Episode 14: Accidental Dean – Jill Kolesar

During this episode of the Trailblazers Podcast, IPA CEO Kate Gainer sits down with IPA President Jim Hoehns, Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy and Ambulatory Care Preceptor at Cedar Valley Primary Care, and Dr. Jill Kolesar, Dean and Professor at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy. Learn about Dean Kolesar’s upbringing, her fascinating research, her plans for the college, and her “accidental” deanship!

Jill Kolesar, PharmD, MS, serves as Dean and Professor and the Jean M. Schmidt Chair in Drug Discovery at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, where she also completed a residency and fellowship in oncology.

Dean Kolesar’s research focuses on precision medicine and oncology drug development. She has authored more than 400 abstracts, research articles, and book chapters, and as a principal investigator has received more than $25 million in research funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), ARPA-H, the American Cancer Society, and other sources. In addition, she has 9 patents or patents pending and has founded two start-up companies, Helix Diagnostics and VesiCure Technologies, based on technologies developed in her laboratory. She also edits leading pharmacy textbooks, including Pharmacotherapy Principles and Practice and the Top 300 Pharmacy Flash Cards.

More Information:

• ARPA-H Sprint for Women’s Health | Video
• IPA Annual Meeting 2025 – Friday Keynote: “Iowa Pharmacy Trifecta: Tradition, Transformation and Tomorrow”
• Iowa PharmTour – August 11-15, 2025
• University of Iowa Homecoming – September 21-27, 2025

Connect with us on LinkedIn:

• Jill Kolesar
• Jim Hoehns
• Kate Gainer
• Iowa Pharmacy Association

Watch for a new episode of the Trailblazers Podcast each month. Subscribe today so you don’t miss an episode!