Gift of $1 million to advance the field of pharmacy

November 16, 2007

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A Florida career pharmacist feels that a promising future in health care is dependent on advancing the field of pharmacy and he’s doing something about it by making a major gift to the College of Pharmacy at the University of Florida.

Lawrence J. DuBow and his wife Linda of Jacksonville, Fla., donated $1 million to create the DuBow Family Graduate Student Education Fund at the college. The gift will support graduate student research in the Department of Pharmacy Health Care Administration.

“Pharmacy in the state of Florida has been very good to me,” said DuBow a 1953 graduate of the University of Illinois. “I felt an affinity to associate with the University of Florida and consequently the College of Pharmacy. I take every opportunity to speak at events and meetings at the college to tell the students about the importance of giving back.”

In addition to being a supporter of the college and a pharmacist, DuBow is also an entrepreneur and had been involved in the drug wholesale business for more than 30 years. His business, Lawrence Pharmaceuticals, grew to be one of the largest single-house independently owned wholesale drug companies in the United States. DuBow served as president of the company until 1986 when he sold it to FoxMeyer Drug Company. He went on to do consulting work for FoxMeyer and later opened a consulting business to wholesalers, manufacturers and retailers.

The DuBows’ relationship with UF’s College of Pharmacy stems back more than 35 years. In 1991, they donated $1 million to the DuBow Family Research Center in Pharmaceutical Care. Lawrence DuBow continues to lend his expertise to the college’s National Development Advisory Board and the Florida Tomorrow Campaign Advisory Council. He is also a member of the Florida Pharmacy Association.

Through their most recent gift, the DuBows will have the opportunity to meet the graduate students who will benefit from the fund. Christian Hampp, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Pharmacy Health Care Administration, was named the first student to benefit from the fund. Within his field of pharmacoepidemiology, Hampp is currently investigating ways to optimize the care-versus-expense of a costly drug therapy. The therapy is used for prevention of respiratory virus infection in early childhood.

The DuBows’ gift is eligible to receive state matching funds from the State of Florida Trust Fund for Major Gifts, potentially increasing the total amount of the endowment to $1.75 million.

“The DuBows’ gift not only recognizes the future need for research in the ever-changing field of pharmacy, it also serves as a lead gift in the college’s capital campaign,” said William Riffee, dean of UF’s College of Pharmacy. “Student and research support are two key areas of need in the campaign.”