Biography
Dr. Gireesh Gupchup
Dr. Gireesh Gupchup was approved to fill the Southern Illinois University system’s newly created Vice President for Academic Innovation, Planning, and Partnerships at its July 2020 meeting. He began his appointment later that month.
Previously, Dr. Gupchup was a Professor of Pharmacy and Director of University-Community Initiatives at SIU Edwardsville, where he has been for 16 years. After serving as the founding Associate Dean until 2010, he was Dean of the SIUE School of Pharmacy for eight years.
Prior to coming to SIUE, Dr. Gupchup was Chair of the PharmacEconomics, Pharmaceutical Policy, and Outcomes Research Graduate Program at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, 1996-2000 and 2003-04, where he moved through the ranks to become a tenured Associate Professor. From 200—2003 he served as the Director of the New Mexico Medicaid Retrospective Drug Utilization Review Program. In 1995 he was a Purdue-Merck Graduate Research Fellow in Pharmaceutical Economics, Pharmaceutical Economics Research Center, at Purdue University.
Dr. Gupchup earned a doctorate in Pharmacy Practice from Purdue University in 1996. He has since been an active researcher with extra-mural funding for his very active faculty career. He is well published in his field, and has assumed numerous professional and community service roles at SIUE and the University of New Mexico.
Dr. Gupchup’s community service record includes currently serving as Chair of the Southwestern Illinois Division (SWID) United Way Auxiliary Board and the Greater St. Louis United Way Board. He also serves on the Executive Committee as Secretary of the Board of the Hospice of Southern Illinois and is President of the Land of Goshen Rotary Club. Additionally, Gireesh serves on the Board of the Leadership Council of Southwestern Illinois (LCSWIL) and the Military Affairs Committee for the LCSWIL. He previously served on the Leadership Board for the American Lung Association of Illinois.
In his position, Gupchup will play a leading role in identifying and engaging with strategic partners to facilitate economic development and community engagement. He is charged with promoting outreach, collaboration and impact across the system. He is also responsible for the execution of an aggressive strategic plan, which will explore opportunities for collaboration in shared academic programs, such as cooperative degrees, the development of collaborative research projects on more than one campus and the recruitment and retention of international students. In all things, the vice president will foster inter-university partnerships that while organized at a system level, are done so without sacrificing the distinct characteristics of each campus.