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East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy is celebrating a milestone that occurs once every eight years: full reaffirmation of its accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).  
 “ETSU Gatton College of Pharmacy must undergo the reaffirmation process every eight years to ensure that our college continues to deliver a high-quality Pharm.D. program, operate efficiently and progress toward its mission to serve the rural and underserved,” said Dr. Debbie Byrd, dean of ETSU Gatton College of Pharmacy and interim dean of the College of Nursing. “I am thankful for the years of hard work our faculty and staff contributed toward earning this reaccreditation. It is because of them that our college continues to provide elite pharmacy training and create a stellar learning environment.” 
 The college was founded in 2005 by the community but has quickly risen to national prominence with numerous national awards and rankings in recent years, including: 
 – No. 2 in the nation for first-time NAPLEX pass rate among accredited schools in 2024, (No. 1 in Tennessee, No. 1 in Southeast).  

– No. 6 in the country for its Post Graduate Year 1 Match Rate in 2024 (No. 1 in Tennessee, No. 1 in Southeast).  

– Top national award for service to the community, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Lawrence C. Weaver Transformative Community Service Award.  

– Home to the nation’s leading substance use disorder patient care committee as recognized by the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP). This year marked the 11th consecutive year that the committee has been recognized either regionally or nationally.  

– Growth of its Early Admission Pathway by 270% since 2020.  

In addition to recent state funding – which significantly decreased the cost of tuition for the student pharmacist – ETSU Gatton College of Pharmacy has made significant changes to its curriculum and to the support services that it offers students, including a revamped NAPLEX exam preparation process, faculty mentorship, and the recently hired director of student success and student success coordinators.  

ETSU Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy is one of the university’s five health sciences schools that comprise its Academic Health Sciences Center, providing students with a robust combination of academic and clinical sciences programs that elevate their interprofessional experience.