Since joining the Pacific faculty in 2013, David W. Collum, MSP, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, has focused on one central goal, creating an environment in his classroom where students feel safe.

“Safe: to ask questions, to make comments, to innovate, to take part in student teams on various projects,” said Collum.

Collum serves as chair of the AmerisourceBergen/Good Neighbor Pharmacy Entrepreneurial Pharmacy Practice Program. In this role, he helps students explore diverse career opportunities, from pharmacy management and ownership to launching innovative business ventures rooted in patient care.

His advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to make reading a daily habit and to “ask as many questions from as many mentors as you can.” Equally important, he encourages them to be kind to themselves and to persevere, even when early ventures don’t unfold as planned.

“My hope is that future generations of Pacific pharmacy students and faculty will embrace new technology and healing tools we’ve yet to imagine, while always remembering that before becoming a patient, those whose health and lives we improve were, and are, human,” Collum said.

Collum earned his bachelor of science in biology from University of Texas at Arlington and master of science in pharmacy from University of Florida. As a student, a course titled Pharmacy Crime sparked his interest in policy and regulation, which became the focus of his career prior to joining academia. His areas of expertise center on the intersection of policy and ethics, with an emphasis on fraud and abuse in public programs, and the interplay between pharmaceutical costs and access.

Music serves as Collum’s creative outlet. For the past four years, he has played guitar for the band The Jamokes. They can be found playing at outdoor venues located in the foothills east of Sacramento. He is also an avid golfer. As he prepares to transition into retirement in May, he is looking forward to spending more time with his wife, four children and grandchildren.