In the summer of 2024, the University of Iowa’s College of Pharmacy appointed Marlow Hicks as its new pharmaceuticals director.
Since 1885, the UI’s College of Pharmacy has maintained several well-known programs while educating and training pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists. The College of Pharmacy also specializes in drug discovery and experimental therapeutics, health services research, pharmaceutics, and several other categories.
In addition, the College of Pharmacy has consistently been recognized as a top-ranked pharmacy school nationwide. A report conducted by the U.S. News & World Report in 2024 placed the school at No. 24 out of 143 programs across the country.
Hicks joined the College of Pharmacy with over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and his career has taken him around the globe. He progressed from engineering roles at Exxon to executive roles in pharmaceutical manufacturing at Merck and Thermo Fisher.
His passion for the industry and connecting with others ultimately led him to the UI and the College of Pharmacy.
“I said I would love an opportunity sometime in my career to work on a college campus, to work with students,” Hicks said. “I just like the vibe of being able to talk to students about what the future looks like for them, whether it’s in manufacturing or whether it’s in the research environment.”
Hicks’s background in manufacturing and world travel has also aided him in settling into his new role.
“Working in places like Singapore and China and France has given me what you would call that idea of diversity, the culture, whether it’s young, old, how to sit down with people and listen and understand people with diverse backgrounds,” Hicks said. “I think my world travels have definitely helped me in my current role because at UI, we’re very diverse.”
The new role has been an exciting one for Hicks, as he can interact with upcoming facilities and technology, such as the New Sterile Facility.
Executive Associate Dean and Professor at the College of Pharmacy Gary Milavetz discussed the overall program along with the addition of Hicks.
The College of Pharmacy offers a professional program and a graduate program with different tracks and research opportunities, Milavetz said. Students can immerse themselves in medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacogenomics, and health services research.
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Milavetz also highlighted recent achievements and breakthroughs conducted by those at the College of Pharmacy, such as grants received by Dean Jill Kolesar and Professor Korey Kennelty.
The College of Pharmacy and the pharmaceuticals program both work closely together to educate students while working on additional research. The pharmaceuticals program allows students to receive unique training opportunities while also being exposed to the pharmaceutical manufacturing side of the industry.
“UIP is really a kind of a novel training area and an education area,” Milavetz said. “They take some of our professional students and show them a side of the drug industry that most colleges of pharmacies students don’t see.”
In addition, Milavetz shared that the College of Pharmacy is pleased to have Hicks join to advance UI Pharmaceuticals.
“[Hicks] brings a wealth of experience in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry and has a strong background in both engineering and operations, from both his education and his experience in the industry,” Milavetz said. “He has the ability to build a lot of bridges with our faculty and UIP, but also the staff and then other faculty and units across campus.”
In the future, Hicks said he is looking forward to continuing working with his team and connecting with students across campus. Another one of his goals is to collaborate with current and new partners to advance the field of pharmacy and pharmaceuticals at the UI.
“I see us growing from an entity that has anywhere from $15-18 million in sales right now to well above $25-30 million in sales,” Hicks said. “That creates opportunities, not only from a financial point of view, but as we grow, we have more opportunities for internships and rotational programs.”