College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences Faculty & Staff
College Leadership Team
Dr. Soltis’ research and teaching interests include autonomic and neuro-pharmacology, mechanisms of drug interactions and the scholarship of teaching and learning. He is a co-author of the textbook Introduction to the Pharmaceutical Sciences: an Integrated Approach. He has received the College Teacher of the year Award three times, the College Professional Leadership Award, Distinguished Professor Award and was elected into Academy of Pharmacology Educators of the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.
Robert Soltis joined the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Butler University as Dean of the College in 2016 and holds the title Edward J. and Margaret F. Rowe Chair.
He received his B.S. in pharmacy from Butler University and a Ph.D. in pharmacology and toxicology from Indiana University School of Medicine. Prior to joining Butler University, he was the Ellis and Nelle Levitt Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology and served as Chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Administrative Sciences at Drake University, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Prior to his faculty appointments, Dr. Soltis held the position of Pharmacology Research Associate (PRAT Fellow) at the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Kimberly Beck is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Pharmacy Program Director at Butler University. She received a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Butler University in 1986. She received a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry at the Ohio State University in 1991. In her current role as Associate Professor, she teaches Medicinal Chemistry in the four course Principles of Drug Action sequence. As Pharmacy Program Director, Dr. Beck works with the pharmacy faculty to advance the Butler PharmD program into the future of pharmacy education. Dr. Beck is the co-author of Chapter 35: Coronary artery disease in Foye’s Principles of Medicinal Chemistry, 8th edition. She is a registered pharmacist in Indiana and Ohio and she is certified in Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery (2010). She was awarded the Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Outstanding Pharmacy Science Professor Award in 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021, and 2023. In 2018, Dr. Beck was awarded the Dr. Terry L. Hageboeck Award “for her devotion to the profession of pharmacy with a passion for students not only in the classroom but also in their personal lives”.
Office Hours:
By appointment
Gayle earned a Doctor of Education degree in Higher Education Leadership with a concentration in Academic Affairs Administration from Nova Southeastern University. She also earned a bachelor degree in Human Resource Management and a master’s degree in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education, both from Ball State University. She was named a Nova Southeastern University Programs for Higher Education Scholar, only one of two in the country. Gayle’s research interests focused on gifted and honors-level higher education students, discrimination of females in education, and women in non-traditional academic career fields.
Gayle Hartleroad previously served as the Director of Student Services in the Miller College of Business at Ball State University for 18 years. Drawn primarily to pre-professional programs, her prior positions include Associate Director of Graduate Business Programs (Ball State University), Senior Assistant Director for the Arts and Sciences Placement Office – Career Development Center (Indiana University) and Honors Program Assistant Director & Academic Advisor in the Department of Freshman Engineering (Purdue University).
At Ball State Gayle was a co-founder and administrator of the Miller Business Honors Program and Miller Scholarship. This program received national and regional recognition for outstanding academic advising by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) and for its innovative nature and academic-student affairs collaboration by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA).
For the past ten years in her personal time she has made clients’ vacation dreams come true as a travel professional, specializing in Disney Destinations. Her favorite travels have been to Kauai, London, and extended cruises.
Pharmacy Practice Professor
Jane Gervasio is the Butler University Pharmacy Practice Professor of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She is Board Certified Nutrition Support Pharmacist and a Fellow in the American Colleges of Clinical Pharmacy. She completed a Specialty Residency in Critical Care and Nutrition Support and a Research Fellowship in Metabolic Support at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. Dr. Gervasio is nationally recognized for her expertise in the area of Nutrition Support. She speaks both locally and nationally and has published numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters on various nutritional and gastrointestinal related topics. Dr. Gervasio continues to serve on various committees for several nationally recognized organizations, including the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and the Specialty Council on Nutrition Support Pharmacy Practice for the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties.
Dr.Julie M. Koehler was born and raised in Madison, Indiana. Valedictorian of her high school class, she graduated from Madison Consolidated High School in 1991. She attended college at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. A student-athlete, she was a member of the Purdue University Women’s Golf Team in 1991 and 1992 while majoring in pre-pharmacy. Following acceptance into the pharmacy program at Purdue, she consistently earned Dean’s List honors and was inducted into the Rho Chi Pharmaceutical Honor Society. Dr. Koehler earned her Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree from Purdue University in 1997. Following graduation from Purdue, she completed an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)-accredited Pharmacy Practice Residency at the Indiana University Medical Center (IUMC) in Indianapolis. Upon completion of her residency training at IUMC in 1998, Dr. Koehler accepted a co-funded position in Indianapolis with Clarian Health Partners as a Clinical Pharmacist and with Butler University as an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (COPHS).
During her career as a clinician-educator, Dr. Koehler served at Clarian (now Indiana University Health) as both an inpatient clinical pharmacist at Methodist Hospital from 1998 to 2009 and as an ambulatory care clinical pharmacist at the IU-Methodist Family Medicine Center from 1998 to 2004 and with the IU Health Transition Clinic from 2012 to 2017. For the Department of Family Medicine, she served an instructor for both medical residents specializing in Family Medicine, as well as medical students from IU. Throughout her time as a clinical pharmacy specialist at Clarian, Dr. Koehler helped to establish and oversee numerous pharmacist-run clinical services, including an anticoagulation clinic, a dyslipidemia clinic, a pulmonary education program, a smoking cessation program, and a patient assistance program, for the IU-Methodist Family Medicine Center. In 1999, she also established a post-graduate year 2 (PGY-2) pharmacy residency program with a dual focus in Family Medicine and Academia, and she served as the director of that program until 2008. While working with the Department of Family Medicine, Dr. Koehler was an active participant in clinical research, and she served as a member of the ALLHAT (Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial) Collaborative Research Group, which was responsible for conducting one of the largest and longest-running antihypertensive studies ever sponsored by the National Institute for Health (NIH) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
Throughout her career with Butler University, Dr. Koehler has received numerous awards as an instructor in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, including the Outstanding Pharmacy Practice Professor Award (2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009), the Board of Visitors Award of Excellence (2003), and the Mortar Board Teacher of the Year Award (2005). In addition to teaching pharmacy students, pharmacy residents, medical students, and medical residents, Dr. Koehler served as a volunteer instructor for the Indiana University School of Dentistry from1998 until 2008. Dr. Koehler has given numerous invited presentations at local, state and national levels. She has also presented internationally. She has served as a volunteer instructor for both the American Lung Association of Indiana and the American Lung Association of Ohio and as well as a member of the Indiana Asthma Alliance and the Indiana Joint Asthma Coalition (InJAC) for the Indiana State Department of Health. She has been an active member of several professional organizations throughout her career, including ASHP, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), and the Indiana College of Clinical Pharmacy (ICCP), and in recent years, she has established membership within the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA). Dr. Koehler served as President of ICCP in 2003-2004, and she was the first person to hold the title of Recruitment Chair for that organization in 2002. As a result of Dr. Koehler’s recruitment efforts during that year, ICCP was awarded national recognition by ACCP as the State chapter with the most significant growth in membership. Dr. Koehler served as the national Network Facilitator for the Section of Primary Care within ASHP’s Section of Clinical Specialists and Scientists from 2003 to 2005. In 2006 and 2007, Dr. Koehler was invited to be one of ten national experts in the field of Ambulatory Care to serve on the national Ambulatory/Primary Care Pharmacy Role Delineation Study Task Force for the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties (BPS). The work of that task force ultimately resulted in the establishment of a national board certification exam and credential for ambulatory care pharmacy specialists (i.e., the Board Certified Ambulatory Care Pharmacist, or BCACP). Dr. Koehler also served two consecutive terms as a non-specialist memberof the Psychiatric Specialty Council for BPS from 2006 through 2012.
In 2003, Dr. Koehler was promoted to Associate Professor and appointed as Chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice. In 2004 and 2005, she completed a Fellowship in Academic Leadership through the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). As Chair of the Department ofPharmacy Practice from 2003 to 2011, Dr. Koehler built and led one of the largest academic departments (including more than 50 full-time faculty, staff, residents, and fellows) on Butler University’s campus. In 2007, Dr. Koehler was recognized locally for her accomplishments by the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) as one of the Forty Under 40. In 2010, Dr. Koehler was promoted to the rank of Professor at Butler University. That same year, Dr. Koehler appeared as an expert panelist alongside two physicians on the Discovery Channel for the Discovery Health Continuing Medical Education (CME) segment, “Hormonal Therapy Options for Contraception and Menopause.” Notably, she was the first non-physician panelist to appear on the nationally televised continuing medical education series. During a celebration of national Women’s History Month in 2010, Dr. Koehler was honored with a Professional Woman’s Achievement Award by the U.S. Department of Defense, Accounting, and Finance Services (DFAS). Also in 2010, Dr. Koehler was awarded Fellow status by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (the highest honor that the College can bestow upon its members) in recognition of her demonstration of a sustained level of excellence in clinical pharmacy practice and research. In 2011, Dr. Koehler was promoted to a newly created administrative role within the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Butler. As Associate Dean for External Affiliations, Dr. Koehler handles external affiliations on behalf of the college as they relate to clinical practice and experiential education, and she is focused on establishing, developing, and maintaining experiential learning sites for both the pharmacy and physician assistant programs within COPHS. In 2014, Dr. Koehler was honored as the recipient of the Indiana College of Clinical Pharmacy Tisdale Pharmacy Professionalism Award. In 2019, Dr. Koehler was honored by Butler University with the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Academic Achievement for Community Partnerships.
In addition to her administrative duties at the college, Dr.Koehler remains an active teacher, clinician, and scholar. Since the time of her hire in 1998, Dr. Koehler has continued her clinical work at IU Health as the pharmacist for the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at Methodist Hospital. As a member of the pulmonary rehabilitation team, she continues to provide medication education on a monthly basis to patients with obstructive and restrictive lung diseases, as well as patients with cystic fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension who have been enrolled in the Pulmonary Rehab Program. She has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and chapters in books, and she has served as co-editor and author for the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh editions of the Pharmacotherapy Casebook:A Patient-Focused Approach, a companion casebook to the textbook, Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach (DiPiro et al; published by McGraw-Hill Medical), that is widely used by pharmacy and nursing schools throughout the country as well as internationally.
Dr. Koehler is married to Brad Bowman (originally of Jacksonville,Florida), Principal of Core Finance Team, and the couple resides in Fishers, Indiana with their two daughters, Lauren (age 12), and Allison (age 9).
Education
- 1998 Post-doctoral Training: Biochemistry University of Texas at Austin
- 1993 Ph.D Structural Virology Purdue University
- 1986 M.S. AppliedPhysics University of Sao Paulo (USP)
- 1984 . B.S Physics University of Campinas (UNICAMP)
Professional Experiences- 2018 – Current Chair and MS Program Director Pharmaceutical Sciences
- 2013 – 2018 Coordinator for pharmacy Latin American Activities – UIW
- 2012 – 2018 Advisory board Member Ettling Center for Civic Leadership (ECCL)
- 2012 – 2015 . Elected for leadership – Biological Sciences Section – AACP
- 2012 – 2013 Leadership Retreat "Contemplation and dialogue": Provost Invitation UIW
- 2010 – 2011 Academic Leadership Fellows Program (ALFP) – AACP
- 2009 – 2014 Associate Professor FSOP-UIW
- 2007 – 2012 Consultant Scientist- INCELL
- 2006 – 2010 Member UTHSCSA-Center for Structural Biology
- 2006 – 2009 UIW – Representative Western Regional Center of Excellence in Biodefense (WRCE) NIH
- 2006 – 2009 Assistant Professor FSOP-UIW
- 2004 – 2005 Division Head, Drug Discovery and Design, COP – University of Kentucky
- 2004 – 2006 UK-COP – Representative South Eastern Center of Excellence in Biodefense (SERCEB) NIH
- 1999 – 2006 UK-COP – Member – Markey Cancer Center
- 1999 – 2006 UK-COP – Member – Center for Structural Biology
- 1999 – 2006 UK-COP – alternate board member Southeast Regional Collaborative Access Team (SERCAT), Argonne,
- 1999 – 2006 Assistant Professor Pharmaceutical Sciences – UK-COP
- 1993 – 1998 Research Associate Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry Univ. of Texas at Austin
- 1988 – 1993 Research Assistant, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Purdue University
- 1984 – 1986 Research Assistant, Dept. Physics and Chemistry Univ. of Sao Paulo, Brazil
- 1980 – 1980 Teaching Assistant, Dept. Mathematics University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil
Overview and research interests
Dr. Marcos A. Oliveira is originally from Brazil where he received his bachelor’s degree in Physics and Masters in Applied Physics. He moved to Purdue University and obtained his PhD in Structural Virology in 1993. His work at Purdue contributed to the development of the antiviral agent pleconaril. He did his post-doctoral training at the Protein Crystallography group at UT-Austin researching the structure and function of the polyamine metabolism.
He joined Butler University in the fall of 2018 as Dept Chair and Director of the Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences. He was charged with re-imagining the graduate program and began with a listening tour of the Dept and Indianapolis community. The key outcome of the listening tour was the identification of an opportunity to develop programs centered on data analytics, healthcare, bioscience, and technology. Graduates need to be ready to manage and use data to serve in the workforce. He was involved in the establishment of an inter-college Data analytics program at Butler and the development of a concentration in bioinformatics. Along with colleagues at the Pharmacy program he working to develop a curriculum that prepares PharmD students to lead in digital health.
He began his career in Pharmacy education at the University of Kentucky, College of Pharmacy. At Kentucky, he led a team that developed data with evidence linking polyamine metabolism to biofilm formation in Yersinia pestis. In 2006 he joined a team to establish a new School of Pharmacy at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), in San Antonio, Texas. He is an author of over forty scientific manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. He has received funding from the American Cancer Society, Kentucky Lung Cancer Research Program, William and Ella Owens Biomedical Research Foundation and NIH. In 2009 he was selected by Aetna along with a group of 12 health professionals as examples ofLatino contemporary role models. In 2010 he was selected to participate in the Academic Leadership Fellows Program (AFLP) of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). The leadership training provided by AACP and UIW led him to initiate, in 2013, an innovative international pharmacy program involving a three-way partnership between UIW, a pharmaceutical company (Prati-donaduzzi), and Pontifical Catholic University of Parana (PUC-Parana). The program has been in place for the last five years and offers Brazilian pharmacy students an observational experience in clinical pharmacy and PharmD students a unique international experience in industrial pharmacy, researching the integration of FDA and ANVISA regulations. In the last three years, he has led UIW to team up with PUC-Parana and Kent StateUniversity to develop an international competition called "Mission Life". In this competition teams of students from all three universities compete for the best innovative product or service that meet the needs of our world and our times. In 2018 the theme of ”Mission Life seventh edition" is "Immigration in the 21st Century".
Dr. Seth Carey is originally from Nashville, Tennessee. In 2015 he completed his Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) with a minor in psychology from Lipscomb University. In 2018. Dr. Carey completed his Masters of Science in Nursing Education (MSN Ed.) from Middle Tennessee State University. Additionally, in 2023 Dr. Carey completed his Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Western Kentucky University.
Dr. Carey’s nursing career has allowed him to practice in various clinical settings including pediatrics, adult medicine, neuro, spine, kidney/liver transplant, hematology, oncology, bone marrow transplant, geriatrics, and geriatric psych. In 2016, Dr. Carey began teaching nursing students in the clinical setting and in 2018 became full-time in nursing education. His experience in education emphasizes the connection of clinical, classroom, and simulation. He has held previous leadership experience as a program coordinator and Associate Dean of Nursing. Dr. Carey has taught a wide array of courses including: pathophysiology, pharmacology, adult health, pediatrics, leadership, NCLEX prep, and preceptorship.
Dr. Carey is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society, National League for Nurses (NLN), Indiana Nurses Association, American Nurses Association (ANA), a BLS instructor, BLS/ACLS certified, and biotherapy/chemotherapy certified. Additionally, he is a board member of the Indiana Nurses Foundation and a Certified Nurse Educator (CNE). He was a recipient of the daisy award in 2019, which recognizes exceptional nurses in the field.
In 2023, Dr. Carey joined Butler University as the Founding Nursing Program Director. Outside of Butler, Dr. Carey works as a Registered Nurse (RN) at Riley Children’s Hospital on the pediatric hematology/oncology unit.
Dr. Amy Peak is the Director of the Health Science and Healthcare & Business programs, and Chair of the Health Science department at Butler University. She has over 20 years experience in higher education and is a clinical pharmacist, certified wellness coach, and group fitness instructor. She obtained her Doctor of Pharmacy from Butler University, completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency at St. Vincent Hospitals and Health Services, and was a Visiting Scientist at Eli Lilly and Company. She is a past president of the Indiana College of Clinical Pharmacy as well as the founder and a past president of the Drug Information Practice and Research Network within the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. Her primary practice, research, and interest areas are related to community health, vaping/electronic cigarettes, CBD & cannabis, providing health services to the uninsured, and improving the mental health of students, faculty, and clinicians in health professions. She is well-published and has provided a myriad of presentations on these topics at local, state, and national levels.
Cody Sasek, PhD, PA-C was appointed Program Director of the Doctor of Medical Science Bridge Program in January 2022. In this role, he leads program operations, the DMS Bridge curriculum, and program recruitment and admissions. His teaching responsibilities include several of the DMS Bridge courses as well as mentoring students in their capstone work.
Dr. Sasek has served in a variety of roles in PA education, including Director of Clinical Education for the Creighton University Physician Assistant Program immediately prior to joining Butler’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Dr. Sasek has been a PA for more than a decade and has experience in orthopedics and emergency medicine. He continues to actively practice emergency medicine.
The educational background of Dr. Sasek includes a Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a PhD in Educational Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In 2018, he completed the Harvard Macy Institute Program for Health Professions Educators.
His research has explored the impact of competency-based assessment, specifically entrustable professional activities, on PA student motivation and learning. Dr. Sasek is an editorial board member for both the Journal of the American Academy of PAs where he serves as a Clinical Editor and the JBJS Journal of Orthopaedics for Physician Assistants where he is an Associate Editor. He contributes national leadership as a site visitor for the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) and as a member of the Physician Assistant Education Association’s Grants and Scholarships Review Committee.
Outside of his professional work, Dr. Sasek enjoys spending time on his family farm in rural Nebraska, staying active, and participating in triathlons, including previously completing the Ironman Wisconsin triathlon.
Associate Professor
Department Chair, Dept. of PA Studies, Program Director MPAS Program
Dr. Snyder graduated from the Butler University physician assistant program in 1997 and earned a PhD in Health Sciences from Nova Southeastern University in 2014. She has worked in both Family and Emergency Medicine as a physician assistant. She is a tenured professor. She has served within the PA program as the Academic Coordinator, Clinical Coordinator, Program Director, and Chair of the Department. Dr. Snyder was the founding Chair and Program Director of the Doctor of Medical Science Program in the Department of Medical Sciences. On June 1, 2020, she assumed the position of Associate Dean Academic and Administrative Services of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She has served as a University Faculty Senator and on the College and University Professional Standards Committees while at Butler University.
Dr. Snyder has been active in the national professional organizations of the PA profession. She served as Director at Large and President of the Board of Directors of the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA). She has served as a site visitor for the Accreditation Review Commission on Education of the Physician Assistant. Dr. Snyder has served as chair of the Public Relations Committee of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA). She has served on several Reference Committees and the Standing Rules Committee within the House of Delegates, AAPA. In addition, she has served on numerous other committees and workgroups in both the PAEA and AAPA.
She has remained active as a member with her state physician assistant organization. In the past, Dr. Snyder was elected to positions within the Indiana Academy of Physician Assistants as President, Secretary and on numerous occasions as a Delegate to the AAPA House of Delegates.
Dr. Snyder was awarded the PAEA Master Faculty of the Year Award in 2019 and the President’s Award in 2011 by the Student Academy of American Academy of Physician Assistants. She is a Distinguished Fellow Member of the AAPA.
Dr. Snyder has presented and published several articles on clinical, professional, and research topics associated with the PA profession and education.
Dr. Jennifer Simms Zorn, DMS, PA-C is a graduate of the Doctor of Medical Science program at Butler University and obtained her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Practice from Finch University of Health Sciences. Dr. Zorn is a tenured associate professor at Butler University and has previously taught in the Butler PA program from 2006-2021. Her clinical work has been in internal medicine and geriatrics as well as in family medicine.
Since joining the faculty at Butler University, Dr. Zorn has presented on clinical, professional, and education topics locally and nationally. She has published works related to PA Education and the PA Profession.
Dr. Zorn currently serves nationally as a member of the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) Awards and Honors Committee. She has also served in multiple roles for the Indiana Academy of Physician Assistants.