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Effective July 1
WSU expands health sciences leadership team
Thursday, June 28, 2012
By Lorraine A. Nelson, College of Pharmacy
 John Roll |
Effective July 1, Roll will step into the new position of associate vice provost for graduate education and scholarship while still maintaining other important roles at the College of Nursing and within his research programs. In his new position, he will also assume responsibility for developing and supporting strategies to support WSU Health Sciences faculty in both clinical work and research activities.
Roll earned his Ph.D. in experimental psychology from WSU in 1994. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship in human behavioral pharmacology at the University of Vermont and a post-doctoral fellowship in substance abuse research at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. He has conducted extensive research in the fields of addictions and mental health.
"Creation of this position is a next step in the development of WSU Health Sciences,” said Gary M. Pollack, vice provost of the division. "I am extremely grateful to Dr. Roll for accepting this challenge. He has the background and skills necessary to guide the development of a more biomedical research-intensive environment in Spokane.”
Roll has served in many administrative positions since joining the WSU faculty eight years ago. He is just completing a four-year term as Associate Dean of Research for the College of Nursing. He will continue in the College of Nursing as Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and as the director of two College of Nursing programs — the Program of Excellence in the Addictions and Program of Excellence in Rural Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment.
"Dr. Roll has been very successful with his research in the fields of addictions and mental health, said Brian Pitcher, chancellor of WSU Spokane. "Equally important, he’s also been a leader in encouraging researchers from different disciplines to work together. He is a perfect fit in his new role.”
Patricia Butterfield, dean of the College of Nursing, noted, "In my 25 years as an educational leader, I have never seen a scientist move as quickly to have an impact on the public’s health. Under John’s leadership, his team is breaking new ground to improve the lives of families affected by mental health and substance abuse problems. I’m confident that John’s involvement will accelerate WSU’s ability to move from single- to multi-scientist grants addressing health science problems affecting our community.”
In addition to being a member of the faculty in the College of Nursing, Roll holds faculty appointments in the WSU Departments of Psychology, Health Policy Administration and Neuroscience and at the University of Washington in the Departments of Psychiatry and Family Medicine.
Roll’s research, which is designed to understand, prevent and treat substance abuse, has been funded by many state and national organizations including the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
"It is a pleasure to play a role in the exciting development of the Health Sciences at WSU. Much great work has happened to lay the groundwork so that our programs can thrive. I look forward to seeing the campus and the programs mature."
Roll served on the faculty at Wayne State University and at UCLA before returning to join the faculty at WSU in 2004. He was appointed by Governor Gregoire to serve on the Eastern State Hospital Advisory Board and the Governor's Council on Substance Abuse. Roll is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, and a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and is a past-president of the American Psychological Association’s Division on Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse.
About WSU Health Sciences in Spokane
WSU programs in pharmacy, nursing, speech and hearing sciences, health policy and administration, nutrition and exercise physiology and a cooperative program in medical education with the University of Washington comprise the WSU Division of Health Sciences in Spokane.
Contact:
John Roll, WSU Health Sciences, 509-324-7223, johnroll@wsu.edu
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