NSU Horizons Spring 2010

23 HORIZONS Y ou can hear the passion in his voice, you can see it in his eyes, and you can read about it on the many plaques that line his of ce walls. As the chancellor of Nova Southeastern University’s Health Professions Division (NSU-HPD), Fred Lippman, R.Ph., Ed.D., has used his re to build one of the nest academic pro- grams for future health care providers. “One of the most important things we can provide our citizens with is quality holistic health care,” Lippman said. “As an educator and administrator, my job is to make sure the next generation of doctors, pharmacists, dentists, optometrists, and other health care professionals receive the best training anywhere. Our students will have a burdensome responsibility to society once they leave NSU.” Piloting one of the most prestigious aca- demic divisions at NSU, Lippman helped foster the exponential growth of HPD’s six colleges—osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, optometry, dental medicine, allied health and nursing, and medical sciences. The division has more than 6,000 students and 1,300 faculty and staff members. Lippman’s sturdy guidance has also led to the creation of nursing and anesthe- siologist assistant programs; expansion of physician assistant programs at NSU’s Student Educational Centers throughout Florida; growth of the medical school to become the 11th largest in the nation; and continued excellence of one of the nation’s top dental schools. “Dr. Lippman provides much needed stability and direction to the faculty and staff within HPD,” said Patrick Hardigan, Ph.D., head of research at the Health Professions Division. “He embraces a leader- ship and management style that empowers people to do their jobs. Most critically, he has effective communications skills, which emphasize listening and collaboration.” For all his accomplishments, and the fact that he is the boss, Lippman is an affable and accessible leader. You might see the well-dressed chancellor with soft-white hair and an easy smile in a hallway of an HPD research lab. You might spot him sit- ting in a classroom at the College of Dental Medicine. If you do, introduce yourself, ask a question, and soak in the man’s limitless knowledge and advice, which is offered with occasional humor. “I’m a people person,” Lippman said. “You can’t sit up in the ivory tower and understand people. You have to go onto campus and into the labs and hallways to communicate with students and professors.” THE PEOPLE’S PHARMACIST Lippman learned the value of inter- personal skills at an early age. Born in Brooklyn, New York, during the Great Depression era, Lippman grew up in a multicultural community that was rich in history and full of colorful characters. This helped shape his skill at establishing rela- tionships with people at the grassroots level. After high school, he went on to earn his Bachelor of Science from Columbia University, as well as being a vital coxswain on the university’s rowing team. He went on to Columbia’s College of Pharmacy, earning a pharmacy degree. Several years later, in 1960, Lippman left the hustle and bustle of New York City for South Florida. He took an immediate liking to the young region and found kin- dred spirits among the locals. They became his customers when Lippman started his own pharmacy in Hollywood, which even- tually expanded to four other locations in Broward County. “I started as a community pharmacist in the days when your local pharmacist was someone who communicated regularly with his neighbors and customers,” Lippman said. “To me, health care was never just a business.” Not only did Lippman have strong relationships with his pharmacy customers, “To me, health care was never just a business.” —Fred Lippman