S. William Zito ’66P, Ph.D., Professor of
Pharmaceutical Sciences and Associate Dean for Assessment and
Planning, has been named Acting Dean of the College of Pharmacy and
Health Sciences at St. John’s University, commencing August 1,
2012.
Dr. Zito’s appointment was announced by Rev. Donald J. Harrington,
C.M., President of St. John’s, following the selection of Robert A.
Mangione, Ed.D., Dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health
Sciences, as Interim Provost of the University.
A mentor to many doctoral and master’s degree candidates at St.
John’s, Dr. Zito has earned wide recognition as a teacher and
researcher. Prior to becoming Associate Dean, he served as Chair of
the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences from 1993-1999. He has
garnered several “Teacher of the Year” awards and is a past
recipient of the St. John’s University Outstanding Faculty
Achievement Medal.
Dr. Zito has served on the Board of the American Association of
Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). He also chaired its Section of
Teachers of Chemistry and Council of Faculties. In addition, Dr.
Zito was Secretary Treasurer of the Accreditation Council for
Pharmacy Education (ACPE).
An expert on medicinal and analytical chemistry, Dr. Zito has
written or co-authored numerous textbooks and articles in
peer-reviewed journals. These works include Pharmaceutical
Biotechnology: A Programmed Text, of which he is the author,
and The Medicinal Chemistry Case Study Workbook, which he
co-wrote.
In 1997, Dr. Zito and Victoria F. Roche, Ph.D., Creighton
University, won AACP’s Innovations in Teaching Award for their
educational CD, Computerized Medicinal Chemistry Case Studies.
Three years later, he, Dr. Roche and Marlene J. Aitken, Ph.D.,
Creighton University, won AACP’s Rufus A. Lyman Award for their
article, “Evaluation of Computerized Case Study Modules as Tools to
Enhance Student Learning and Clinical Problem Solving,” in the
American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education.
Dr. Zito earned his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy at St. John’s
and his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of
Connecticut. He completed post-doctoral studies in organic
chemistry at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and
medicinal chemistry at the University of Minnesota’s College of
Pharmacy.