Wayne State University School of Medicine alumnus Brian Cummings, Ph.D., has been selected to serve as the next dean of WSU’s Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, pending approval by the Board of Governors. Dr. Cummings will assume his new role on Aug. 1.

After earning his doctorate in the School of Medicine’s Pharmacology program in 1999 under the mentor of Professor and Associate Chair of Pharmacology Lawrence Lash, Ph.D., Dr. Cummings completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the Medical University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy. He joined the faculty at the University of Georgia in 2003, where he was appointed a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Scholar. 

Dr. Cummings received the “Distinguished Young Alumnus Award” from the Department of Pharmacology in 2007.

In 2012, he was appointed to his first leadership role as director of the University of Georgia’s Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program, a position he held for seven years. Since May 2018, he has served as the department head of the College of Pharmacy's Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Services. 

Dr. Cummings’ work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program. His laboratory has received continuous funding for almost 20 years. He holds two grants from the Department of Defense focusing on novel nanoparticle treatments for prostate cancer. Dr. Cummings is also a noted expert in nephrotoxicity, especially studying the mechanisms by which environmental pollutants induce renal cell death. 

“I am delighted that Dr. Cummings has accepted our offer to serve as the next dean of the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences,” said Laurie Lauzon Clabo, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., interim provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “I am fully confident that he will provide expert, innovative leadership as the faculty and staff of the college prepare to join the university in developing the foundations that will guide our next strategic plan.”

Dr. Cummings has stated that he is honored to return to his alma mater and is excited to lead the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to continue its outstanding history of accomplishments, she added.