Lucas Hill was appointed executive director of Pitt PERU

The University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy has appointed Lucas Hill as executive director of the Program Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU), effective Dec. 1, 2024.

Hill brings to PERU extensive experience in research and education related to substance use, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and harm reduction. He previously directed the Pharmacy Addictions Research and Medicine (PhARM) Program at The University of Texas at Austin and led Texas Targeted Opioid Response projects addressing the opioid crisis.

This appointment aligns with the School of Pharmacy’s strategic plan, which emphasizes excellence in education, impactful research and improving health through service.

“It is an honor to join the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and lead PERU,” Hill said in a School of Pharmacy announcement. “Substance use challenges continue to threaten the health of people who use drugs in our region and across the U.S., and PERU is a recognized leader in addressing this crisis through research and education. I am excited to build on that record of success by expanding engagement of pharmacists and harm reductionists in our work.”

Hill earned his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Missouri — Kansas City and completed a residency and faculty development fellowship at UPMC, where he contributed to implementing the first naloxone co-prescribing program in the system. Hill has published more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and he has received several national honors, including the American College of Clinical Pharmacy New Educator Award and the American Pharmacists Association Generation Rx Award of Excellence. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance Use and Addiction and on the editorial board of the Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.

“We are very excited that Dr. Hill has joined our school. I look forward to the impact of his expertise and the continued strength of PERU to advance Pitt Pharmacy's excellence in service, research and teaching while transforming care,” said Amy Seybert, dean of the School of Pharmacy.