Williams appointed inaugural director of legislative advocacy

Williams, an alum of SPPS, is a national leader in the teaching of pharmacy law and ethics. For 18 years he served as a professor of pharmacy practice and administration at Wegmans School of Pharmacy at St. John Fisher University. He has also served on the adjunct faculty at Shenandoah University’s Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy, St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and the University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy. Additionally, he has maintained clinical and administrative practice at Myers Community Hospital, Moses-Ludington Hospital, McKesson Medication Management and Little Falls Hospital.

At SPPS, Williams will serve as a clinical professor specializing in the ethics, law and regulation of the pharmacy profession. He will teach our school’s sequence of courses in these areas, aiming to prepare our PharmD graduates for practice readiness and success on the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam, while also advocating for an expanded scope of practice for pharmacists.

“As a proud UB Pharmacy alum with formal training in law, it is clear to me that, despite being trained to a national standard of care following ACPE standards, pharmacists are not permitted to provide a corresponding level of care due to constraints in the practice laws of nearly every state. Like other professions, pharmacists should be permitted to practice to the full extent of their competence,” says Williams. “This appointment presents a unique opportunity for me to work towards aligning the scope of pharmacists' practice with their advanced level of training where ultimately, the beneficiaries of advancing the pharmacy profession will be our patients and overall public health.”

Williams will also serve as our school’s Director of Legislative Advocacy where he will track policy proposals and advocate for meaningful changes aimed at aligning professional pharmacy roles with the advanced level of expertise developed at SPPS. A key element of his role is to renew our Pharmacy Law Newsletter, an online website covering pharmacy practice laws in New York State.

“The Pharmacy Law Newsletter follows a rich legacy begun by the late Robert Cooper, PharmD, and ably continued by Karl Fiebelkorn, BS ’78, MBA ’88, recently retired professor and senior associate dean for student affairs,” Williams says.” I look forward to the challenge of maintaining the high level of quality in the content of the newsletter and positioning it for the future.”

Williams has authored over 300 scholarly works with interests relating to patient safety, risk minimization, professional practice, civil rights, labor, criminal law, ethical corporate management and education. He is also a contributing editor for The New York State Journal of Health-System Pharmacy since 2003.

He is active in numerous professional organizations including serving as general counsel to the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education since 2015, serving as president of the Pharmacy Society of Rochester, and serving as past president of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York from 2021-2022, as well as past president of the Rochester-area Society of Health System Pharmacists from 2010-2011. He is a member of the Task Force on Opioid Addiction for the New York State Bar Association and co-chair of the Pain Management Steering Committee for New York State Governor Hochul since 2024.

Williams has received multiple awards for his leadership and teaching over the years, including the National Community Pharmacists Association Leadership Award in 2021, the Outstanding Advising Award at St. John Fisher University in 2014 and the St. John Fisher Teacher of the Year Award in 2009, 2011 and 2022.

“We are excited to welcome Karl to our team,” says Bill Prescott, PharmD, chair and clinical professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice. “He is nationally regarded for his expertise in pharmacy law and has over two decades of experience teaching the topic. I have no doubt that our students will excel in their study of pharmacy law under his tutelage.”

“In addition to his faculty appointment, Karl will serve as our school’s inaugural Director of Legislative Advocacy where he will lead strategic initiatives that are intended to drive the advancement of pharmacy practice statewide in partnership with state professional societies and other key players,” Prescott adds.