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UW School of Pharmacy Mourns the Loss
of Dean Emeritus Milo Gibaldi
 Dr.
Milo Gibaldi, who served as dean of the UW School of Pharmacy from 1978
to 1995, died Jan. 13 in Chicago at the age of 67. He is remembered at
the UW as a humble, warm, gracious teacher, and a visionary leader.
"Those of us who were fortunate enough to know Milo, will miss his
friendship, wonderful insights and ability to inspire," noted dean
Sid Nelson.
As dean, Gibaldi played an instrumental
role in making the UW School of Pharmacy a premier school of pharmacy,
developing a more clinically oriented curriculum, integrating the school
into the UW health sciences community, and launching the Doctor of Pharmacy
program. Although internationally honored for his accomplishments
in pharmacy research and education, he once said, "I think of myself
as a teacher, first and foremost. Even when I discover something in my
research, I really get excited about telling my students about it."
Gibaldi was a pioneer in the study of
pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug metabolism, bioavailability,
bioequivalence, and transdermal drug delivery systems. He published more
than 200 scientific papers and eight books, including the Drug Therapy
Topics Supplement. He served as scientific advisor to the Food
and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and several
pharmaceutical companies.
Over the course of his career, Gibaldi received many honors for his work.
He was one of just seven U.S. scientists honored at the Millennial World
Congress of Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2000. In 1986, he became one of
only two pharmacists ever elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine
of the National Academy of Science. The International Pharmaceutical Federation
bestowed the Erik Host Madsen Medal to Gibaldi in 1991 for distinction
in pharmaceutical sciences. In 1996, he was elected a fellow of the American
Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) and was a recipient of
the association's Research Achievement Award in Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics,
and Drug Metabolism.
As dean, he oversaw the planning construction
of the School of Pharmacy's long-sought permanent home in the Health Sciences
Center H-Wing. Previously the School of Pharmacy had been in Bagley Hall
and other locations on the UW campus. In addition, Gibaldi implemented
the two-year, post-baccalaureate Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program,
which had been in the planning stages for some years, and graduated its
first students in 1982. Combined with an American Society for Hospital
Pharmacy accredited residency program, it was recognized as one of the
foremost graduate programs in the nation.
Gibaldi received his undergraduate degree in pharmacy in 1960 and his
doctorate in pharmaceutics in 1963 from Columbia University. He
was an assistant professor at Columbia until 1966 when he moved to the
State University of New York at Buffalo. There he advanced to the rank
of full professor and chair of the Department of Pharmaceutics and established
a national and international reputation for research in biopharmaceutics
and pharmacokinetics. A strong promoter of collegiality, Gibaldi's leadership
was recognized by UW appointments as associate vice president for Health
Sciences (1982-1992), chair of the Board of Deans (1987-1995), and chair
of the Board of Health Sciences Deans (1992-1995).
Gibaldi was dean of the School of Pharmacy for 17 years. He stepped down
from the deanship on July 1, 1995 to return to the faculty as professor
of pharmaceutics and dean emeritus. He moved to Chicago in 2003 to be
closer to family and teach at Midwestern University and continue with
his research. Throughout his tenure and much of his life he battled serious
health problems, and was admired for his perseverance and courage that
enabled him to still reach great heights as a scientist, leader and educator.
The Milo Gibaldi Endowed Professorship in Pharmaceutics was created in
his honor in 1993, designed to focus on faculty and student research and
education in advanced drug delivery systems.
Milo Gibaldi is survived by his wife, Florence, and daughter, Ann. The
family has asked that in lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a condolence
and memorial gift please do so with a donation to the Milo Gibaldi Professorship
Endowment. Donations can be made online at https://secure.gifts.washington.edu/ph_dean/gift.asp?page=funds&source_typ=3&source=GIBALD
or by calling the University of Washington School of Pharmacy Office of
Development directly at 206-616-7613.
Obituary,
The Seattle PI
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