July 2006

Buchanan County, Virginia

Dr. Eleanor Sue Cantrell was recently named as president of the University of Appalachia and as permanent dean for its college of pharmacy. Dr. Cantrell, a pharmacist and medical doctor, is the district director of the Lenowisco Health District, which includes Lee, Scott, and Wise counties and the City of Norton, and her duties since 1991 have included supervising medical personnel and managing public health programs. Her specialty training is in internal medicine, and her focus is upon preventive health care in a region beset with health disparities.

“We are very pleased to have someone of Dr. Cantrell’s background and caliber on board,” stated Mickey McGlothlin, the University of Appalachia’s acting president. “Most of her medical education was obtained in Virginia, she has lived here since the 1970s, and she was raised in Upper East Tennessee. She knows our health care system, the patient population, and the many issues our region faces in the health care field. She has teaching and lecturing experience, but what is most impressive is her passion for public health care and her vast administrative background. She handles large budgets and grants, knows key people in the health care field in our region, and has a solid reputation for integrity and hard work. She will take our new pharmacy program to national prominence in public service and outreach.”

The new president and dean accepted the University’s offer as a challenge to impact pharmacy and healthcare throughout the Central Appalachian region. “I love my present work, but the opportunity to help train tomorrow’s health care providers in rural medicine and motivate our students to go into the community, partnering with other professionals and individuals to achieve excellent health and health care in many settings--including hospitals, nursing homes, community pharmacies, and public schools, teaching younger generations to avoid drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and poor eating and exercise habits--this energizes me. So many of our health problems are preventable, and it is up to parents, schools, and students in the health care field to carry that message to children as well as adults.”

Cantrell stated that she will relocate to Buchanan County and start full time this summer, and in the meantime will assimilate to her new role by working with consultants in order to prepare for the matriculation of the pharmacy college’s second class. She will also assist in helping her present employer find a replacement. “I have met with and addressed the first-year pharmacy class and am very impressed with their dedication and early skill development,” Cantrell commented. “The charter class has already made a statewide impression and just recently ranked well nationally in Medicare Part D community outreach. Many of the students are former educators themselves, and all of them have placed their confidence in a new program. Buchanan County’s leaders are to be commended for launching this school and making it available to our region’s best and brightest students.”

Frank Kilgore, a St. Paul attorney and chairman of the University’s board of trustees, added that after a nationwide search it was ironic that the new dean came from his native Wise County. “I served with Dr. Cantrell on a school nutrition committee several years ago and knew of her solid credentials, and when a friend suggested I contact her about the deanship I was pleased to do so.” Kilgore added that the permanent leadership issue at the college had been pending since last fall and that Dr. Lanny Foss, a senior faculty member, has done a good job as acting dean. “Dr. Foss brought years of teaching experience to the program and he was very effective in assuring our students that the college is on a strong foundation. We look forward to him and Dr. Cantrell making a transition beneficial to our program.”

Kilgore added that the college just processed 1300 applications for next fall’s class of 65 students, and that the University of Appalachia’s main campus in the old Garden High School would be open by then. “We will have our first-year class at Garden and our second-year class at our Slate Creek campus, near the Buchanan General Hospital to help facilitate their clinical studies. The hospital is a great partner with us.” The University is also proceeding with plans to create an herbal compounding and production facility according to Kilgore.

Dr. Cantrell and her late husband, Dr. Gregory Cantrell, an educator and pharmacist for years in Southwest Virginia, have four children: Emily, who is majoring in pre-medicine at the University of Virginia; Stephen, a Senior Airman in the United States Air Force who just returned from duty in Iraq; David, a pre-law student at Virginia Tech; and Daniel, a senior at Powell Valley High School. Dr. Cantrell received her pharmacy and medical degrees from the Medical College of Virginia Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, and recently received the Health Care Heroes/Community Service Award from Tri-Cities Business Journal and King Pharmaceuticals. She has also been recognized by Congressman Rick Boucher, an ex-officio member of the University of Appalachia’s board of trustees, as a Local Legend from Virginia. This recognition by the American Medical Women’s Association honors women physicians throughout America who have made positive, enduring contributions to the healthcare of their communities.

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