in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety and a member of the editorial board of Expert Reviews in Clinical Pharmacology and served as chair of the Therapeutic Drug Monitoring panel of the Annals of Pharmacotherapy for nine years. Richard was also co-author of an influential and highly regarded textbook, Evaluating Drug Literature: A Statistical Approach. In addition, he was an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Pharmacists Association, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, and Michigan Pharmacists Association.

"Rick Slaughter was one of the finest educators and role models I have had the privilege of knowing during my 35 years in academia," said George B. Corcoran, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. "His thirst for truth produced a body of scholarship that is important and enviable. Always the visionary, he was on the leading edge of several evolutions of our profession, beginning with pharmacokinetics and drug monitoring before they became commonplace, pharmacoeconomics and cost relevance as it was emerging, and assessment driven quality improvement of education. As I have often found, those who are near the pinnacle like Rick are also uncommonly kind and humble. Rick was a force for good, and he is deeply missed."

Richard was deeply committed to advancing pharmacy in the developing world. He collaborated on projects in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Cape Town, South Africa.

A master gardener, Richard loved flowers. He was especially proud of his dark hued roses and could often be found sharing gardening tips with faculty and staff.

Richard is survived by his wife, Deborah LeRoux; two sons, Jason (Connie) and Andrew (Kristen); four grandchildren, Mason, Mallory, Easton and Greyson; his brothers; and a host of relatives, friends, colleagues and students. Richard was deeply loved and will be greatly missed.

The funeral service was held on Thursday, March 3, 2016, at the A.J. Desmond and Sons Funeral Home in Troy. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that friends contribute to the Pancreatic Cancer Foundation. Those interested in making a donation toward the gift that will be made to the foundation on behalf of the Department of Pharmacy Practice and friends should see a department staff member.

The Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences hosted special tributes in Richard's honor.

Individuals interested in supporting the Academic Leadership Endowed Scholarship can donate online at http://go.wayne.edu/give-Pharmacy. A payroll deduction option is available to WSU faculty and staff. For more information about the scholarship, please contact Denise L. Thomas, director of philanthropy and alumni affairs, at deniselei@wayne.edu or 313-577-1095.