Dr. Garrison named interim assistant grad studies dean

Jered Garrison, PhD, professor of pharmaceutical sciences, has been named interim assistant dean of UNMC Graduate Studies.

Dr. Garrison will coordinate the UNMC Graduate Studies Mentor Training Workshops and dissertation boot camps among other leadership duties within UNMC Graduate Studies. He also is available to help students, faculty, and program directors navigate challenging situations, said Karen Gould, PhD, interim dean.

Dr. Garrison began his new role Monday.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Garrison assume the role of interim assistant dean for UNMC Graduate Studies,” Dr. Gould said. “He brings valuable perspective and a unique skill set to the graduate studies team and will draw from a well of leadership experiences in graduate education, mentorship and administration. We look forward to working with him to support our graduate students, faculty and programs in the coming academic year.”

Previously, Dr. Garrison served as pharmaceutical sciences graduate program chair for several years. He also performed a wide range of administrative responsibilities as vice chair of the pharmaceutical sciences department. Dr. Garrison also is one of UNMC’s trained facilitators for the Entering Mentoring curriculum developed by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research. He has facilitated multiple mentor training sessions for UNMC faculty members over the past two years.

Dr. Garrison was named a UNMC Distinguished Scientist in 2023 and in 2022 was honored with the Graduate Student Association Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor Award.

Former UNMC Graduate Studies leaders have been tapped for major appointments over the past year, Dr. Gould said, noting the appointment of former dean H. Dele Davies, MD, to UNMC interim chancellor in 2024 and the appointment of interim dean Kendra Schmid, PhD, to interim vice provost in the University of Nebraska Provost’s Office earlier this year.

“It’s a privilege to support the success of our graduate students,” Dr. Garrison said, adding that he looked forward to working with Interim Dean Gould and Jordan Rowley, PhD. (See sidebar.)

“As interim assistant dean, I hope to help build on the strong foundation already in place and identify new ways to support the outstanding graduate programs on campus and make sure every graduate student at UNMC has the resources they need to thrive.”