Fusco appointed Division Head of Education and Teaching Innovation in the Department of Pharmacy Practice

As division head of ETI, Fusco will lead a group of world-class clinician scientists and educators to advance the school’s professional education programs and grow the educational research enterprise of the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (UB SPPS).

“I have had the privilege of mentoring Nick since he joined the school in 2013. He has grown into a well-rounded academician, excelling in teaching and educational research, and is nationally renowned for his work in interprofessional education,” says Bill Prescott, PharmD, chair and clinical professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice. “He has served in multiple leadership roles both within and outside the school and has proven himself, time and again, to be an effective leader. I believe that he is well equipped to lead ETI, and I have the utmost trust in his ability to do so.”

Fusco was appointed to the position, effective date February 13, 2023, following his prior leadership roles, innovative teaching accomplishments and scholarship within our school.

Fusco is a UB SPPS 2010 PharmD graduate. He went on to complete a PGY-1 Pharmacy Practice Residency from 2010-2011 at the University of Maryland Medical Center and a PGY-2 Pediatric Pharmacy Residency from 2011-2012 at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. Fusco then joined UB SPPS as a clinical assistant professor in 2013 and was promoted to the rank of clinical associate professor in 2018. He has served in multiple leadership roles in our school including interim director of experiential education from 2018-2019 and assistant director of experiential education from 2020-2023. He also served as the director of interprofessional education (IPE) from 2019-2023 and as vice-chair for education, practice and service in the Department of Pharmacy Practice from 2020-2023.

He has held several leadership positions in national pharmacy organizations as well. He formerly served as chair of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Pediatrics Special Interest Group from 2020-2021 and chair of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Pediatrics Practice and Research Network from 2018-2019. In 2022, Fusco was awarded fellowship in ACCP. He currently serves as a member of the Pediatric Pharmacy Association Board of Directors until 2025 and is a member of the AACP Academic Leadership Fellows Program (ALFP), Cohort 19.

Fusco teaches in acute care pediatrics and his educational research focuses on IPE where he takes a novel approach to simulation and its use in active learning. Under his leadership as former vice-chair for education, practice and service and former director of IPE, PharmD student engagement in IPE increased significantly. His work has helped better prepare students across the UB Academic Health Center to work in teams upon graduation.

He has received numerous awards for his teaching including the Rho Chi Teaching Excellence Award in 2016 and 2018, the SPPS Teacher of the Year Award in 2017, and the UB Teaching Innovation Award in 2021. His work in IPE has culminated in 13 peer-reviewed educational research papers as well as receipt of the 2020 AACP Emerging Teaching Scholar Award and the 2022 Interprofessional Group Recognition Award from the National Academies of Practice.

As a Board-Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and a Board-Certified Pediatric Pharmacy Specialist, Fusco has trained over 100 students and postgraduate trainees in general pediatrics at Oishei Children’s Hospital, Buffalo, NY.

Fusco leads an independent research program focused on educational research and pediatric infectious diseases. He is actively involved in clinical research and has published 31 peer-reviewed papers, 37 abstracts and 1 book chapter. He has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on 6 grants totaling more than $100,000.

“I am a proud alumnus of UB SPPS and I strongly believe that we are positioned to be an exceptional school of pharmacy for years to come,” says Fusco. “Higher education is changing and UB SPPS is poised to be a leader in pharmacy education. We have an opportunity to leverage this transitional period and emerge with an adaptive and forward-thinking curriculum that can serve as a model for others in the Academy to emulate. The Division of ETI will be central to this, and I am very excited for the opportunity to contribute to and lead this effort.”

In his role as division head of ETI, Fusco will bridge the three newly established divisions in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, help lead the implementation of our school’s new curriculum, and promote the Division of ETI on a national scale.