Madeleine Coles

News Editor

Christopher Owens was recently named the new associate vice president for health sciences, a position he has held on an interim basis since January.

The position primarily involves assisting the vice president in basic operations management. “Health sciences is a very complicated facet of the university,” Owens said. “We have grown to a level that the vice president alone really for the day to day management of operations in both Meridian and Pocatello requires associate vice presidents who will oversee day to day operations on the various campuses.”

Owens will also oversee interprofessional relations within the different departments of health sciences.

“I kind of help to bring the various organizations and groups together, to support the kind of things that are important to all of these different organizations from teaching to scholarships to service to clinical practice,” he said.

Owens attended ISU as a student in college of pharmacy in 1998; he graduated in 2002, and completed his postgraduate residency at the Southeast Idaho VA outpatient clinic before becoming a faculty member as an assistant professor the next year.

“I have seen ISU as a student, then as a non-tenured track clinical faculty member, then as a tenure-track faculty member, and then became an administrator department chair for pharmacy practice,” Owens said. “I think I have a very good understanding of ISU and its culture, its people and its challenges.”

He added that working and studying within the college of pharmacy was also an opportunity to explore other divisions of health science.

“The college of pharmacy interacts with virtually every program within the division of health sciences,” Owens said. “I have had some interaction with most of our health programs.”

In addition, Owens served on the interprofessional affairs committee within the division, which is a group dedicated to bringing the programs together.

“I have seen this program on the micro level as well as having these experiences on a more overarching level,” he said.

Owens also received a bachelor’s degree from Utah State in German with a minor in philosophy.

“That helps me, I think, deal with the more human aspect of healthcare,” he said. “Having that background in humanities has helped me communicate and work with people.”

Owens said he hopes to use his position to help the division of health sciences gain more recognition for its work and research.

“We already have great reach, and I would like to see that reach perhaps recognized more than it is,” he said. “ISU does have the health science mission for the state of Idaho. I’d like to foster more recognition in the public in terms of what ISU has to offer.”

He added that he would like to encourage growth within enrollment numbers and the amount of students going into the health sciences.

“I want to get people excited about the health sciences as a profession,” he said.

Owens said the part of the job he is most looking forward to is also his greatest challenge.

“I have been in the college of pharmacy up until now,” he said. “I would like to break out of that a little bit though in terms of getting to know more about what other programs are doing. I’ve always liked learning new things. I’m very excited about being a part of the growth of other programs. My challenge will be to make that transition to the larger world of health sciences programs.”