By Haley Charlton
NASHVILLE, TN — Belmont University has announced the appointment of Dr. Sharrel Pinto as Dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, effective July 1. A passionate health care practitioner, researcher and visionary, Dr. Pinto brings a wealth of experience to her new role with more than two decades of leadership experience in higher education. Dr. Pinto, a pharmacist by training, has dedicated her career to transdisciplinary practice by bringing together health care and non-health care practitioners to solve complex community-based problems, positively impacting patient care and wellbeing.
Pinto currently works at South Dakota State University’s College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions where she serves as Founding Center Director of the Community Practice Innovation Center (CPIC) and Founding Department Head of the Department of Allied and Population Health, as well as the inaugural Hoch Endowed Professor for Community Pharmacy Practice.
“We are excited to welcome Dr. Sharrel Pinto to Belmont and look forward to her leadership of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences,” said Dr. David Gregory, provost and former dean of the College of Pharmacy. “Her experiences throughout her life and career have uniquely prepared her for this role. Her visionary leadership and commitment to her faith are well-aligned with our aspirational aims of forming diverse leaders of character who will go on to solve complex problems and help people and communities flourish.”
In her new role, Pinto will lead more than 100 faculty and staff and approximately 850 students. Belmont’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences brings together faculty and students from seven disciplines: physical therapy, occupational therapy, mental health counseling, social work, public health, exercise science and pharmacy and will offer three bachelor’s, three master’s and four doctoral degrees. As Dean, Pinto will provide programmatic leadership to prepare students to be future health care leaders, build relationships with organizations for partnerships, oversee growth and strategic development, and lead the expansion of the College’s research and outreach arm.
“Belmont has a rich foundation of interdisciplinary work and inter-professional education across all its Colleges. I am excited for the opportunity to build on this foundation and leverage Nashville’s tremendous health care ecosystem to make an impact in students’ lives,” Pinto said. “I feel blessed to have life and career experiences that have brought me to Belmont. As Dean, I’d like to continue inspiring students to find or re-identify their purpose and develop skillsets that will improve health outcomes for entire communities.”
Born in a small town in India, Pinto earned her bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the University of Bombay in India as well as a post graduate degree in marketing management. She began working as a pharmacist in Mumbai, but quickly realized her passion for serving the underserved by merging community practice with clinical training. She went on to attend the University of Toledo for her master’s in pharmacy health care administration and the University of Florida for her Ph.D. in Pharmacy Health Care Administration.
Pinto’s career has largely focused on working with students and faculty from varying backgrounds. She excels at bringing together various stakeholders and community partners to form unique partnerships, positively impacting care and providing the next generation of practitioners with hands-on learning.
A decorated academician, Pinto’s transformative work seeking solutions to community-based problems earned her the honor of the Harvard Scholar for Leading Innovations in Healthcare and Education in 2019. She was inducted as a Fellow in the APhA Academy of Pharmaceutical Research and Science in 2020 and earned the Community Pharmacy Innovation in Quality (CPIQ) Award, bestowed by The Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) and the Community Pharmacy Foundation (CPF) in 2021. In November 2022 she received the Patriot Award from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, under the Department of Defense, recognizing her efforts to support citizen soldiers.
Belmont President Dr. Greg Jones said, “I am excited to welcome Dr. Pinto to the Belmont community. Her Christ-centered leadership approach is precisely what we seek out in leaders at Belmont. I am confident that her demonstrated innovative thinking and leadership, commitment to relationship building and heart for service will be a great asset to Belmont as we seek to train future providers who will make a difference in the world.”