S. Suresh Madhavan, MBA, PhD, FAPhA

Professor of Pharmacotherapy

Education & Experience:

Dr. Madhavan earned his PhD in Pharmacy Administration from Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana, a Master of Business Administration from University of Poona, India and a Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Bombay, India.

Dr. Madhavan served as Dean of HSC College of Pharmacy from June 2019 to September 2023 and is a tenured Professor of Pharmacotherapy. During his tenure as dean, Dr. Madhavan oversaw the maturation of the young college, launch of new certificate and graduate pharmacy programs, doubling of pharmacy research funding, increase in faculty and student satisfaction, expansion of interprofessional collaborations, and achievement of full accreditation status from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.

Prior to joining HSC, Dr. Madhavan served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy at West Virginia University (WVU).

Dr. Madhavan has substantial experience in program development and academic administration. At WVU, he led a purposeful, cohesive and very productive group of faculty, pharmacists and staff who were recognized for their teaching and research accomplishments.

Under Dr. Madhavan’s leadership, the PhD program in Health Services and Outcomes Research was established in the School of Pharmacy and has graduated 43 PhDs to date. The PhD Program is designated as a “Program of Excellence” by the WVU Board of Governors in training, mentoring, and job placements.

Throughout his career, Dr. Madhavan has been involved in developing, implementing, and evaluating innovative roles for pharmacists including adult and childhood immunizations, academic detailing to improve medication prescribing, and managing a pharmacist call center. The call center is funded by West Virginia state agencies that does prior-authorizations of pharmaceuticals and oversees appropriate use of opioids in the state Medicaid and government health insurance programs. It is the only such program run by a pharmacy school, and has drawn national attention for saving the state millions of dollars and enhancing the safe and cost-effective use of medications.

Professional Activities & Awards:

Dr. Madhavan has served on the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education accreditation site visit teams since 2012. He has served on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, Journal of Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, and Journal of Pharmacy Teaching. Dr. Madhavan is a Fellow of the American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Pharmaceutical Research and Sciences and is a 2005-06 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Leadership Fellow. He served as the Chair-elect and Chair of the Economic, Social, and Administrative Sciences section of the American Pharmacists Association from 2006-08.

Dr. Madhavan has been recognized for many achievements. He received the WVU School of Pharmacy Board of Advisors’ Excellence in Research Award in 2009 and was inducted into the WVU Health Sciences Center Academy of Excellence in Teaching & Learning in 2010. In February 2014, Dr. Madhavan was presented the WVU Health Sciences Center Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Research and Scholarship, and in 2017 was selected as a Distinguished Alumnus of Purdue University College of Pharmacy.  In 2018, Dr. Madhavan received the prestigious Paul R. Dawson Award for Excellence in Patient Care Research from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. He recently completed a six-week visit to the National University of Science and Technology College of Pharmacy in Muscat, Oman, as a US State Department Fulbright Specialist.

In 2020, Dr. Madhavan received the American Pharmacists Association Research Achievement Award in the Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Scholarly Interests:

Dr. Madhavan’s primary areas of research interest include health services and outcomes research with particular emphasis on improving access to and quality of health and preventive care.  Since 2000, Dr. Madhavan has been involved in numerous grants and contracts exceeding $35 million (as PI) from federal and state agencies, and private corporations. To date, he has over 100 peer-reviewed publications in a variety of high impact journals on issues related to access, cost, affordability, quality, and outcomes of chronic diseases’ care in Appalachian and national populations. Dr. Madhavan has over 150 abstracts and presentations at various national conferences and as an invited speaker.